Talk about Tires please (Portland, Bangor: cost, yard, vehicle)

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by fxtrader

I had already slowed down and was actually accellerating a little to go up the slight grade there.

Normally a Front-Wheel-Drive vehicle is the most stable when it is accelerating.

Having driven police vehicles, generally so long as you keep the drive wheels spinning they will pull you along in the direction they point [through loose gravel, sand, snow].

When hydroplaning all bets are off. However even when hydroplaning, you know that eventually a tire will bite and get a grip. Obviously hydroplaning is due to excessive speed. But once hydroplaning, if you keep the drive wheels pointed in the correct direction, even if they only bite a little they should allow the operator to regain control. I have practiced this on EVOC courses, and done it many times on the road.

Big piles of slush on top of ice [like between plowed lanes of traffic], are going to both lift the vehicle up away from traction and put you over ice. So even if you could bite there is only ice underneath. Going through such a pile, I really doubt that any type of vehicle, is completely guaranteed of maintaining control.

If you punch through such a pile, in a perfectly straight flight-path. In theory you should continue moving straight. But like when someone rabbits from one lane into another lane, that sudden veering in a different direction, is going to load the vehicle with a 'yawing' or spinning inertia. Once all traction is lost, the obvious thing for a vehicle would be it to spin.

I do not believe that any wheel in that circumstance would maintain control.

[Casper1212]

From the sound of it, there's no need to keep my Jeep. I love it, but we don't need three vehicles or the expense of moving it up there. Hubby's truck is heavy enough, with the obligatory load on the rear axles to keep it from fishtailing. And I'm beginning to think my Toyota FJ Cruiser will go anywhere any other vehicle will. We've both lived in the midwest, so we've done some driving on ice and snow, and I realized today that we need to get the vehicles winterized before we move, just in case ya'll have a late freeze. But what about chains? Doesn't anybody use them in ice and snow anymore?

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Casper1212

From the sound of it, there's no need to keep my Jeep. I love it, but we don't need three vehicles or the expense of moving it up there. Hubby's truck is heavy enough, with the obligatory load on the rear axles to keep it from fishtailing. And I'm beginning to think my Toyota FJ Cruiser will go anywhere any other vehicle will. We've both lived in the midwest, so we've done some driving on ice and snow, and I realized today that we need to get the vehicles winterized before we move, just in case ya'll have a late freeze. But what about chains? Doesn't anybody use them in ice and snow anymore?

You may see chains on some vehicles up north or perhaps on the mail truck but no one uses chains, around here anyway. They are just not necessary unless the road you live on has an incline and you never plow it! Probably twice in the last eight years I wished I had chains on my tractor when plowing wet snow over a frozen driveway. Slipping and sliding all over the place! Nothing a few bags of salt won't take care of though.

[Bydand]

Honestly the entire 20 years I lived in Washburn (Caribou. Presque Isle area) I can count on one hand the number of times I saw a privately owned vehicle with chains on it. Even then I would have a couple of fingers left over. You just don't see them anymore, and in reality, they just are not needed anymore with the great way they keep the roads. Even last year with record breaking snowfall in Caribou, there was never a day I couldn't go into town if I wanted to. Even with my little Geo Metro Convertible. May have had to wait a few hours to take that little death trap, but with either Suburban I didn't have had to wait at all. You'll see tractors, road graders, and the county plow trucks with chains when it gets bad out, but not on cars and trucks.

[CoastalMaine]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

Slush is really dangerous in my opinion. Especially in the stuff that piles up along side of a plowed road. I got sucked into that stuff a few years ago on Rt 123 to Harpswell when some idiot was trying to get by me in an area where he shouldn't have. It pulled me off the road, down over a large embankment and I took out a more than a few trees along the way. Ended up upside down at the bottom of a deep gulley. Airbags deployed and briefly unconscious. Ambulance trip to the hospital where I was pretty seriously banged up. It wasn't pleasant showing up at work a few days later with a nice black eye and bruised from head to toe. There's not a tire made that could have helped me out of that situation.

Gees Louise Mermie!!!!!!! Glad you came out of that in one piece! You might exhibit some brain damage now and then, but at least you have all your limbs!!!

[forest beekeeper]

If I planned on doing a lot of off-road driving or jeep trails, then I could see the need for 4WD in Maine.

Mostly I stay on paved roads or gravel, so I clearly have very little need for 4WD.

I do have a 4WD but I rarely take it on the road. My Dw and I each drive small FWD cars that are more economical and are fine for Maine driving.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

If I planned on doing a lot of off-road driving or jeep trails, then I could see the need for 4WD in Maine.

Mostly I stay on paved roads or gravel, so I clearly have very little need for 4WD.

I do have a 4WD but I rarely take it on the road. My Dw and I each drive small FWD cars that are more economical and are fine for Maine driving.

Agreed! Though DW took the 4x4 truck to work today due to the threat of snain (snow and rain).

[forest beekeeper]

You can get yourself stuck in a 2WD vehicle [I know that I have].

You can get yourself seriously stuck in a 4WD [I known that I have too].

You can get yourself OMG stuck in a track crawler [yes I have done this too, I once got a D8 stuck].

Overall I think that I prefer the 2WD version of stuck.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

Gees Louise Mermie!!!!!!! Glad you came out of that in one piece! You might exhibit some brain damage now and then, but at least you have all your limbs!!!

Did I mention how offended I am? Me? Brain damaged? How dare you!
You - pot
Me- kettle

[CoastalMaine]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

Did I mention how offended I am? Me? Brain damaged? How dare you!
You - pot
Me- kettle

Um. I better not say it. lol