Comments on: How to Free a Car Stuck on Ice or Snow

on 2/6/2009 This can be very frustrating, so thank you for the tips!

on 2/3/2009 Rock it-forward and back, moving the steering wheel. It'll go.

on 2/2/2009 lol, I misread the title, I had hoping to get a car for free...

on 1/16/2009 Lived in the icy and snowy north all my life. Most of the suggestions could work. Carpet only works if you put the pile (fuzzy) side down in the snow. The slightly melted snow under your tires must freeze to the greatest surface area (the pile) for this trick to work. However I have seen this trick fail more times than it works. keep a coffee can with a mixture of sand and salt in it (the salt melts and softens the ice and the sand can then apply a ruff surface it). turn your tires strait.... most people get stuck because they turned the tires left or right... and on rear wheel drive cars the rear wheels are pushing strait forward thus what they push will want to move strait forward as well. Turned tires will only stop this. The biggest problem in winter these days is all terrain/ all weather tires. In snow the narrowest tires work the best (they cut through the snow to the pavement) wid

on 11/28/2007 These are all good comments. Remember don't force anything. If you do a lot of flooring it you will make your own grand canyon. Once you get going again keep steady and smooth on the gas to avoid this again.

on 1/15/2007 UM people snow is dangerous. First off decide if you really have to go, not only is there the risk of you running off the road and hitting something, there is also the risk of somebody running into you! Ok so if you really have to go you want maximum traction, snow chains help and in some areas are required, make sure before you need to use them for the first time you practice putting them on. Nothing worse than being out in the cold with no idea how to use them! Once in your car, prepare yourself. Start engine and put into low range 4wd. When you take off make all movements smooth and steady, too much throttle or brake will break traction and this is when you run into trouble. Also turning the steering wheel too fast may cause problems too. Just remember is you lose traction you also lose steering. It's all about common sense, if you don't need to go DON'T

on 10/23/2006 start the day with chains and avoid problems..

on 8/8/2006 #1: If you're helping to push the vehicle out of the rut, be careful to not get run over by the vehicle. If the vehicle is stuck, that's likely due to poor traction, but if you're able to push it, then you likely do have good traction. If the vehicle is sliding all around and you're not, then there's the possibility of getting run over.

#2: Be careful of getting hit by objects placed under wheels (which are then successively sent flying). This is why putting a mat and/or rug down is much safer than using plywood or other wooden boards. I've actually seen a piece of plywood sent flying from under the rear tire of a vehicle which was stuck in the snow. Imagine the physical harm which could result by being hit by that.

on 6/30/2006 I got stuck on ice. I tried everything, low gear rocking etc. I didn't have FWD. We took out our car mats and placed them in front of the wheels. Worked perfect.

on 3/28/2006 Before you panic, try using what you have available. I prefer kitty litter to get me off of ice, but also found that sheets of newspaper would provide my car enough traction to get away from the icy spots. Picking the paper back up was a different story.

on 3/11/2006 If you have or can find some sheets of cardboard or similar, e.g. a flattened box, try wedging them in front of the tires. The spinning wheel should drag them down a bit and give enough traction to move out of the dug-in spot. Beware the possibility of the cardboard flying out behind.

on 3/8/2006 Decrease the PSI and you get more traction. But only if you have an air compressor and can fill your tires again -- don't go on the highway with low tire pressure!

on 3/8/2006 Old newspapers will help tires gain traction to get out of a rut. Old floor mats or old household door mats work really good as well.

on 1/9/2006 The best thing to do is: don't go out on the road if you are having to read something like this. Just wait out the storm and give the clean up crew enough time to plow the roads.

on 11/22/2005 More than once I made the grave mistake of realizing that I was stuck and then just hitting the gas to try to get out. It a scarry feeling when you feel your wheels spin deeper into the snow. Just clear snow away from the tires and take your time moving back and forth and most times you will get your self out.