RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 19, 2013 Our flight to Canada at Easter took us over the Isle of Man and we got quite a good look at the snow cover. There was rather more snow in Alberta and everyone told us what a mild winter it had been. Oddly, we had friends from Ottawa staying at the time of the 'great snow', and they had as much snow on the siland that they would have had at home - where they were staying had about the worst of it, 10 - 15 feet. 5 miles away we had about three inches!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Thanks, everyone. No need for any more Cheers and Commiserations! I might change my Birthday to June 21st - much more cheerful alround... Have a nice day everyone. Best, Pete. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 19, 2013 Pete you can always have two birthdays.. if its good enough for the Queen its good enough for... Been to see the Nurse - BP back to slightly below normal but could be the diabetes will get me - although she was reasonably happy with my progress over the last month ( weight loss, more exercise etc). So another blood test ( I should charge them!) and back in another month.. Neil - a couple of years ago in Barrow we had about an inch of snow - which was most unusual - the place came to a standstill so I walked into/out of work.. and its snowing a bit in Ireland - my colleague is working there at the moment and he said that it was chaos - grit... what's that?? stay peaceful everyone... Barry O 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Never ever ever used snow tyres ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 My Freelander has M&S (mud and snow, not the shop) fitted as all season tyres. They are I believe the minimum requirement for many European countries. I was dubious about how effective proper winter tyres would be on a Clio but our side roads and some of the roads Aditi has to travel on in East London don't get cleared. So a couple of winters ago we purchased a set of winter tyres for the Clio and they made a significant difference. Obviously they are not going to prevent other drivers hitting you but at least you can get much better grip than with "normal" tyres. We have recently put a set of winter tyres on Aditi's Fiesta. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The problem is that you are only as successful as the guy at the front of the line of cars. I bet there are plenty of people in the UK driving around in the depths of winter with low profile sports tires. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have a friend who is a retired Ford guy and he insists the winter tyre is the best option on his C-max and his wife's Fiesta. My Alfa has wide boots and so I have to alter my driving to suit the changed weather conditions - I would need to buy new wheels and tyres otherwise at a cost approaching four figures! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 I lived halfway up a hill on a private road between the main road and a manor house where mum worked. Rich nephew came to visit in a little snowfall. Abandoned his car outside our house, knocked on the door and said he was going to walk up and could we help sort the car out. Went outside and saw his brand new XR3 with some kind of snow chains fitted. Tried to drive the car and the chains were making the wheels vibrate so badly that it kept making the car jump out of gear. Having diagnosed that the chinless one had no idea, I took his devices off, popped them in the boot and drove the car up to the big house without. Simply not enough snow to justify using chains. It was worth the walk back to see his face! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Never ever ever used snow tyres ! ! ! ! ! ! ! What, not never? You might like the S & M tyres though; but fitting them`s a right pain! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 The problem is that you are only as successful as the guy at the front of the line of cars. I bet there are plenty of people in the UK driving around in the depths of winter with low profile sports tires. Best, Pete. Most of them outside my house trying to turn in the road after leaving their children at the nearby school. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 ... ready meals available in Switzerland are low in quality, small in selection and what IS available is either boring, tasteless or nasty (if not all three). I don't know about that. I remember a couple of excellent meals of supermarket rotisserie chicken, baguettes, hazelnut yoghourt and cigarettes on the esplanade at Lucerne, followed by a dessert course of several (many?) Eichhof beers in the nearest pub. Mind you, we were much younger and less discerning then. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 What, not never? You might like the S & M tyres though; but fitting them`s a right pain! I'd heard that you could whip them on quite easily! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 19, 2013 you can have whatever tyres you want - if you are afraid of snow or not a good driver then...... stay at home! Have you seen what happens when you take a tank out on roads covered in snow - now that is fun!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The problem is that you are only as successful as the guy at the front of the line of cars. I bet there are plenty of people in the UK driving around in the depths of winter with low profile sports tires. Best, Pete. Guilty as charged, m'lud, but then at £1200 for four new tyres, some of us don't have much choice…:-) Not to mention an even bigger amount for a spare set of alloys... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 Have you seen what happens when you take a tank out on roads covered in snow - now that is fun!! Not personally but Dad drove one quite a lot in the 1944/45 Winter. He said it was very cold and people were shooting at him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 19, 2013 watching them (Chieftain, Challenger 1 and Challenger 2) being "road tested" at Barnbow when it had snowed was quite amusing - 360 degree turns not a problem - once you got them going on the ice 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 19, 2013 Evening all... I'm saddened to hear about your loss, Pete - and on a day which ought to be a happy one, too... Not sure what else I could say right now, so - try to be well, everyone... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The problem is that you are only as successful as the guy at the front of the line of cars. I bet there are plenty of people in the UK driving around in the depths of winter with low profile sports tires. Best, Pete. You're right there Pete but there are also a very significant number who venture out with absolute trepidation when there is anything white on the paths and roads. Their driving backs up those more capable and/or experienced drivers who are better skilled to meet the conditions and frequently they will not pull over to let others past. If they can't see the lane markers, they assume that they should be in the absolute middle if the carriageway. I take the view that they should ask someone else to make that journey for them if it is so pressing, not frighten themselves or put themselves at serious risk. This time of year also sees many vehicles being driven with just a tiny peephole on the windscreen through which the driver peers, oblivious to what is happening to the sides or rear. Mein Gott! You certainly know how to start me off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The "peephole" thing is actually illegal in New Jersey - you'd get a ticket even if you have snow on the roof... Best, Pete. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 (edited) Guilty as charged, m'lud, but then at £1200 for four new tyres, some of us don't have much choice…:-) Not to mention an even bigger amount for a spare set of alloys... But that's what the Mercedes is for.......... Best, Pete. Edited November 19, 2013 by trisonic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 I'd heard that you could whip them on quite easily! I always fantasised about girls who would whip 'em off quite easily! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 But that's what the Mercedes is for.......... Best, Pete. ....but nowhere near as much fun as the Jag...:-) 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have never driven with Snow tyres despite having been a postie on rural deliveries in Shropshire through some bad winters. My own vehicle at the time was a citroen ami very light but had a flat underside to the chassis. I put a large chunk of Oak (a bit of very heavy old beam) in the passenger footwell to improve traction. It had about 13ins ground clearance and could slide over quite deep drifts. The Morris vans used for delivery were rear wheel drive so we put a large block of concrete or a sack of chippings over each wheel arch. We rarely got stuck. The big van bringing the mail ended up in a ditch one day. We went out to collect it. The police had closed Harley Bank on the A458 and didn't want to let us through when we pointed out it was ilegal to impeded the royal mail they let us through. I did get stuck once when the car in front stopped but the snow was level from hedge to hedge (about halfway up the windscreen). One day I was taking a run up Callaughton bank when the Council Bin lorry started down. I reversed back down as there were just the two ruts up the road but was rather concerned at the lorry's lack of grip when they tried to slow. Good fun but I give it a miss if I can. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 But that's what the Mercedes is for.......... Best, Pete. I think the models they sell as taxis must have different wheels and tyres to the versions owned by neighbours. Though a couple of years ago Robbie and I nearly got hit by a Porsche. The young lad driving it was attempting to exit his slightly icy driveway and must have thought lots of revving was the way to go. It shot straight out of the drive, across the road and hit the pavement behind me. Now the driver was in the same class as Matthew at school so I suppose it could have been his first experience of ice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 I have never driven with Snow tyres despite having been a postie on rural deliveries in Shropshire through some bad winters. My own vehicle at the time was a citroen ami very light but had a flat underside to the chassis. I put a large chunk of Oak (a bit of very heavy old beam) in the passenger footwell to improve traction. It had about 13ins ground clearance and could slide over quite deep drifts. The Morris vans used for delivery were rear wheel drive so we put a large block of concrete or a sack of chippings over each wheel arch. We rarely got stuck. The big van bringing the mail ended up in a ditch one day. We went out to collect it. The police had closed Harley Bank on the A458 and didn't want to let us through when we pointed out it was ilegal to impeded the royal mail they let us through. ... Don I think the narrow wheel, high profile tyres (even summer ones) are more effective than the wide, low profile variety in snow. My brother used to do the emergency callout for various communication systems. He was once called out to sort out a radio transmitter (in Somerset I think) and the local police told him the road up the transmitter was closed to traffic. As it was their transmitter he suggested it might be in their interest to let him proceed. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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