Re: WSJ: SUVs in Chicago

[CLIFFORD ILKAY <clifford_ilkay@dinamis.com>]

Todd Young wrote:
>Probably the "main" problem these boneheads had was the stock tires. Most SUVs
>are sold with "all season" tires, designed for rain and a little snow. With
>proper mudder or all terrain tires, they would have had a lot less problems. I
>had all terrain tires on my Toyota truck the entire time I owned it and never
>got stuck. That included a record breaking Halloween blizzard, where I had to
>push my way through a large plow drift. Granted I hit the drift straight on at
>30mph and simply blasted through it, but I have managed to slowing drive
>through plow drifts also. As we all know, the right tires can be the deciding
>factor between getting stuck and getting through.
>
>As a former (and future) driver of 4WD vehicles, I have no sympathy for idiots
>who overdrive their vehicles and get stuck or in accidents.

Hi Todd,

I agree about the tires. Tires *and* driving technique make the difference
no matter how many wheels are being driven. There is a small hill close to
my home. It is amusing, well, actually, not so amusing when you have to sit
behind them, to watch people who simply have no idea of how to drive in
slippery conditions, flooring the accelerator and smoking the tires all the
way up the hill.

I used to have a Jeep Cherokee which had Michelin X no-season radials. The
day I picked it up, we had a huge snow storm in Toronto and it was obvious
that I would not be able to drive to Halifax with those tires without
ending up in the ditch 2km down the road. I went over to my favourite tire
shop, RNJ Tire, and had Paul Ross, the owner, install a set of Nokia NR09s
on it. The vehicle was transformed. In 2wd, it felt more stable with the
new tires than it did in 4 low with the old tires. I drove east all day in
one of the more memorable blizzards and finally had to stop in northern New
Brunswick when the radiator fins got clogged with wet snow and the Jeep
started overheating. BTW, that is why I would not recommend "simply
blasting through" drifts. Aside from the fact that snow can be much harder
than it looks and can break trim pieces and so on, you can easily pack the
fins on the radiator with enough snow that it will cake on and eliminate
any cooling effect from your rad.

Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis Corporation
3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1419
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4N 3P6

Voice/Fax: 416-410-3326

mailto:clifford_ilkay@dinamis.com