More Znow and iZe...

For once, forecast was pretty accurate. The snow we got yesterday evening sort of melted away (pretty nice day actually) but later in the afternoon, the skies opened up and snow was falling again. It was a lot, and it was wet. It came just in time for the evening commute, and once it stopped (snowing), the cold air rushed in. Everything just frooze, everything! Not just water, everything! Traffic grinded to a complete halt since the moisture on the roads turned into a nice solid - and slick - sheet of ice.

It was sort of fun to see how a little bit of moisture can completely bring this rugged part of the US to a total standstill. Not sure why that is, but rain (in a city known for its rain) creates havoc in traffic. Snow, in a city that sits at the foothills of the majestic Cascade Range, does it in even worse. I guess people are just not thinking.

When it's icy, 4x4 does not really help, nor does feverishly spinning the wheels in hope of getting some traction. But, I guess most people never tried, or was taught how, to drive in snow and on ice. Gentle "movements" (steering, accelerator, brakes) are always best and once you actualy do get some traction, it is not that much different from "normal" driving - s long as all movements are s-l-o-w.

Judging from the interviews on TV, people think they need a big, heavy, SUV in order to drive in snow, but the very opposite is almost more correct. The heavier the vehicle, the more mass to control, to skid, to loose control over, and eventually "ditch". I drive a big SUV (Toyota LandCruiser) and I always joke that the only benefit you get, is that you can get much farther before you get stuck. I.e., longer to walk back out!

One of the better cars for snow driving is a traditional front wheel drive like the old Saab 900. Big wheels, long suspension travel, decent ground clearance, a lot of weight over the wheels with traction, and still not not too heavy of a car. In one of those, I'd challenge almost anything out there when the white stuff is falling. A Subaru AWD is not to bad either, but it needs to have decent sized wheels, like to Outback models.
Don't get me wrong, the LandCruiser is a fantastic vehicle, but like all big trucks, when it gets slippery, you really have to slow down! No modern systems/gizmos can beat the laws of gravity!

Some "unbiased" reporting on today's snow here.