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I'm so fucking sick of the way people wig out about driving in snow. It's not hard. Just drive slower and pay attention. Fuck.

Meest wrote:AWD usually means any amount of power can be transferred to the wheel with most traction, where as 4WD just locks the various diffs and axles to provide equal splits.

Meest, you mentioned thinner tires as being better? How thin are we talking about, here?

The rule of thumb is usually minus 1 or 2 sizes down, the thinner tire cuts through the snow instead of needing to push or plow through with a bigger footprint. You can usually match your tire diameter when downsizing to not mess with speedometer readings while still getting a thinner tire with higher profile sidewalls.

Ohh, so you weren't talking about low profile tires vs normal width sidewalls. I was just thinking, low profiles are BAD anywhere in Canada, generally.

Phantasee wrote:

Meest wrote:AWD usually means any amount of power can be transferred to the wheel with most traction, where as 4WD just locks the various diffs and axles to provide equal splits.

Meest, you mentioned thinner tires as being better? How thin are we talking about, here?

The rule of thumb is usually minus 1 or 2 sizes down, the thinner tire cuts through the snow instead of needing to push or plow through with a bigger footprint. You can usually match your tire diameter when downsizing to not mess with speedometer readings while still getting a thinner tire with higher profile sidewalls.

Ohh, so you weren't talking about low profile tires vs normal width sidewalls. I was just thinking, low profiles are BAD anywhere in Canada, generally.

I would have said "narrower" instead of "thinner", as it refers to width instead of thickness. I think it would have made for less confusion.

Flagg wrote:I'm so fucking sick of the way people wig out about driving in snow. It's not hard. Just drive slower and pay attention. Fuck.

Having driven for the first time in Snow last winter something I learnt very quickly was DON'T USE THE BREAKS!! We don't get snow often enough to warrant special tires for it as such when it does snow or the road freezes using the gears to control speed is the only way to avoid crashing in my car.

Zac Naloen wrote:

Flagg wrote:I'm so fucking sick of the way people wig out about driving in snow. It's not hard. Just drive slower and pay attention. Fuck.

Having driven for the first time in Snow last winter something I learnt very quickly was DON'T USE THE BREAKS!! We don't get snow often enough to warrant special tires for it as such when it does snow or the road freezes using the gears to control speed is the only way to avoid crashing in my car.

They're called BRAKES for fuck's sake, not "breaks". I can't believe the way this ridiculous misspelling has become more common on the Internet than the correct spelling.

PS. In snow, you drive through a problem, rather than slamming on the brakes.

Darth Wong wrote:
PS. In snow, you drive through a problem, rather than slamming on the brakes.

What if the problem is say someone running out into the road in front of you?

The key to driving in snow or other low traction conditions is smoothness and anticipation. Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes, no sharp sudden turns, leave plenty of space all around the car, and scan far ahead for potential problem spots. 99% of drivers fail horribly at ALL of the above.

Crazedwraith wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:PS. In snow, you drive through a problem, rather than slamming on the brakes.

What if the problem is say someone running out into the road in front of you?

Then you watch the imbecile die.

Crazedwraith wrote:What if the problem is say someone running out into the road in front of you?

Unless it's a kid, hit'em. The world doesn't need stupid people who run into the middle of a snow covered street when there's traffic coming.

phongn wrote: AWD usually refers to vehicles which can drive all four wheels at all time; 4WD vehicles tend to only use four wheels in low-traction situations only and must be switched back to 2WD for normal driving conditions.

The defining characteristic of AWD is that it uses a front mounted transaxle to save weight, and almost never uses a transfer case; the power split is accomplished inside the transaxle. It also cannot be disengaged from driving all four wheels, but actually that’s also true of some 4WD systems, as pointless as it is.

4WD uses a conventional transmission, which almost always has a separate transfer case to split power to front and rear axles. 4WD may be part time or full time, probably more then 90% are part time only and don’t like speeds over about 50mph, and only then if the road is fairly slick so the wheels can spin if they need to.

Either system can have hoards of fancy electronics to improve performance, or none at all, though shitty AWD is REALLY shitty. But yeah, overall the situation is pretty confused because manufactures have no specific agreements on the issue.

aerius wrote:

Crazedwraith wrote:What if the problem is say someone running out into the road in front of you?

Unless it's a kid, hit'em. The world doesn't need stupid people who run into the middle of a snow covered street when there's traffic coming.

Even if it is a kid, you're going to hit him anyway. On slick road conditions in winter, if a kid jumps in front of your car at close range you have pretty much zero chance of avoiding him.

Darth Wong wrote:Even if it is a kid, you're going to hit him anyway. On slick road conditions in winter, if a kid jumps in front of your car at close range you have pretty much zero chance of avoiding him.

True, but with a kid I'll try to slow down the car as best as I safely can so he'll have a slightly better chance of living when I hit him. If a teen or adult does the same thing I won't be as likely to make the effort to spare the dumbass. If there's no traffic behind me I might try, but if there's cars behind me I'm just going to plow into the dumbass at full speed.

Darth Wong wrote: Then you watch the imbecile die.

Locking your breaks in significant snowfall is actually more effective then an ABS system, in terms of stopping distance anyway. Course, that’s still probably going to leave the person splattered.

I don’t know what’s with Packer’s area though. I live in southern Pennsylvania and I ran into major road ice just two nights ago. Perhaps all that Jersey toxic waste raises the freezing point of any water that hits the ground.

Oooh. I got a Bondish vibe from DW there. "Do you expect me to talk?" "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

I'm actually thankful for ABS. It's one of those letter systems that is actually useful. I always notice its absence.

Sea Skimmer wrote:

Darth Wong wrote: Then you watch the imbecile die.

Locking your breaks in significant snowfall is actually more effective then an ABS system, in terms of stopping distance anyway. Course, that’s still probably going to leave the person splattered.

Gah! You too? Brakes. Say it with me. Brakes. Bee. Arr. Ay. Kay. Eee. Ess. Brakes.

it also snows in Yosemite national park...

oh and I got sprayed by one of those 4wd tourons today... currently warming up and pissed off.

South shore canal


South shore canal, St Lawrence Seaway

Getting worse every day now

Its 80 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts.

update finally able open car and trunk latches...

erm it's still cold in yosemite

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Its 80 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts.

Give it another few decades, and I might be able to say the same thing on Christmas Eve here in Toronto.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to read my forum by then, because you'll be underwater.

Darth Wong wrote:

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Its 80 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts.

Give it another few decades, and I might be able to say the same thing on Christmas Eve here in Toronto.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to read my forum by then, because you'll be underwater.

Look, Wong, I'm not hearing any of this commie-green speak. Do you want China to have a bigger GDP than the U.S.? I think you want them to win. You fifth-columnist, Qing partisan.

Darth Wong wrote:

Illuminatus Primus wrote:Its 80 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts.

Give it another few decades, and I might be able to say the same thing on Christmas Eve here in Toronto.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to read my forum by then, because you'll be underwater.

We're feeling the global warming up here in the north of Norway. It was about 6 degrees here on Christmas. I've been told that in the past, while they some times didn't have a lot of snow, they would usually at least have some snow.

Spin Echo wrote:
We're feeling the global warming up here in the north of Norway. It was about 6 degrees here on Christmas. I've been told that in the past, while they some times didn't have a lot of snow, they would usually at least have some snow.

And it's snowing here, in a part of Switzerland that usually has very mild weather. The 24th and the 25th were bloody cold (between -5 and -10) compared to what you're having in Norway.

[R_H] wrote:

Spin Echo wrote:
We're feeling the global warming up here in the north of Norway. It was about 6 degrees here on Christmas. I've been told that in the past, while they some times didn't have a lot of snow, they would usually at least have some snow.

And it's snowing here, in a part of Switzerland that usually has very mild weather. The 24th and the 25th were bloody cold (between -5 and -10) compared to what you're having in Norway.

Climate change is going to make the mørketid more difficult to bear. Normally, even when you don't have sun, having snow makes things brighter by reflecting the light from the sun (below the horizon, but you still get some light from it), the moon, the street lights. At the moment with the rain, it's just dark and dreary.

I talked to my old roommate the other day, and like me, he is originally from Alaska. Apparantly they got their first snow in Anchorage this month. THIS MONTH! Normally in anchorage if you go trick or treating in costume for halloween you will freeze to death and they will find your rigid body with the spring thaw, but they are just getting snow now...

Its 80 degrees outside. I'm wearing shorts.

And that kids is why the (pupating) herpetologist wants to go to UFL for grad school.