[N/A] I Did It Again...

Pi1otguy said:
@Salty and that's why they shutdown icy roads around here, more or less.
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Heck, El Paso closed a couple of years ago due to the "threat" of heavy snow ... it was bone dry and the schools were closed ... our city looked like complete idiots:confused:
 
Groundpounder said:
Buy two sets of wheels, and have some nice summer tires on one set, and good winters on the other. All seasons aren't good at either season.
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Back when I lived up north, I ran Hakkapeliitta dedicated snows on steel rims and nice sticky summer high perf tires on the OEM alloy rims. A little bit of a hit up front, but max traction for the season, and each set lasts longer as they're only run part of the season. Besides, one crash will end up costing you far more than a set of winter tires on steelies.
 
Winter tires is a good advice. I typically run them in the winter. 2 sets of wheels. One for summer tires, one(cheap and smaller) for winter. Running winter tires prolongs the life of my summer tires, so it's not really costing much and is a lot cheaper(both to buy and with gas use) than AWD.
Summer tires give you better dry and much better wet traction over all-season in 50+ temps. There are no drawbacks
Winter is a bit more complicated. There are a few different kinds and which you want to use is highly dependent on how much and what kind of winter weather you have. Going too aggressive makes things worse as what is great for snow is typically lousy for wet and dry. And not just traction, handling as well.

The reason I run winter tires is because I want to run summer tires in warmer weather. But I learned that where I live I really would be better off with performance winter tires rather than anything aggressive made for snowy roads. We have a few snow days and mostly wet cold winters.
 
GRG55 said:
-27F at my home airport this morning.
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That's a bit chilly to say the least. I remember when the Cardiac Kids were in the playoffs and the wind chill in the stadium was -34ºF. Nope ... I wasn't there!
 
danhagan said:
El Paso closed a couple of years ago due to the "threat" of heavy snow ... it was bone dry and the schools were closed ...
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Here in the Carolinas if it gets below freezing and it appears we *might* have some precipitation they close the schools and offices for the county. Can't take a chance on getting any of the babies hurt in a vehicle accident. We have to keep them safe so they can eat tide pods and Gorilla glue their hair while they sit home looking for a way to become famous on the Tube! :rofl:
 
It took 45 minutes for my neighbor two doors down to pull his newer F-250 up/out of his driveway with a 14K lbs 5th wheel trailer attached as they were supposed to leave for Florida today. He slid off the road into the ditch about 3 houses down from him. Buried it good, and now 5th wheel trailer is blocking the entire road and is 3/4 way down a decent hill, so it wouldn't surprise me if he comes out in the morning to a car buried into the side of his trailer.

Gotta love that ice.

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk
 
Ravioli said:
If ever a thread needed Britney Spears, it's this one!
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I'd actually clicked on this thread just now to make that reference, shocked nobody else had yet.
 
Daleandee said:
Here in the Carolinas if it gets below freezing and it appears we *might* have some precipitation they close the schools and offices for the county. Can't take a chance on getting any of the babies hurt in a vehicle accident. We have to keep them safe so they can eat tide pods and Gorilla glue their hair while they sit home looking for a way to become famous on the Tube! :rofl:
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I never like steering things more towards a political side but...

...more likely its we have to present the illusion to our constituents that we're doing something in their interest lest they come away with the perception that we're not doing things in their interest and thus become inclined to vote differently next cycle.
 
Time for some self aggrandizement. I was headed North with Mrs. Steingar and sister Joan in our Toyota Tercel. Great little car. I come up to a bridge and watch a white caddy start spinning in front of me. He hits the guy next to him and keeps spinning. I'ma. couple car lengths back behind another guy, who slams on his brakes. I hit mine, I got nothing. I'm on ice, my braking power is nil. Mrs. Steingar starts yelling at the top of her lungs no, No NO NO NO!!!!

Me, I'm frosty cool. I downshift, hit the gas and feel I've got some traction. I go around the guy in front of me and thread the needle between the still spinning caddy and the guy he hit. I get clear of the whole thing. Mrs. Steingar is chuffed, sister Joan looks up and asks what happened. I guess I belong in the North.
 
asicer said:
A moose wanders into a mountain curve. 9 other drivers in that scenario smack the moose, each incurring $1000 of damage. I induce drop-throttle oversteer, apply some opposite lock and do a lurid power slide around the moose for the slo-mo camera (thumping soundtrack to be added in post-production). Average amount of damage is $900. 90% of drivers do worse than average. :)
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Statistics ain't simple.
 
steingar said:
Time for some self aggrandizement. I was headed North with Mrs. Steingar and sister Joan in our Toyota Tercel. Great little car. I come up to a bridge and watch a white caddy start spinning in front of me. He hits the guy next to him and keeps spinning. I'ma. couple car lengths back behind another guy, who slams on his brakes. I hit mine, I got nothing. I'm on ice, my braking power is nil. Mrs. Steingar starts yelling at the top of her lungs no, No NO NO NO!!!!

Me, I'm frosty cool. I downshift, hit the gas and feel I've got some traction. I go around the guy in front of me and thread the needle between the still spinning caddy and the guy he hit. I get clear of the whole thing. Mrs. Steingar is chuffed, sister Joan looks up and asks what happened. I guess I belong in the North.
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I like it when a plan comes together!
 
I mean.. it looks like you walked away and you'll be able to use the car again.. so?
 
All three of our cars have 4WD. Needed to get up the hill from the house when it snows (which it is doing right now). We've lived here for nearly 25 years and I've been defeated in getting up the hill exactly twice. However, for the vast majority of drivers around here all 4WD is good for is getting you stuck anyway. Everybody has 4 wheel brakes and nobody can stop on ice. It will be interesting to see if FedEx actually delivers my laptop tomorrow.
 
At the end of the day, just like flying, it's about energy management. Cars, on nice dry days can dissipate energy very quickly via brakes. Most can pull at least a half a g cornering and can put all, or most of their power to the ground when the weather is nice. When it gets wet, you lose ability in all those realms. Snow? You lose a little more. Ice? You have very little traction left, bad things happen.

So when you find yourself in an icy road situation, energy management is key. Figuring out the road is icy is half the battle. Around here, this time of year, morning is the worst time for black ice and ice in general, especially when the temps hover around freezing, above in daylight, below at night. Conditions can change from one mile to the next. Exit ramps and bridges are always worse than main roads. All the cars I've owned since I was a young un have outside air temps on the dash. When that hits 32, I change my driving habits. If it's wet and cold, I strategically check for ice by braking or minute swerves. You can feel the car get loose in those conditions if you're looking for it.

Exit ramps in low temps that are wet are bad news, summer time I might not slow down for one. Winter when it's icy, or it could be icy, I don't drive any faster than I figure I want to hit something at. How slow depends on the exit.

I've been around snow and ice my whole life. When I started driving, I took my car to a icy parking lot and would have at it. Skids, spin outs, just seeing what it took, ice doesn't take much. I still do it, I've had three Grand Cherokees, when I get them, the first chance I get, I make them skid in snow and ice. Each one has been different. They go really well in the snow, but act just like a car when it comes to corners or stopping when it's slippery.

There is nothing worse than the feeling of becoming a passenger zipping 65 mph down the highway, world spinning around. The night it happened to me the car spun about 8 times before it finally stopped facing the wrong way in the passing lane. I got cocky that night, fortunately nothing damaged except maybe my pride. But it was the last time I spun out. I have hit ice many times since, but my winter driving habits have saved me so far.

I see people who are the best drivers ever, you can tell, they will blow by you going 75 mph in a snow storm when they should be doing 40 like every one else. Many times you see them further up the road in a ditch. They didn't manage their energy well.
 
PaulS said:
At the end of the day, just like flying, it's about energy management. Cars, on nice dry days can dissipate energy very quickly via brakes. Most can pull at least a half a g cornering and can put all, or most of their power to the ground when the weather is nice. When it gets wet, you lose ability in all those realms. Snow? You lose a little more. Ice? You have very little traction left, bad things happen.

So when you find yourself in an icy road situation, energy management is key. Figuring out the road is icy is half the battle. Around here, this time of year, morning is the worst time for black ice and ice in general, especially when the temps hover around freezing, above in daylight, below at night. Conditions can change from one mile to the next. Exit ramps and bridges are always worse than main roads. All the cars I've owned since I was a young un have outside air temps on the dash. When that hits 32, I change my driving habits. If it's wet and cold, I strategically check for ice by braking or minute swerves. You can feel the car get loose in those conditions if you're looking for it.

Exit ramps in low temps that are wet are bad news, summer time I might not slow down for one. Winter when it's icy, or it could be icy, I don't drive any faster than I figure I want to hit something at. How slow depends on the exit.

I've been around snow and ice my whole life. When I started driving, I took my car to a icy parking lot and would have at it. Skids, spin outs, just seeing what it took, ice doesn't take much. I still do it, I've had three Grand Cherokees, when I get them, the first chance I get, I make them skid in snow and ice. Each one has been different. They go really well in the snow, but act just like a car when it comes to corners or stopping when it's slippery.

There is nothing worse than the feeling of becoming a passenger zipping 65 mph down the highway, world spinning around. The night it happened to me the car spun about 8 times before it finally stopped facing the wrong way in the passing lane. I got cocky that night, fortunately nothing damaged except maybe my pride. But it was the last time I spun out. I have hit ice many times since, but my winter driving habits have saved me so far.

I see people who are the best drivers ever, you can tell, they will blow by you going 75 mph in a snow storm when they should be doing 40 like every one else. Many times you see them further up the road in a ditch. They didn't manage their energy well.
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Well said. Winter driving is not particularly difficult. But much like winter flying, what's critical is having the right equipment and knowing the limitations of the equipment you have. Energy management is key.

I remember one time in Pennsylvania I was faced with a very snow-covered downhill, at the bottom of which was a sharp turn. I knew this hill very well. Vehicle was my Ford Excursion with good tires on it and 4x4. The normal way I handled this hill was going down it faster and then slowing down for the turn. I knew the "slowing down" part wouldn't work on that day, so I basically just went down the hill at about 20 MPH. No issues.

There are many other winter stories, including the time I induced a power slide with a trailer attached to get around an Impala that was bouncing between guard rails without hitting it, but that's heavily under the "don't try this at home, kids" category.
 
We got snow a few weeks ago in Austin and we may get record breaking snow on Monday. Snow is one thing, ice is another. We're dealing with ice today. I'm staying home.

I worked for a small company here 15 years ago and the three owners were all from Denver. I got to work on a very icy day just to make sure anyone who showed up could get inside. One of the owners pulled up in the parking lot and was a little ticked off that we were the only two there. He was going off about how Texans just don't know how to drive in winter weather. I laughed and told him he might want to turn around... his car was leaving! It slid across the parking lot and stopped when it hit a curb. Welcome to black ice!
 
Ted said:
Well said. Winter driving is not particularly difficult. But much like winter flying, what's critical is having the right equipment and knowing the limitations of the equipment you have. Energy management is key.

I remember one time in Pennsylvania I was faced with a very snow-covered downhill, at the bottom of which was a sharp turn. I knew this hill very well. Vehicle was my Ford Excursion with good tires on it and 4x4. The normal way I handled this hill was going down it faster and then slowing down for the turn. I knew the "slowing down" part wouldn't work on that day, so I basically just went down the hill at about 20 MPH. No issues.

There are many other winter stories, including the time I induced a power slide with a trailer attached to get around an Impala that was bouncing between guard rails without hitting it, but that's heavily under the "don't try this at home, kids" category.
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Yup, trailers add a whole other dimension of difficulty to the problem. I probably would have crashed in that situation. I've got tons of stories too, the adventures of winter driving.

I crested a hill once, just to see a car coming at me in my lane, obviously out of control. The road was probably an eighth inch black ice on that side of the hill. I hit the brakes (pre abs), nothing, so I gently turned to the left, because the guy who was supposed to be there was coming at me in my lane, there was a guy behind him who was holding his lane, but couldn't stop. So I gently turned left, the car responded, I got all the way over into the opposite breakdown lane. Avoided the guy who was in his proper lane, he zipped by and went on his merry way. Meanwhile the guy behind me just locked up his brakes and collided with the guy who was in my lane. After that it was mayhem, about 4 cars crashed.

Fun times.
 
Lowflynjack said:
We got snow a few weeks ago in Austin and we may get record breaking snow on Monday. Snow is one thing, ice is another. We're dealing with ice today. I'm staying home.

I worked for a small company here 15 years ago and the three owners were all from Denver. I got to work on a very icy day just to make sure anyone who showed up could get inside. One of the owners pulled up in the parking lot and was a little ticked off that we were the only two there. He was going off about how Texans just don't know how to drive in winter weather. I laughed and told him he might want to turn around... his car was leaving! It slid across the parking lot and stopped when it hit a curb. Welcome to black ice!
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Exactly. Had a co-worked comment about him looking outside and seeing a truck that looked just like his in the middle of the street . . . but that's not where he parked it, lol. The freezing mist/rain is a much bigger problem than big snows. I can shovel snow, it's pretty tough to shovel ice. The Excursion I picked up in Oshkosh back in October is the first 4WD vehicle I've ever owned, and I'm glad we have it just for the events of this past week (and upcoming snowstorm). Yeah, we can stay home, but it's nice to not be forced into doing so and to be able to help pull some neighbors out when they got in over their heads.
 
Although I grew up in a hilly northern area and know how to drive on snow, I refrain from doing so here because there is a very high likelihood someone else is going to total your car for you. I just choose to stay home like everyone else, it minimizes the risk.
 
Bill said:
Although I grew up in a hilly northern area and know how to drive on snow, I refrain from doing so here because there is a very high likelihood someone else is going to total your car for you.
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That's an excellent point! I lived in Cleveland Ohio a few years and never needed snow tires. But the proper placement of some sand bags in the trunk over the real axle helped greatly. Along with some gentle driving techniques I managed to never dent my ride (71 Ford Torino).

I did go through an intersection backwards one day due to black ice. I didn't touch the brakes I simply lifted my foot from the accelerator and I felt it get loose. Nothing but a rider then. o_O
 
Half Fast said:
I recommend against the frozen arctic tundra of Texas, given events of the past week...... :)
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LOL At least it's supposed to be summer again soon! Ironically, my parents decided to move to Dallas area this past week, ETA some time in the next two months. I guess the arctic weather convinced them Texas had some simularity to Minnesota so they wouldn't get too homesick. ;) Since I currently live with my parents, I'll be moving too. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to move to Texas or elsewhere, but am leaning heavily toward the elsewhere due in part to that weather. LOL
 
SkyChaser said:
LOL At least it's supposed to be summer again soon! Ironically, my parents decided to move to Dallas area this past week, ETA some time in the next two months. I guess the arctic weather convinced them Texas had some simularity to Minnesota so they wouldn't get too homesick. ;) Since I currently live with my parents, I'll be moving too. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to move to Texas or elsewhere, but am leaning heavily toward the elsewhere due in part to that weather. LOL
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Don't do it!
 
I live in Silicon Valley. What’s this ice and snow you’re talking about? ;)
 
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