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PSA: Prepare your car for winter

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I prepared my car for winter by putting the car cover on. See you in march!

(Note: Driving a mid engined, performance-tired lightweight car on snow, because March first came around and the weather didn't look too bad, but then: surprise dusting! -- slight puckering may occur.)
 
herm0016 said:
Colorado:
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Interesting. I've been driving in Colorado in the mountains in the winter for over a decade now, and I don't recall ever seeing the passenger chain law in effect or enforced. The traction law, sure, but never the full on chain requirement.
 
cjl said:
Interesting. I've been driving in Colorado in the mountains in the winter for over a decade now, and I don't recall ever seeing the passenger chain law in effect or enforced. The traction law, sure, but never the full on chain requirement.
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I have not seen it on 70, but red mountain and Douglass pass, the non interstate routes.
 
tsupersonic said:
All common sense, yet 90% of the people won't do anything different than a normal sunny summer day.

Now if we can talk about snow cleaning etiquette, please clear the snow off your damn roof, your windows, and all of the lights. I can't believe how many idiots I saw driving today with just the front windshield cleared not to mention, their headlights/taillights covered. Most important rule is to give yourself extra time, and don't rush.
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And move out of the way if you are gonna go slow! dont go 22mph in the left lane just because you dont know how to drive in the snow or because you dont have the correct tires for the conditions!
 
When a cold snap is coming I always love the idiots that do the local weather telling everyone during the 11 PM news that they 'should check their car battery'.
Reality is that probably 50% of the viewers couldn't point to the battery if you opened the hood for them, but yep, it's there so it must be good.... check 😉
 
BurnItDwn said:
And move out of the way if you are gonna go slow! dont go 22mph in the left lane just because you dont know how to drive in the snow or because you dont have the correct tires for the conditions!
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Holy shit! We got some snow the other day. This is MD snow, so we're not talking whiteouts, and it isn't FL, so snow isn't a rare occurrence... I got stuck behind some kind of crossover creeping up the road with their flashers on like the world was ending. I know that thing had 4wd or awd. Hell, even 2wd justified a speed faster than the 10mph I was going. I had someone in front of me, so I couldn't safely pass. Luckily they pulled over after a mile or so, and everyone could get by. I had some other not quite as bad issues too. That was a tedious drive home :^(
 
MtnMan said:
When a cold snap is coming I always love the idiots that do the local weather telling everyone during the 11 PM news that they 'should check their car battery'.
Reality is that probably 50% of the viewers couldn't point to the battery if you opened the hood for them, but yep, it's there so it must be good.... check 😉
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My battery (and a bunch of other stuff) is hidden under a plastic shroud that apparently makes the engine bay look nice. If I were a little less nosy, I wouldn't even know where the battery was to check it.

Also, most people don't have voltmeters handy.
 
MtnMan said:
Reality is that probably 50% of the viewers couldn't point to the battery if you opened the hood for them
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I couldn't either ... mine is in the trunk 😱

I'm getting my blizzaks put on tomorrow ... first winter I've bought them. I went from a RWD automatic car with all seasons to an AWD 6 speed with snow tires. (2003 330i -> 2004 330xi) I can't wait to try it out. I'm driving from Boston to the Adirondack Mtn region this weekend so I should get my wish.
 
lxskllr said:
Holy shit! We got some snow the other day. This is MD snow, so we're not talking whiteouts, and it isn't FL, so snow isn't a rare occurrence... I got stuck behind some kind of crossover creeping up the road with their flashers on like the world was ending. I know that thing had 4wd or awd. Hell, even 2wd justified a speed faster than the 10mph I was going. I had someone in front of me, so I couldn't safely pass. Luckily they pulled over after a mile or so, and everyone could get by. I had some other not quite as bad issues too. That was a tedious drive home :^(
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We drove home from Baltimore MD to the suburbs of chicago after a cruise a few Decembers ago. One of the Tunnels through the mountains closed down and we were stuck without moving for 3ish hours because some kinda crash. That should have been a 11-2ish hour drive if we drove 75 and stopped twice for food, but because of the interstate closure and gridlock after the moderate snow, and the fact that it was snowing throughout all 750 miles of our drive, it took around 19 hours to get home. We could have stopped along the way, but we just wanted to go home. That was a bit of an annoying drive.
 
Where can I find "winter blend" windshield washer fluid? you know, the kind that doesn't freeze?

I don't even know if they sell that in SoCal.
 
In Vermont, a better questions is where can you find anything else? It's all -20, -30 or -40F rated. Gas stations, Walmart, auto parts stores all carry it.

Maybe Amazon?
 
Yuriman said:
In Vermont, a better questions is where can you find anything else? It's all -20, -30 or -40F rated. Gas stations, Walmart, auto parts stores all carry it.
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haha, I've been to 4-5 auto parts stores in SoCal and not surprisingly they only stock "summer blend'.
 
Get new wiper blades in the fall.
Throw the ice scraper and the snow brush into the back seat.
Toss a pair of gloves in the glove compartment.

Done.
 
WA is another state that sometimes requires all vehicles to use chains without exception (when conditions are really bad). You also are required, without exception, to have chains in your car on mountain passes in the winter, even if it's sunny and clear (though they never check). Snow tires don't legally mean anything here.

Snow in WA is no joke. My favorite ski area (Mt Baker) holds the world record for snowfall - 95 feet in one winter.
 
repoman0 said:
I couldn't either ... mine is in the trunk 😱

I'm getting my blizzaks put on tomorrow ... first winter I've bought them. I went from a RWD automatic car with all seasons to an AWD 6 speed with snow tires. (2003 330i -> 2004 330xi) I can't wait to try it out. I'm driving from Boston to the Adirondack Mtn region this weekend so I should get my wish.
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Hmm, I'm not even sure where the battery is in my car. I'll have to figure that out one of these days...
 
repoman0 said:
I couldn't either ... mine is in the trunk 😱

I'm getting my blizzaks put on tomorrow ... first winter I've bought them. I went from a RWD automatic car with all seasons to an AWD 6 speed with snow tires. (2003 330i -> 2004 330xi) I can't wait to try it out. I'm driving from Boston to the Adirondack Mtn region this weekend so I should get my wish.
Click to expand...

Now that my Blizzaks are back on the car I'm looking forward to the next major snowstorm. It feels almost comical being able to take my old FWD family sedan up snowy\icy hills that some of the plows have trouble with. That and watching all the SUV slipping and sliding in the rear view mirror.
What model blizzak did you toss on and why did you choose them over the other winter tires on the market?
 
dave_the_nerd said:
To quote a former acquaintance, who I can only hope has lived and learned since saying this, "But... aren't there people to do that?"
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Agreed
I am not a handy man. I get the neighbor kids to cut the grass, hire a contractor to fix my driveway or deck, etc. I dont change my own oil, but even I know how to replace a battery & change a tire.
 
pauldun170 said:
Now that my Blizzaks are back on the car I'm looking forward to the next major snowstorm. It feels almost comical being able to take my old FWD family sedan up snowy\icy hills that some of the plows have trouble with. That and watching all the SUV slipping and sliding in the rear view mirror.
What model blizzak did you toss on and why did you choose them over the other winter tires on the market?
Click to expand...

I got the WS80 and chose them because they had a lot of good reviews and were the cheapest, and had a $70 rebate. Simple reasoning but I was really happy with them on my very snowy drive to upstate NY this past weekend. They have ridiculous amounts of grip in the snow and ice .. I could floor it in second or slam on the brakes with no to minimal slipping and effortlessly climb a pretty serious and slippery hill at the house I was staying at.

Now I just hope I can get some good mileage out of them.
 
repoman0 said:
I got the WS80 and chose them because they had a lot of good reviews and were the cheapest, and had a $70 rebate. Simple reasoning but I was really happy with them on my very snowy drive to upstate NY this past weekend. They have ridiculous amounts of grip in the snow and ice .. I could floor it in second or slam on the brakes with no to minimal slipping and effortlessly climb a pretty serious and slippery hill at the house I was staying at.

Now I just hope I can get some good mileage out of them.
Click to expand...

I have the previous generation, the WS70.
Not sure about the WS80's but the WS70 had a rep where they are only good for about 15K when it comes to ice traction. Its around that mileage where the top layer wears down enough where you lose ice and then its purely a snow tire.
 
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