I need a better winter car...

"The Malt Hound" <Malt_Hound@*no spam please*yahoo.com> wrote in message
...

> Now... can we move on or what?

Don't be a dick, Fred. If you want to move on, then do so. This isn't a
circle jerk.

People can have conversations without your input or approval.

"Michael Low" > wrote:
...
>You are guaranteed to get stuck if you insist on plowing through snow
>that does not clear the underside of your car. It's one thing to go

....that piles up on the underside of the car.

>over a short bump on the road but you cannot plow through a distance on
>this stuff, regardless of what kind of wheels you are driving. Wheels
>have to touch "ground" with sufficient weight to provide traction.

it depends on the quality and structure of the snow. if there is
light, fresh snow at -10C it will generally not pack under the car. if
there's a hard, packed bank of snow blown by the wind or a plough at
0C, there's a fair chance of getting into problems. we've got snow
from Nov to April, and winter tyres are mandatory. during my 15 years
of winter driving with RWD cars I've gotten stuck on the road
(showelwork and/or pushing required) twice: once by losing traction on
an hill, and once by parking on a spot where there was packed snow
which collapsed under the wheels (but not under the car).

>The reason is simple - if the underside of your car touches the snow,
>your car will become a very inefficient snowplow and the snow will
>bunch up against the underbody of your car and pack itself. The

my current AWD 525ix is quite a good snowplow actually, drove it on a
frozen lake once and couldn't really see because of all the snow
flying on the windshield...

in practice, with summer tires you will lose traction before the
packing happens, unless you're driving 50mph+, in which case one is a
complete idiot IMO

>momentum of your car will eventually leave your wheels "hanging" from
>the "ground". As the weight of the car diminish from the packed snow,
>the amount of traction you get from whatevr tire or drivetrain will
>vanish.
>
>You will get stuck as you try to move through this kind of condition.
>Clearance is the issue if your tires can provide traction on the
>surface. Snow must not touch the underside of your car. Of course, if
>your tires are wrong then clearance doesn't matter. You're not even
>moving.

the difference between winter and summer tyres on ice can be
visualized by thinking about running on an iceskating rink with a)
ballroom dancing shoes and b) heavy studded army boots.

"Bradburn Fentress" > wrote in message
...
>
> "The Malt Hound" <Malt_Hound@*no spam please*yahoo.com> wrote in
> message ...
>
>> Now... can we move on or what?
>
> Don't be a dick, Fred. If you want to move on, then do so. This
> isn't a circle jerk.
>
> People can have conversations without your input or approval.

I can't remember you ever contributing anything worthwhile and you
continue to be prick.

I'm done with you.

<plonk>

"The Malt Hound" <Malt_Hound@*no spam please*yahoo.com> wrote in message
...
>
> "Bradburn Fentress" > wrote in message
> ...

>> People can have conversations without your input or approval.
>
> I can't remember you ever contributing anything worthwhile

I can't remember caring much what you remember.

> and you continue to be prick.

Only to you, the self-anointed infallible god-send on this ng.

> I'm done with you.

It would be better if you were done with believing yourself infallible, but
hey...I'll take what I can get from a blind-minded egotist.

Big Bill wrote:
> On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 18:48:37 -0500, Max > wrote:
>
>
>>Big Bill wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 20:36:33 -0500, Max > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hakkapelittas are nuts. I had a set (Hakka 10's) once on a Saab 900 and
>>>>nothing, nothing could stop me in the snow. Not even studded. They were
>>>>awesome traction.
>>>
>>>
>>>Obviously, you've only driven in light snow.
>>>Be reasonable. When the snow is over your bumper, tires are not the
>>>answer. You need more clearance.
>>>
>>
>>Never had Hakkapelitas eh?
>
>
> What good do they do when the snow lifts those wonder tires enough to
> lose traction?
> When the snow is high enough to lift the vehicle high enough that the
> tires don't any longer have enough weight on them to gain traction,
> better tires are *NOT* the answer.
>

Coupled with a vehicle that has a smooth underbody that doesn't catch
the snow underneath...

--
----------------------
http://www.saab-900.tk
The Saab Tech Resource
----------------------

Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>
>>My '86 BMW 323 is really a crappy winter car. Sure, it handles great,
>>but I get stuck everywhere! Today, I got stuck *twice* within a couple
>>of minutes. Same scenario, hit a snowdrift and snow goes flying onto the
>>windshield. I brake because I can't see anything, and then I'm stuck... :-(
>>First time, notice how little snow it actually takes:
>>http://members.roadfly.org/ulf/bmw1.jpg
>>http://members.roadfly.org/ulf/bmw2.jpg
>>Second time, this time the car stopped in the next snowdrift:
>>http://members.roadfly.org/ulf/bmw3.jpg
>>http://members.roadfly.org/ulf/bmw4.jpg
>>Notice that both times I'm stuck completely *on* the road.
>>I'm leaning more and more towards a 525xi, nothing like AWD to avoid
>>getting stuck. :-)
>
>
> Looks like you need more practice driving in the snow. The center of the
> road looks fine. Keep it down the middle and you should be fine. You should
> also get 4 snow tires to help you keep it down the middle.

Contrary to popular opinion I do actually know how to drive in the snow.
I'm also unhappy to report that the car did not survive the snow as good
as I thought. It appears I have a oil leak somewhere, because there's a
big puddle of oil under the car and despite adding two liters of oil
it's still below the "min" mark on the dipstick... :-( This means I'll
have to start parking on the street to avoid further complaints as well
as checking the oil level daily. *aghh* Can't wait for spring!

> ------------
> Alex
>
Ulf

"Ulf" > wrote in message
...
> I'm also unhappy to report that the car did not survive the snow as good
> as I thought. It appears I have a oil leak somewhere, because there's a
> big puddle of oil under the car and despite adding two liters of oil
> it's still below the "min" mark on the dipstick... :-( This means I'll
> have to start parking on the street to avoid further complaints as well
> as checking the oil level daily. *aghh* Can't wait for spring!
> Ulf

I wonder if the leak might be coming from a bad oil pressure sender. It's
the cylindrical object near the crank pulley on the passenger (US/Canada)
side of the block. That's a common leak point on M20 engines and a 15-minute
repair. It would take quite awhile for it to lose three liters of oil,
though. Leaking oil cooler/line, maybe? I'm not sure if the 323 *has* an oil
cooler, but they can be vulnerable to damage. (As an '87 325i owner, I have
firsthand experience.)

Russ

Russ Maki wrote:
> "Ulf" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I'm also unhappy to report that the car did not survive the snow as good
>>as I thought. It appears I have a oil leak somewhere, because there's a
>>big puddle of oil under the car and despite adding two liters of oil
>>it's still below the "min" mark on the dipstick... :-( This means I'll
>>have to start parking on the street to avoid further complaints as well
>>as checking the oil level daily. *aghh* Can't wait for spring!
>>Ulf
>
>
> I wonder if the leak might be coming from a bad oil pressure sender. It's
> the cylindrical object near the crank pulley on the passenger (US/Canada)
> side of the block. That's a common leak point on M20 engines and a 15-minute
> repair. It would take quite awhile for it to lose three liters of oil,
> though. Leaking oil cooler/line, maybe? I'm not sure if the 323 *has* an oil
> cooler, but they can be vulnerable to damage. (As an '87 325i owner, I have
> firsthand experience.)

Nope, I don't have an oil cooler. Thanks for the oil pressure suggestion
though, I was thinking a leaking oil pan myself. The damn thing seems to
smack the ground every other time I drive over a speed hump...

>
> Russ
>
>
Ulf