<p>There was a news story tonight about why the Texas Dept of Transportation doesn’t use salt. Thus, a sheet of ice that falls on Monday night stays around until Thursday.</p>
<p>We got about 1/2 inch of solid freezing rain over night and by the time I went to work today the roads were fine. My guess is they will refreeze over night when it gets cold… so hopefully they keep putting salt down. My steps going out of my house on the other hand, were not so fine today!!! I slipped! I just threw down some salt when I got home from work, hopefully they are better by the morning, lol!</p>
<p>If there is 3 inches of snow in Houston, or San Antonio, the city will likely shut down. People here don’t have snow tires, let alone the city having major snow removal equipment. And, folks here do not know how to drive in snow. (I am a native NJ resident and my husband os from Ohio- and we stay off the roads in snow here- not because of the snow, but because of the idiots on the snow).</p>
<p>Does anyone still do snow tires? I still live in NJ, and I remember the concept of “snow tires” from my youth, but aren’t most tires basically all season now?</p>
<p>(And yes, I agree with the idea that those who don’t do snow regularly are truly “challenged” by this weather, and I woudln’t want to be on the road with them, either!)</p>
<p>In a snowstorm in NC (NOT to bash the tarheel state, cuz I do love it there), during a “storm” which in Chicago we would call a dusting, a woman managed to somehow skid across the entire freeway and end up ON TOP of the guardrail. Saw her sitting in her car waiting to be rescued on the way into town, and saw her on my way back out of town STILL waiting to be rescued. I don’t even know how she pulled that off. If I’d have tried I wouldn’t have been able to do it.</p>
<p>Gotta say, though, in Chicago we do NOT have Parker’s BBQ. So, you take your trade offs. ;)</p>
<p>garland, I know they still make snow tires so I would think some people use them. Mine are all season with a tread similar to a snow tire.</p>
<p>poetgrl, I was driving home from work in the right lane last week with about maybe an inch of slush on the road, and some lady was driving in the left lane about 30 feet or so in front of me when a red light turns yellow. She was so close to it that even if there were no snow or slush on the ground she wouldn’t have been able to stop in time without leaving tire marks on the road. Naturally, she jams on the breaks, car turns completely sideways, she skids full across the road in front of me (just missed hitting me by like a foot) and winds up BACKWARDS on the other side of the road with her car hugging a guardrail. I know accidents happen but that was just idiotic!</p>
<p>Snow tires: depends on where you live, your driving habits and what kind of car you drive.</p>
<p>I know hard core car fans who have summer tires and winter tires. They don’t want clunky all-season tires in the summer because they “aren’t as responsive” or something like that.</p>
<p>If you drive a rear wheel drive vehicle, snow tires may make sense if you live here in the snow belt.</p>
<p>I have a front wheel drive car with all-season tires and I’m doing just fine. (as long as the snow isn’t deeper than my bumper!)</p>
<p>I know none of you are bashing the South so let me explain further. I do not know how to drive in snow - native Floridian - happy to stay inside. And I agree, it can be crazy. But we never get snow without ice. When it snows, it melts, then freezes overnight so the roads are covered in ice. The mountains know what they are doing and can handle it. We in the Piedmont are helpless (and a bit clueless, :rolleyes:)</p>
<p>Of course we have snow removal and ice melt equipment in the north. And, of course, it would not be cost effective to similar equipment in the south.</p>
<p>That does not stop southerners from being smug, on occasion, about their temperate weather and it does not stop northerners from snickering about southern towns being paralyzed by a couple inches of snow.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Snow Tire fan here. I have an extra set of rims and I put Hakkapelitta tires on in the winter and my old Volvo will go through just about anything and feel slightly more steady on ice. Put them on in late November take them off late Feb or early March tbd the snow. Without them I can’t even get up the driveway in the winter and had to park at the top and hike down…with them I’ve never had a problem driving up. Having two sets of tires is no more expensive over time than a single set of you think about total miles, plus when I change them out 2x a year I rotate and balance so rare is the need for an alignment. The rims I just picked up used for a couple hundred dollars. I just talked one of the guys I work with into a set for his BMW and he’s runing around the office raving about how wonderful “his tires” are.</p>
<p>Oh, I never put these on until the snow flies and I take them off before the snow is totally melted.</p>
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<p>Lots of people use snow tires. All of our cars, and those of our kids, have always had winter tires for snow season. All season tires are not the same and they do not work nearly as well as actual snow tires. The rubber component in snow tires is different and is designed to work in colder temperatures because it remains softer and has better grip. In Quebec, you must have snow tires on your cars. Ontario is thinking about making them mandatory as well.</p>
<p>
“All-season” tires are not equivalent to real snow tires with metal studs. Many people here use them.</p>
<p>Okay, I definitely stand corrected. I don’t know anyone who changes their tires for winter; maybe that’s just the area i"m in.</p>
<p>We moved from snow country to Houston years ago. When the moving men rolled our studded tires off the van they laughed and laughed…none of them had never seen such a thing. I felt like Odysseus, walking inland with an oar on his shoulder until he reached a land where people asked what he was carrying.</p>
<p>We have 2 cars and therefore I have 8 tires on rims in my garage at any one time. We put the snows on at American Thanksgiving time and the Summers go back on late March -mid April depending on the winter. Anyone who says you only need snows on the drive wheels is wrong, the difference of having 4 snow tires instead of 2 is unbelievable. We are no longer allowed to use studded tires. I am glad as we cant because I have seen the damage caused by a stub releasing and literally going through the windshield in the car following them.</p>
<p>Studded snow tires are not permitted in many states, including many Northern states (IL, MI, WI, MN), because of the damage they do to streets and highways. Most people here in Minneapolis-St. Paul use all-season tires.</p>
<p>I shudder to think of what MI streets would look like if we were allowed to use snow tires, then. At any given point in my town during the summer, every road except one going in a particular direction can be closed for resurfacing-- and the roads STILL suck! You can always tell when you’re passing over into Ohio because the road suddenly gets smoother.</p>
<p>Now that I think about it, it is a lot easier to get around during snow season than it is during construction season. :P</p>
<p>From a cousin, I learned tonight about “dibs” in Chicago neighborhoods. After you shovel out a parking space on the street where you live, it’s a tradition to put out a chair or some other piece of furniture to hold the spot for yourself all day while away at work. </p>
<p>It’s a culture war, too. There’s a new group opposed to the time-honored neighborhood custom of “dibs.” They object to their residential street full of chairs, end tables and other furniture mixed with snow. They actually think an urban street is a public place! They are considered snoots and sometimes their cars get keyed if they move a chair to park in someone else’s “dibs” space.</p>
<p>Shout out to all the southerners. Stay safe! Folks in SA, TX are being asked to stay off the roads unless it’s an emergency. Many places closed until at least Noon.</p>
<p>p3t–that’s true in many cities and towns. It’s common in my neighborhood in Jersey, and I’ve seen articles about it in NYC and Boston, as well as other places. Don’t know if it has a name here; it’s just common practice.</p>