Driving Through a Blizzard
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
RE: Driving Through a Blizzard
Had 2 experiences this year with roadtrip winter driving . I swear it will never happen again. The E-320 was horrible and probably the worst vehicle I have ever driven in snow conditions. It may however be related to the sport tires.
1st was a roadtrip from Chicago to Hamden Ct. I hit I-80 in Pennsylvania and it was blinding snow. Everyone was sitting out there at 80mph before the roads got too bad and I was the first to go sideways at speed. The roads got worse and visibility was gone. I couldn't keep the Benz over 30mph to save my life. Any slower and I risked getting bogged down and any faster was a certain loss of control. After 12" of white trash, and 4" on the tarmac, they shut down the freeway. The snowplows went home and gave up. I had to backtrack nearly to Ohio, go north 100 miles and drive through NY state. The 12 hour trip turned into 21 hours and 8 hours were white knuckle. I had my sons wedding to be at on the next day and hoteling it was not an option( or the wife would have never let me live it down).
The second was before Christmas coming back from Jackson Mi to Chicago. There was 75 miles of sheet ice. 40 mph max was all that could be done safely. After that was another 50 miles of lite snow cover. I missed a 100 car pile up. Yes 100 cars. 70 wrecked, 30 off into the sidebanks, and 1 dead. Everybody overdrove for conditions in a false sense of security , thinking there cars were better than the next. I witnessed about 30 pile ups. and 3 traffic backups while the cops and tow trucks cleared the cars/trucks out of the snowbanks. Again, a 4 hour trip turned into almost 8 hours.
What did the two scenarios have in common? People overdriving conditions and cars, trucks and semi trucks flipped upside down everywhere I looked. In Pennsylvania, a mistake could have put you down the side of a mountain in certain areas.
Thee E-320 is mothballed on bad winter driving days out of fear. I then go back to my old 190-E and use it in adverse conditions.
Trust me, I am not a wimp when it comes to driving in the fluffies. I enjoy the challenge, but there is a point of insanity, and twice this year I saw that point .
Aardvark
1st was a roadtrip from Chicago to Hamden Ct. I hit I-80 in Pennsylvania and it was blinding snow. Everyone was sitting out there at 80mph before the roads got too bad and I was the first to go sideways at speed. The roads got worse and visibility was gone. I couldn't keep the Benz over 30mph to save my life. Any slower and I risked getting bogged down and any faster was a certain loss of control. After 12" of white trash, and 4" on the tarmac, they shut down the freeway. The snowplows went home and gave up. I had to backtrack nearly to Ohio, go north 100 miles and drive through NY state. The 12 hour trip turned into 21 hours and 8 hours were white knuckle. I had my sons wedding to be at on the next day and hoteling it was not an option( or the wife would have never let me live it down).
The second was before Christmas coming back from Jackson Mi to Chicago. There was 75 miles of sheet ice. 40 mph max was all that could be done safely. After that was another 50 miles of lite snow cover. I missed a 100 car pile up. Yes 100 cars. 70 wrecked, 30 off into the sidebanks, and 1 dead. Everybody overdrove for conditions in a false sense of security , thinking there cars were better than the next. I witnessed about 30 pile ups. and 3 traffic backups while the cops and tow trucks cleared the cars/trucks out of the snowbanks. Again, a 4 hour trip turned into almost 8 hours.
What did the two scenarios have in common? People overdriving conditions and cars, trucks and semi trucks flipped upside down everywhere I looked. In Pennsylvania, a mistake could have put you down the side of a mountain in certain areas.
Thee E-320 is mothballed on bad winter driving days out of fear. I then go back to my old 190-E and use it in adverse conditions.
Trust me, I am not a wimp when it comes to driving in the fluffies. I enjoy the challenge, but there is a point of insanity, and twice this year I saw that point .
Aardvark
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 26
RE: Driving Through a Blizzard
Had 2 experiences this year with roadtrip winter driving . I swear it will never happen again. The E-320 was horrible and probably the worst vehicle I have ever driven in snow conditions. It may however be related to the sport tires.
1st was a roadtrip from Chicago to Hamden Ct. I hit I-80 in Pennsylvania and it was blinding snow. Everyone was sitting out there at 80mph before the roads got too bad and I was the first to go sideways at speed. The roads got worse and visibility was gone. I couldn't keep the Benz over 30mph to save my life. Any slower and I risked getting bogged down and any faster was a certain loss of control. After 12" of white trash, and 4" on the tarmac, they shut down the freeway. The snowplows went home and gave up. I had to backtrack nearly to Ohio, go north 100 miles and drive through NY state. The 12 hour trip turned into 21 hours and 8 hours were white knuckle. I had my sons wedding to be at on the next day and hoteling it was not an option( or the wife would have never let me live it down).
The second was before Christmas coming back from Jackson Mi to Chicago. There was 75 miles of sheet ice. 40 mph max was all that could be done safely. After that was another 50 miles of lite snow cover. I missed a 100 car pile up. Yes 100 cars. 70 wrecked, 30 off into the sidebanks, and 1 dead. Everybody overdrove for conditions in a false sense of security , thinking there cars were better than the next. I witnessed about 30 pile ups. and 3 traffic backups while the cops and tow trucks cleared the cars/trucks out of the snowbanks. Again, a 4 hour trip turned into almost 8 hours.
What did the two scenarios have in common? People overdriving conditions and cars, trucks and semi trucks flipped upside down everywhere I looked. In Pennsylvania, a mistake could have put you down the side of a mountain in certain areas.
Thee E-320 is mothballed on bad winter driving days out of fear. I then go back to my old 190-E and use it in adverse conditions.
Trust me, I am not a wimp when it comes to driving in the fluffies. I enjoy the challenge, but there is a point of insanity, and twice this year I saw that point .
Aardvark
1st was a roadtrip from Chicago to Hamden Ct. I hit I-80 in Pennsylvania and it was blinding snow. Everyone was sitting out there at 80mph before the roads got too bad and I was the first to go sideways at speed. The roads got worse and visibility was gone. I couldn't keep the Benz over 30mph to save my life. Any slower and I risked getting bogged down and any faster was a certain loss of control. After 12" of white trash, and 4" on the tarmac, they shut down the freeway. The snowplows went home and gave up. I had to backtrack nearly to Ohio, go north 100 miles and drive through NY state. The 12 hour trip turned into 21 hours and 8 hours were white knuckle. I had my sons wedding to be at on the next day and hoteling it was not an option( or the wife would have never let me live it down).
The second was before Christmas coming back from Jackson Mi to Chicago. There was 75 miles of sheet ice. 40 mph max was all that could be done safely. After that was another 50 miles of lite snow cover. I missed a 100 car pile up. Yes 100 cars. 70 wrecked, 30 off into the sidebanks, and 1 dead. Everybody overdrove for conditions in a false sense of security , thinking there cars were better than the next. I witnessed about 30 pile ups. and 3 traffic backups while the cops and tow trucks cleared the cars/trucks out of the snowbanks. Again, a 4 hour trip turned into almost 8 hours.
What did the two scenarios have in common? People overdriving conditions and cars, trucks and semi trucks flipped upside down everywhere I looked. In Pennsylvania, a mistake could have put you down the side of a mountain in certain areas.
Thee E-320 is mothballed on bad winter driving days out of fear. I then go back to my old 190-E and use it in adverse conditions.
Trust me, I am not a wimp when it comes to driving in the fluffies. I enjoy the challenge, but there is a point of insanity, and twice this year I saw that point .
Aardvark
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 272
From: Staunton, VA
Not what you drive but how you drive...
3 weeks ago we had the worst freak ice storm that anyone I know has seen in decades. The recipe couldn't have been better.... Temp right at freezing the day before.... slight chance of flurries (ZERO snow trucks were out for this one.)... at 5:30 AM, the front hit hard and the temp dropped along with about 1.5 inches of snow in 2 hours... The snow flash froze on the roadways and the snow on top formed an incredible ice layer that was very dangerous.
Anyway, I knew things were bad when I slid off of my driveway (backwards) into my neighbor's yard. I put the "W" setting on the tranny and creeped to my first hill to go to the bypass. Cars were all over the place, ditches, sideways, grass, pointing in crazy directions... no dice there... I turned around and went to my first light since I was going to go thru town to go to work. I lost control as I came to the light and cruised sideways thru the intersection at 2 mph with the ABS pumping but no control at all. Scary. I then creeped my way to work... tons more drama ensued.... the 4X4 big trucks were all over the place... in the ditches and flipped over. I nearly got rear ended by a white knuckled lady driving a lifted F250. She was totally out of control and only missed me because I accellerated out of her crazy path.
To make a long story short... my E320 made it... but it is not my first choice in ice. If I move to a more northern climate, I will invest in some winter tires. Drive slowly and always treat any hills with the most respect. The E320 is completely undriveable if you find yourself sliding backwards down a hill. ABS does not work in reverse!! Be safe.
Anyway, I knew things were bad when I slid off of my driveway (backwards) into my neighbor's yard. I put the "W" setting on the tranny and creeped to my first hill to go to the bypass. Cars were all over the place, ditches, sideways, grass, pointing in crazy directions... no dice there... I turned around and went to my first light since I was going to go thru town to go to work. I lost control as I came to the light and cruised sideways thru the intersection at 2 mph with the ABS pumping but no control at all. Scary. I then creeped my way to work... tons more drama ensued.... the 4X4 big trucks were all over the place... in the ditches and flipped over. I nearly got rear ended by a white knuckled lady driving a lifted F250. She was totally out of control and only missed me because I accellerated out of her crazy path.
To make a long story short... my E320 made it... but it is not my first choice in ice. If I move to a more northern climate, I will invest in some winter tires. Drive slowly and always treat any hills with the most respect. The E320 is completely undriveable if you find yourself sliding backwards down a hill. ABS does not work in reverse!! Be safe.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 408
From: Carbondale, IL
Many people seem to forget that while AWD, 4WD, and other traction control systems all help you go forward on the slippery stuff, there is NOTHING made yet that helps you stop on ice. Please be careful and exercise a little extra caution when it's slick out there.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 272
From: Staunton, VA
Dangerous
I'd rather drive like a grandma on ice than end up in a ditch like the 4WD vehicles that I have seen during every ice storm this year. The time for driving faster and enjoying your E320 is not during an ice storm. Be safe!
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
From:
Glad I hang my hat in Northern Mississippi. I do understand your concern about foul weather driving as I am and have been an over the road truck driver out of Memphis, TN.
Last Dec 9th while snugly asleep in my warm sleeper making our way back from Everett, Wa. in Casper, Wyoming, my co driver loast control on ice, and ran off in the center median, then jerked the wheel to get back on the road, and flipped tractor and trailer on it's left side. While cabinets, doors, pillows and mattreses were flying around me at 01:30 Am in the dark, I was reminded of a burly cheif petty officer in flight school in the Navy, something about there were old pilots and bold pilots, but not many old bold pilots still buzzing around up there. Please BE SAFE OUT THERE !, as you are sharing the road with my idiot co-driver. Alex
Last Dec 9th while snugly asleep in my warm sleeper making our way back from Everett, Wa. in Casper, Wyoming, my co driver loast control on ice, and ran off in the center median, then jerked the wheel to get back on the road, and flipped tractor and trailer on it's left side. While cabinets, doors, pillows and mattreses were flying around me at 01:30 Am in the dark, I was reminded of a burly cheif petty officer in flight school in the Navy, something about there were old pilots and bold pilots, but not many old bold pilots still buzzing around up there. Please BE SAFE OUT THERE !, as you are sharing the road with my idiot co-driver. Alex
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
From:
post addition to prev post. I have some 40 years, mostly in big rigs behind me, some 3 to 4 million miles to boot. My co-driver (actually now Ex Co-driver) was in hurry to get to Denver, CO. so we can sit a whole day waiting for our next load. My thinking would have been to sit it out somewhere safe and warm. Let the snow plows do their work making roads passable. Each action we take has consequences, sometimes the risk is far greater than what is gained. Please BE SAFE OUT THERE.
2003 S600
2009 Kenworth T2000 ( to replace the KW in Wyoming )
2000 Allegro Zephry
1988 560 SL
2000 Excursion
2006 E-350 Ford Extended Van
2000 E-320
2003 S600
2009 Kenworth T2000 ( to replace the KW in Wyoming )
2000 Allegro Zephry
1988 560 SL
2000 Excursion
2006 E-350 Ford Extended Van
2000 E-320
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