CHRIS HARRIS: We don't have frozen lakes in the UK, but
they do in Sweden, which is why we went there to rag
around in Rally 911s for a day.
Ice driving is the most fun you can
have in a car, honestly.
And Below Zero is a company that will show you why.
It's minus 17 degrees in Sweden, but I still feel like
a 16-year-old boy looking at the top shelf of magazines in
my local news agent.
Look at this.
Which one to choose?
Little 2.2 down the end there, narrow body.
Look at these ones.
They're sort of SC, so 250 horsepower.
Wider body, [INAUDIBLE]
RS style at the end there.
I think Stig Blomqvist has driven that one.
And I know Waldegard has driven that one
and I like blue ones.
So I'm gonna have a blue one.
This is as good as it gets, a vast expanse of ice with all
manner of different tracks cut into it and snow banks to
bounce off when you inevitably get it wrong, and as much time
to perfect your car control as you pay for.
But before we go and hoon, let's have a peak
at one of the cars.
Now there are many ways to go ice driving these days, but
the best way to do it is in a competition car.
These 911s are nothing too trick, 3.2 liter Carreras on
carburetors that push around 250 horsepower with healthy
gear boxes and LSDs.
But they are perfect for the ice.
Tires are full spikes.
We'll discuss the different types later.
And you've got a full cage and a proper seat and some harness
belts, too.
If it doesn't sound too spectacular on the voice over,
the moment you give it the berries, that 250
feels like about 500.
Despite having ridiculous amounts of fun, you have to
stop at some point.
And the only place to retire after some ice skidding is a
warm, wooden hut to inevitably have a discussion about
studded tires.
Got a log fire.
We're in a lovely wood cabin.
There's no better place to discuss studded tires.
Now there are many different types of studded tire, I know,
but this is a sort of varied selection of what you can get.
Some of these are quite normal.
One of them is very trick.
Richard, tell me what's trick please.
RICHARD: This one here, which actually looks, to the naked
eye, the least impressive tire.
But in fact, the compound of this rubber
is very, very clever.
It's got a small button stud.
It's got a solid shoulder on both sides, which means you
can use it on tarmac, ice, and snow.
And it's just got sipes in the middle block.
But it was designed for Monte Carlo use where you've got a
mixed tarmac stage.
And what this tire does defies belief.
CHRIS HARRIS: There's some devilry going
on here, isn't there?
Because it's a bit warmer in here now, so
we're well above freezing.
It's quite toasty.
But when you're outside and it's minus 20, you can touch
the rubber on this, and it tacks to your finger the way a
track day tire tacks to your finger in the late
spring in the UK.
So how on earth they make that work in these temperatures, I
mean there must be stuff in there that's going to turn
your insides out, isn't it?
RICHARD: Yeah.
I'm actually--
I can't buy anymore.
We have a set amount.
And I inquired a couple weeks ago, but actually by current
standards, you can't make this stuff anymore.
It's far too bad for everybody involved.
CHRIS HARRIS: That's a Pirelli, isn't it?
RICHARD: Yeah, it was a Pirelli.
CHRIS HARRIS: So this was a WRC tire for Monte?
RICHARD: Yup.
That's where they used it most.
I think it is called, yes, a WM.
But it's all about compound because the stud is tiny by
comparison to these ones.
So it's just an extraordinary thing.
CHRIS HARRIS: Right.
Let's move to this one here.
This is a DMACK, which sounds like a rappist to me.
RICHARD: Uh.
He's not.
Originates from Carlisle.
Good guy.
And it's a new manufacturer's WRC two or three years ago.
And actually, this is not a reflection of a modern WRC
tire in its entirety.
The big difference between this one and what we're about
to move on is the width, ie the footprint.
And also we have had these specially specced for our
lake, because for our driving experience, we don't want
every single bit of grip available.
So there's not very many studs, they're not very long,
and it's quite wide.
CHRIS HARRIS: And the block looks as if it's styled like
this for a reason.
So someone's worked out that there's a V section here, then
you've got a sort of a longitudinal block here and
one that's offset here.
Do you reckon that's CAD modeled, or is that just
someone's worked out that that works out quite well?
RICHARD: That question probably take a video in
itself to answer, and there's a massive
science behind tires.
You have an ice tire, a snow tie, a snow and ice tire.
Different length studs, different material of stud,
different number of studs, it's a massive question.
CHRIS HARRIS: What are these?
Are these steel?
RICHARD: Titanium.
CHRIS HARRIS: Titanium?
RICHARD: I believe so.
I stand corrected if that's wrong, but they
certainly used to be.
CHRIS HARRIS: Titanium?
RICHARD: It's [INAUDIBLE].
CHRIS HARRIS: How much for one of those?
RICHARD: Real money, I imagine.
Yeah, 300 euros or something.
CHRIS HARRIS: OK, this is the one that excites me because
this is the one that makes rally cars look so special
when you see them ready for Rally Sweden.
RICHARD: Correct.
Bolt that on, and life changes.
So what we've got here is three stages of grip.
And this tire is much, much more aggressive.
The principal reason is the number of studs.
And if you just look at the difference, it's huge.
And the more studs you've got, the more penetration you've
got down into the ice, and more traction you've got.
CHRIS HARRIS: These are longer as well, aren't they?
RICHARD: Yeah, they look a little longer.
CHRIS HARRIS: These have been shaved down at
all or there about?
RICHARD: I suspect that's due to wear and tear.
CHRIS HARRIS: And this is a Michelin?
RICHARD: Yes.
CHRIS HARRIS: Is this, again, straight off of a rally car?
RICHARD: Yeah, it'll be the next WRC tire.
But it's a different section of tire.
And I'm sure now they have to use this wide one.
In fact, if they're trying to take grip--
CHRIS HARRIS: Out of the cars.
RICHARD: --out of the cars.
The cars are so quick.
CHRIS HARRIS: Which is strange isn't it?
So on ice, you actually make the tire wider to give it less
grip because it can't just dig down into the ice.
RICHARD: Exactly.
As ever, you become very, very comfortable one tire, and you
put another one on, and you have to readdress your whole
driving style.
But with this tire, you can take liberties that you simply
wouldn't believe.
And that's the reason they've taken the grip out, that
they've gone back to this wider tire for WRC.
CHRIS HARRIS: Of course there's much more to do here
than just practice the perfect transition.
This is the perfect place for the family man to get away
with legitimate leisure oversteer.
The wife and kids can do a Ski-Doo safari, take a sauna,
and go skiing while you hone those skills.
Why is it, if I was allowed one last drive, one last tank
of petrol, the bucket list question that all motorists
ask themselves, I'd come here and I'd drive on a lake?
RICHARD: A couple of reasons.
Reason one, look where you're standing.
That's the biggest reason.
It's a very, very special place.
Just to spend a day here without a car is a privilege.
Reason two, of course, is you've experienced today.
The driving that you can do on a lake, the freedom it gives
you, the opportunity to push a car to limit is
like no other place.
CHRIS HARRIS: It is definitely the desert
island driving exercise.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it?
I go on about the Nurburgring and Spa and other things you
can do in cars, but truly if you do one thing, go and do
some ice driving.
It's mega.