Snow does not cause accidents

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by darcane

With the right tires, 4wd is unnecessary on anything vaguely resembling a maintained road.

Despite Subaru's ads suggesting otherwise, AWD is no substitute for snow tires.

Agreed.

And for roads that are not maintained, AWD makes a world of difference. In this situation, snow tires are no substitute for chains...

The picture doesn't show the steep hill I am on, but you can't do this with FWD.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Agreed.

And for roads that are not maintained, AWD makes a world of difference. In this situation, snow tires are no substitute for chains...

The picture doesn't show the steep hill I am on, but you can't do this with FWD.

Well, you're right, steepness is hard to tell in that picture...

But I have driven in snow deeper than that with a 2wd truck, and think I would manage fine in a FWD with decent ground clearance. No chains needed.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by darcane

But I have driven in snow deeper than that with a 2wd truck, and think I would manage fine in a FWD with decent ground clearance. No chains needed.

OTOH, there's a reason I carry a set of chains in the 4WD Toyota pickup. Put them on the front wheels, shift into low range, and there aren't many places you can't go.

[user removed]

1966, we had a 1950 Dodge Pop bought for $400 (30k miles, garage kept since new in perfect condition) with fluid drive, which was a torque converter AND a clutch on a manual 3 speed tranny. We had rain on frozen ground which resulted in a 1-2 inch sheet of clear ice on the road. Virginia had outlawed studded tires shortly before the storm.

The Dodge would accelerate in 3rd gear but very very slowly. With the torque converter you could just leave it in gear and drive in 3rd, stop with the brakes and never touch the clutch.

The roads were so bad that other cars rear wheels were spinning, sitting at traffic lights and there were 80 wrecks in one 5 mile stretch of Mercury Blvd at the same time on that day.

The Dodge, left in 3rd gear, handled the ice better than any car I have ever seen. Of course traction and braking were no better, but all the other cars I saw on the road just spun their wheels on acceleration, before they even touched the accelerator pedal, while that old, slow as molasses, Dodge just kept on going. A lot of it was Pop's driving skills. Before he transferred to the air wing of the army air forces in 1941, he had been an ambulance driver in the 29th Va division of the US army, the same division that stormed the beaches on D-Day, same division in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Many of Pop's friends were there and many did not come home.

When I am driving on roads covered with snow or ice. I remember that day in that Dodge watching Pop demonstrate his skills and using the same techniques, my biggest concern is other drivers who still tailgate when traction is pitiful as is their driving skills.

regards
mech

[Cobb]

Oh gawd, what a pissing contest this has become. Worse yet, no one has added hypermiling to driving on snow. Yall should be banned!!!

[Frank Lee]

*Unzip*

I've had it all- rwd fwd 4wd awd etc. In my estimation the layout that can go through the most adverse terrain is rear engine rwd as found on old VW and Corvair cars and busses. Yes, even more than 4wd at least comparing stock set-ups.

[roosterk0031]

Not even going to try to count the number of 4wd/awd's I've owned. They are great 50-100 miles per year. Rest of the time the MPG pentalty is too great, I'll just stay home those few days or leave work early and save money the other 99% of days the year. M

My next vehicle will be AWD again cause I miss having one and dragging deer out of the woods last year sucked. The question is which car dies first, Altima or Stratus cause my wife would rather drive a SUV than the Impala, all three drive to the same place every day so doesn't really matter who drive's what.

Now if going to start talking about ESP dang that stuff works great, played with it in the Impala and dang does it work. Toss it into a corner faster than you know you should and it works.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Agreed.

And for roads that are not maintained, AWD makes a world of difference. In this situation, snow tires are no substitute for chains...

The picture doesn't show the steep hill I am on, but you can't do this with FWD.

I would love to go walking in those woods. I love the snow, I don't want to live in the snow, but once or twice a year is nice.

[roosterk0031]

Accident's while driving are like Accidental Discharges with a gun. Neither are true, 99% of the time both are due to Negligence because someone didn't clear their weapon and pulled the trigger or didn't pay attention to the conditions/traffic/phone etc....

Weird how some people hit deer after deer after deer... and 90% of drivers never do.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

Now if going to start talking about ESP dang that stuff works great, played with it in the Impala and dang does it work.

Are you talkin' Extra Sensory Perception, or Electronic Skip Protection?

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

I would love to go walking in those woods. I love the snow, I don't want to live in the snow, but once or twice a year is nice.

I've seen snow out your way before. Grandpa lived in Hesperia and told me of one night that it had snowed, and the next day hit 100 degrees. Some crazy weather you get out there, and some amazing lightning storms. Wish I had more of those.