OT: 22" of snow and counting

[benb]

Originally Posted by GregL

One thing I notice during this type of storm is the preponderance of drivers who think front wheel and four wheel drive means they don't need snow tires. IMO this is idiocy. You may be able to accelerate from a standing start, but your ability to stop and/or turn is still very compromised. I wish state/local governments would ban driving without snow tires during high intensity snow events. This is frequently done in the mountains of the western US.

I know this is the all time favorite internet car rant for people to make but really.. those folks problem is driving too fast for conditions more often than what tires they have.

The whole Snow/All-Season is a red herring, tires exist on a spectrum. The Ultra High Performance All seasons that ship on "sports sedans" and such are pretty different than what ships on an SUV/Truck/etc..

[MattTuck]

Yeah, I lump snow tires into the same group as nutritional supplements. For most people, they are a giant waste of money, with dubious benefits.

I'm open minded, so please feel free to share some real evidence on the subject with me. You know, evidence that is not from the tire industry.

The mandatory snow tire law in Quebec (atleast based on numbers that I can find), seems to have reduced accidents by 5%. Given the amazing qualities of snow tires, I'm shocked (not really) that this law hasn't eliminated all accidents! Perhaps it is because humans drive cars and many of them make poor decisions, regardless of the tires they have.

I bet after 5 or so years, the tire industry in Quebec tricks them into thinking that studded snow tires are the answer, and that people can't get by anymore on just regular snows. Introduce a law, make money.

Also, if you're for snow tires to reduce accidents, why not mandating AWD or 4WD also? It is a slippery slope.

Note, earlier, I said for MOST people, they are a waste of money. If you are out on the roads in bad weather a lot, and have a profession that depends on you (like an emergency surgeon) getting to work in bad weather, then go for it. For the person who might drive a total of a few hours in the snow all winter, and is able to generally avoid driving in a blizzard, drive 10mph slower than you would normally and save the money.

[paredown]

Well I'm beat from shoveling. We got over 18"--but because we're a little farther south than Hilltopper, we got banding, so some sleeting in between good amounts of snow. And it all pretty much froze last night, so it was a bear to shovel--nice and heavy with a crust on top

I got a path out to the road last night, started first thing this morning helping a neighbor with his plow drifts (thought he was going to work, but he changed his mind) and then he wandered down to give me a hand. Car is dug out, so any more cleanup can wait.

We took a solemn vow that we will have our snowblowers operational for next year.

After two months of not doing very much because of medical problems, I can really, really feel that I was shoveling today...

[GregL]

I probably should have provided a bit more information regarding my opinions on snow tires...

- My experience is that proper application of snow tires makes a very large difference in the ability of a vehicle to operate safely in significant snowfall. By proper application, I mean narrower snow tires on appropriate rims. I prioritize snow tires over all-wheel drive in terms of winter vehicle safety. I certainly disagree with the sentiment that snow tires are the vehicular equivalent of nutritional supplements. In my area with 120+ inches of seasonal snow, they make a huge difference.

- I agree with the sentiment that people should use good judgment and stay off the road in blizzard conditions. Most employers in my area support this philosophy, allowing people to flex their schedules or work from home if possible. Nearly all my co-workers (including myself) left work early yesterday to avoid a rush hour induced traffic mess. The problem I noted on the roads was (in all likelihood) non-essential travel by individuals in poorly equipped vehicles. And yes, imprudent speed is almost always the cause or primary contributing factor in winter driving accidents.

Let's hope that all this snow discussion is soon a distant memory as weather improves and we can once again take to two wheeled transportation!

Greg

[saf-t]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

Yeah, I lump snow tires into the same group as nutritional supplements. For most people, they are a giant waste of money, with dubious benefits.

I'm open minded, so please feel free to share some real evidence on the subject with me. You know, evidence that is not from the tire industry.

Disclaimer: Sample size of 1.

That said, my driveway has a fairly steep incline, and all-seasons leave me stuck in the street if there's more than a couple of inches of snow (FWD). Snows on, and no problem. At 18-20K miles/year, I also spend a lot of time driving on poorly cleared roads, and snows are worth every penny to me.

[benb]

You can say you're beat from shoveling but a little trainer action might not hurt.

I was really really close to throwing out my back this morning. I hopped on the trainer this morning and rode relatively easy and it actually really helped, I feel a lot better.

Pulling the snowblower backwards actually puts weird strain on my knees and pedaling a bike helps loosen that up too.

[benb]

Originally Posted by saf-t

Disclaimer: Sample size of 1.

That said, my driveway has a fairly steep incline, and all-seasons leave me stuck in the street if there's more than a couple of inches of snow (FWD). Snows on, and no problem. At 18-20K miles/year, I also spend a lot of time driving on poorly cleared roads, and snows are worth every penny to me.

It's all relative. I had a V8 Mustang. It couldn't get up a 1% grade with 1/2" of snow with all seasons. It would perhaps have still got stuck on your driveway even with snow tires. It was generally fine with Blizzaks if I was intelligent about not going out in the big storms though.

My Acura RSX Type S I had might have had a little trouble with all seasons up your driveway with 2-3" of snow.

It depends on the consistency of the snow but my Subaru won't even activate the traction control up a 10% grade with 6" of snow, without snow tires. I've driven it through upwards of 12" of unplowed snow before. No one is going fast in those conditions, if I control my speed the car can easily stay out of the way of another dangerous driver if I need to brake or turn quickly. If I moved to the mountains I'd get snow tires for it but it's overkill just outside Boston. More importantly the car is still WAY more fun than a FWD car with snow tires on a snowy day. It's almost the most fun conditions to drive the car in.

[Hank Scorpio]

This more than lived up to the eggs, milk, bread fear mongering.

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/f...-nuking_146061

[William]

Snoverblown here.




William

[stephenmarklay]

I feel for you guys. Up to this point here in Spokane WA, we had the most snowfall of the larger (150k population) cities this year. It was actually not a bad year and we have had way more. But it started and got cold pretty early on so there were no breaks. I started getting pretty irritated.

I am happy to pass the crown. One the last couple weeks I have been able to ride twice outside and today is going to be a sunny day and I am going to get a real ride in. Maybe 80 miles. I have not been great all winter so I have some work to do.

[morrisericd]

50" at Stowe today. Pulled the boy out of school and had a pretty awesome day. They're saving the gondola for tomorrow if anyone local (or even close) has the sniffles!