This week's Episode of God I Love My Car:

We are expecting anywhere from 15 to 22 inches of snow today. I got up this morning to find my husband and my neighbor both trying to dig out the driveways. When they finally got the driveways cleared, neither one of them were able to get out onto the street to get to work, so my husband called in.

The snow is almost two feet deep in places, and I know that the MINI will not make it through this snow, no matter how much I love my snow tires and how thankful I am for it being low to the ground. It's just not a smart thing to do, but still I did have to drive home yesterday when there were four inches of snow on the ground and I was amazed at what I had to go through just to get home.

It wasn't that I was having trouble. It was that I wasn't having trouble.

We have had a huge influx of folks that have relocated to our area from California. Our property values stabilized back in September and ever since, rentals and home property sales have been on the rise, so folks are moving up here because they can afford to live here. We are not experiencing the downturn as harshly as other areas, but that is primarily because this is a service industry town now. All our manufacturing packed up and left several years ago.

The problem with this is that all of this has happened over the last few months, so many of these folks have never driven on snow before.

Yesterday was a day that tested road driving skills all over this town, and it separated the men from the boys, so to speak. There were several semis jack knifed all over the place. There were slide offs, and as I was arriving home, the police department closed the roads to all vehicles that were not equipped with four wheel drive. The biggest problem that I discovered though, was the sheer number of SUVs with California license plates on them that would get stuck on bunny hills.

They even had snow tires, and yet still, they were stuck.

The problem wasn't the vehicle.

It was the driver.

The drivers were so desperate to go that they refused to ease up on that stupid gas pedal. So rather than gaining traction, they were spinning their tires and creating dangerous situations for other drivers. Meanwhile, me and my little MINI Cooper trucked on down the road, and made it up a 10% grade into my neighborhood without losing traction, without a single slide, without trouble.

I know that my car is not as capable of moving in this weather as other vehicles that are specifically designed for it, but that was okay. I never had a moment where I felt like I could not make it home safely. There wasn't even a second of doubt. In part, because Viola gives me confidence in my driving skills, and in part, because I was watching all of the other idiots have problems, and unlike them and their automatic transmissions that lacked a manual mode... I had the ability to downshift.

 

Have you ever noticed a person will risk life and limb to get home from work but once at home just look out the window and say I'm snowed in or stuck and just call in to work?

 

I know exactly what you mean RG. When I was a bit younger I had 1985 Pontiac Fiero 4 banger automatic. It wasn't very fast but it was dead simple to drive and could handle like it was on rails.

Anywho, there was a pretty bad winter round these parts one year, lots of ice and snow, and I was the only one that could get out of my driveway at home. My father had a 84 Crown Vic loaded with cinder blocks and chains on the tires and was already facing out but could only make it halfway up. I was parked the wrong way, had no snow tires, or cinder blocks on the other hand but I made it out and had no problem driving around town.

I saw a lot of jacked up 4x4's, suv's, trucks, and what have you on the side of the road that day. Since then I've actually owned a 4x4 myself, 98 Isuzu Rodeo V6, and though I didn't have a problem driving in the ice, and little bit of snow we had while I owned it, it did require a lot more effort on my part to keep things straight.

I haven't had a chance to drive Ferris in any bad weather yet, barring the one or two good soakings we've had recently, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

I lived in Minnesota for 5 years with a 5.0 Mustang convertible. I never got stuck once. It's the driver and the experience. No one has any patience, and sees the gas pedal as an on/off switch instead of a dimmer.

 

Hey, I am the original and still the owner of a V6 Pontiac Fiero. With snowtires, the Fiero in snow is pretty uneventful. However, if you have the wrong tires, when rear traction gives out, it's pretty easy to find yourself facing the wrong direction.

Driving my MINI to work yesterday, I almost got caught in a head-on. The MINI had no problem, but others are not so bright out there. I was driving uphill and somebody in a Taurus was coming down hill. There was some slush on the road. The Taurus wasn't going very fast (actually very slow), but I noticed all for wheels locked, so I stopped my MINI and back up about 5 feet just in time to see the Taurus slide across the street in front of me until it hit the curb. I looked to see if driver was okay, then continued on my journey.

 

I used to live on the flat and thought nothing of driving in snow or ice w/ my MINI. Now I live on SEVERE hills, and even though I can drive in snow well, when it gets icy, even sanded ice, my JCW doesn't come out to play. When I'm moving slowly and carefully and still start to slide down a very twisty hill and when I continue to slide w/ full brakes and even e brake applied, it's time to admit that this little car is not meant for driving on icy or snowy roads w/ extreme grades. Time to get into my wife's 4 wheel drive, snow- tired RAV 4.

 

I stay home. We normally get this really wet slick snow.
It's closer to ice because it just doesn't get that cold
to make real snow. You have even a little bump up
in the ditch, you'll always see the repainted in the sun
because the clearcoat is a different thickness.

That doesn't even include maniacs in monster trucks with
1 wheel drive they think they are invincible crashing you.

The one time I've gone, there was maybe 1/2 inch of
ice on top of 2 inches of really slick snow. I drove
2.5 hours to go 8 miles. There was over 60 cars abandoned
along the way (not exaggerating). I get to work - the power is
out the building is 40 degrees. I drive home.

I take stuff home now if the weatherdude even hints at snow/ice.
I'm 24 miles into the countryside now too, and a one lane
road 1/2 the way. I expect it to be unpassable in snow
(no snow since I moved)

__
I remember 20 years ago when I was just starting out.
This dude's boss tells this guy (another group but I
knew them) I will meet you at work you have to be there
or you are fired. Boss goes out to driveway, decides it
is too dangerous, goes back inside. Other dude makes
it 90% to work and rolls his accord 6 times off an overpass.
Out of work 3 months. That was before mega jackpot justice
lawsuits, but the company did totally revised its policy on
snow days. It was changed from it is your boss's discretion
to an allowance of up to 5 paid snow days work is closed
do not try to come in (as directed by the president, who realizing
he barely missed a wrongful death suit, was very liberal
in closing the place).
True story.

 

RG, I'm in WA State too. We live in Cascade Park, Vancouver, WA. We've not gotten hit like you're describing, I would LOVE that, but the snow has been a curse and a blessing all the same. The blessing is...it's so beautiful, the curse is...my MINI can't come out to play. Not that I don't trust her, like you said it is the other driver's you have to worry about. I'm afraid the gravel they've laid down will hurt my Baby.

As I was driving home tonight in our 4x4 Durango the Freeways were busy and as I came upon our exit ramp it was pretty backed up. Waiting in line I understood why, I hit a spot and felt the Durango slip a bit, so I put it in 4 Hi and climed the small accent just fine. A newer Mustang with chains on the rear was pulled over to the right, out of the traffic lane, BUT at the Exit Ramp Light onto 164th it gets a bit more steep and that's when I noticed that the right hand lane cars were using 1/2 of the left to motor around another Mustang, not moving, apparently he couldn't get up the road and was stuck. Temps. have been mild compared to a few days ago, but Sunday they say we are in for more Rain/Snow/Ice possibly. So Molly will have to hibernated in the garage until maybe next week.

 

Last year I was at a full stop waiting on traffic on a major highway in eastern Iowa in my Jeep Liberty. Out of no where a wind gust came along and blew 7 cars sideways into the ditch from a stop just slid us all along the iced surface into the ditch. Its an unnerving feeling sliding sideways at 0 MPH forward movement.

 

We have a FOOT of wet snow at this time and an hour or more of it still falling. North Lake County IL is shut down.

 

Same storm we got 3 inches of ice

 

I'm in Spokane. We've got 2 feet of snow on the ground so far, and are expecting another inch today, with more coming on Sunday. Viola is in the garage enjoying her vacation because she doesn't have the ground clearance to drive through this safely, but once the roads are plowed, we'll be good to go.

As far as the sand goes... I have stone guards on Viola and she's got invisishield on her bonnet, which is where most of the sand hits when it's freshly laid. When it's not, it's usually on the side of the road because larger vehicles tend to throw it. Having spent years driving a small car in this weather, I know that rock chips are not something I can avoid if I ever want to drive my car. This weather usually starts in October and lets up in April. So I've been reading up on how to repair paint chips myself.

I think that most of the damage will hit the stone guards and invisishield, as the chips on my previous vehicle were always on the hood or right in front of the rear wheels. So it should be minimal.

 

OMG, that's bad, I'll take a foot of snow over ANY ice ANY day of the week.