[tigergto]

It’s 6am, the roads are covered with snow and ice, my wife has just left for work, a half hour drive. Her and I are both happy she has studded snow tires on all for corners.

[burd]

Slow down. Lol.

[SRR]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

They really tear up the roads, where legal, but are of little good when those with out them are sliding into you. Used to live at the end of a cul-de-sac at the bottom of a fairly steep grade. One morning, I look out the picture window and a Trailblazer is in the center of my front yard, deep ruts in the snow to where it is stopped. Several hours later the owner knocks on the door, apologizes for destroying my yard and tries to explain. "I was going slow and I just couldn't stop or steer. It slid right into your yard. I don't understand how this could happen I had it in 4WD?" I went out and pulled it out of the yard with my Jeep and looked at the Trailblazer. It had 4 bald tires!! Hell, the air was almost showing! Makes no difference how many wheels are driving bald tires. For non-stud ice tires, I think Michelin X-Ice tires are just great. By far the best snow tires I have ever had on a vehicle.

Almost spit my coffee out over that one. Got a friend of mine who has tires on the wear bars that are 6 years old. I told him they need replacing. He's a cheap skate old dude who doesn't believe anything. lol

[dataway]

I said they are necessity for me and my 2wd truck, don't know about anyone else's vehicle or driveway. I didn't live 80 years ago so I don't know about the time before studded tires. I'm glad you have amazing ice driving abilities. I'll call you the next time I'm stuck in my driveway.

And easily 80% of braking on dry roads is from the weight transfer to the front wheels, and I don't have studs on the front, so I'm fine, specially considering I'm not zooming around on my winter tires.

I'm certainly not imagining my truck is stuck in the driveway. Even with a locking diff. So I'm happy for you, but they ARE a necessity at my house, on my mountain, with our winters. Since I started using them with Nokia ice tires I've been stuck about once in the last five years. So I consider them a necessity. We've gotten 7 feet of snow so far this year, and there was a half inch of ice on the driveway this morning. I'll keep my studs thank you.

And .... THIS is a picture of a nice mild winter day at my house, in the middle of nowhere on a mountain, kind of place if you get stuck you can die.

Originally Posted by The Champ

dataway

You claim studded tires are a necessity. Before studded tires existed, people managed to deal without them. My driveway is also a slight rise and will at times be solid ice. I somehow manage to drive right up whether ice covered or not with front, rear or AWD. I use all season tires. I live in MN where we have snow and ice for more than just Jan - Mar.

As I noted earlier, most of the Great Lake states don't allow studs at all and last time I checked all those states have inclines that frequently see snow and ice.

This is a shot of a road in Duluth, MN - about 70 miles south of where I grew up:

[img]https://www.plowsite.com/attachments/mplsave-jpeg.170554/[img]

Roads like this are frequently covered with snow and ice. Studs are illegal.

As to stopping distances - they are absolutely affected by studs - even RWD. Last time I checked, they put brakes on all 4 wheels for a reason. Most vehicles on the road are actually either AWD or FWD anyway, and for studs to be of any traction assistance at all, they need to be on the drive wheels.

[bird72]

If I couldn't run studs I would run the Bllizzak Michelins. I had them on an Outback, and they flat stick on ice. You want to put them on as late as you csn in the season and pull them off early spring. The ice layer wears down. On the trucks, I always have run studs. I know the added road wear, but as long as Montana allows them, I run them. I have been in many ice situations where they work well. Snow, no, it is about tire tread / design then. And when the snow gets so bad even with 4WD and chains are the only way, I stay home

[71GP76TA]

Not a fan of ABS and traction control on ice and snow. IMO... that crap gets you into trouble because you have less control of the vehicle. I learned to drive on snow and ice without it and did just fine. Studded tires are the only way to go on snow and ice. I'd sometimes run bald back tires and new front tires for fun ..

[The Champ]

dataway

I thought you said you had an incline on your driveway. What is that, a 2% incline?

My driveway has what I call a slight incline, but it's much steeper than what your photo shows...



I know this photo doesn't have any snow or ice in it - just showing the incline for illustration purposes.

I had a 2WD company truck about 15 years ago that I used to cover my sales territory in SE MN. I frequently had to go up and down the bluffs around the Mississippi River Valley. It's a very scenic area with windy twisty roads that climb from the shores of the Mississippi up and over the bluffs and into the next valley to the west.

I drove my territory M - F in that 2WD pickup in snow, wind, rain, sleet or ice. Always got to all my customers and back to the shop without studs.

[Stuart]

Every discussion doesn't have to be turned into a contest about who's tougher or smarter or the better driver or whatever. Yes, we all had to walk to school uphill through the snow barefoot both ways.

[dataway]

Don't stop us now, we were just starting to have fun

Here is the driveway I have to get up and down with the truck. My shop is down at the bottom. Coming up the mountain is average 4.6% for three miles, some areas level, other areas 8% or more.

Most of the time the dogs have to help pull the truck, and gravity is 1.5 times normal at my house.

[The Champ]

dataway

With a clearer understanding of your driveway, I'd be a fool to not admit you have a combination (the grade, the severe change of direction and the slope of the corner going to the outside of the curve) of issues that make your driveway extremely difficult to navigate and understand why you may choose not to attempt to get to your garage and instead park on the relatively level area of your driveway as shown in your original photo.

I'll openly admit that for your driveway, you probably need more than an average person in NY state would need.

Slipping on a set of chains to get in and out of your driveway would be a pain in the assets....

[dataway]

Champ, you should see me trying to back down! I've learned to put it in neutral or the driving wheels will drag the front tires. The outer edge of the driveway is basically like a small levy incline, if my truck goes off it will be down the hill till spring I keep chains on one of the tractors all winter to do the snow removal.

You are correct that the right tire makes a difference, in the summer with proper tires I can pull a loaded 23' gooseneck up that drive no problem at all with 2wd. Does take a bit of a running start though, and you don't want to stop in the middle, it's gravel and you'll dig a hole immediately.

Overhead shot showing where it my truck would end up if I go off the driveway ... can't tell from straight overhead but it's about a 30 degree slope off the outer edge of the drive.
Photo courtesy of the drone the wife got me for Christmas.

[bullheimer]

: Flatlanders

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by dataway

Champ, you should see me trying to back down! I've learned to put it in neutral or the driving wheels will drag the front tires. The outer edge of the driveway is basically like a small levy incline, if my truck goes off it will be down the hill till spring I keep chains on one of the tractors all winter to do the snow removal.

You are correct that the right tire makes a difference, in the summer with proper tires I can pull a loaded 23' gooseneck up that drive no problem at all with 2wd. Does take a bit of a running start though, and you don't want to stop in the middle, it's gravel and you'll dig a hole immediately.

Overhead shot showing where it my truck would end up if I go off the driveway ... can't tell from straight overhead but it's about a 30 degree slope off the outer edge of the drive.
Photo courtesy of the drone the wife got me for Christmas.

Cool pic. Looks like a HI DEF Google Earth

[dataway]

I was amazed by this little drone. About $300 I think, pretty easy to learn and fly. Can't wait till summer to really try it out. At that height I could hardly see it anymore. Luckily it has a "go home" button

[bird72]

Originally Posted by dataway

I was amazed by this little drone. About $300 I think, pretty easy to learn and fly. Can't wait till summer to really try it out. At that height I could hardly see it anymore. Luckily it has a "go home" button

New way to find Pontiacs tucked in backyards!

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by bird72

New way to find Pontiacs tucked in backyards!

You have to be careful flying a drone over private property you don't own.

[bird72]

Originally Posted by The Champ

You have to be careful flying a drone over private property you don't own.

I have a friend here that made the police report in the news last year for a shotgun (him) / rooftop / drone (someone else's) little incident. If you knew this 70+ year old radical, it would be all the more humorous.

[1969400HO]

Yes I saw that night tare scenario, this 4 SEMI trucks were insane too fast there.
Being a bridge ppl as=re not realizing it is open tp the freezing air immediately when everything else is typically “OK “ sorta..
Ya, that was an absolutely worst thing Ever seen.
God Help them al!!

[dataway]

Originally Posted by The Champ

You have to be careful flying a drone over private property you don't own.

Yep, I'd be pretty freakin annoyed if I saw some strange drone hovering over my place. I guess if you have a commercial license it gives you a lot more leeway, people using them for real estate videos and such will invariably have to fly over other people's property, just like small planes. Much more complicated to get the commercial drone license, and of course the drone is registered etc. I think they may even have to file flight plans in some cases.

I hear one of the best defensive measures is a trained bird of prey. Evidently they get a kick out of taking down drones, kind of like dogs and Frisbees