A free driving lesson to my wonderful neighbors (Seattle: legal, shop)

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by newguy416

This is all fun, but I do have a few serious questions.

I did buy chains for my Acura TSX (FWD) when I moved here just in case it was to snow/ice. I moved from Texas where we got ice but we just drove slow on it, as we did not have very many hills. There would always be a lot of trucks in the ditch though.

This may sound silly, but when should I put the chains on? Was the weather here bad enought for chains? They seem pretty thin, not what I really expected them to be. So I didn't want to break them by using them when I shouldn't.

Also, I only bought one set. I was told to just put them on the front tires, since it is a FWD. Is this correct?

I know... you all are welcome I took the bus the past two days.

You only need the drive train set, but there are some things about chains that you should probably be aware of:

1) You aren't supposed to drive faster than 30 on them, otherwise they run the risk of flying off. I bring this up because I saw numerous people on 90 yesterday doing 60 on them.

2) They aren't supposed to be "big". Just like if you were to buy a set of studded tires, you would wonder what good the studs would do because they're so small. That's by design.

3) When you start slipping, put them on. If you don't feel comfortable, put them on. If you think at some point you might not feel comfortable, put them on.

4) While they're the cheapest option, they're also the least effective. Chains tend to give people a false sense of security, but the reality is they only provide a benefit of helping to do things like climb, and a marginal benefit of stopping. That said, they perform significantly worse than a nice pair of soft-rubber multi-cell snow tires or studded tires, especially when it comes to braking. If you're going to live here full time, and you don't plan on getting rid of your car for at least 5 years, I would really recommend investing the money in a good set of winter tires, and by that I don't mean all-weathers.

[nitinmehra20]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

My first thought was "this thing can't possibly have quattro" (since it is a fairly expensive *option*). Second thought was "why did they stop at that intersection near the top?" (which is what set them completely wrong). But seeing the way it was sliding down, it makes me wonder what the hell was going on over at QA to where it couldn't even find a 2 foot square of traction to grab on to. In both videos on this thread, the vehicles were on the left side of the road on the descent and could find absolutely zero footing, but both videos showed the vehicles able to ascend on the right side, even at dangerously slow speeds.

I thought all Audis come with Quattro I really wonder how well does Acura handle on the snow

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by nitinmehra20

I thought all Audis come with Quattro I really wonder how well does Acura handle on the snow

No, quattro is an option, and a very pricey one at that - sometimes it's a mandatory option depending on model, but the Audi in that video was an A6, which has a non-quattro option. On my R8, I think it ran $12,000 for it. I might be mistaken on the dollar value - it was waaaay up there, though. And largely unnecessary, since it's garaged anytime the weather is even mildly bad. And in some models, it's not an option at all (the A3 2.0 comes immediately to mind).

[nitinmehra20]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

No, quattro is an option, and a very pricey one at that - sometimes it's a mandatory option depending on model, but the Audi in that video was an A6, which has a non-quattro option. On my R8, I think it ran $12,000 for it. I might be mistaken on the dollar value - it was waaaay up there, though. And largely unnecessary, since it's garaged anytime the weather is even mildly bad. And in some models, it's not an option at all (the A3 2.0 comes immediately to mind).

Don't quite understand the *optional* part on an R8. I mean if someone is belting out more than 100K on a car, how does an additional 12K matter??

PS: Love the R8, hope to buy it someday

[newguy416]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

You only need the drive train set, but there are some things about chains that you should probably be aware of:

1) You aren't supposed to drive faster than 30 on them, otherwise they run the risk of flying off. I bring this up because I saw numerous people on 90 yesterday doing 60 on them.

2) They aren't supposed to be "big". Just like if you were to buy a set of studded tires, you would wonder what good the studs would do because they're so small. That's by design.

3) When you start slipping, put them on. If you don't feel comfortable, put them on. If you think at some point you might not feel comfortable, put them on.

4) While they're the cheapest option, they're also the least effective. Chains tend to give people a false sense of security, but the reality is they only provide a benefit of helping to do things like climb, and a marginal benefit of stopping. That said, they perform significantly worse than a nice pair of soft-rubber multi-cell snow tires or studded tires, especially when it comes to braking. If you're going to live here full time, and you don't plan on getting rid of your car for at least 5 years, I would really recommend investing the money in a good set of winter tires, and by that I don't mean all-weathers.

Thanks for the advice. It's too bad a set of good snow tires are so expensive.

For those of you that have them, do you normally put them on and take them off a certain time of year? For example: October - March

Is it safe to drive on snow tires when there is no snow/ice?

I would have to cart them to a tire shop to have them switch out my tires for me.

Last year here, I didn't see one snowflake.

[Joe Doer]

Originally Posted by newguy416

This is all fun, but I do have a few serious questions.

This may sound silly, but when should I put the chains on?

It is simple...if you need chains stay home. Chains are for emergencies.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by newguy416

Thanks for the advice. It's too bad a set of good snow tires are so expensive.
Depends on the tires. How much is your collision deductible? I'll bet a set of snow tires is less.

For those of you that have them, do you normally put them on and take them off a certain time of year? For example: October - March
State law dictates when studded tires can be used can be used, if I recall it's Nov 1st thru April 15th, but don't quote me. If they're studless (Blizzak, etc) they can be on whenever.

Is it safe to drive on snow tires when there is no snow/ice?
Yes.

I would have to cart them to a tire shop to have them switch out my tires for me.
Buy cheap snow wheels and have the tires mounted on them. You can switch them out yourself in a fairly short amount of time, or get it done at a tire shop in a matter of minutes.

Last year here, I didn't see one snowflake.

And this year you might see 1-2 feet. If a good set of snow tires makes it possible for you to get around even a few times over the course of their life, then they're probably worth it.

[Joe Doer]

I few tips for driving on ice:

When you start your car in the morning, most cars have an automatic choke or a high idle that is utilized until your engine temperature get up to normal. When approaching a stop or slowdown situation, shift your transmission into idle until you stop or slow down. Otherwise the high idle may push you through the stop.

An option for slowing down a 2wd car that is out of control on ice is to down shift. Slowing the rear wheels should straighten your vehicle. Don't lock up the brakes. Use quick jabs at the brakes.

As far as trying to stear on ice, don't fight it. An out of control car can be straightened by slowly steering into the turn. If you do it too fast or oversteer, you will start spinning.

A good tip is to hold the steering wheel lightly and drive slow.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by Joe Doer

It is simple...if you need chains stay home. Chains are for emergencies.

If you need chains, use them.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by newguy416

Thanks for the advice. It's too bad a set of good snow tires are so expensive.

For those of you that have them, do you normally put them on and take them off a certain time of year? For example: October - March

Is it safe to drive on snow tires when there is no snow/ice?

I would have to cart them to a tire shop to have them switch out my tires for me.

Last year here, I didn't see one snowflake.

Snow tires must be removed by a certain date, which is April 1st, if memory serves.