RWD+turbo+snow+ice=scary

Tuesday night I was coming home and I-96 was an ice rink! I mean, I was doing 30 and had a very hard time staying in 1 lane and was rarely pointed straight in the direction of travel. There were cars and SUVs being flung off the road like baby poop from a new father's finger. Being Christmas eve and all, I'm sure that's why they waited to call the plow trucks out. We decided to stop at a friends house for 90 minutes or so to let the salt take effect.
Then I couldn't get out of the driveway! I had to leave the benz at his house and take his Impala (how embarrassing). I think I'll fill the diesel tank for the weight. If I fill it now, I should be ready for a fill-up in March, just in time for spring!

I've only been on roads that icy once, that was in South Carolina.

One funny thing. While we were doing 30, and my wife could feel the car slipping and sliding, some cars would go by me at 5 or 10 miles an hour faster. My wife said "what's up with those cars? Why can they go so fast?" I said "those are the cars that'll end up in the ditch."
10 seconds later, two cars went flying off the road. Then when everybody hit the brakes it was pandemonium. We were a few hundred yards back.

Two years ago on Christmas day it was like that. Cars crashed every couple of miles. Three flipped. One right before us. I almost spun out with 4x4 on. I would have stopped to help the flipped blazer, but it was in a bad spot. I was worried we'd get hit. Plus they broke a window open and it looked like everyone climbed out OK. I won't take the Ranger out in any snow. Just the F150.

Last time it snowed a decent amount, I opted out of driving on the highway. Its good to know all the back roads. Always take the safe way. I wouldn't be too embarrassed of leaving the Benz.

I'll put two wheels on the shoulder/ marbles when traction on the road surface ceases. Saved my ass a buncha times.

fasted58 wrote: I'll put two wheels on the shoulder/ marbles when traction on the road surface ceases. Saved my ass a buncha times.

One of the first things my dad taught me when I was first learning to drive. That and "you'll like this car more, it's a stick". Turns out he was right.

I use snow tires. Makes more of a difference than 4WD. They'll easily let me travel 5-10 mph faster than someone creeping along on worn all-seasons and keep me out of the ditch.

That plus growing up Canadian

N Sperlo wrote: Two years ago on Christmas day it was like that. Cars crashed every couple of miles. Three flipped.

Why U not kno how to drive? Because St. Louis!

I've never seen a mass group of people fail so spectacularly at knowing how to drive in snow. Half acted like 1"-2" was The Snowpocalypse, while the other half acted like it was a balmy early summer's day. That made for a really bad combination.

fasted58 wrote: I'll put two wheels on the shoulder/ marbles when traction on the road surface ceases. Saved my ass a buncha times.

Yep. Deep unplowed snow is good too for slowing down vs. sliding on ice.

Gearheadotaku wrote:

fasted58 wrote: I'll put two wheels on the shoulder/ marbles when traction on the road surface ceases. Saved my ass a buncha times.

Yep. Deep unplowed snow is good too for slowing down vs. sliding on ice.

This. I'll often dump two wheels off the inside of a cloverleaf to get in the gravel if it's icy out. I've seen too many people go off into the cabbage on the other side. Plus- snow tires work better on snow than ice.

Duke wrote:

N Sperlo wrote: Two years ago on Christmas day it was like that. Cars crashed every couple of miles. Three flipped.

Why U not kno how to drive? Because St. Louis! I've never seen a mass group of people fail so spectacularly at knowing how to drive in snow. Half acted like 1"-2" was The Snowpocalypse, while the other half acted like it was a balmy early summer's day. That made for a really bad combination.

Its our proximity to Illinois, I swear.

Gearheadotaku wrote:

fasted58 wrote: I'll put two wheels on the shoulder/ marbles when traction on the road surface ceases. Saved my ass a buncha times.

Yep. Deep unplowed snow is good too for slowing down vs. sliding on ice.

There wasn't much snow to speak of though. Maybe 1" or so. It was the temp change from just above freezing with light rain, to below freezing, night fall, and traffic.
It was a mess, just glare ice.

Try California....dunno what's worse, the flakes falling from the sky or the flakes trying to drive in it.

Theirs this mass illusion of security built into cars these days. I swear, my 40 year old Mopar did far better with a functioning brain behind the wheel in snowy/icy weather than most whizzbangs pinballing all over the place at the first hint of moisture falling from the sky....put a set of ski's on the roof and the "IQ delete" switch gets the ever loving berkley pounded out of it.

I'd much rather drive on virgin, unplowed snow than a poorly plowed, glazed and polished ice rink. I hated that crap when I lived in Omaha. The plows would always leave 1"-2" on snow that was soon packed and polished by the idiots who would brake too late for the lights and slide through the intersection.

I remember getting paged into work at 2AM in the middle of winter. It had just stopped snowing and there was about 5" inches on the roads.There was a 45MPH road that led right to the gate. I dropped our 4x4 Explorer into 4Hi and hit it. Of course the road was arrow straight but it still was fun to haul ass.

Much like calling a cab or a friend for a ride when you've had to much to drink, leaving the Benz was the right decision

I've got all that stuff and my truck has been fine... good tires. also the switch to make the rwd 4wd is pretty nice too.

The other day we got snow that melted and refroze into ice. The cab I was in got stuck on an icy spot that was completely level I had to rock it out fwd, reverse, fwd... floor it each way such a PITA. Other than everything I have driven doesn't even know the ice is under the snow tires. Tires and light weight make all the difference...

Keith Tanner wrote: I use snow tires. Makes more of a difference than 4WD. They'll easily let me travel 5-10 mph faster than someone creeping along on worn all-seasons and keep me out of the ditch. That plus growing up Canadian

^This. I've got Goodyear ice radials on my XC90. What snow?

Canoe resurrection

I don't get it, an apparant canoe, but with no link to fake diamond encrusted condoms?

But it does remind me of a good ice driving story, almost 20 years ago when I was still new in the country and hadn’t discovered snow tires, I was driving with my girlfriend from Ann Arbor back to my place on M14. It was awful weather, freezing rain and cold. Everyone was inching along at 5mph with frequent stops. I was in my 94 Mustang on summer tires in the RH lane obviously driving as if I were, well on ice. At one point everything stopped. After a second I realized I was moving…..sideways. It was so slippery, that even when stopped my car was sliding down the camber of the road. I gently stopped when I reached the marbles at the edge, and spent the rest of the freeway portion there as I then had traction for starting, stopping and staying stopped.

DrBoost wrote: One funny thing. While we were doing 30, and my wife could feel the car slipping and sliding, some cars would go by me at 5 or 10 miles an hour faster. My wife said "what's up with those cars? Why can they go so fast?" I said "those are the cars that'll end up in the ditch." 10 seconds later, two cars went flying off the road. Then when everybody hit the brakes it was pandemonium. We were a few hundred yards back.

Priceless, and oh, so true! Seen it many a time.

Worst car I ever owned was a 1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme Coupe (Yeah, I'm old). 350 Olds power under the hood. Rear-wheel drive, and about a 90/10 F/R weight distribution. I recall getting that thing sideways taking gentle turns in the rain. Snow was even more fun. That was the only car I ever owned that I had a pair of "winter tires". We called 'em "snow tires" back then.

Edit: Ooops! Didn't see the canoe bit. Just read the first post and hit "reply." I wonder how I missed it the first time?

Ressurected in time for new snow stories. This morning at 5:30, i went to work in the snow, with the only car in the fleet remaining to take, the Mustang GT with 20" high performance summer tires on it. Had to turn of traction control to even move, and then it was a case of throwing powder snow rooster tails and getting sideways a LOT. Took a half hour to go what normally takes me 15 minutes. Fun part was anyone got too close behind me, I'd give it a bit of throttle to send the back sideways. They'd back right off.

I actually LIKE driving in snow. Lets me get out my rally race/dorifto race excitement at much lower speeds. Just have to plan stopping a lot more carefully.

It snowed down here in Huntsville and it took me 1 hour 45 minutes to make the trip back from work that usually takes less then 15 minutes.

Yep, tires tires tires. They make the most difference for winter driving. I can, and did, take our hot rod rwd turbo wonder wagon and zip all around in the snow and ice, because it had good winter tires.

As opposed to the 4x4s with big cleats, or the various fwd cars on summer or sport tires.

I don't argue that many of the cars that zipped past the OP did go in the ditch. But one on proper tires could easily sail past him in total control.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I don't get it, an apparant canoe, but with no link to fake diamond encrusted condoms?

It's in his signature, but he doesn't realize HTML is disabled in sigs here.

...Grumble... "Traction Circle" ... Grumble... "St. Louis Drivers"...Grumble..."Snow"...Grumble..."MotherBerking Cell-Phones evidently are more important than the (vaguely) guided missle you're piloting!"

I've got studded Hankook Winter I-Pikes on my Audi. It's saved my ass a bunch of times.

Turbo+Quattro+Studded Winter Tires= EpicWinTime

Worst winter car I've ever driven? An automatic V12 Jaguar XJS on summer Pirellis. I'd start to lift off the brake to start moving, and the rear wheels would start to turn from the idling engine. While the front wheels still had the brakes on! The car would slowly slide downhill, whichever direction that was. I couldn't even get it out of the garage.

Second worst was probably my donor 1998 Camaro Z28. Well, it was just kinda bad all around.

Better than both of these is the Targa Miata on worn, fat RA1s. Go figure.