Re: The most terrifying experience of my life

From: Bob Tom (tigers@bserv.com)
Date: Tue Jan 02 2001 - 10:35:06 EST


At 12:11 AM 1/2/01 -0500, you wrote:
>This weekend, my Dak, my girlfriend and I nearly became one with a
>guardrail - or an oncoming Jeep.
>
><snip>
>
>I do not EVER want to go through that again. I wonder how much my tires
>contributed to it. Surely "perfect" tires would have slid in this snow
>anyway, but I'm sure I would have regained control much more easily. I
>saw so many people that day driving WAY too fast (60+) because they had
>4WD and thought they were invincible just because of it. I'd like to
>give them a videotape of the hell I went through to scare them straight.
>
>-andy

Andy

I'm glad to hear that you were able to gain control at the right time and
there were no personal injuries or vehicle damage.

Judging by your recent posts, I would say that the tires contributed a lot
to your situation. I've been driving for over 45 years in S. Ont. and have
experienced many, many, bad winter conditions.

The best helpers were tire chains but were declared illegal here in the late
fifties. The next best was studs but they, too, were banned in the seventies.

I'm currently using Blizzaks on the Dak and Grand Caravan in the winter.
I have found that tires which are similar to these are, by far nowadays,
the most
effective in bad ice and snow. It does require a extra set of four (and an
extra
rims would be a good idea as well) so it is a major expense but well worth it.

One tip that I can pass along which I learned over these years is that, when
you feel that the truck is beginning to loose control, put the tranny in
neutral
(auto.) or put the clutch down (manual) in order to take the power off the
driving wheels ... this will give you a better chance to regain control more
quickly.

Hope this helps. My 2 cents U.S. or 4+cents CDN.

Bob



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