E53 on Ice!

[Riggodeaux]

Readers up north surely know this, but I had my first experience with the E53 on ice/snow with this week's Atlanta snowmaggedon. Atlanta traffic is terrible, generally, and the locals are absolutely clueless as to proper driving technique. Naturally, it was a disaster Tuesday when the white stuff arrived and everyone [who had gone to work or school] left at the same time - only to meet the normal semi traffic on the interstates around the city, now sliding and jack-knifing. I avoided that Tuesday, but got up early yesterday to rescue my stepson stuck overnight with many others on the west side of Atlanta's loop highway [I-285, south of exit 5]. I avoided the highways/connectors and had no problems, really. As for the E53:

If you follow the standard ice driving protocols [slow, keep your distance, stay off the brakes, keep the rpms low], with good condition all-season tires [fresh Conti DWS, 5k+ miles of wear], the E53 is an excellent ride. I slipped exactly once - when I had to brake because the dufus well in front of me stopped [going uphill, no less ...] short of an intersection. The e53 recovered well when I dropped down a gear and applied a gentle touch to the accelerator. Sweet! The DWS aren't snow tires, by any measure, but were great in this rare meteorologic event in the Southeast. Thank you, BMW and Continental!

[X5SND]

If you think it's good on DWS' you should go for a spin in one on a set of real winter tires!

Nice to hear some praise for the ol'E53 though!

[tmv]

I totally agree with the part that says people here are clueless about how to drive in this condition. My wife got home Tuesday afternoon fine. I left work around 6pm and sliding my way home in an hour. The 275 Conti on the rear of my 540i act like a snowboard since they are wide. We both took yesterday off.

[racingbmwm3]

Originally Posted by tmv

The 275 Conti on the rear of my 540i act like a snowboard since they are wide.

Snowboards do amazingly well in the snow...but I guess you are talking about ice. Yes, snowboards suck on ice, but it has nothing to do with how wide it is. it's the fact that you only ride on one edge, vs. using two edges like skis.
Same thing applies to your tires. Driving on ice, doesn't matter how wide your tires are, just what kind of rubber you have. Width only matters when driving in snow of measurable depth. Skinny is better for vehicles, wider is better for skis/snowboards.

[Brandon002]

I can't believe what has happened in Atlanta. The amount of snow and ice they got is a weekly occurance here. Yes I understand snow and ice can make driving difficult, but people down there flat out lost their minds.

I guess if anything Atlanta may learn from this and actually have snow/salt trucks on stand by in the future.

[Brandon002]

I can't believe what has happened in Atlanta. The amount of snow and ice they got is a weekly occurance here. Yes I understand snow and ice can make driving difficult, but people down there flat out lost their minds.

I guess if anything Atlanta may learn from this and actually have snow/salt trucks on stand by in the future.

[Riggodeaux]

Not with my tax dollars, Brandon! Trucks, plows, etc. to sit idle for use one day every three years or so? No thanks. Guv'mit, media should just learn from this to be more willing to recommend 'stay home' - though if they do it too often, its crying wolf.

[mcurcio1989]

Originally Posted by Riggodeaux

Not with my tax dollars, Brandon! Trucks, plows, etc. to sit idle for use one day every three years or so? No thanks. Guv'mit, media should just learn from this to be more willing to recommend 'stay home' - though if they do it too often, its crying wolf.

You don't have to have any special trucks. Just about every city has a fleet of dump trucks for construction and road work. Most cities just slap a plow on them and then throw spreaders on the dump to throw salt. Pretty much nothing to it. In the case of Atlanta they don't even need plows just need to keep a pile of salt around and load up the trucks and throw it the night before, something like this is coming.

It is comically stupid that 2 inches of snow with some ice could turn an entire state / region into a post apocalyptic wasteland for 3 days. Its a daily occurrence up here.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by mcurcio1989

You don't have to have any special trucks. Just about every city has a fleet of dump trucks for construction and road work. Most cities just slap a plow on them ....

Yeah...NYC & many coastal regions & regular snow territories that can get hit with snow...put plows on their garbage and/or regular street department trucks? Setting the street dept trucks up for salt dispersal would almost take care of cities like Atlanta that very seldom get snow.

I'm sure some local politicians are going to be taking some heat over this.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Yeah...NYC & many coastal regions & regular snow territories that can get hit with snow...put plows on their garbage and/or regular street department trucks? Setting the street dept trucks up for salt dispersal would almost take care of cities like Atlanta that very seldom get snow.

I'm sure some local politicians are going to be taking some heat over this.

I'm sure they will. Chicagoans voted out the incumbent, Mayor Bilandic after the snow removal fiasco, and Jane Byrne was elected the new mayor.

I remember the snow coming to the top of my hood when I returned to the car after work. A local homeless person was close by and hoping that I would give him a few bucks to help me get my car out. Started the car up let the engine warm up a bit and then engage the differential locks on the front and rear differential of my AUDI QUATTRO. A couple of back and forth and with the wheels pointed toward the rutted street I gun the engine and the QUATTRO was free from it snowy grave. Best car I ever owned. Even better then my current BMW X5 because it didn't have CCV issues. I could make short trips with the car and not worry about hydro locking the engine.