Dashmellow
Well-Known Member
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- Sep 22, 2013
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Good on you for pulling into motel.
My Ford just has one reverse lamp.
Yeah, you are right about the Semi's. Some of them drive like maniacs and they end up jack-knifing out on the major highways. Many of these guys are under a lot of pressure to keep to a tight schedule and it just makes things worse from a safety standpoint.
Black Ice freaks me out. Where I live, I encounter it all the time and often you just can't see it even when you are trying to be vigilant. It's even worse on the many of dirt roads like the one I live on because you usually can't see the stuff. One night, I was driving a friend home who lives in a house in a remote location on a dirt road out in the woods along a river. We were chatting and I was taking it easy, not driving very fast, maybe 20 miles per hour (32km/h). Suddenly, with no warning, we started spinning out of control and did a full 360 in my truck. All of sudden I had zero traction. NONE! Amazingly, we didn't hit anything and came to a stop when we skidded off the ice. Another foot or so and we would have T-boned into a tree. If we had gone the other way we would have ended up in the river. It seems that part of the road had flooded with about an inch of water and frozen over with a light dusting of snow on it so you couldn't see the black ice at all.
That flood is astonishing! Unfortunately, despite what the Brits may say, it looks as if 500 year floods are becoming pretty common around the world these days. That term doesn't mean anything anymore.
EDIT: Actually, since we're talking about black ice and winter traction, I've had an interesting experience this winter. Last November, heading into the winter I needed to buy a new set of tires for my truck. I bought a new set of the same brand and model tires I've been running previously because I've had good experience with them and they are priced well, (Cooper Discoverer AT3) but they've really upped their game with the new 4S version. Previously, they were M&S rated (Mud & Snow, as were all the tires I've always run) but the newer ones have the "Mountain/Snowflake Symbol"instead of the M&S marking on the sidewall. The Mountain/Snowflake Symbol meets more stringent winter traction performance requirements and has been rated for “severe snow service" which includes snowy, slippery roads and low temperature or freezing roads. I've been blown away by the performance difference. In many situations this winter where I would have engaged 4 wheel drive, I didn't need it, like even when my driveway was sheer ice! The tires definitely felt more sure footed when I was driving in difficult snowy and icy conditions this winter. Same with the mud! ( I still slow down when the conditions are treacherous though, regardless of how good these tires perform).
You can read more about the Mountain/Snowflake symbol rating HERE.
Mountain/Snowflake severe weather rated symbol
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If a saltie is found on the east coast it would be a disaster. Good by tourists. Forget about enjoying the beautiful beaches.Yeah the name of the game for Aussies are floods and bush fires, both of which can bring out "nasties" that make a flood of mice seem like a walk in a park.
I dont mind waist high water to cross to get to the shop, but if there is a "saltie" in there, them i am staying home.
Severe rain events are also on the up in Denmark, same are wind generated floods, and things are done, but probably too little too late, as that is generally the name of the game here.
My little red car also just have 2 reversing light,,,,, i think that is pretty common on low cost cars.
I do once in a while see cars with extra high beams and also some times extra reversing lights ( 2 ) but these are also the people living out in the sticks, you dont see that with city folks unless they are 4 X 4 fanatics / poser adventure drivers.
Me being a city slicker most of the year with the good roads in my state I only have to purchase one type of tire for the life of the tire.
Until recently I never realised some countries have winter and summer tyres.
Must be hard to manage if you're on a budget.
You still use the same amount of rubber - since the tyres are only on the car half the time they last twice as long, and the winter rubber tends to be cheaper.Until recently I never realised some countries have winter and summer tyres.
Must be hard to manage if you're on a budget.
Until recently I never realised some countries have winter and summer tyres.
Must be hard to manage if you're on a budget.
You still use the same amount of rubber - since the tyres are only on the car half the time they last twice as long, and the winter rubber tends to be cheaper.
All good points from you and @NigelWhile you may be correct @Nigel that running two sets of tires half the time lasts twice as long, but @LateralNW is correct that it costs more. The reason is the additional cost of having your mechanic swap your tires twice a year. The cost of mounting and balancing can be considerable.
Years ago, before I started driving pick-up trucks I did a tire swap every season like everyone else. Eventually, I purchased an extra set of used rims from a junk yard so I could keep the winter and summer tires mounted and balanced permanently and only needed to swap and rotate them myself each season.
All good points from you and @Nigel
Spare set of wheels is a great idea but I wonder if they need to be aligned when fitted. I have Soarer (I want to rebuild) and it requires a 4 wheel alignment.
I believe over time tyres go off eg they become harder as they get older. It wouldn't happen over a yearly swap I wouldn't think and I might be wrong as it might have applied to older rubber technologies.
A winter set of wheels is often a good idea anyway since you can then use narrower and higher profile winter tyres more suitable for snow, and on some cars it is actually necessary to be able to fit the manufacturer recommended winter tyres. Also removing a tyre from the rim is not good for the structure of the tyre, you don't want to do it too many times.All good points from you and @Nigel
Spare set of wheels is a great idea but I wonder if they need to be aligned when fitted. I have Soarer (I want to rebuild) and it requires a 4 wheel alignment.
I believe over time tyres go off eg they become harder as they get older. It wouldn't happen over a yearly swap I wouldn't think and I might be wrong as it might have applied to older rubber technologies.
it does not cost much - around £40, or half the cost of a tank of fuel!
Most places will work out at around the same number of hours of labor to pay for it, since the main cost is the time required, and in most places it will take the same amount of time. Also, the equivalent in tanks of fuel will be roughly similar in many places, USA being an exception with unusually cheap fuel relative to income.Another consideration, when posting to an international forum you might pause to consider that wages and labor costs in different parts of the world may be different than where you live.
USA being an exception with unusually cheap fuel relative to income.
The cost of a tank of fuel has become a rather expensive proposition these days! And a tank of fuel is many, many miles of driving. For many, spending that much twice a year can be a burdensome extra expense. The median hourly earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom is £15.15/hr, so to change out the tires twice a year would take 5.28 hours of labor or more than half a days work. Perhaps that would be a trivial expense for you but certainly not for everyone.
Taxes are the prime reason why (most?) European countries have such high fuel prices - they do it to themselves.....Another factor is fuel taxes which also vary state to state....
Taxes are the prime reason why (most?) European countries have such high fuel prices - they do it to themselves.