Novaman, does it feel like you are back in New York?

[Guest SalG (Sal Grenci)]

Got snow?

[novaman]

Yes, unfortunely it does. At least this snow is the same kind as it is up there. Yeah, Yeah, I know WHITE. It is the light fluffy kind where I am. They are calling for the wet, icy type, which is normal for here, this weekend.

[Idle Swede]

Fair warning, whatever you do, never eat "yellow snow"

[OlJalopy]

Well Novaman, don't feel alone; we've got snow too -- the remains of about a whole inch that came Christmas Eve! As I'm sure you know, Buffalo was hit fairly well. They've had close to seven feet. From what we've seen on the news though, they must stand the snowflakes on edge to measure them. From the news we've seen, it looks more like three-four feet. Batavia, where our office is, has about six-eight inches, though the news reported two feet.<P>We've been in NC after a storm. There was only about six inches, but it took us more than seven hours to travel the 105 miles of I-95. I guess the highway boys must figure that they didn't put it there, and they ain't a gonna take it away!<P>Hope you took your snowshoes, when you moved, 'cause you probably won't be driving anytime soon. Look at the bright side: you can spend more time on the computer. OJ

[Guest SalG (Sal Grenci)]

Swede, You beat me to the yellow snow joke.<BR>PS We bought some furniture @ Ikea the other day.

[Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)]

We had snow yesterday. At least I think that's what that was. <P>No accumulation except for a few flakes on vehicles. Mostly we just had sleet and rain. I saw one wreck due to weather. A pickup had lost it on an icy bridge and bounced off both guard rails just past the bridge. Pretty minor.<P>Folks down here haven't a clue how to deal with this type weather. We only see it five or six times in a lifetime. Having it so rarely, there's no way to justify the purchase of snow removal eqipment. The closest thing to a snow plow we have is a backhoe. The closest thing to a salt truck is a dump truck full of sand with a couple of trustees with shovels in the back.<P>This is no lie! I saw my first snow plow at the age of 20 when Uncle Sam gave me a two year all expenses paid trip to Germany. Before that, I had seen snow twice.<P>Do early cars with narrow tires, like A's and T's, fair better or worse in snow?

[Guest]

Hal -<BR>For most snowy road conditions, tire chains were a necessary accessory for those narrow tire, front engine heavy early cars.

[JanK]

Now I know why we DON'T have snow. It all went south for the winter. <P>Jan K.<BR>Wis Region

[ply33]

Opinionated, but not an expert answer here. <P>My opinions are based on<ul>[*]When in Upstate New York I drove my 1933 many times in the snow including in some blizzards.[*]As a US Forest Service volunteer nordic ski patroller I have driven in the snow most weekends during winters for the last 15 years. This has given me plenty of time to observer and experience a fairly high number of snow driving situations.

My conclusion? The best vehicles for snow covered roads is one with tall, skinny tires. This allows it dig through the snow and have a better chance at getting a grip on the road surface below. The wider tires tend to ride up over the snow and thus don't get as much grip.<P>Now, if you want to travel over deep snow, the situation is reversed. You want a huge surface are to spread the weight over. But then you are not talking about a car, you are now talking about a snow cat. Or maybe a Model T with one of those old snow cat conversion kits I have seen pictures of <P>One thing against the old cars, as mentioned above, is that it is good to have the weight over the drive wheels. But as far as tires are concerned, I go with narrow for driving on snow covered roads.

[ronbarn]

You guys are hitting on one of my favorite puzzles - why did high wheelers have so much popularity in rural areas long after modern tires were available? Because the skinny wheels would slice through the snow, or mud, or whatever, and get traction on the hard surface below. Thankfully that minimal advantage did not keep us in high wheelers to this day. So far no snow in North Alabama.

[novaman]

I ended up with 7" in my front yard. Went to work yesterday and today. Yesterday was smooth traveling, slow, but smooth. Like driving in the NY snow. Took me about 10 min. longer to get to work (about 18 miles). This morning everything was icy, and roads were rough with tire tracks where there wasn't ice. Took about 15 minutes longer than normal. Traffic both days was light. Now coming home today, The only reason it took the usual amount of time was the three SUVs that were running about 15 MPH that I almost ran over!!! I was traveling roads that were either bare, or snow packed down possibly slick at 50MPH with my front wheel drive Malibu. No slipping at all. Felt like I was driving in Delaware County, NY again. (or PA)<P>The state had called my girlfriend's cousin Tueday telling him to put the plows on his fleet of dump trucks. The state contracts with other people for snow removal assistance.