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Today's list of snow tire victims
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Posted by Saana88 [Email] (#207) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Saana88) on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:51:49 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: she gives me no excuses, myspv, Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:03:52
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V6 4WD Toyota Highlander: I was first in line, left turn arrow, so I start moving in first, grab second and throw the wheel left as I feel the Hakkas plowing down through five inches of slushy intersection goop. On the new road, I feel Saana hook up through third and fourth gears, then glance into my rearview mirror- where'd the Yoda go?
Still trying to squirm through the intersection. Minivan tires...
White U-Are-A-Bus Forester, similar situation going straight. We were behind a plow at an intersection. The plow moves forward one block, then pulls over and waves us by. The road is around four percent ascending grade here, and the tire tracks were all over the place, meaning it was now up to me to establish a "road" for the Subaru to drive over. At the top of the hill, that same mirror showed the Scooby still grappling for traction, halfway up and sliding in all the wrong directions.
Beige Focus: mini-mall parking lot. The Focus had hung itself up. The snow was still around three inches over the bottom of Saana, but creative use of the front airdam again with the Hakka 2s slicing their way down to pavement made a passage for other cars behind us. After getting the mail, Saana started to get stuck after backing out of the parking space (I actually used one) but it was nothing reverse and then second gear could not handle.
Impala: impaled on snowbank, same place as Focus.
Toyota Tundra: this guy must've come into the access road too slowly because he just stared at me and Saana on our way by. A little bit of parking brake in the corner and now we were just showing off.
BMW: neighbors had to push it into the driveway. Backwards, front wheel drive. No matter. Most tires' tread compounds start to loose their grip at around 25 degrees Fahrenheit, especially higher-traction tires. The US DOT "All Season" and "M+S" ratings simply mean that your tread pattern is at least 50% voids. It has nothing to do with how well the compound grips at low temperatures, nothing to do with self-cleaning of the tread pattern, nothing to do with lab or field testing. They should rename it BS.
Caravan AWD conversion: Two lanes, everyone used one only, and they pull up next to me at a traffic light and start creeping. Creep. Light turns green, again first gear to just barely get moving, second to spin lightly through the intersection, then third to gain speed on the straightaway, we were both in unplowed snow. Bye!
Hyundai: couldn't get up the hill. Neither could the Exsuckdition parked next to it. The Honda Acorn and Saana were both able to get up it, though I got too close to the Hondasan, had to brake too much and ended up having to fight a little more. The Acorn must've had snow tires because it was doing a very respectable job in the snow.

All this from a nineteen-plus-year-old car with 214,000 miles... They can go ahead and drag race their brains out when it's not snowy. I'll take the 30 MPG and everything else.

Locking/limited slip? No.
Studs? Not this time.
Traction control (tractive or anti-spin)? No.
4 wheel drive (and all those viscous couplings and driveshafts and joints)? No.
Winter mode slushbox? No.
Traction weight in the car? No.
ABS? No.
Headlight wipers? Not yet. I really could've used them on the back; I manually signaled a left turn to avoid getting rear-ended, does that count?

What's left? What's the secret?
1. Nokians. Sipes, great traction (even in stretches of dry weather), solid construction, good underlying science, and they last a whole lot longer than Blizzaks.
2. Clutch. I start in whatever gear I want, and can modulate against slippage with the clutch.
3. Ground clearance. What an old-fashioned concept.
4. Awesome defrosters (standard) and the washer fluid heater (factory accessory) More for chintz appeal, that one, but it helps.

I was swearing at my weather radio last night. "Bring emergency food and water and a flashlight if you have to drive." Stupid, stupid ever-present disclaimers. What about snow tires?

See you in the snow.
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