Snow tires lol...

[2o6]

So, what you're saying here Cougs is : Ice is slippery?

My God, why didn't I realize that before?

Why does Cougs even have snows? Doesn't Seattle get far less snow and ice than us in OH and MI?

[Laconian]

We basically have no snowplows.

[Soup DeVille]

Why does Cougs even have snows? Doesn't Seattle get far less snow and ice than us in OH and MI?

Yes, but like many snow-lite states, they don't have much of an infrastructure to deal with it.

In MI and OH, unless its an ungodly amount- measured in feet, not inches- it gets plowed and salted within hours of it falling. In some places, well- it just sits there.

[MX793]

Why does Cougs even have snows? Doesn't Seattle get far less snow and ice than us in OH and MI?

Seattle gets practically no snow.  Ice is more a problem there.  But not far to the east, there are places in the mountains that get considerable snowfall.  That said, locales with heavy snowfall are pretty isolated.  You can have one town or pass that gets 20+ ft per year, and another town <20 miles away that gets less than 5.  So if you avoid venturing into those particularly snowy areas, you can largely avoid facing really snowy conditions.  Very different from a place like upstate NY where you see a large and more uniform amount of annual snowfall over a large geographical area.

[Laconian]

I am buying these damage-free wheels and brand new tires


for $400 on Wednesday. Awww yeeeee. Winter wheels, yeee.

[SVT666]

Where did you find them?

[SVT666]

We basically have no snowplows.

Cougs also skis a lot.

[Laconian]

Where did you find them?

Craigslist. If all goes well I'll have them on Wed.

[GoCougs]

I ski a lot, and travel on the eastern side of the mountains a couple of time a month. The Seattle area gets a few snow storms a year on average. Add in the hills, the lousy traffic, little in the way snow removal equipment, etc., it's totally worth it.

[GoCougs]

Craigslist. If all goes well I'll have them on Wed.

Do you have the bigger brakes? If so have you confirmed that the 17" sedan stockers will fit?

[Laconian]

No, regular brakes. I don't have a Sport.

[SVT666]

I think I have have to have 18s because mine is a Sport.

[MX793]

The Seattle area gets a few snow storms a year on average. Add in the hills, the lousy traffic, little in the way snow removal equipment, etc., it's totally worth it.

I'd be curious how much snow has to fall before folks out there call it a "snow storm".  Last winter was one of the least snowiest winters on record for us (I believe it was 3rd) and we still got as much snow as the past 5 winters combined have dropped on Seattle.

[Rupert]

If you can't see the grass poking though the snow, it was a storm.

[Laconian]

From: Kevin
Subject: Half an inch of snow on the ground, working from home <eom>

[Rupert]

Again, though, the problem in Seattle is that it snows, warms, melts part way, and then freezes into a sheet of ice. And Seattle is a hilly place. It's harder to drive in Seattle after that happens than anywhere where it's just snow.

[GoCougs]

Correct; it's not the amount it's the result; anything from pavement type to bunches of elevated roadways makes Seattle quite susceptible. The snow followed by the ice storm last January was particularly difficult (I was without power for 3 days).

[GoCougs]

Well, I've chosen to get the upgraded Infiniti 18" wheels so my choices just plummeted. I can't get the Pilot Aplin PA3 like I wanted. The closest equivalent is the Blizzak LM-60. I'm ordering the wheels next week and will have them refinished, and then get the snows. Google Kev, if those don't work out let me know as I'll let my 17" stockers with RS-A all seasons (though only 10-15% tread) go cheap.

[GoCougs]

I think I have have to have 18s because mine is a Sport.

AWD sport does/can not get the bigger brakes...

[Laconian]

Well, I've chosen to get the upgraded Infiniti 18" wheels so my choices just plummeted. I can't get the Pilot Aplin PA3 like I wanted. The closest equivalent is the Blizzak LM-60. I'm ordering the wheels next week and will have them refinished, and then get the snows. Google Kev, if those don't work out let me know as I'll let my 17" stockers with RS-A all seasons (though only 10-15% tread) go cheap.

Cool, thanks.

[MX793]

Again, though, the problem in Seattle is that it snows, warms, melts part way, and then freezes into a sheet of ice. And Seattle is a hilly place. It's harder to drive in Seattle after that happens than anywhere where it's just snow.

We solve that issue by throwing shit tons of salt on the roads prior to a predicted weather event, and then tons of sand and salt afterwards.

And regardless of the thaw/re-freeze cycles after any snowfall, an inch of snow is not a "snow storm".  That's a snow shower.

[Rupert]

Correct; it's not the amount it's the result; anything from pavement type to bunches of elevated roadways makes Seattle quite susceptible. The snow followed by the ice storm last January was particularly difficult (I was without power for 3 days).

I've been through a few of those living in Eugene and Bellingham, and it ain't pretty. Walking down a slight hill on ice is bad enough; let alone driving!

[Rupert]

We solve that issue by throwing shit tons of salt on the roads prior to a predicted weather event, and then tons of sand and salt afterwards.

And regardless of the thaw/re-freeze cycles after any snowfall, an inch of snow is not a "snow storm".  That's a snow shower.

How's the rust on that Mustang, BTW? Or can't you drive it for four months a year?

Boise gets a bunch of 0.5 - 2 inch snows every year (except last year), and the city puts down blue de-icer stuff. Seems to work pretty well. I don't think it's great for car parts, either though.

[MX793]

How's the rust on that Mustang, BTW? Or can't you drive it for four months a year?

Boise gets a bunch of 0.5 - 2 inch snows every year (except last year), and the city puts down blue de-icer stuff. Seems to work pretty well. I don't think it's great for car parts, either though.

The salt is why I park it in the winter, not the snow/ice.  I got caught in a late season snowfall last year (left maybe .25" accumulated on the ground).  Had no issues driving in those conditions.  Had a little fun in the parking lot at work.

Regardless, our roads are passable in all but the ugliest of weather because we take the necessary precautions.  Can't say I like having to expose my vehicles to the salt, but it sure beats not being able to leave the house every time we get an inch of snow.

[Rupert]

Yeah, that's my point.

Considering that Seattle only gets snow twice a year...

[SVT666]

I refuse to buy used cars that spent any time at all anywhere East of the Rocky Mountains in Canada or in the Northern Mid West US or Northeast US simply because of the salt usage.  It's outrageous.  We have mountains, steep grades on highways and city streets and we use a fraction of the salt they do back east.

[S204STi]

It was around 10F in south park when I passed through this weekend.  The deicer stuff didn't do shit.

There is some complaining about the magnesium chloride they lay down, but the only significant damage it does is to chrome; pits it pretty badly.  Otherwise I have five winters on these roads with zero corrosion other than exposed iron parts (i.e. brake rotors/wheel bearing faces).

[Raza]

That's crazy. My Yaris wears 185/55/15's, and it's a class size down.

It's two class sizes down, isn't it?  I thought the Yaris was a subcompact. 

Also, wheels didn't use to be as big.  My B5's design dated back to the 90s, before beltlines were so high that they necessitated larger wheels to visually offset the massive amount of metal on the sides of cars.

[Raza]

Lost traction yesterday driving to my mom's house.  It was an inclined left hander that I didn't take too aggressively.  They salted when they were expecting snow last week, so all that is crushed up and lowering the traction of tires now.  Where I live, there's no salt yet. 

[rohan]

Studded tires will be better on ice, but they tend to skate a bit on bare pavement.  On ice, you really need either studs or chains.  All-rubber snows aren't going to be appreciably better than all-seasons.

That's not actually true anymore - snow tires are comprised of pretty high levels of silica - a remarakbly sticky compound that really improves grip on ice.  We get alot of snow here and our road comission loves to "pre-salt" which means we get a lot of ice during snow storms and under the snow.  We get huge amounts of snow at once due to lake effect.  modern dedicated snow tires do remarkably well in both snow and ice conditions which is how they are designed now.