Re: The most terrifying experience of my life

From: Andy Levy (andylevy@bigfoot.com)
Date: Tue Jan 02 2001 - 20:22:13 EST


Bob,
        Thanks for the post. My plan now is to do some serious reading the
next couple nights and purchase this weekend.

> 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.

The manual explicitly says "no chains" for my truck. Studs can only be
used between Nov. 1 and Apr. 1 here in NY.

> 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.

Unfortunately, I can't afford this right now. Even if I were to get
snow tires now, I'd still have to replace the "summer" tires very soon,
as they're at 28K now. $900 in tires in one year is a lot. Tonight on
the drive home with under an inch having fallen over the course of the
day, I got that squiggly feeling again; They only salted & sanded the
roads, so there was some slush and snow sticking around still.

> 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.

This is a new one to me. Once I regained control, I did downshift, and
it felt more stable, but it probably would have been a disaster in the
midst of the action. If I find myself in the situation again, I'll try
it (if I can remember).

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

-- 
-andy

http://home.twcny.rr.com/andylevy/ --- andylevy@bigfoot.com ------------------------------------------------------------- modesty, n.: Being comfortable that others will discover your greatness -------------------------------------------------------------



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