Clueless 4x4 Icy Road Guy

[etrain16]

On the way into work yesterday, noted a Subaru sitting on it's top on a median on McLoughlin Blvd, southbound lanes, right between McLoughlin and the breakoff for Holgate. It's still there this morning. I'm guessing AWD doesn't work as well with the wheels in the air I suppose at some point, someone it going to get that car out of there - it's been there for over 24 hours now. I would have grabbed a photo, but I was driving - you know, pay attention to the road and all that.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

On the way into work yesterday, noted a Subaru sitting on it's top on a median on McLoughlin Blvd, southbound lanes, right between McLoughlin and the breakoff for Holgate. It's still there this morning. I'm guessing AWD doesn't work as well with the wheels in the air I suppose at some point, someone it going to get that car out of there - it's been there for over 24 hours now. I would have grabbed a photo, but I was driving - you know, pay attention to the road and all that.

I saw that same car! They should leave it there as a WARNING to others.

 

[etrain16]

I saw that same car! They should leave it there as a WARNING to others.

It's odd to me that it's just been left there. I would think where it is it's a hazard to traffic on either side of that median strip. Maybe it's just too dangerous to remove

 

[HuckleberryFun]

It's odd to me that it's just been left there. I would think where it is it's a hazard to traffic on either side of that median strip. Maybe it's just too dangerous to remove

Or, just as likely, the tow truck guys are swamped. Yesterday I saw flat bed wreckers all over the place hauling totaled cars.
Or else just chalk it up to Portland-style efficiency.

 

[etrain16]

Or, just as likely, the tow truck guys are swamped. Yesterday I saw flat bed wreckers all over the place hauling totaled cars.
Or else just chalk it up to Portland-style efficiency.

"The City that Works"

 

[HuckleberryFun]

"The City that Works"

Yeah right. Go down ice clogged 82nd Ave and then right at the Clackamas line it's suddenly all plowed and ice free easy travel.
Picture postcard example of how Portland has its priorities out of whack. Oh well, at least with Spring we'll be back to the monster potholes we all know and love.

 

[teflon6string]

I'm bugged by the folks driving on chains on the bare pavement - doing 10MPH when everyone else is doing 20, 30, 40+, it clogs the road, pizzes people off, then causes angry drivers to do stupid things. I may have to put on chains to get out of my neighborhood and down the hill, but once I clear that and I get to bare pavement, I take the damn chains off - takes all of 5 minutes tops.

Not to mention a few years ago when I encountered 3 flats in February, luckily all repairable punctures in the treads - all pieces of other people's chains and cables.

For that reason, I always carry one of those kits with the gooey repair strip and awl, and an electric air pump.

 

[teflon6string]

This was on another forum...notice the locations lol
View attachment 335375

View attachment 335376

Sorta cracks me up. While I cannot fairly generalize that tall trucks are all desperate attempts to compensate for unrelated shortcomings, I have noticed that most guys who tailgate dangerously close in the snow/ice and fishtail through traffic like flattrackers are driving noisy 4X4 rigs the size of switching engines.

 

[Mikej]

fishtail through traffic like flattrackers

Now this ^^. I do this on purpose, on a fairly regular basis! It not only gives you an idea of what the road surface is like, but it can be used to get those pesky tailgaters of your butt! And, generally, get people to stay away from you all together. I learnt this early in my driving life in Utah, where we had an abundance of winter snow, and many school and church parking lots to learn in.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

Now this ^^. I do this on purpose, on a fairly regular basis! It not only gives you an idea of what the road surface is like, but it can be used to get those pesky tailgaters of your butt! And, generally, get people to stay away from you all together. I learnt this early in my driving life in Utah, where we had an abundance of winter snow, and many school and church parking lots to learn in.

Also effective: driving slowly and leaving your blinker on.
It's like having the road all to yourself.

 

[teflon6string]

Don't get me wrong, I like hooning as much as the next guy. Sideways is tons of fun, requiring different skillsets for 2WD, AWD and 4X4 in my vehicles.

And I love teaching young fair weather drivers how to survive in snow/ice.

I just don't see any reason to do it near clumps of slow cars that are having trouble (like that chick with one chain I mentioned here last weekend). And tailgating? In any condition? No.

 

[oknow]

Lol I drive across snoqumie pass 4 time's a week and every time I have to chain up my truck lol when I say truck I mean 18 wheeler well actually my truck has like 24 wheels but lol but chains required for all except All wheel drive and guess who I see crashed in the ditch or crashed into the center wall yep almost always a 4X4 or all wheel drive car and when they close the HWY BECAUSE OF MULTIPLE ACCIDENT 'S THATS WHO CAUSED IT SOMME IDIOT IN A ALL WHEEL DRIVE THINKING THEY ARE INVISIBLE

beat me by 2

 

[Mikej]

Don't get me wrong, I like hooning as much as the next guy. Sideways is tons of fun, requiring different skillsets for 2WD, AWD and 4X4 in my vehicles.

And I love teaching young fair weather drivers how to survive in snow/ice.

I just don't see any reason to do it near clumps of slow cars that are having trouble (like that chick with one chain I mentioned here last weekend). And tailgating? In any condition? No.

When it get's like it has been for the last week I tend to stay off the roads! I don't drive in this stuff for fun anymore, because it's NOT fun anymore. Either I got old and scary, or everyone else did! So when I have to get out there I just do a little fish-tail from time to time, or a brake check so I know what the road surface it like. Besides, an all wheel drive isn't that fun anyway. Now, a large, virgin snowy parking lot and a posi rear end, and I think I could play again.

 

[teflon6string]

Anybody here use Autosocks? I got some for my sweetheart to put on (easily) for the last icy mile uphill to her house, and yank off as soon as she's down on the flats again. She hasn't tried them yet and we're both really curious.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

2005 Honda CR-V. It goes fine in this very cold snow. The VSA, Variable Steering Assist, is a pretty neat feature. I prefer the side roads as they are fluffy, chopped up snow. Easier stopping and not so much worry about hitting a reall hard pack/icy spot. That ultra hard pack stuff is what scares me a little more. I don't care what fancy AWD car you got, if it's ice with a sheen on it nothing stops no matter how many wheel drive you've got! But when that hard pack is 24 degrees it not nearly as slick as 31-32 degree stuff.

What's been killing me is the people in the AWDs going 8mph. From what I've noticed, it must be 70% of the vehicles on the roads are SUVs, Subaru's, Honda's, Rav-4s. Dammit people learn your vehicles! You need to hit your brakes on occasion and FEEL if it's slippery/how slippery. Learn your vehicle! Punch the throttle to spin the tires a bit,(just a bit, you don't need to peg the tach), so you know what the road condition is! I've not been out a lot, I don't trust others. Plus, due to the idiots the traffic crawls every where.

I'll be ecstatic when this mess is gone. I'm too far passed my playin' in the snow days! I don't know how them Minnesotans deal with this garbage!

I agree buddy. The real idiots are the ones that don't know how to drive in this stuff. If you are going to be going 8mph, stay in the slow lane. There is a reason they make AWD and 4wd, it does help with traction. The ones that don't believe that, need to stay home where it's nice cozy and warm. Can I slow down faster with a 4x4 vehicle. You bet your azz I can. Something my dad taught me when I was 14 or so. You guys that think you can't are not experienced enough to be out there. Again, please stay home....

 

[jbett98]

I was heading into Portland this morning traveling West bound on I-84 with bone dry pavement and as I rounded the curves near Rocky Butte & I-205, I come across an S-10 pickup with steel chains on all four tires doing 3 miles an hour hugging the right side emergency lane of the freeway.
I had a semi on my left and with only inches to spare to pass him while he kept sliding off the sloped mounds of ice & snow back towards my lane.
Why he didn't take surface roads is beyond me.

 

[BaggerRyder]

My Tundra doesn't let me mess around. Nannies come on with even the slightest amount of too much throttle, or rear end sliding to far around a corner. I have to physically turn all the nannies off to have any fun.
so modern technology, no matter how annoying it is does physically keep some Yahoo!'s from getting to crazy in this stuff.

 

[Hawaiian]

AWD and 4WD are better than 2WD. 'quality' all season tires are better than regular tires. Snow rated tires are even better, much better. However, no matter what you have or how good you are at driving in this stuff, it is the others out there on the road that are going to hit you that is the problem. Stay home if you can. And when it is ICE, nobody should be out driving on it no matter what you are running on your rig.

10 years ago we had a big snow storm and Washington Square Mall closed. I took my then 16 year old son up there to teach him how to drive in the snow. It was a huge parking lot with nothing to run into and he got some experience in sliding and recovering, braking and recovering and when we were done with the lesson, we did some donuts for fun!

 

[oknow]

AWD and 4WD are better than 2WD. 'quality' all season tires are better than regular tires. Snow rated tires are even better, much better. However, no matter what you have or how good you are at driving in this stuff, it is the others out there on the road that are going to hit you that is the problem. Stay home if you can. And when it is ICE, nobody should be out driving on it no matter what you are running on your rig.

10 years ago we had a big snow storm and Washington Square Mall closed. I took my then 16 year old son up there to teach him how to drive in the snow. It was a huge parking lot with nothing to run into and he got some experience in sliding and recovering, braking and recovering and when we were done with the lesson, we did some donuts for fun!

Good show. You gotta know how your rig reacts when this or that happens.

 

[CoastRange57]

Want to pucker a bit on snow ?? Back in the younger truck driving days, I took truck and trailers of fuel into the Big Muddy Ranch ( Rajhneesh Puram at the time. Jet A for their planes, etc...). 9,000 to 11,000 gallons of gas or diesel. Chains on both sets of drivers interlocked, chains on the steer axle and a set of drag chains on the back axle of the trailer that you had to grab a grip with if the back of the trailer started sliding. Portland to there and back 12 hours. 2 hours worth of chain and 1 of unchaining.

Did it with some smaller truck and trailer set ups over the years, and then my own Freightliner and 52 foot trailer a few times. If I never put another chain on a tire in my life, it will be too soon.