http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6zlkP8thkk

Highlight is the guy putting chains on the rear wheels of a Camry imo.

 

It's a hill that is icy - the amount of snow is irrelevant. Any place with snow and freezing temps sees this all the time. Nothing particularly amusing, aside from the chains on the back of a FWD vehicle.

 

I'm so happy I don't have to deal with that mess.

 

i think that was a corolla. funny nonetheless

 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S16SRq0_1ZA[/media]

This one's always been a classic.

 

LOL!! Nice vids!!

 

Well, the guy putting the chains on the non-driven wheels may not be a complete idiot. The camera may have caught him working the back wheels but he may have had a second set of chains for the drive wheels. Chains on the back will keep the back end tracking properly. I've used chains on all four wheels of a Jeep Cherokee. An absolute PITB however chains do help maintain directional control as well as acceleration and braking.

But, I'll guarantee that 10 out of 10 of those drivers were trying to navigate ice on worn all season or summer tires. I'm always amazed by how few people actually buy something like Blizzaks for winter driving. For people in Seattle, I don't have much sympathy.

 

Does it snow often enough in Seattle to warrant snow tires? I'm not sure once a year events would justify a dedicated set of tires, expecially if the snow typically melts in a day or two. They are predicting rain for the next few days in Seattle, as a matter of fact.

And let's not be mislead by one video. Some friends here live at the top of a hill that is notorious for treacherous icy conditions when the rest of the city is perfectly passable. One night was similar to the video posted above, but everywhere else in town the roads were fine. I know to avoid that hill when it snows, but it's not reasonable to expect everyone to know that particular two-block stretch is impassable when every other street is fine.

 

There is some amount of snow almost every year. On average I'd say that there are 2-3 different snow events per season. When I lived there I got a set for my Miata and loved it. The thing that makes Seattle snow deceptively dangerous/slick is that normally it is warm enough during the day that everything that falls melts. Then as soon as the sun goes below the horizon it all freezes and starts sticking. So there is normally a solid sheet of ice under whatever snow there is. I always had better traction with 3-4 inches of snow than I did with 1-2, just because there was something other than Ice to grip.

But ya, people in Seattle are terrible in the snow, and more people should get snow tires. The best part for me was that my work commute was almost always shorter when the snow was bad, since most people just stayed home. You knew that it was snowing when you actually got to go the speed limit on your way to work.

 

Oh lord that looks awful! I am looking at possibly going to Detroit for school and the thought of having to deal with that shit... ugh and in my 240Z... never...!!!