Saturday, December 21, 2013

I do need the Jeep

Oh boy do I need the Jeep....  I would take a picture but its way after dark outside.... Besides there isn't any reason to go stand in Ice Pellet Rain that is freezing on the ground at and alarming rate...

This was supposed to happen last night but somehow it went South of us here in Olathe....  But about noon, as the daughter in laws were having the annual cookie party at my oldest son's home, it began to rain, and since it was 28 outside, that rain coated everything in ice...

I delivered some frosting and other supplies during this time of the afternoon and used 4 x 4 drive to get over there... I'm reasonably certain that the front wheel drive car would have been fine, but my rear wheel drive hobby car is now stored in the garage....

But as it became dark tonight, the temps dropped even further freezing everything up solid...  It is to change to snow here around midnight and we are to have 5 - 7 inches before morning....

I haven't done anything important the last few days other than clean the house and strip the beds and do the laundry....  We really haven't done any of the floors since the last part of the summer....  Given that I have been gone out of here for most of that time.....

I'm sure you aren't interested in my domestic chores so I'll let that info slide...

Some folks have stated that the conventional Jeep is unstable in icy conditions, but today I didn't notice that my 4dr model had any more tendency to slide sideways than any other car I have driven..  Perhaps because it is longer wheel based with its extra doors and length it is more stable...

We had the 4 dr Ford Escape for a number of years, and they seem to be very commensurate...  This Jeep has larger and wider tires than the Escape had, so the contact with the ground seems better....  But that's not to say that if something caused me to make an avoidance maneuver it wouldn't immediately go out of control and into a non recoverable slide....

I do think the shorter 2 dr would be much more unstable that way as well...  Just the same, I think I will wait for the roads to be a lot more clear and clean before returning to the Southwest...

Here's hoping the weather is much more agreeable in your neck of the woods....

Retired Rod

7 comments:

  1. I loved the way my Jeep Grand Cherokee handled in icy conditions. Of course, I always tried to avoid those situations if I could.

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  2. My fire/rescue son says it is 4-wheel drive & no wheel stop. I am just East of Des Moines and we got that same ice storm. And now it is snowing 4-8 inches. AZ/NM/TX sounds better all the time.

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  3. Well, I sure feel our little Wrangler is a WHOLE lot unstable on bad roads--now Michael on the other hand still loves his jeep but then he wasn't the one hanging sideways in his seatbelt!!! :))

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  4. Snow tires on our little Kia have been a saving grace for us. We're having an old fashioned winter up here this year.

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  5. I truly don't think there is any vehicle that can be considered stable on ice. Studded snow tires or chains help but the ice almost always wins. Staying home and taking care of domestic chores sounds like a good thing to do until the weather improves.

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  6. I avoid ice! We just don't like each other.

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  7. Driving on icy roads is tricky no matter what kind of vehicle you happen to be driving. If possible, it's simply best to stay off the roads.

    Glad you stayed out of the ditches, Rod, good job.

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