Nice day out yesterday, so I did my winter maint on the GP by checking the anti-freeze (-15) and the tire pressure (bumped them up from 36 to 38).

Then I took the washer tank off, blew out the lines real good, washed out and cleaned the tank itself, then cleaned the battery terminals, although they didn't really need it.

Just for grins, I pulled off the plug wires from the coil packs and the contacts were very clean and shiny. Pulled out the center coil pack and its two little pins were clean and shiny, too, so I called it a day on the ignition.

I then made my attempt and sealing up the leak that keeps the passenger's floor wet after a hard rain. If it ever rains around here again, I'll see if my repair was effective.

Then I repainted the tower-radiator support braces and gave the engine a gentle spray with some 409 and a little water just to get the dust off and the loose pine needles out.

Oil & filter change today, check the tranny fluid, put new batteries in the flashlight, and I'm good to go (I hope).

Anything else you more experienced GP drivers do to get ready for the hawk to come down?

brake fluid flush if you're really lookin for stuff. How about power steering check?

Not having much driving experience in snow and ice, why would one bump UP the tire pressure? In soft sand and mud, I REDUCE TP so I can spread the tire out over more area, sorta like a camel's foot. Higher TPs would cause the tire to dig in like a wooden bike tire.

I'm not sure. However, narrow tires fair better than wide ones in snow. I guess they 'bite' through it more?

wow. kinda made sense to me that the harder and narrower the tire, the deeper the rut it'll create. interesting. I sure hope I never get stationed somewhere where there's snow.

skinny tires present a small contact patch witch increases the PSI applied to the ground. Higher PSI gets better traction on ice. On sand your trying to grab as much contact as possible where as ice your trying to "bite" into it to get going.

AH now it makes SO much more sense. Thanks, Rob.

u should have let out all the summer air and put in winter air haha jk jk

I've never.... drivin in snow? I wouldnt know what to do!!!!! Ill stick to my 60-70* winters thank you!

X2!

Aint that the truth, Mike. Man, I love the desert!

anyone want to switch places? or does anyone down south have a spare room ? ill pay rent, and will work on the gp for free...

SOLD!!!

now all you have to do is clear a background check for access to Post, provide your own tent, and be willing to fight Oryx , and not be afraid to relocate every 2-3 years.

EDIT: bummer that this article makes one believe that the Oryx are truely confined to one area. Anywhere in this local vicinity, you will find Oryx. From El Paso all the way to Cloudcroft/Roswell.

good where do i sign up...

we rarely get the whire stuff in this part of VA, but when we do WATCH OUT!...NO ONE here knows how to drive in it!...the last "dusting" we got (which barely covered roads) less than one inch...the Richmond Metro area reported over 100 auto accidents in less than a 24 hours.
You cant seem to tell these idiots that slowing down might just be helpful and that traction control and AWD are not omnipotent.

Tim, we have about the same thing here with rain. Last year we actually had some accumulation. Morons goin out drivin to just say they drove in snow. AND STILL HAULIN TAIL! yep, some chlorination was occuring last year.

Alex, go to the following address or call the following number:

201 N 9th St # B
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
(570) 421-1058

The man in the funny-lookin clothes will be glad to help you out.

(please Google address and phone number before doin anything, please!)

EDIT for spelling

You guys don't know what you're missing; watching ill-prepared drivers in snow is a winter sport in itself. Avoiding drivers sliding downhill towards you, or slamming into snowbanks, driving in blizzards with zero visibility, and of course the 4x4s spinning out of control on the ice..we get some bad ice storms up here. I once saw a Mercury Contour get recontoured, after sliding onto a sidewalk, and hitting a telephone pole near my old shop.

No road salt, no snow, little to no ice, dry air, but still cold enough to be winter. Yay central Texas!

This is perfect fourth mile time.

:p to winter. no snow, no ice, no salt, dry air, and STILL rollin the windows down in mid-January. YAY Southwest Deserts!

for me i love finding an empty parking lot and just letting it rip... its pretty dizzing in the car but outside it a good show.. haha..


and rick im fimilar to that office i once was in jrotc for years so i used to the uniforms and i would brought in as pfc.. haha

Oh, actually I was just adjusting the tire pressure to keep it where I normally do, not anything to do with snow or ice on the road.

I usually check the PS fluid every time I check the oil, which is about every 4-5 days.

I did let all the summer air out of the tires. Smelled too much like grass clippings. :p

i like to go to an parking lot ... throw it in R and put the hammer down and wip around ... lol yeah iowa weather sucks in the winter

By the way the GP with good snow tires is just about unstoppable in the snow.

Something I don't have to deal with no more YAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was like 80* here in Daytona Beach today!

Why 36 and why 38? What size tires are you running? Stock is 30 all the way around, but I have found better tire wear at 32F and 30R with stock size. If you corner like you are on rails, I can see the higher pressures I guess, but always that high?? Your car has got to ride like a 3/4 ton pickup.

I use 42 FRT TP and 38 AFT TP with excellent wear patterns. the only downside to these really soft tires is that I'm lookin for new tires after only 25k.

Which is exactly why I plan on starting racing in December or so.

I know. Is it THAT hard to understand that Ice = slippery?

Cmon people!

Yep, with 38lbs. all around it does ride a little rough, but it handles a lot better and it gets better mileage.

Interestingly enough, my tires don't wear in the center any worse than along the sides, so I guess the 38lbs. is OK.

I didn't mean to indicate I intended to go up 2 lbs. It's just the 36 is where the tires had gone down to since the last time I checked them.

Also, something some people don't know, is when your faced with hill and snow, speed is a good thing. When your going up a hill, keep your speed up so you don't lose traction and slide back down. I've let many an idiot in front of me get a good distance away while they tackle a hill at 20mph. I then get a run and go after they've cleared it and go 40mph or so.

Another tip: Don't hold the brakes if you start to slide. ABS doesn't work in snow with a full lock up and you'll lose any control over direction. Just tap the brake, it works best.

Yes, Rook, driving in the snow requires its own special techniques.

We used to get so much snowfall in the winter here in the mountains of East Tennessee that getting around was no problem, because people knew how to drive in it. But it's been several years now since we've had a snow that lasted more than 24 hours.


And we also have a lot of new transplants from Florida moving up here that've never driven on the white stuff and it's "Every man for himself," out there now.

Fortunately, where I work they have a policy of allowing workers to stay home if they don't feel safe out on the roads, and you can choose to take vacation time for snow days or not, but it's not held against you either way.