Snow? I laugh at snow!


  • Impossible Mission - B

    So yesterday we had a snowstorm come through. It started Monday night and continued most of the day. I don't know exactly how much snow we got, but the original predictions were for 12-18 inches and a lot of it seems to be piled up at least a foot high.

    The office was closed yesterday, with everyone working from home, but today is business as usual. So I went out this morning and found the "lane" of the parking lot plowed clean, but most of the cars buried in snow up to their bumpers, if not higher. My neighbor was working on the car next to mine with an ice scraper. He asked if I had a snow shovel, which I didn't. I just grinned at him as I got out my own ice scraper and started to clear off the windshields. "I can drive straight through this; I just need to be able to see to do it."

    There was a lot of snow built up on my car, so while I was cleaning it off I got to watch this poor guy spinning his wheels trying to get out of the stall. I looked things over, telling him where he seemed to be having trouble (having an observer outside the car really helps!) as I got mine cleaned off.

    Then I was ready, so I got in, put it in D, pushed forward a little, backed up and went forward again, and again, each time getting a little further. After about 8-10 tries, I broke all the way through the snowdrift and out into the cleared part of the parking lot. Poor guy couldn't believe my little Focus had just done that!

    The secret I didn't tell him: I just had the tires replaced last month, so they're essentially brand new with plenty of grip still, while his were about as worn as you'd expect from an average car.



  • @masonwheeler said in Snow? I laugh at snow!:

    So yesterday we had a snowstorm come through. It started Monday night and continued most of the day. I don't know exactly how much snow we got, but the original predictions were for 12-18 inches and a lot of it seems to be piled up at least a foot high.

    The office was closed yesterday, with everyone working from home, but today is business as usual. So I went out this morning and found the "lane" of the parking lot plowed clean, but most of the cars buried in snow up to their bumpers, if not higher. My neighbor was working on the car next to mine with an ice scraper. He asked if I had a snow shovel, which I didn't. I just grinned at him as I got out my own ice scraper and started to clear off the windshields. "I can drive straight through this; I just need to be able to see to do it."

    There was a lot of snow built up on my car, so while I was cleaning it off I got to watch this poor guy spinning his wheels trying to get out of the stall. I looked things over, telling him where he seemed to be having trouble (having an observer outside the car really helps!) as I got mine cleaned off.

    Then I was ready, so I got in, put it in D, pushed forward a little, backed up and went forward again, and again, each time getting a little further. After about 8-10 tries, I broke all the way through the snowdrift and out into the cleared part of the parking lot. Poor guy couldn't believe my little Focus had just done that!

    The secret I didn't tell him: I just had the tires replaced last month, so they're essentially brand new with plenty of grip still, while his were about as worn as you'd expect from an average car.

    I still don't.

    The first time I got a speeding ticket was when I was driving upstate with my friends and we were all going about 80-90 in a 65 or so. I was driving a rented ford focus (so pretty much brand new).

    Pretty much the only reason I got caught (other than being a n00b) was that I was having a really hard time keeping up with my friends. The car took foreeeever to accelerate, so when I saw everyone braking for the cop, I didn't, cuz I was still trying to accelerate. Ended up getting a ticket for 86/65.

    When I drove the car in NYC, it was pure hell. I didn't know how to "merge" to the lines for the bridges and tunnels, so I waited in the huge line. Which means that when the car ahead of me moved, I had to hit the gas (cuz the car will not move when let go of the brake, so you can't just coast up to the car in front of you.) So it was hit the gas then immediately hit the brake. Didn't help that I was a n00b.

    My old car didn't do that. I later learned that newer cars had to keep the RPMs lower at idle to comply with emission standards or something. My old car (1996 Volvo) move pretty nice without hitting the gas.


  • Impossible Mission - B

    @dangeRuss Really? I don't know what was wrong with this rental, but mine gets great acceleration, particularly for a non-"high end" car.

    Having said that, pushing through a snowdrift at 2 MPH really has nothing to do with acceleration, and a whole lot to do with how well your tires can grip. :P



  • @masonwheeler said in Snow? I laugh at snow!:

    @dangeRuss Really? I don't know what was wrong with this rental, but mine gets great acceleration, particularly for a non-"high end" car.

    Having said that, pushing through a snowdrift at 2 MPH really has nothing to do with acceleration, and a whole lot to do with how well your tires can grip. :P

    I dunno... maybe I wasn't flooring it enough, maybe they improved it. This was back in 2003 maybe? I just remember it was being very underpowered.


  • Impossible Mission - B

    @dangeRuss Could be. Mine's a 2013 model year, and a lot can change over a decade.


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