I was headed back from the Fit-Meet after I picked up some groceries yesterday along Sarcee trail. As I went into the off-ramp to Bow Trail (at a reasonable speed) I suddenly realized the back end of the car had broken loose on the ice & was about to overtake the front!

Of course all the traffic from Bow Trail just had gotten a green and as they raced across the intersection my car slid out of the exit sideways directly in front of them.

I flew through the merge and the first lane but was able to correct about 2 lanes in, but man was that ever close. I spotted one minivan going also going sideways behind me trying to avoid an accident. It looks likes as soon as they touched the brake they also experienced a huge loss in traction.

I seemed to have great traction everywhere else in the city, but the sand looks like it was totally wiped off that corner. It was about 3" of pure ice!

 

glad to hear nothing happened!

DORIFTO!!!!!!!!

 

I don't mind breaking the back end loose once in a while for fun... but only under much more controlled circumstances!!!

 

yeah go try again at 3 am

haha jk that's crazy though thank god you made it out okay

 

Ya, even with some of the best studless winter tires you'll still lose all traction... our roads are so terrible in a few places. Toooooo many unknowledged drivers out there pinning the gas pedal and making the roads slicker than ever.

Once these winters wear out on my car, i'm gonna go with some studded winters.

Glad to hear you didn't bump into anyone tho...

 

Thanks for keeping control of your car and our insurance rates down. J/K
This city Sucks when it comes down to maintaining the roads. The hill by my place is pure ice...It's so bad that my ABS doesn't even kick in because the four wheels are just locked!

 

yeah I feel like I am cruising on all seasons or something, I had another slip last night when I was coming up to a yellow light.

I was doing about 40km and the light started changing about half a block down. I touched the brakes and the wheels locked with no ABS (WTF?).

I literally slid at the same speed for like an entire city block

Yeah my next set is going to be studded, no question!

 

Glad everything turned out ok!

almost took out a cop this morning coming down a hill.

with the solid 10 days of blistering cold temps and the amount of snow that has fallen, the roads have taken a beating and snow tires or not its jsut crappy out there.

 

what winters are you sporting Nick so we can make sure not to buy those? :P

 

Toyo Snowprox... this is my 3rd season of use out of them. I usually throw them on in late September and pull them in mid April. I would say they are a great tire for snow and have reasonable dry weather handeling, they seem to grip no problem even in snow deeper than 15"... but they suck on ice.

 

Maybe try some Michelin X Ice or Goodyear ultra grip ice next?

Used to love those when I had the old civic, good in snow great on ice.

With that said you have to make sure any input made when on ice is very very gradual.

 

Calgary is a terrible city for winter street conditions. As the norm, depending on political types to take care of anything is a 2 by 4 to the head. Protect yourself, all-season tires are not an option, wish I had gone studded on these new winter tires. Well the next winter tires are studded and mean. Oddly, the road conditions do not stop the fools and their summer driving style. Is it me, or do those SUV/Monster trucks look more frightening booting down the trails? Ice conditions, and they are doing 125 on the Crowchild....I avoid the Deerfoot.