It always happens this way.

I know that winter is coming, and I make my plans in what I "think" is plenty of time. Got the snowblower service scheduled....leaves are cleared from the yard, nice new air filter in the HVAC system at home and I've got a fresh set of 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks stacked in the garage, courtesy of Tire Rack.

Unfortunately, I was called out-of-town on business and as luck would have it when my flight landed at around 11:30PM last night I was greeted with the first falling snow of the season.

Crap.

The drive home from the airport is about 90 minutes, on a series of mostly low-speed secondary roads...everything was going great until it came time to climb Temple Mountain to get me into the final leg of the trip. The snow was wet and heavy, and the roads were wet but nothing was really accumulating....the outdoor temperature was right at that critical value of around 31 - 34 degrees where there's no telling if the roads are simply wet or if they are ice.

At about 60MPH it became clear to me that they were ice.

The dashboard lit up like Christmas with blinking lights as the car pitched sideways under power...ESP was jumping all over the throttle trying to reel things back in as the adrenaline surged in my veins and despite being close to 1AM, suddenly I was wide awake!

After a few countersteering moves and some tail-wagging the car came back under control and I was able to gently back-pedal to a more sensible speed.... and my heart rate slowly returned to normal.


Lessons Learned:

1. Michelin PSS is NOT a winter tire! [duh! ]... and doesn't care if you meant to swap them out before the first snowfall.

2. ESP deserves more respect than it probably receives, at least in bad weather. Things were starting to go wrong in a REAL hurry, but ESP jumped in and got things settled down. I'll admit I was really tired and probably could have done a decent job of saving the skid if I was fully alert and awake, but it was nice to have it "looking out" for me last night.


No damage to the car.....and I made it home safely. I guess that's what it's all about.


-G

 

I hate the traction control,you just got a taste of what my car is like in 30d weather with no snow on the ground lol.

I had fun in the snow last night leaving the gym

 

Very interesting story, thank you for sharing. I had the Pirelli PZero's on my C63 last winter, big freaken mistake, but this year I have all seasons on. This winter will be different for me, as I will be able to get around.

 

Totally agree on point 2, if it wasn't for ESP, we wouldn't move in the winter. It's a life-saver.

Glad you made it home alright on those tires! I'm still on street radials too in the rear and stayed home last night.

 

Sweet man, I'm about to order some Blizzaks myself.

 

What is interesting is that TireRack recommends that you use the same size on all 4 corners (245s).... seemed weird to me but they insist that is the best option.

By the way, be sure to get the ones rated for "XL" load carrying...our cars are too heavy to use most of the Blizzak offerings safely.

EDIT:

Here's the one you need...


245/40R-18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 XL (Qty 4) - $233 ea.


-G

 

Angelo,

It seems really unfair: the engine loves the cool air and makes it's best power when the pavement is least capable of providing the needed traction.


-G

 

I know...I havnt felt first gear acceleration on the street in over 2 years

Iv been looking for a 168 pulley or I might just go back to stock boost so I can enjoy this cold weather again.

 

Skinnier = better in snow...

 

Absolutely... I should have been more clear, what really surprised me is that they didn't offer a narrower front tire as well.

It might just be that there isn't a narrower front tire size that matches the 245 rear correctly in overall diameter???


-G

 

I ordered them, but I went with the 265 rears. I will only be driving this thing IN THE SNOW a few times this year, but I do want it to be just as capable on pavement.

 

ESP does deserve more credit. Glad you made it home safely.