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I had actually left work (downtown Raleigh) early (about 12:30) to do some work at home. With no-name generic rock hard crappo tires that came with the Civic when I bought it nearly five years ago, I could get wheel spin on I-40 in 1st through 4th gear. Still I was not so much worried about me wiping out, but rather the people around me that was driving faster than they should (and I am almost always the guy passing everyone else in the rain and the snow), or following me so close that I worried about them slamming into me while trying to stop.

If I hadn't stopped at Lowes (supplies for project at home) and Target (pick up prescription for sick child) I might have made it home in decent time. But I pulled into my driveway at 5:30 which I know is MUCH better than those that were still stuck on I-40 late into the evening.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Nope. I have a set of Michelin Arctic Alpins for my Foci. At ~$350 for a set, it is short-sighted not to have them, IMO, particularly since my wife is critical care staff at the hospital and they expect her to be at work irrespective of weather.

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Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

I love it up here when it snows. They actually have snow plows, stocks of salt and sand, and good crews cleaning stuff up. We also don't often get the ice NC sees. Yay! Life doesn't have to come to and end when one sees a snowflake.

Strangest observation since I've been here... These people drive BETTER in the snow than in the rain.

My theory... the idiots stay home in the snow, but venture out in the rain when they shouldn't.

Snow is pretty.

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Diane (Hall) Bundas
1992 Spec Miata #48 - 1997 Chevy Tahoe - 2007 Honda Civic Coupe

Kevin, you suck

Now that is why I would buy a Scoobie. If I was still in New England I'd be seriously wanting a WRX/STi machine. With 2 sets of tires. Summer and winter. A lot more fun than an SUV.

Graham

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http://www.greywinds.com

the best part for all you non-AWD slackers is, it's for sale!!!

I left SAS at 5pm. 2001 Ford Ranger 2WD with TOYO Open Country tires. Got home in Clayton at 7:30 incl one stop for food. Took 40 and backroads. I didn't think it was too bad. I think everyone who panicked made it worse by leaving early to hit the streets.

There are two schools of winter driving here. Drive as fast as you can so you don't have to be on the ice and snow too long (this is usually when the roads are slick and icy) or Drive at 5mph everywhere and take up two lanes on any road (this is usually when it is cold, but the roads are dry)

i didnt have any problems at all with my 712's on the e28.. of course i waited till midnight to leave work so i didnt have to deal with all the idiots driving up here in north raleigh.. it wasnt bad at all.. didnt slide once and was able to go over 30 my entire drive home which was better than i thought it would be..

LSD? I'm beginning to think it makes all the difference.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Being a New Yorker most of my life, I agree with Diane on this, although the thing I love about NC is the lack of salt use. When was the last time you've seen a car rusting out here in NC, outside of being an out of town car, or at the beach? - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Assuming you don't mean the drug from the 60's , LSD isn't necessarily magic . . . at least on a Mustang GT, even with good all season tires. We used to get around pretty well in our 84 Nissan 200SX (rwd, solid axle, no lsd, narrow all season tires). From my experience lots of negative camber can be a "negative", especially with stiff tires. Frequently, however, the real factor is what the "ice" is like. If it is smooth and wet on top, forget traction unless you have real "ice" tires like Graspics or Blizzaks. If the ice or hard packed snow is rough and dry on top then traction is at least "available". Frequently the "solution" is to drive on the snowy portion of the pavement and stay off the packed/smooth/wet portions if they are still ice. Been there done that many times.

FYI, I've had the joys of driving nothing but rear wheel drive cars in snow, frequently Mustang V-8's on the wrong tires. I can say that Dunlop Graspics work pretty well, by the way.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

I've seen Ryan's CRX

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Didn't I tell you folks last January that Kumho 712s are awful on snow or ice last January? Last month I finally took my own advice and replaced the 712s on my Maxima with BFG Traction T/As, which worked decently yesterday. Got home from work in about 40 mins, vs. my usual 25 minute commute. Of course, I was going WEST on the Durham Expressway from RTP, and it was open w/no snow accumlation at 4 PM, as opposed to the Durham Expressway EAST, which was backed up all the way through Durham due to the I-40 snafu.

BTW -- the take-off 712s are still available, free to the first brave soul. 215-55/16s.

20 years ago tomorrow (Jan 21), it was -9 F and snowing in Raleigh. IBM didn't call off the day shift until I was already on my way to work. I needed chains to get my '81 Mustang out of Fabulous Driftwood Manor Apts that morning, but then had to stop on the shoulder of Western Blvd at the Beltline interchange to remove them once I got to clear pavement. All while wearing my then-IBM-spec blue suit, Florsheims and London Fog overcoat.

I had no problem with Falcon Ziex 512's on the Saab. Days like that remind you what the heated seats and little windshield wipers on the headlights are good for. I climbed right past a few cars that were stuck on very minor hills without having to gain momentum to do it. I even stopped next to one guy and offered to help push, but he gave me a pissed "I don't need your help" look, so I drove off.

I left IBM right at 12:45 I think and got a pretty straight shot back to Raleigh. Took about 30 minutes I think. My brother left Cisco an hour or two later and took close to 6 hours to get home.

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I sold my Saab to the devil...
And all I got was this crappy SUV.

yes.. but i didnt even have any situations where it was questionable traction... but if i had any points were it were hard to get up a hill or something i would assume the LSD would make a big difference..

The STi did fairly well with Continental Extreme Contact all seasons on it. I still found a lot of ICE on my commute home, though. In the snow, the car rocks as long as you start out on 2nd or higher. I also have a Volvo XC 70 AWD, my 'other' turbo AWD car. That car is the best thing I've driven in the snow. Far better than the two 4x4 vehicles I've owned in the past.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.