All That Snow

[Mave]

Hey all,

I've been in the States for 3 years but this is my first winter owning a car. There's so much snow here today that my car was buried under ~ 10 inches of it. 0.o I've never seen that much in my whole life.

Anyway, I'm whining coz I've just hurt my back shoveling snow so that I can park my car.

To make this thread useful, I do have a question. During winter, does one use the hand brake much? On one side, I've heard "No, coz it'll freeze up." and the other, "Yes, so your car won't slide."

I haven't had any skidding events (hope not too!!) but it's been quite an adventure so far.

[kirakira]

Nope. I never use the brake in the snow. That could be because I can't drive yet, but that's beside the point.....Anyway, My brother always is sayin' you shouldn't use it cuz you'll slide and fishtail, an' stuff.

[Kisa]

I LOVE SNOW!!!!!!! We got some this weekend (like a foot) and its soooo cool! We had snowball fights and played football and helped dig other peoples carsout of the snow (I don't have my own car . . .yet). I think it is literally the coolset thing ever! I wish we got more time off school though . . . hopefully it will take forever to melt and we will also get more;)!
^_^

[Danyasaur]

OOOOOOO! I LOVE SNOW!. . . . . . to bad I live in Louisiana -_-"

[shooraijin]

I like snow. Specifically, I like visiting it, and then being able to drive away. That's why I live in Southern California.

[cbwing0]

I love the snow where I live, because my house is back in the woods. Whenever it snows, the tree limbs develop a thin coating of snow that is just beautiful. Nothing but white and brown as far as the eye can see...

Unfortunately I am at college now, so I don't get the same effect when it snows. There is some foliage around the dorm buildings, but not nearly as much as home. I also don't like the fact that my school (University of Virginia) almost never closes for snow. For example, there was snow on the ground and ice on the roads/sidewalks this morning, and we didn't even get a delay. Oh well...I guess I didn't come to college to sit in my room.

During winter, does one use the hand brake much?

You definitely want to limit the use of brakes in general when there is snow on the roads, as you will need more room to come to a complete stop, and there is the possibility of sliding/fishtailing. It is a good idea to drive considerably slower (20-30 mph on the highways) when there is accumulation on the roads, especially if you are in traffic, going down-hill, etc. This holds true even if you have 4-wheel drive, as that only helps you go forward (it is not help when you're trying to stop in the snow). I've seen people in trucks/SUVs stranded on the side of the road on numerous occasions because they forgot this. I even saw one flipped over. :surprised:

Anyway, I love snow and I love the winter, as long as it isn't too cold (which is has been the past few days ).

[Technomancer]

We've had a fair bit of it up here. Ironically, it's brought up some warmer air, which has been a relief from the past month.

Don't complain too much:

One of the most remarkable stories connected to the weather was the rescue of more than 80 Quebecers trapped in a hockey rink near Labrador because of blizzard conditions.

They spent more than 30 hours stranded at the Blanc Sablon arena. Leaving he rink was deemed too dangerous.

Winds were gusting at over 120 km/h and two-metre-high drifts blocked the exit.

At about 6 p.m. on Monday night, the winds subsided. Arena manager Barbara Bolger said a few minutes later they heard someone banging at the door. "People were running and screaming, and I thought 'Oh my God, what has happened?' And I ran out. When I ran out I saw somebody at the door, shovelling, trying to get in."
.
.
.
Around the same time Jean-Louis Beaudoin noticed his best friend was missing. He hadn't returned from a trip to Labrador the night before.

Beaudoin convened a search party. And before the winds could pick up again, they found the man's car buried under a metre and a half of snow.

"They found him. He was pretty cold. He was smart, he had a hose in his car and he pushed it up through the snow to get some air, to keep breathing. To get some air. Keep yourself alive."

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/27/canweather040127

[Kite]

Snow? Ohhh yeah we get it sometimes up north in AZ but mostly not.

[redkorn]

sorry man i cant hand brake i dont have a car, but i have a truck, though its rear wheel drive unless i kick it into 4 wheel drive and its standard transmission, i do doughnuts and burnouts all the time, i luv my truck.

[Ammaranth]

I don't usually use the hand brake at all when driving. If you're talking about the parking brake, it is possible for it to freeze up, in which case the car won't move very well, if at all, so some people don't use it in icy or snowy conditions. If you have a manual, though, or have to park on a hill, and you have to use the parking brake, you can usually unstick a frozen brake by going forward and backwards -- just put the car in drive, gas it a little, then reverse, and gas it a little, and repeat until the break comes loose. Note: Don't mash the pedal, or else when the brake does come unstuck, you'll go flying into cars, people, garage doors, etc.

Ammaranth

[The Grammarian]

You definitely want to limit the use of brakes in general when there is snow on the roads, as you will need more room to come to a complete stop, and there is the possibility of sliding/fishtailing. It is a good idea to drive considerably slower (20-30 mph on the highways) when there is accumulation on the roads, especially if you are in traffic, going down-hill, etc. This holds true even if you have 4-wheel drive, as that only helps you go forward (it is not help when you're trying to stop in the snow). I've seen people in trucks/SUVs stranded on the side of the road on numerous occasions because they forgot this. I even saw one flipped over. :surprised:

I drive an '89 Jeep Wagoneer Limited, and I love driving in the winter. (I'm not the crazy SUV driver who flies down icy highways at 70mph, though.) One trick I picked up, since my Jeep doesn't have anti-lock brakes, is if I'm sliding out of control, slam on the brakes to lock 'em, then switch into reverse and floor it. Isn't a good idea to do a whole lot (it can damage the transmission), but it's saved me from sliding into the back of a car a few times.

[Needle Noggin]

I don't like snow. The only thing it is good for is days off school and snowbourding

[Hitokiri]

I love the snow....but not when I have to shovel it

anyways, i dont drive but when I ride with my friend, he uses his hand brake alot. Saved us alot of times before from ramming into the rear of another car or flying straight into a ditch

[Link Antilles]

Well, this is my third day out of School! Looks like it's starting to melt..... All we got here was ice and it's nasty out there. I mean, South Carolina has some of the worst drivers and add ice to the mix.... not pretty I can tell you that. I do have to admit, I like driving on the ice as long as there aren't any other cars.. it's interesting... yeah, I was the only idiot driving monday... lol... my dad and I found a sereval deserted parking lots and decided to have some fun. This week has been awesome!