F/E in a storm (not a Geo Storm...)
 

I had to drive more than 300 miles yesterday in cold, windy, snowy weather, with road conditions from not too bad, to really horrible, with lots of vehicles in the ditch and multiple multi-car accidents along the way.

I would have liked to have let some air out of the tires, but I didn't want to mess with it in the cold, and especially not out beside the road. I don't want to start another argument about pressure/traction, but 38 winters of experience of in Colorado tell me that sidewall max isn't the best for icy/changing conditions.

The Maroon Balloon passed 190,000 miles on this trip, so I reset the computer, and I'll try to keep a better log instead of relying on what the trip computer tells me, but checked against GPS and fuel calculations, it's really pretty accurate.

It's not very scientific, but when I stopped I would look at the pattern of road ice collected in the wheel wells and on the side of the van, and it seemed like there was less of it around the wheel with the pizza pan cap, especially on the side of the car behind the wheel. I'm still running with just one to see how well it stays attached with 3 zip-ties. So far so good. It's off center, but still attached.

Overall, mileage was pretty good considering the conditions, mostly because of slowed traffic from the clean-up of all the wrecks along the way. At one point, while creeping along very slowly in traffic down a steep hill, I tried some EOC, but I couldn't feel the ice, the ABS was non-functional, and there was no nice warm air blowing from the vents.

I realize that I'm compromising my environmentalist self, but when it's that bad out - and it is fairly often in a Colorado mountain winter - I like having heated seats, ABS, wipers, defrosters, a nice stereo to keep me relaxed, and a fairly large vehicle, so that when some idiot comes sliding into me out of control, I'll hopefully be able to walk away. (A nice crush-zone boattail would be nice, though.:))

Stay safe, and enjoy your Christmas.

Very interesting observations.

FWIW, Are you running with grill block(s)? (Would affect volume of air
exiting the engine bay.)

SWAG^ on possible reasons:

* Less ice in the wheel wells -- perhaps the wheel caps diverts under-car
air, heated by passing through the engine bay, from passing through the
wheel, causing it to exit via the wheel well. Result: more warmish air
passing out at the back of the well and melting/reducing the ice?

* Less salt deposit on the side of the car -- smooth air flow aft of the wheel
well, vice turbulent flow, keeps salt from contacting the body?
Or does more concentrated flow noted above create an greater outward
velocity of air exiting the wheel well, blowing the salt spray outward?

^ Scientific Wild-Ass Guess :o

I do have a grill block. I don't think less ice buildup had anything to do with heat, but more to do with aerodynamics. There were equal amounts of ice from slush being thrown up by the tread, just less around the edges of the wheel well, and I think it's because the air is somewhat cleaner because of the pan cap. Where the air is most turbulent is at the rear, and subsequently that's where the most dirt collects. Not as much ice, because on this trip most of the moisture was on the ground and kicked up by the wheels. And the air temp was low enough so that the snow in the air didn't collect at the rear of the van as much.

Though there is much to be said for presenting a smaller target. Couple of years ago I was headed up the mountain in the Insight, and rounded a curve to see (I think) a Chevy Suburban headed towards me - sideways. I got the passenger side darned near rubbing the snowbank before the rear of the Suburban passed within what seemed like half an inch of my door. In a bigger car, I would have been toast.

F/E in a storm (not a Geo Storm...)

And just why the hell not?!

(: