Snow, Bad; Ice, Worse; Ice Craters, MUCH Worse

[VLSmooth]

Whee, just spent 2+ hours getting my car out of it's parking spot*.

The biggest hurdles were:

1. Not knowing what was stopping my car. Quickly decided it was snow under the undercarriage and/or lack of traction.
   (the latter was definitely true, the prior might have been, but I got rid of it anyway)
2. Not having a snow shovel (ended up borrowing one from the leasing office).
3. Having borrowed a plastic-headed shovel which was nigh useless against the ice I later discovered.

After twisting and turning a lot (think Austin Powers turning 180 in a narrow hallway), I finally got out and saw two conveniently shaped ice craters where my rear tires were (btw, my car is rear wheel drive). Yep, I'll be getting kitty litter or something from Walmart before going home today.

Any other, easy-to-do, suggestions? (I doubt I need snow tires or chains)

* Includes a 30 minute frustration break, supplemented with a little anime.

[Dave]

learn to fly or teleport. makes my life so much easier.

[Jonathan]

Our car got stuck a couple weeks ago. It was gravel that did it for us. I tried dicking around with cardboard under the tires, but that was useless. Surprisingly, the snow under the car didn't seem to matter as much as the ice under the tires.

[Jason]

wait. why are you moving your car now? comprable question: why didn't you just walk to work?

[Jason]

on a similar note, I missed a meeting this morning since it took me about 20 minutes to get the ice off my car. I think I'm fucking up my engine because I've readlined it a few times trying to get my car moving.

[VLSmooth]

wait. why are you moving your car now? comprable question: why didn't you just walk to work?

I didn't have a meeting this morning, and I'd have to get it out sooner or later.

[Jonathan]

later == after snow melts == trivial!

[quantus]

Whee, just spent 2+ hours getting my car out of it's parking spot*.

The biggest hurdles were:

1. Not knowing what was stopping my car. Quickly decided it was snow under the undercarriage and/or lack of traction.
   (the latter was definitely true, the prior might have been, but I got rid of it anyway)
2. Not having a snow shovel (ended up borrowing one from the leasing office).
3. Having borrowed a plastic-headed shovel which was nigh useless against the ice I later discovered.

After twisting and turning a lot (think Austin Powers turning 180 in a narrow hallway), I finally got out and saw two conveniently shaped ice craters where my rear tires were (btw, my car is rear wheel drive). Yep, I'll be getting kitty litter or something from Walmart before going home today.

Any other, easy-to-do, suggestions? (I doubt I need snow tires or chains)

* Includes a 30 minute frustration break, supplemented with a little anime.

Silly Floridian, snow and ice are for northerners.

Yes, drive tires in ice craters is probably the worst situation since it's hard to get something under the tires. I know if you use the floor mats, that they work suprisingly well.. Carpets with rubber on the bottoms in general seem to be the way to go if you have nothing else. You might need to do it a couple of times since it'll only buy you a foot or two do distance 'til you're back at square one again.

The best thing, better than gravel, is just plain salt, duh. It's like gravel except you get the added bonus that it melts the ice.

Uh, yeah, plastic versus ice, that's a no brainer. The ice wins.

Oh, snow under the car is almost never a factor. Now, ice is a whole different story.

One silly question might be, why didn't you look at the tires while you were clearing the snow out from under your car? Just would seem like a logical thing to do since you're already looking...

[quantus]

Our car got stuck a couple weeks ago. It was gravel that did it for us. I tried dicking around with cardboard under the tires, but that was useless. Surprisingly, the snow under the car didn't seem to matter as much as the ice under the tires.

Again, floor mats with rubber bottoms and if you're lucky it'll even have some spiky pieces of rubber sticking out. Cardboard is more a myth than anything. It almost never works.

[quantus]

wait. why are you moving your car now? comprable question: why didn't you just walk to work?

I didn't have a meeting this morning, and I'd have to get it out sooner or later.

I have to agree with Jonathan that later, as in after the snow melts, would've been a much better choice than dicking around for 2 hours. Shit, I didn't need to get my car out, and it's still where it was 2 days ago. I'm not sure how much easier it will be today though after looking out the window and seeing someone redlining their car and praying for traction.

[quantus]

on a similar note, I missed a meeting this morning since it took me about 20 minutes to get the ice off my car. I think I'm fucking up my engine because I've readlined it a few times trying to get my car moving.

The traction control system in my car won't let me redline it. It actually keeps reducing power until it can get some semblance of traction. When taction == 0 though, it basically stops the wheels, let's them try and go, stops them again when it detects slippage again. Rinse, lather, repeat. It does it about 2 or three times a second though which is a helluva lot faster than I could do it.

[Alan]

Snow tires makes everything so much easier. Then you only have to worry about situations where everything under your car is ice and only ice, and there's a 2+ foot high snowbank that's partially melted and then frozen into ice, trapping your car in.

In that case, call in sick because you're not going anywhere without a pickaxe and/or metal shovel.

[quantus]

I dunno, you could get out with snow chains and a plastic shovel if you broke off the plastic shovel and only used the wooden handel like a spear. Usually the ice isn't more than a couple inches thick so that would probably work. With chains on the tires, it doesn't matter what you're on, they'll get a grip. I really don't think snow tires would've helped vinny all that much.

[VLSmooth]

Random thoughts:

• I did notice the ice after I cleared away the snow, so it was one of two things concerning me.
• As for getting rid of the ice, I didn't have grain salt, otherwise I would've used it. I'll stopping by Walmart to get a mixture of salt and kitty litter, per suggestion from coworkers.
  Salt = ice melter, kitty litter = great traction.
• I shouldn't break the leasing office's snow shovel...
• Yes, traction control rocks, but another option is turning it off and letting the tires melt the snow/ice. I for one haven't tried it, but it sounds theorectically possible.
• Perhaps I should've walked to work. I was thinking too much about walking home at night, when it's significantly colder. However, in hindsight, staying outside and fiddling with the car for over an hour sucked.
• Floor mats are cumbersome, but be kept, will get wet, and ultimately stick up a car. I'd go with salt and kitty litter any day.

[Jason]

I've had to turn off my traction control quite a few times in the last week. Just needed the power to make it up the hills. Not a smart thing if you don't know what you're doing. And no vinny you can't turn off traction control to melt snow. It doesn't melt. I know this since I've burned off about a years worth of rubber off my back tires in the last two days. You would think that if the rubber was burning the snow around it would melt, but it doesn't.

[Peijen]

this is why you should replace your tailpipe with flamethrower. while you are at it, replace your head light and tail light with flamethrowers too.

melts ice, make people get out of the way, and tell the tailgater to fucking back off. it also provides lighting at night too. it's a win-win-win-win-lose solution! lose beause you will run out of fuel much faster.

[Dave]

When I get a new car Im going to get a custom licence plate NUBCAKE

[quantus]

later == after snow melts == trivial!

Oh, I think it's worth noting that this is the method that I've chosen to employ.

[quantus]

later == after snow melts == trivial!

Oh, I think it's worth noting that this is the method that I've chosen to employ.

It did not work I had to resort to hacking at the ice which was quite thick. At least I had a metal shovel.

[Jason]

I got stuck in a friend's (for vinny: the friend was John) driveway last week. He had to throw down some carpet behind my tires before I could get unstuck. It sucked.