Saturday, January 08, 2005
Bike Guy on Winter Driving
So I've been driving now for about 23 years, all of which have been spent in places with real winters. Some (Colorado, for example) have pretty consistant winters - you know what to expect and rarely get surprises. Other places (like Minnesota and New Jersey) offer a mixed bag of wintertime driving grief - snow one day, black ice and freezing rain the next. I'd have to say I've amassed a good knowledge about what works and what doesn't, so below please find a few helpful tips for you, dear reader:
1) Don't be an asshat. This is the big one, boys and girls. When the weather sucks, you need to chill out. You're NOT going to get to work (or home) on time. It's going to take longer and you're going to be dealing with people who are scared shitless and REALLY shouldn't be on the road at all. Kick back, give the drivers around you a break (and a little more following distance) and be happy that you'll get where you're going eventually.
2) Don't buy into the myth of all wheel drive. Yes, AWD (or four wheel drive) can help you get moving on snow and ice, but that's about it. It will NOT help you stop quicker or (generally speaking) turn faster. I can't count the number of 4wd pickups and AWD SUVs that blew by me on Wednesday's hellish black ice commute to work. At 70 MPH on ice, hit the brakes and you're about a missle with absolutely ZERO control, regardless of how many wheels you've got driving.
3) If you live where it snows regularly (and YOU drive regularly), you NEED snow tires. Not all season radials, snow tires. Why? They give you the best possible handling (and therefore greatest safety margin) in winter conditions (snow, ice and just plain cold weather). A set of GOOD snows, mounted on steel wheels won't set you back a fortune - in fact, they'll generally cost less than your $500.00 insurance deductible, which you may need to cough up if you DON'T have snows.
On Wednesday I passed a guy in a brand new BMW M3 who'd just spun on ice and destroyed his front suspension. Why the fuck would you buy a BMW M3 and try to drive it in the winter on "summer only" high performace tires? If you can't afford to buy snow tires for a car like that then you certainly can't afford to drive it, can you?
What's my beef with all season radials? Nothing really - they're fine if you only need to drive to and from the grocery store and never drive in deep snow or on ice. Otherwise, they're too much of a compromise. When was the last time you heard about a revolutionary new vacuum cleaner/blender/home computer/marital aid/ice cream maker?
4) Front wheel drive or rear wheel drive? I've had both, and I actually prefer rear wheel drive. Why? Better balance, better handling. Front wheel drive carries most of the weight in the front, which provides marginally better traction on level ground. Basic physics tell us that weight transfer occurs under acceleration, which takes weight OFF the front and applies it to the rear. Likewise, braking transfers weight TO the front wheels, which raises the potential of breaking traction on slippery surfaces.
Rear wheel drive gives me good enough traction and better handling, especially with good snow tires.
5) SUVs and pickups are top heavy and more prone to rollover accidents. If you really need AWD and want your wife / husband / lover / invisible friend to be safe, buy them an AWD sedan or wagon. Size does NOT equal safety - handling and proper driver training equals safety. It's not like you don't have choices, either - almost every automaker now builds AWD cars and wagons, in damn near every price point. And yes, you still need snow tires with AWD.
6) Distance, distance, distance. Increase your following distance in bad weather, both to give you more braking room and to see the road in front of you. Few things suck as much as changing a tire in a snowstorm by the side of the road because you just pretzeled a wheel and blew a tire after hitting a monster pothole. Safe driving in the winter is all about giving yourself options - room to brake, swerve and regain control.
7) Big wheels may look cool, but they're no good in pothole country. Yo cuz, I know that rollin' on dubs is badass (especially for a playa like you), but wadding those spinners on the LIE or Cross Bronx is an Opie move. Downsize, see? Sixteens with snows may not scream "Baller", but they WILL keep more bling in your pocket, dig?
My car came with 17" wheels. For winter driving I've got a set of 16" wheels with taller tires. Sure, the car doesn't stick as well in corners on dry pavement, but I don't need to replace the wheel and tire everytime I hit a pothole. Need advice on what works for you? Visit the Tire Rack (and no, I'm not a paid spokesmodel).
Anyway, enough of my preaching. Let's be safe out there.
1) Don't be an asshat. This is the big one, boys and girls. When the weather sucks, you need to chill out. You're NOT going to get to work (or home) on time. It's going to take longer and you're going to be dealing with people who are scared shitless and REALLY shouldn't be on the road at all. Kick back, give the drivers around you a break (and a little more following distance) and be happy that you'll get where you're going eventually.
2) Don't buy into the myth of all wheel drive. Yes, AWD (or four wheel drive) can help you get moving on snow and ice, but that's about it. It will NOT help you stop quicker or (generally speaking) turn faster. I can't count the number of 4wd pickups and AWD SUVs that blew by me on Wednesday's hellish black ice commute to work. At 70 MPH on ice, hit the brakes and you're about a missle with absolutely ZERO control, regardless of how many wheels you've got driving.
3) If you live where it snows regularly (and YOU drive regularly), you NEED snow tires. Not all season radials, snow tires. Why? They give you the best possible handling (and therefore greatest safety margin) in winter conditions (snow, ice and just plain cold weather). A set of GOOD snows, mounted on steel wheels won't set you back a fortune - in fact, they'll generally cost less than your $500.00 insurance deductible, which you may need to cough up if you DON'T have snows.
On Wednesday I passed a guy in a brand new BMW M3 who'd just spun on ice and destroyed his front suspension. Why the fuck would you buy a BMW M3 and try to drive it in the winter on "summer only" high performace tires? If you can't afford to buy snow tires for a car like that then you certainly can't afford to drive it, can you?
What's my beef with all season radials? Nothing really - they're fine if you only need to drive to and from the grocery store and never drive in deep snow or on ice. Otherwise, they're too much of a compromise. When was the last time you heard about a revolutionary new vacuum cleaner/blender/home computer/marital aid/ice cream maker?
4) Front wheel drive or rear wheel drive? I've had both, and I actually prefer rear wheel drive. Why? Better balance, better handling. Front wheel drive carries most of the weight in the front, which provides marginally better traction on level ground. Basic physics tell us that weight transfer occurs under acceleration, which takes weight OFF the front and applies it to the rear. Likewise, braking transfers weight TO the front wheels, which raises the potential of breaking traction on slippery surfaces.
Rear wheel drive gives me good enough traction and better handling, especially with good snow tires.
5) SUVs and pickups are top heavy and more prone to rollover accidents. If you really need AWD and want your wife / husband / lover / invisible friend to be safe, buy them an AWD sedan or wagon. Size does NOT equal safety - handling and proper driver training equals safety. It's not like you don't have choices, either - almost every automaker now builds AWD cars and wagons, in damn near every price point. And yes, you still need snow tires with AWD.
6) Distance, distance, distance. Increase your following distance in bad weather, both to give you more braking room and to see the road in front of you. Few things suck as much as changing a tire in a snowstorm by the side of the road because you just pretzeled a wheel and blew a tire after hitting a monster pothole. Safe driving in the winter is all about giving yourself options - room to brake, swerve and regain control.
7) Big wheels may look cool, but they're no good in pothole country. Yo cuz, I know that rollin' on dubs is badass (especially for a playa like you), but wadding those spinners on the LIE or Cross Bronx is an Opie move. Downsize, see? Sixteens with snows may not scream "Baller", but they WILL keep more bling in your pocket, dig?
My car came with 17" wheels. For winter driving I've got a set of 16" wheels with taller tires. Sure, the car doesn't stick as well in corners on dry pavement, but I don't need to replace the wheel and tire everytime I hit a pothole. Need advice on what works for you? Visit the Tire Rack (and no, I'm not a paid spokesmodel).
Anyway, enough of my preaching. Let's be safe out there.
// posted by John Patmos @ 8:08 AM 
Comments:
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www.tirerack.com is great - they drop ship to the garage about 10 minutes from our house. its funny, the garage i went to actually recommended them as well-said he stopped trying to compete with them, and now makes good money being one of their online contacts for installation.
also, i love they keep your car info online, great way to remember the last time you had tires changed for all your cars.
also, i love they keep your car info online, great way to remember the last time you had tires changed for all your cars.
Togo: Man, I could go on for hours about wheel and tire sizes vs. performance. In a nutshell, anything over 17" has zero benefit in real world driving; on a racetrack, a larger wheel MAY give you a slight cornering advantage, but one measured in thousandths of a second.
For winter driving, skinnier tires give better traction than wider tires. Taller tire sidewalls (and smaller wheels) give better protection from potholes.
Maybe I'm not hip, but I don't like the look of huge wheels and skinny tires. Like big wings, it screams "ricer".
For winter driving, skinnier tires give better traction than wider tires. Taller tire sidewalls (and smaller wheels) give better protection from potholes.
Maybe I'm not hip, but I don't like the look of huge wheels and skinny tires. Like big wings, it screams "ricer".
darth: I've used Tire Rack for years, and have always found them to be very customer focused. There are a few local shops I'll use from time to time, but they're used to me bringing in my own tires. It's not price so much as selection; the Tire Rack has EXACTLY what I want, in stock.
A word of caution, though: when it comes to wheels, you definitely get what you pay for. I'm using their "house brand" gravity cast alloy wheels on my car for winter, and they are nowhere near the quality of OEM wheels. They were priced right, though.
A word of caution, though: when it comes to wheels, you definitely get what you pay for. I'm using their "house brand" gravity cast alloy wheels on my car for winter, and they are nowhere near the quality of OEM wheels. They were priced right, though.
I just sneezed and bit my tongue. Oh god, what an idiot I am.
Well, people go nucking futz in vegas when it rains. There is ALWAYS ALWAYS an accident ont he way home from work. My xterra does not do well in the wet. With my old toyo tires I had to literraly go the speed limit and start my stops 100 feet away at an intersection or it would skid out.
Thankfully the bf goodriches are better in the rain, but it is still not the greatest.
Well, people go nucking futz in vegas when it rains. There is ALWAYS ALWAYS an accident ont he way home from work. My xterra does not do well in the wet. With my old toyo tires I had to literraly go the speed limit and start my stops 100 feet away at an intersection or it would skid out.
Thankfully the bf goodriches are better in the rain, but it is still not the greatest.
# posted by 
: 11:21 AM
: 11:21 AM
Insurance companies here won't pay for shit if you don't have winter tires on in winter so I guess most people have a set of them in their garage and that is good! I remember when i drove down south with this GI that still had summer tires on his brandnew BMW in January here. We hit the guard railing twice. Fun trip--NOT!
And don't forget the best way to deal with stupid winter drivers and driving stress: leave that big honkin' SUV in the garage and ride your bike to work.
Extremism can be described as aggravation the modern world. We should combat pertaining to convenience
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