Snow, something I've seen a lot of...

From: Pat Buthmann (patb@mindless.com)
Date: Sat Oct 25 1997 - 20:16:32 EDT


Hey guys,

        As far as the snow debate goes, I'll add my two cents in, since I've
driven in a fair amount of it during my time. Life in a city like Calgary,
Alberta provides us with a vast amount of snow each winter. In soft snow,
a wider tire is better, due to the larger contact patch with the road. On
hard packed or icy surfaces, a narrower tire is better, due to a smaller
contact patch and a greater amount of downward pressure per square inch on
the tire. In general, one should keep their tires fully inflated during
winter months for the best traction. Snow and sand are quite a bit
different surfaces to drive on, sand is an inconsistent and non-cohesive
surface to drive on, which requires flotation to be successful. Snow,
similarly to water, is an cohesive surface and can actually provide the
vehicle with some traction on slippery surfaces such as ice, albeit not
much.

Pat Buthmann



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