Just moved to Upstate NY; never driven in snow before

jamin87ss · November 18, 2016

Alot of friends of mine who've lived in the North also recommended I get the underbody of my vehicle sprayed to protect from salt, etc. The local Chevrolet dealership here seems to offer a bunch of winterization services and seemed helpful when talking on the phone. Do you guys recommend the underbody spraying on a newer vehicle/any other services they may be trying to sell? What would be a good price for these things?

ya I forgot about this, definitely a must, unless your leasing, I use a carwell, any oil base is good because it seeps into cracks and crevices, do not get the coating stuff, moisture gets between the coating and metal and accelerates the deteriation

Silverado Steve · November 18, 2016

Correct, but i think everyone could agree, skidding down an icy hill and finding out its not going back into gear is not the time to find out if it will or won't.

Not as easy because of the synchronizers, but it can be done...

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · November 18, 2016

Correct, but i think everyone could agree, skidding down an icy hill and finding out its not going back into gear is not the time to find out if it will or won't.

That's why you make sure to get good with it on a dry day. Not that complicated.

sdeeter19555 · November 18, 2016

Correct, but i think everyone could agree, skidding down an icy hill and finding out its not going back into gear is not the time to find out if it will or won't.

I gave up on this fight, completely agree with you...been there, done that.

And to point out the obvious, because everyone else does it; I'll bet it states to shift the transmission ONLY using the clutch...but what do I know...

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · November 18, 2016

I gave up on this fight, completely agree with you...been there, done that.

And to point out the obvious, because everyone else does it; I'll bet it states to shift the transmission ONLY using the clutch...but what do I know...

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

I guess I don't know anything either. I guess I should admit I got my CDL A from Walmart in the toy section.

fedmogul89 · November 18, 2016

You sound like you work for CSX. I remember those days as an OST for NS

j-ten-ner · November 18, 2016

manual trans

I can engage and/or disengage the engine from the rest of the drive-train at any time, without taking my hands off the steering wheel.

automatic trans

I can't.

simple

so long

j-ten-ner

Havvkeye · November 18, 2016

No I'm not specifically talking about people who don't know how to drive manuals. I've seen people who have been driving manuals 20+ years and I have seen people with CDLs have mishaps as I explained previously. Not everyone behind the wheel driving a manual is going to be as proficient as you claim you are. Let's be honest, there are many teen drivers who are learning on their own in a manual because a lot of driver ed courses don't have those in their fleets to teach new drivers. Also, older econobox cars that these new drivers tend to be driving have manuals in them. With that in mind, that's where the argument of driving an auto is better....for the average driver. Having one less thing to worry about is far and away better for everyone on the road for the novice, scared ,inexperienced and timid of drivers. You call it lazy, I call it preventive. As I mentioned earlier, I can control my situation, but I can't control the guy behind me who panics in a manual and can't stop his car skidding on black ice. I don't want to be his victim....to me that's an obvious win in the argument of an auto vs a manual. You perhaps are taking this approach as an attack on your own driving skills, which it is not.

Now to address your comparisons of a manual vs an auto....yes, when you are stopping in a manual you can either, brake, while downshifting, applying the clutch appropriately, which yes most people understand and can do in the right conditions. However, as I mentioned earlier, in a panic situation, someone not to the skill of yours can apply the brakes and when the vehicle fails to slow down as needed, people tend to floor the clutch, it's a physical reaction. Applying the clutch is akin to putting the vehicle in neutral. The other scenario, is for the person to brake, fail to downshift in that split moment and while the vehicle continues to slide, the wheels can lock....and in that circumstance, the engine dies if the clutch is not depressed or in neutral as I explained previously. The engine will die if not in neutral or the clutch depressed and it has nothing to do with the vehicle moving forward, rather the wheels not moving. If you disagree with this, then I have to truly question your understanding and ability driving a manual. If this were true, the anyone stopped at a stop sign or traffic light could sit there in gear and foot off the clutch and the engine would run fine in a manual which we know is not the case. I'm not going to continue to debate the semantics of the issue, but I will end with these two thoughts, any winter driving safety course will validate what I am saying in spades. Second, this conversation makes me laugh. Thinking back to my younger years, I remember having this same conversation with the older guys I worked with and with my dad, and what sticks out is I made the same comments you are making, so I have to wonder how old are you? It really doesn't matter, but the older guys all had the same resounding comment which was "you say that now, wait until you get older and a little more wiser" Now that I am in my 40s, I can appreciate what they were trying to tell me 20 years ago. If you rather drive a manual, have at it, I can't fault you....however if you ever get into an accident where someone hits you because they applied the incorrect steps slowing down in adverse weather conditions, whether they be a novice new driver, or a seasoned driver, perhaps a commercial semi truck where the driver holds a CDL and hours behind the wheel, because semi truck drivers never hit anyone driving on a snowy road right?, you might be thinking back to this thread wishing that that person had been driving an automatic instead of the manual, or you may stick to your a great driver because you prefer a manual.

I think your wall of text is missing a large point. Anybody can drive an automatic. Sure, if you feel better having someone that does not know how to drive behind you on their cellphone then we can just agree to disagree. People that learn and drive a manual pay more attention, because they have to, and are more tentative, because they have to be, while driving.

If you are braking hard and forget to put in the clutch, you haven't really learned to drive a clutch. I don't care how "panicky" the situation is, putting in the clutch is a response to braking. Matching the engine speed before/while releasing the clutch is something you also learn and it just happens over time.

On black ice, it won't matter if you are driving manual, automatic, self driving or a space ship.... you are not stopping or changing direction, that is a shit example.

Congratulations, you are a few years older than me but the wiser part is debatable. You are coming into the discussion assuming that people are bad at driving manual or bad drivers in general. We are debating which system is better with a proficient driver, and the answer is manual. With a new or poor driver the answer is chauffer.

Colossus · November 18, 2016

http://www.overdriveonline.com/auto-vs-manual-transmission-autos-finding-solid-ground-by-sharing-data-with-engines/

crushNchowda · November 18, 2016

4 wd with studded snows is an awesome combination! I sincerely hope you don't lose your confidence the hard way. It would be interesting to hear stories from snowplow drivers!

Right tool for the job my friend. An analogy I like to rely on when it comes to snows is this: Imagine running a muscle car down the 1/4 mile a few times w/ "all seasons" & then do it w/ R compounds or street slicks or straight up DR's - the difference of course would be SIGNIFICANT in how much better the dedicated purpose-built tire performs over the all-season.

That's how much better snow tires are in the winter vs. anything else, & combining it w/ 4wd makes it that much better. As far as whether it is "unsafe" or too much confidence.....one thing I like to point out again when it comes to "right tool for the job" and/or the comparable performance capabilities of different vehicles we share the road w/. - every day we all risk our lives traveling alongside semi's carrying 100,000+ lbs gross weights cruising along @ 75-80mph like the rest of us. Those trucks CAN'T swerve, stop, or do much of anything but plow through & over anything in front of them, it would take them 4-5x the distance to stop @ highway speeds compared to everyone else.

I feel plenty safe & confident on a near empty freeway in a blizzard in my truck w/ studded snows & 4wd - safer than I do next to a 100,000 lb semi w/ a deadline to meet,

kstruckcountry · November 18, 2016

None of the transmission debate has anything to do with handling a snowy winter for the first time. Let's stay on topic and continue helping the OP.

Jon A · November 18, 2016

That's how much better snow tires are in the winter vs. anything else, & combining it w/ 4wd makes it that much better.

Yes, they certainly are that much better on packed snow and ice compared with most other tires. But you're really doing a disservice to everybody by lumping all other tires in the "anything else" basket as if they're all equally bad. That is far from the case. Some of the latest all terrains, especially those with the snowflake symbol, are very, very good.

A while back Canadian Tire did one of their winter comparison tests between a typical "all terrain", an "all terrain" with the snowflake symbol and a dedicated winter tire and of course the winter tire easily won, but the snowflake all terrain more than split the difference (its stopping distance was closer to the winter tire than the all terrain tire, etc).

Nobody is going to argue that winter tires aren't better for highway use on packed snow and ice, but this notion a 4WD with a good set of all terrains (Canadian Tire actually rates the new KO2 as the "best choice for ice") is handicapped or an accident waiting to happen is overdone in your posts. While they are the "right tool for the job," a very specific job, for some people in some places, they are a very poor tool for other jobs many of us use our trucks for in the winter time.

Back to the OP...for his situation, dedicated snows probably are a good idea. 2WD needs them much more, he does not mention towing/hauling or driving offroad (things winter tires are not very good at) so they would probably be a good choice for him for the winter. That doesn't mean they are for everybody.

vonshep · November 19, 2016

it has only been mentioned once to my suprise tire chains \ cables i used them for years and never got stuck with them on a bit of a PITA to put on in the snow but it beats waiting for someone to yank you out

crushNchowda · November 19, 2016

Yes, they certainly are that much better on packed snow and ice compared with most other tires. But you're really doing a disservice to everybody by lumping all other tires in the "anything else" basket as if they're all equally bad. That is far from the case. Some of the latest all terrains, especially those with the snowflake symbol, are very, very good.

A while back Canadian Tire did one of their winter comparison tests between a typical "all terrain", an "all terrain" with the snowflake symbol and a dedicated winter tire and of course the winter tire easily won, but the snowflake all terrain more than split the difference (its stopping distance was closer to the winter tire than the all terrain tire, etc).

Nobody is going to argue that winter tires aren't better for highway use on packed snow and ice, but this notion a 4WD with a good set of all terrains (Canadian Tire actually rates the new KO2 as the "best choice for ice") is handicapped or an accident waiting to happen is overdone in your posts. While they are the "right tool for the job," a very specific job, for some people in some places, they are a very poor tool for other jobs many of us use our trucks for in the winter time.

Back to the OP...for his situation, dedicated snows probably are a good idea. 2WD needs them much more, he does not mention towing/hauling or driving offroad (things winter tires are not very good at) so they would probably be a good choice for him for the winter. That doesn't mean they are for everybody.

Well lets put it this way - I live in MA & travel throughout the eastern corridor & central/western NY state as well for work & am an avid skier so always travel specifically when its snowing lol, and I run winter tires while I run BFG K02's the other 8 months of the year.

You may have a point though that the new K02's could be better in the snow hence the snowflake, AND hence no mileage warranty...you see one of the BIGGEST differences in winter tires aside from tread pattern/siping is how soft/supple the rubber is, if you ran snows all year round youd chew through them in a season or 2 as the warm tarmac would literally melt them away!

I always found the all terrain tires better @ clearing the treads of snowpack, getting you out & moving, but not any better @ stopping/cornering than any other all season.

GRN69CHV · November 19, 2016

Back on topic, I have a set of these. Only used them once last year, not as aggressive as traditional chain links, but does add a lot of grip. I will put them on night before if forecast calls for ice/snow mix or heavier snow fall (6" or more). Especially in a winter storm with heavy ice, installing tire chains and only running in 2wd I found gave better control.

http://www.peerlesschain.com/tire-chain-finder/traction/tirechains/729