Driveway Clearing In Winter

[silb]

Morning folks,

I'm a long time lurker, but I'm sure you've all noticed the change in the weather over the last few weeks. The way it's looking, we're going to have a pretty cold winter ahead. The council in my area are always terrible at salting the roads, but I want to get some salt sticks to keep my own driveway clear.

Has anyone has issues with bodywork corrosion with excessive salting? I'm not going to go mad, but my driveway is on a slope and the drain on my street has a tendency to flood with all the leaves - results in a lot of surface water and ice when it gets cold.

Keen to hear the forum's thoughts!

Thanks,

Chris

[Harvey1512]

Safety is more important than corrosion, keep salting away. The exit to our estate at home is a sharp sweeping drop leading to a t junction with a busy road. If you hit ice you just slide and then it is pot luck. I would far rather it is salted to hell then anyone slides into the road and gets hit.

Cars are pretty good now. Just get the old hosepipe out around the wheel arches and give them a rinse each during any cold spell, obviously when it is warm enough so that you are not yourself creating ice.

If you think about it, however much you spread on your drive it wont be as much as your car will pick up on the general road network.

[Whippy]

Salt away, salt away. If you can get it the grit the council uses is the best as not only does it melt ice but provides traction as well. I often carry sackful in the boot in case I get stuck.

[DaveNP]

What you spread on your drive and drive over relatively slowly won't splash up under your car anywhere near as much as the tons the council/highways puts on the roads which then gets all over your car on a journey. That pale brown dirt that covers cars in winter is mostly salt.

[green van man]

Regular washing helps.
Only you can decide if you need salt. Back in 2010 we had snow and it was cold enough for the harbour to freeze solid. Of course our site roads were not gritted, I and a number of neighbours got out to work over the snow and then sheet ice with no problem, they in their cars I in a 5 ton sprinter and landrover discovery. After a few thaw freeze cycles some of the cars were having a bit of trouble so 4 of us got out there with shovels and cleared the road.

Behind me 2 women came complaining we needed a grit bin and the residents should club together to pay for it. £1300 initial fee and £350 a year thereafter to refill it. Why I asked, because we were prisoners unable to get out for 6 weeks they said. Funny that, I got to work every day as did x,y,and z without a grit bin. If you were that worried why didn't your husbands or yourself dig the road out as we did?

I have been caught out with black ice, committed to a 25% hill before finding it in a frost pocket, 1st gear and engine screaming saw me able to steer arounder the 90 left bend and then brake hard to slow on a clear patch in the Lee of a barn.

I regularly drive off road and teach off road driving.

As I say only you can decide if you need it, if you decide you do regular washing is all you need to control the corrosive effects. If you are realy worried you could spray the underside with Dinertrol and wash it off in spring, a commercial garage would be able to steam clean the underside if you wanted. HGV have to be steam cleaned for their plating examination every year.

Paul.

[StanC]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

What you spread on your drive and drive over relatively slowly won't splash up under your car anywhere near as much as the tons the council/highways puts on the roads which then gets all over your car on a journey. That pale brown dirt that covers cars in winter is mostly salt.

Ditto. Assuming that you don't do more than about 5mph on your drive, whatever quantity of salt you spread on the drive, it isn't going to end up splattered on the underside of your car, so it won't do it any harm.

Stan.