Not that any of you care that your resident jackass (or at least one of them ) might be going away for a while, but it started to snow down here (Raleigh, North Carolina) and since the power company can't figure out how to keep the power on the rest of the time and also due to the fact that people around here have no idea how to drive at all, much less in the snow, I'm likely to be offline for a while when my power goes out due to the weight of 5 pounds of ice on a power line or some idiot in a Canyonero slamming into a telephone pole. [sigh]

some idiot in a Canyonero slamming into a telephone pole. [sigh]

Hahahaha you said Canyonero.

I loved that episode.

Heard that... during fran cp&l cut my power before the wind even started to blow...

snowin here in mebane, nc pretty good also...

micman2b

So, is it Meh-behn or Mee-bayne?

Take a look at The Ultimate Poseur Sport Utility Page. Hysterical.

hahhaa

both... kinda like fuquai varina :)

If I ever move to a city that normally dosen't see snow, I'd be on the first flight out of the area with something like this. It's bad enough here the first snow of the season, but living in an area where 3 people have died with the same amount of snow that I was dealing with yesterday...

The nice thing here though is that if we get hit hard (like the storm that hit Buffalo, NY), there are 3 major military bases around that usually get their Hummer vehicles out to help people stranded.

We see snow usually every year. It sticks to the tune of a few inches about every other year. We get something in the neighborhood of a foot about every five years. So it wouldn't be that bad except people cannot drive to begin with (I haven't seen any death reports -- I can only assume they were traffic-related). And I don't know how bad it is elsewhere, but I'm pretty sure that a full 50% of the cars on the road are SUVs. And I don't mean something real like an old Toyota LandCruiser or a real Range Rover. I'm talking soccer-mom Ford Excursions with underinflated tires in two-wheel-drive mode because they don't even know they're not in four-wheel-drive mode, assuming they even know what that means.

But at least you get outrageous humidity in the summer. (And I was born in Raleigh. I get to complain, unlike you damn Yankees that came down here in the eighties.)

Can somebody please explain that hub locking business? I understand limited slip or locking differentials, hydraulic coupling, Torsens (what they do, anyway, if not how ;-), but not hub locking, be it manual or automatic....

Well, there's about a foot of snow on the ground and the power hasn't flickered once (at least according to the uptimes on my Unix machines). Nor have the phone lines gone out. Maybe the last time a hurricane came through, they bothered to put up lines that were made more recently than 1954 (when the last big hurricane came through). Regardless, I'm still here. (Aren't you glad?!?) But the snow's still coming down. Plus, there hasn't been a real melt and refreeze yet, so the utility companies sill have a chance to screw it up. Fortunately, I have a real wooden desk to knock on here.

My company has an office in Charlotte and they were apparently having issues getting to and from work. They closed the office early at 3pm. That kind of snow wouldn't bat an eyelash in this area. Silly southerners. It's just snow! :)

(says the driver of a Mustang that handles like a wet bar of soap in an inch of snow.)

There are a number of differences. First, and, likely, most important, is that you probably have better snow-clearing services than we do. Second, we're not used to driving in the snow, given that it happens to a significant extent once every five years or so. And third, the temperature here is just below freezing, which means that it's real easy for the snow to melt and refreeze into pure ice, especially on the streets.

Yikes! I was just kididng... I am aware of the problems associated with not being ready for the snow... Hey I live in the Philadelphia area so it's not like we're Buffalo or anything. But it snows here every year. We also get alot of that freezing rain and re-frozen snow-turned-ice stuff you speak of. NOT a fun driving surface.

I originally lived in eastern LI, NY and have lived in the finger lake region of NY for a short while. A far as I can remember, 5-10" snowfall was a big deal there also.

I do remember one time that our high school in NC let us out early because it started to snow (it stopped and rained for the rest of the day). I also remember geting snowed in at school in NY when the busses could not run and we had to walk home or get picked up by parents.

I actually knew the guy that determined when the schools were to shut down. He was from Arizona. That's why we were let out if there was a 10% chance of snow, but left in our un-air-conditioned classrooms even when it was over 100 degrees outside. (He, of course, had an air-conditioned office and didn't take the humidity into account.)

One sometimes forgets that your country is more than half a good sized continent.

Can somebody please explain that hub locking business?

Older four-wheel-drive vehicles did not rely on center differentials to distribute torque front/rear. Instead, the front axle and rear axle were continuously connected to each other -- as though they were on a common drive shaft.

This causes drive line problems when the vehicle is being driven on a hard surface. Imagine if your rear tires were even slightly (a couple millimeters) larger than the fronts. Pretty soon you are building up a significant strain in the drive line as the front wheels try to turn more revolutions per mile than the rear wheels. You get tire wear, steering difficulty, premature wear on drive line components, etc.

The answer to this problem was locking front hubs. The operator could twist a ring on each front hub that disengaged the drive axle from the wheel carrier. So even though all of the components were still turning as the vehicle was driven, the front wheels were no longer connected to the rear wheels (or any other part of the drive line) and the stress was relieved.

I have a side-line business plowing snow, using a 33 year old Toyota Land Cruiser (purchased brand new for $3500) that uses these locking hubs. Of course since the vehicle is only used for plowing snow, the hubs are never unlocked.

tanstaafl.

Ah, I thought it could be something like that, but since I never drove anything with so, ahem, basic solution, I was not sure. The only 4x4 I drove that didn't have central differential was Russian Lada Niva, but its 4wd is switchable (I drove it 4x4 in back streets of Yaounde, Cameroon - boy, was it difficuld to steer!). Land Rovers, Russian GAZes, Puch/Mercedes G-wagen, various VAG (VW/Audi) Syncros and Quatros, little Suzuki Swift all have central differential in one form or other. Well, I am not sure about Romanian contraption called Aro .

Hm, it just occured to me that the guy on SUV satire page linked to somewhere above talked about locking his hubs and swithcing to 4x4 as two different operations.... I'll have to check.

Ah, here it is:

Me, I have the hubs locked (I hate auto lock hub - but that's cause I use them *off road*) but in 2WD (its not that bad out). I come to a short steep down hill - about a 80 foot elevation change for a short distance - maybe a 10% grade for a few hundred feet. OK - pop the truck into 4-Lo so I can idle down the hill w/o touching the brakes (the traffic is crawling at 10mph anyway and I'm bored).

In this context, what does it mean - hubs locked, but in 2WD? If the guy can selectively engage front axle, why does he need locking hubs, and what's the difference whether they are locked or not if the axle is freewheeling?

Thanks!

In this context, what does it mean - hubs locked, but in 2WD? If the guy can selectively engage front axle, why does he need locking hubs,

In that context, you gain economy of operation. The front wheels are turning, but the front axles, the front differential, the front drive shaft and U-joints are not turning. So you gain two things: less fuel wasted rotating components that are not doing any work; and less wear and tear on those components.

This is probably the most important reason for having lockable hubs.

tanstaafl.

Ah, I see.... So, 'auto-locking hubs' the guy mentions probably lock when you apply torque to front axle, i.e. when it starts turning faster than wheels.

I think I have a picture now. Thanks!

Ah, I see.... So, 'auto-locking hubs' the guy mentions probably lock when you apply torque to front axle, i.e. when it starts turning faster than wheels.

Yes. You solve the problems of stress on the driveline, but you then leave unsolved the other problem of rotating parts not doing any work most of the time wasting fuel and wearing out components.

tanstaafl.

I went to college in Buffalo, and to be quite honest, it's easier to get around there in snow (with no public transportation) that it is in NYC. They're a lot better about cleaning it up (and perpetually broke because of it) and people know how to drive through it up there. I managed for a few years with my Caprice Classic (icy parking lots were a new and exciting experience every time! not any better or worse than a mustang) without an accident. People get really freaked out by a little snow on the road, they don't seem to realize that if you slow down and pay attention you'll be all right.

if you slow down and pay attention you'll be all right.

Not if you drive a Mustang.

Actually it snowed about 6" here in Philly yesterday and my new snow tires were getting me around just fine in my 1999 Stang. But last year with the stock Eagle GA's on, it was, shall we say, a memorable winter.

last year with the stock Eagle GA's on, it was, shall we say, a memorable winter.


Ahh, the tires that came on my Jetta and my dads Buick, those tires sucked so bad on anything vaguely wet. But as soon as I put a set of Dunlop D60A2 on my Jetta, it was great in the snow and rain.

Yup. I'm going to write my congressman and ask for a law to be passed banning the sale of cars equipped with Eagle GA's north of the Mason-Dixon line. I can't tell you how many fellow Mustang drivers I saw stranded in a surprise snowstorm last winter. Now that I have my Michelin Arctic Alpin snow tires on, life is good. But I think I put 10,000 miles on my car just by spinning out last winter.

I understand that Cary, a subburb of Raleigh, actually stands for "Containment Area for Relocating Yankees". What do they call those things they build out there?? 3x5s?
--Andrew

Yup. I'm going to write my congressman and ask for a law to be passed banning the sale of cars equipped with Eagle GA's north of the Mason-Dixon line. I can't tell you how many fellow Mustang drivers I saw stranded in a surprise snowstorm last winter. Now that I have my Michelin Arctic Alpin snow tires on, life is good. But I think I put 10,000 miles on my car just by spinning out last winter.


I didn't wait that long. Second rainfall was all it took for me to go get a new set of tires. It was like driving a different car when I left the tire place. My idiot father left them on his car and just drives the spare in the rain. He'll tell me how bad they suck, then when I tell him to get a new set, he tells me how great they are on a dry road.

hahaha I had one of those CARY 3x5 mow a few mailboxes downpast me yesterday at a traffic light in the rain......


micman2b in NC

bxgurl,

I run those same Dunlops on my Datsun510. They are great tires. I have never had any problems wht them. My buddy just bought a new set and it seems that they have a different moniker than A2 now...


micman2b

I run those same Dunlops on my Datsun510. They are great tires. I have never had any problems wht them. My buddy just bought a new set and it seems that they have a different moniker than A2 now...

Can you find out what that moniker is for me please? Those tires were fabulous in rain and snow, especially for the price. I have the factory BF Goodrich Comp t/a on my cabrio now, which are all right in rain and snow, but the way I drive, probably not long for this world. They're wearing pretty quickly.