Hope everyone was safe out there today!

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

steve remchak wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

996TT would be fine with real snow tires. Summer performance tires have a high glass transition temperature, so in anything under 40F they can be nasty and only becoming more and more worthless as temperatures drop toward and below freezing. Any car on summer performance tires is profoundly dangerous at low temps...often learned the hard way by many.

But who in NC is gonna get winter tires for a 996TT? :shock:

--Donnie

Well, if you're going to drive it in winter conditions...

i think we can honestly say that the driver of the stranded P-car in Matt's picture was not expecting Darwin to intervene. hmmn, coincidence?

or better yet, maybe Dakota from the DollHouse didn't know the car wouldn't go in the snow. it is AWD afterall. :twisted:

Maybe he didn't want to get road salt on his good car.

Matt McGrain · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:18 pm

As far as the timing goes, it was there about 10:00 when I took Therese to work and the terrible phone photo was taken around 2:30 when I headed back out to pick her up.

It was pretty far off the emergency lane and covered in snow so it may been stranded before the snow started coming down.

I can't imagine someone would ditch their 911 for a few days to merit an infamous orange "tow me" sticker on the side of I-40. Strange.

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:23 pm

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Well, if you're going to drive it in winter conditions...

NC...winter conditions...NC...winter conditions...

I'm just sayin'.

--Donnie

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:56 am

my car was a mountain goat.She really is too... nice bfg traction t/a quasi rally tire full set. LSD diff no traction control no ABS and a goood slick surface driver, and i got to and from work no problemo.Actually made better time than i thought.Due to a nice I-540, 10 am to 6:30 pm. others had varied sucsses, and at work.. i park cars at a rental place(it pays the bills, that is all) it was actually rather fun. handbrake turns for all, we shuttled cars back and forth down rental car lane, from one sister lot to another. and while i was going quite slowly.. it still works quite well. Even with foot activated park brakes, you just have to have quick feet.
Our diesel however, remained parked. 2wd open rear end, with highway tires and diesel torque.. means she was not even plugged in for the block warmer.

Matthew Fortner · **Joined:** Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:21 am **Posts:** 384

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

996TT would be fine with real snow tires. Summer performance tires have a high glass transition temperature, so in anything under 40F they can be nasty and only becoming more and more worthless as temperatures drop toward and below freezing. Any car on summer performance tires is profoundly dangerous at low temps...often learned the hard way by many.

Great info. What suggestions/perspective would you offer regarding our Feb. events?

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:53 pm

Matthew Fortner wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

996TT would be fine with real snow tires. Summer performance tires have a high glass transition temperature, so in anything under 40F they can be nasty and only becoming more and more worthless as temperatures drop toward and below freezing. Any car on summer performance tires is profoundly dangerous at low temps...often learned the hard way by many.

Great info. What suggestions/perspective would you offer regarding our Feb. events?

Just be aware of the rapid fall-off in grip as temperatures fall below ~40F (fall off starts from even higher level, but picks up quickly falling below mid-40s), especially if wet. The more sticky the tire (from summer street tire toward stickiest R-comp), the higher the glass transition temperature. Note that this "glass transition" region is like a phase change of the tire compound over a temperature range of maybe 15F or more wide. By the way, Toyo even has a warning out about storing and using their R-comps in freezing weather (rubber can fracture from its brittle state): http://www.racetire.com/products/bulletins/ToyoCompetitionTireStorage.pdf

Take extra time to try to get heat in the tires and check grip levels where you can test it safely. If temperatures are going to be close to freezing, be really careful with most all R-comp tires as the tread compound may/can be very hard when temps are in/below Tg range.

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

yeah, things were pretty interesting on my Dunlops (Direzza Z1*'s) and actually still are. Grip is most definitely diminished. I wouldn't say its THAT terrible (still feels like theres at least as much if not more grip than the stock Eagle RS-A's) but very noticeably different than when the weather is fair. You've just gotta be aware of it and you're fine though, the tires still have enough grip to be safe for normal driving. My Falkens seemed to fall off even more in the cold.

The joys of running your autocross tires on your car all the time. . .

MarcusMcRae · **Posted:** Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:41 pm

Matt McGrain wrote:

Athough it's waaay better now, mid-morning was a nightmare. RWD and old ASX'es (albeit, they could have been summer tires) don't make a great combination.

Taking my wife to work in Cary was pretty scary this morning and this photo is a great reminder to drive safe and leave extra distance. When you are driving a less than an ideal snow vehicle, it's amazing how quickly you remember where the hills are. :wink:

OUCH! & I hope this isn't a fellow Tarheeler...

That car was still sitting there this morning.

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

Well, if you're going to drive it in winter conditions...

NC...winter conditions...NC...winter conditions...

I'm just sayin'.

--Donnie

Ice is ice.

Even Vanilla Ice.

THSCC Forums

Hope everyone was safe out there today!

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