PSA: Stay safe out there folks. Share and discuss cold weather driving, maintenance, home/personal safety tips here.
- Thread starter Blue Sky Country
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@Maggot ..Yeah, but thats different than just chain'n up doggos in subzero weather overnight or for long periods of time, ect. Id say just be reasonable...but sigh, you know...and yes...some breeds fare better than others. No one size fits all, but thats not what i am saying...
Winter driving tips
- You should have taken advanced driving lessons and/or autocrossed for a few seasons already. Few things teach car control like autocross or rallycross do.
- Put winter tires on all four corners. All seasons are not enough
- Find safe locations to push the car until you lose control on snow so you know how much margin you have and how to recover
- Test traction on the actual roads when safe. Hard braking and hard acceleration in a few spots will tell you much.
- Learn how to leverage electronic driving/traction aids
- ABS brakes are you friend. You're a fucking moron if you think you can outperform them.
- Have a bag in the trunk with shit to give you options to remain with the car or hike away safely if the car is disabled or stuck. A dead car becomes very cold very quickly.
When a FWD car understeers the last thing you need is to add power to the front tires.
What shit driving advice........
Experience is everything. I grew up in Eastern CA and Oregon. Winter snows, and Ice were common, and frequent. Chains, and studded snow tires, and extra weight in the rear, did the trick. Training in the high school parking lot was also par.
However.
It is ALWAYS the other guy , the guy with NO experience who takes you out. Video of the Fed Ex truck coming in at high speed with no brake lights showing, slamming into the previous cars, (whether yesterday in Ft Worth, or any winter multi-wreck), is an example.
I live near San Antonio, TX. The roads are covered with ice. I-10 is closed and people yesterday had sat in their cars out in the desert for up to 12 hours, (no one was prepared for self-rescue or emergencies), Road between Kerrville and Fredericksburg is closed for last 24 hours.
Simply put, no one knows how to drive in this stuff down here, and no one has chains or studded snow tires. Trucks continue to drive at full speeds, regardless of fog or ice.
Simplest method is Stay the fuck home.
Not because I can't drive in it, but because nobody else out there can.
Before someone says, "Some of us are essential and NEED to go to work". I worked ER for 20 years, Saw more than one shift, where we just stayed on duty, slept when we could, and let the oncoming shift stay home until the roads were better. Everybody lives.
In one small town, a guy with a huge 4wd truck with studded snows, and chains all the way around, would go pick up staff and bring them in. There are always work-arounds, but in areas that do not routinely see this type of weather, stay home.
However.
It is ALWAYS the other guy , the guy with NO experience who takes you out. Video of the Fed Ex truck coming in at high speed with no brake lights showing, slamming into the previous cars, (whether yesterday in Ft Worth, or any winter multi-wreck), is an example.
I live near San Antonio, TX. The roads are covered with ice. I-10 is closed and people yesterday had sat in their cars out in the desert for up to 12 hours, (no one was prepared for self-rescue or emergencies), Road between Kerrville and Fredericksburg is closed for last 24 hours.
Simply put, no one knows how to drive in this stuff down here, and no one has chains or studded snow tires. Trucks continue to drive at full speeds, regardless of fog or ice.
Simplest method is Stay the fuck home.
Not because I can't drive in it, but because nobody else out there can.
Before someone says, "Some of us are essential and NEED to go to work". I worked ER for 20 years, Saw more than one shift, where we just stayed on duty, slept when we could, and let the oncoming shift stay home until the roads were better. Everybody lives.
In one small town, a guy with a huge 4wd truck with studded snows, and chains all the way around, would go pick up staff and bring them in. There are always work-arounds, but in areas that do not routinely see this type of weather, stay home.
I cannot emphasize enough what a difference winter tires makes. I was never a believer until stationed in Germany where it was mandatory after November. Now, back in America, both dailies have a set, and the truck has a set of chains.
But my all-seasons are just fine... No. No, they are not.
Summer, winter or all-season tires: What’s the difference?
When it comes to tire choice, it all comes down to weather.www.cnet.com
Most would be blown away how much safer you are in bad conditions when you have good winters. It's also strange to me to see people here in KY driving as fast as I felt comfortable on winters the other night, but then again I came across 4 accidents in a 40 minute drive.
I too am a convert to snow tires.
Even north of you in Ohio hardly anyone uses them. I commute 30 miles of rural state highways to work and and on snowy days it's not unusual for me to pass 3 - 5 cars/trucks on my way to work in the morning because they're crawling along at 20 - 30 mph in conditions that I can safely drive 40 - 45 with winter tires (and some skill).
By that you mean when you lets say take a left turn but its still kinda sliding forward and right?
Most concerning is that places not regularly subject to these kinds of temperatures are getting gut punched right now.
WATCH THOSE WATER PIPES. Even for people acclimatized to brutally cold temperatures, plumbing often becomes a pain in the ass. And other pieces of technology post-1890s start getting fucky as well. I remember in northern China during vicious cold spells when diesel fuel would freeze. Turn that truck off? It ain't starting tomorrow...
It's February
Why is this news?
Yes
You're sliding because the available friction between the front tires and the road is not enough. Increasing torque to the front tires just makes it worse.
What do you call when the ass and starts coming out during the same turn instead?
Agree experience is the differentiator.
As kids, we used this time to pull sleds down unplowed country/gravel roads with my friends dads chevy.
Nothing like hitting 60 on a sled around winding corners and taking a spill into the ditch and rolling off into the field. Ah, to be young and stupid...
Or steal the hood off somebody's truck and use that as the sled. Take it back when done of course.
Yeah, its a phrase/turn of the language. Hopefully the meaning and intention of the phrase made its point correctly.
It's amazing I didn't die last night driving 250 miles on hard packed snow covered roads at 60 MPH in -8°F weather with just all season Duratrac tires. We don't even plow between 2100-0500, and you won't see a grain of any type of salt used off an interstate. How ever did I live?
Oh yeah, I'm not a dumbass.
Winter driving tip: Drive to you and your vehicle's abilities. If one, the other, or both don't have winter capabilities, stay the fuck off the road. And for the love of fuck, turn on your damn headlights.
Oh yeah, I'm not a dumbass.
Winter driving tip: Drive to you and your vehicle's abilities. If one, the other, or both don't have winter capabilities, stay the fuck off the road. And for the love of fuck, turn on your damn headlights.
I drive a rwd in the snow. Never lift.
Also, if you drive in the snow, you need snow tires. Otherwise, don’t drive in the snow.
Because the last time we had a freeze like this, 1983, we lost more southern crops than you can imagine. Peach and blueberry farmers lost millions of trees. It’s a dangerous situation, especially for old people. Keep a watch on your elderly friends, family and neighbors. Many thousands will lose power leaving them without heat. People will die in this storm, as we saw in Dallas. Here in my hometown, the Red River froze bank to bank for the first time in recorded history. People (dumbasses) were riding their three wheelers on lakes. Some fell through the ice. For you guys up north, it’s just another cold day. I get that. For us Southerners, this is serious business. We don’t even sell snow shovels down here. We have no need for them.
Aside from road/travel, issues of home preparation are important as well.
Maximum is a Generac generator installation with 1,000 gallon propane tank, but short of that, at least a 5KW gas genny, with knowledge to at least change the oil and plug, and an ability to store enough fuel and (Critical) and automatic or manual transfer switch that keeps from feeding back power into the grid. This allows one to keep the freezers and heaters running and to heat water.
I use LNG to heat the house and water.
I have alternate means to cook and heat using propane, with extra tanks, and a couple of propane cook stoves and Heater Buddy's.
Water pipes are insulated where exposed.
Extra food is properly stored, and inventoried as well as rotated.
We have an RV that is winterized, but can be activated in about an hour, with full propane, a full tank of treated gasoline, and a 5 KW gen set, with 420 amp/hours of battery, and 640 watts of panels on top. That is being up-graded soon, although it is adequate for our uses, so far (four years).
We have oil lamps, and kerosene stored, as well as several propane lanterns, with an ability to recharge the smaller tanks from a 5 gal tank, or run straight from the 5 gal tank.
For living off the land? Amazingly enough, Axis deer and Black Bucks run through our neighborhood all the time, as well as the native white tails. We garden. and dry and vacuum seal our foods. I wouldn't depend on it, but it is there.
I check all my systems daily at least during cold snaps, because as mentioned in my comments about driving, the house is in Texas and not originally built to withstand severe winters.
Although we live in Texas, we still have every stitch of clothing for extreme weather, from parkas, long johns and flapped caps, to pac boots, water proof outer wear, and warmers, including electric socks, that we used to travel and hunt and winter camp in Eastern Oregon. We are budgeted to obtain battery powered vests and jackets this year, when the close outs begin in spring. We even still have our mountain tents, and Svea Stove, and other lightweight backpacking gear, should we have to actually camp out in it. I wouldn't like it but I would still be able to bitch about it come morning.
Maximum is a Generac generator installation with 1,000 gallon propane tank, but short of that, at least a 5KW gas genny, with knowledge to at least change the oil and plug, and an ability to store enough fuel and (Critical) and automatic or manual transfer switch that keeps from feeding back power into the grid. This allows one to keep the freezers and heaters running and to heat water.
I use LNG to heat the house and water.
I have alternate means to cook and heat using propane, with extra tanks, and a couple of propane cook stoves and Heater Buddy's.
Water pipes are insulated where exposed.
Extra food is properly stored, and inventoried as well as rotated.
We have an RV that is winterized, but can be activated in about an hour, with full propane, a full tank of treated gasoline, and a 5 KW gen set, with 420 amp/hours of battery, and 640 watts of panels on top. That is being up-graded soon, although it is adequate for our uses, so far (four years).
We have oil lamps, and kerosene stored, as well as several propane lanterns, with an ability to recharge the smaller tanks from a 5 gal tank, or run straight from the 5 gal tank.
For living off the land? Amazingly enough, Axis deer and Black Bucks run through our neighborhood all the time, as well as the native white tails. We garden. and dry and vacuum seal our foods. I wouldn't depend on it, but it is there.
I check all my systems daily at least during cold snaps, because as mentioned in my comments about driving, the house is in Texas and not originally built to withstand severe winters.
Although we live in Texas, we still have every stitch of clothing for extreme weather, from parkas, long johns and flapped caps, to pac boots, water proof outer wear, and warmers, including electric socks, that we used to travel and hunt and winter camp in Eastern Oregon. We are budgeted to obtain battery powered vests and jackets this year, when the close outs begin in spring. We even still have our mountain tents, and Svea Stove, and other lightweight backpacking gear, should we have to actually camp out in it. I wouldn't like it but I would still be able to bitch about it come morning.
I will have to say, its been unusually cold here. I mean its always cold here in feb (our coldest month). but prolonged periods of relatively extreme cold (for these parts) is news i suppose. People talk about the weather..
Its also been very very cloudy. Only a few peeks at the sun for what seems like 2-3 weeks. And looks like we have about another week to go before the current weather lifts...
Hey, i wonder if the climatologists will use this cold to correlate covid lockdowns and lower output to further the man made warming narrartive? Probably have already
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Thanks! I drive a vehicle with stupid long wheelbase, if my ass and starts coming out like that trough a turn giving it gas helps.
Saw -20 on my truck the other morning going into work. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska. I can’t recall a time the ambient temp has been that low. Certainly with wind chill, but not the ambient temp. Thank goodness the wind has been very calm to non-existent or it would be unbearable outside.
We've had a pretty mild winter, too mild maybe as the roads have iced up requiring chains on all four wheels as the Rockies lead to pretty steep driving. Now it has gotten seriously cold. We only hit unity (-40C/-40F) every few years, but it has been twice this week. Two of our four dogs refuse to go outside. The other two can only be out for a couple of minutes at a time. It's really bad, but sitting in front of a fire isn't the worst way to spend a day.
I drive this, with snow tires in the winter.
I don’t take corners at anything less than 30° a slip angle for an entire season, and I don’t even need to leave my own lane to do it.
I love winter.
I don’t take corners at anything less than 30° a slip angle for an entire season, and I don’t even need to leave my own lane to do it.
I love winter.
Really cold hardpack snow is interesting. It probably provides the most traction out of any winter driving surface. I don't know why, but in my experience it does.
Wet snow near the freezing point is its evil twin.
Nobody is saying all season tires can't be made to work. You just have less to work with. That is unarguable. Winter tires give you more.
I'm making do with all seasons in my Accord this season because next winter I'll have my beater Fit back to commute (daughter goes to university then) and it has a set of winters on rims.
What I did do is throw away the horrible Goodyear touring tires that came with the Accord and bought a set of Vredestein Quatrac Pro XL because they have an incredible combination of dry/wet/winter user ratings on tirerack.com. I was skeptical but now that we've had 2 - 3 good snowstorms here they're the best all seasons I've ever driven on.
If I didn't already have a beater commuter with winter tires I'd definitely drop a grand without hesitating for a set of winters on rims for the Accord
The front differential on a Ford Ranger, any Ford Ranger, is always open unless you have an aftermarket front locker.
Do you know how many idiots you can keep out of an area just by having a few days like that a year? Worth its weight in gold.
There is no tire made that will keep traction on the “black ice” like we get down here. A thin layer of ice with an even thinner layer of water on top of it. There is no steering on it. When I was teaching my kids to drive, I told them, if they hit the ice, especially on a bridge, keep the wheel straight, don’t accelerate, don’t decelerate, and don’t brake.
This post right here.
I always take a #3 in the snow. Its the thing that is the MOST influential regarding a safe trip - understanding exactly where you and your vehicle stand. So many wrecks are caused by folks at their first stop sign or light.
Sometimes its time to turn around and go home.
Because the last time we had a freeze like this, 1983, we lost more southern crops than you can imagine. Peach and blueberry farmers lost millions of trees. It’s a dangerous situation, especially for old people. Keep a watch on your elderly friends, family and neighbors. Many thousands will lose power leaving them without heat. People will die in this storm, as we saw in Dallas. Here in my hometown, the Red River froze bank to bank for the first time in recorded history. People (dumbasses) were riding their three wheelers on lakes. Some fell through the ice. For you guys up north, it’s just another cold day. I get that. For us Southerners, this is serious business. We don’t even sell snow shovels down here. We have no need for them.
First snow of the year, Atlanta GA
First snow of the year, Columbus OH
Notice any differences? LOL
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Studded snow tires will. It won't be much, but it will be enough to maintain control.
You do have to know what you're doing and that's the piece southern drivers in general miss.
I remember being in Los Angeles in college at 18 and seeing how those people couldn't even drive when a few drops of rain hit the ground. Driving in weather takes a bit of patience and experience.Because the last time we had a freeze like this, 1983, we lost more southern crops than you can imagine. Peach and blueberry farmers lost millions of trees. It’s a dangerous situation, especially for old people. Keep a watch on your elderly friends, family and neighbors. Many thousands will lose power leaving them without heat. People will die in this storm, as we saw in Dallas. Here in my hometown, the Red River froze bank to bank for the first time in recorded history. People (dumbasses) were riding their three wheelers on lakes. Some fell through the ice. For you guys up north, it’s just another cold day. I get that. For us Southerners, this is serious business. We don’t even sell snow shovels down here. We have no need for them.
Yeah, studs are pretty darn good. We have them on all the cars, though sometimes we need to go to chains. I have carbide studs on my skid steer tracks, and have no problem running it on ice. Only thing I absolutely won't use in this weather is a mini excavator. As the man says, it is all about having the experience of doing it.
I think it's the sane people who stay away
The only time I've seen -40 is on some of the industrial freezers we use at work to shrink fit shafts into rotors.
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My very first ship was based at the old Long Beach Naval Station (now a container ship port). Growing up in the tropics driving in rain is like breathing.
I could not believe the freeway shitshow the first time I saw heavy rain LA.
I was going to say that, but figured I'd be doubted... those same folks will honk and flash their lights at me, because they assume their driving conditions are the same as mine... probably because they've never had snow tires. My driving is not overly risky in any way. It's just that I have more traction than they do. The same has also happened in reverse to me, when I've taken ET streets on my turbo mustang out and gotten caught in the rain. All of a sudden, anything over 20mph is treacherous and I've got to constantly pull to the side and let cars pass, because there is NO traction. Same thing... honks and flashing because they assume I'm being ridiculous. I shouldn't allow myself to get caught out in that weather, but it's only happened like twice in the 15+ years I've had the car on tires like that.
We get that here in the north. Studded tires and knowing how to drive.
Look ahead, make small adjustments slowly, and you can go stupid fast on ice.
And before anyone wants to talk about sliding off the crown of the road, we crown our roads up here also. We still have rain to shed in the summer.
90% of it is just experience.
I get that they have a different frame of reference, but southerners should not be giving winter driving advice.
Interesting comparison between two categories of studless winter tires. I didn't realize that there was so much of a difference depending on which conditions the tires are optimized for.
And this is coming from Nokian, a company that knows a thing or two about winter tires since they're in Finland
And this is coming from Nokian, a company that knows a thing or two about winter tires since they're in Finland
And he's driving a Tesla P85. Electric motors, opposite to internal combustion engines, develop peak torque the instant current hits the stator windings.
That was your neighbors pool....dementia can be a bitch sometimes
Doc
Might have been my neighbor that peed too.......
