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Comments
For the record, WRX and I are still undefeated, but I would consider that last one a split decision in my favour.
You have a new '09 WRX, correct? What tires are on your car? Stock summer tires?
Bob
I'm running proper winter tires, and they were doing fine - she was throwing plenty of snow around the neighbourhood. ;-) That actually makes things worse of course because eventually you throw off your contact patch and are on your belly with tires spinning in air. It was just that things were so deep, the tires bit the snow, but the snow-snow adhesion wasn't enough to push the increasing pile on the front bumper. As I said, there was still 5" of snow under her tire tracks.
I was prepping myself last night and wore that garb, along with my winter coat, gloves, and boots, out to feed the chickens. I tell ya, my knees were quite cold by the time I made it back to the house ten minutes later!
We're in the middle of a major melt-off - even made the national news Wednesday night for our 60 inches of snow in 3 weeks and the flooding that ensues when it all melts all at once.
So... the auger clutch cable on the snowblower broke the day after the first big snow. Yesterday afternoon, at the zenith of the meltdown, the shop called... it's fixed :P Changed the oil after I got it home, during which I managed to take most of the skin off a knuckle trying to get the oil drain bolt loose.
At work, we've sustained a 38% increase in calls for service in the last 3 weeks compared to the same period last year.
Yet another chapter in the story of Spokane Snowmageddon
Cheers!
Paul
send me a friend request also
Serge
I didn't know where North Pole, Alaska is so I went to Yahoo maps to see where in Alaska it's located. When it popped up, I still didn't have a good sense of where it was in the state so I started zooming out. Zooming to the "state" label didn't help much either. I finally had to zoom out to the "country" label in order to see the whole state!
I don't envy you your cold temps .. I don't like it when we're in only the single digits here, and it takes getting into the 40's before I'm ready for shorts ....
Next week that cold air mass by you is expected to slide down over us. I think you mentioned having an Escort and weren't sure how it would perform this winter. I was wondering if you keep the cars block heater and oil pan heater plugged in all the time you aren't driving them? How is your fleet starting so far?
Jim
Found Serge earlier, also.
Judging by the stoutness of the cold that is finally beginning to move out, you should have some fun times before too long....
The Escort did okay through the extreme cold. I drove it every day last week, one of which brought temperatures to -50F, and it started without fail. The only real problem with it is that it uses ATF in the manual transmission. Seems strange to me, but it was a problem because ATF does not perform all that well in extreme cold. I had to make sure I had the shifter in neutral (which I otherwise never do) when I parked, or it was more likely than not I would not be able to get the vehicle in neutral on start-up. I had to *really* work at it one morning, at about -40, and that convinced me to modify my habits.
As for plugging in, I never keep my vehicles plugged 24/7 unless I have good reason to need to start it at any moment. Outdoor timers help keep me on schedule and minimize electricity consumption. The Escort has a block and oil pan heater, and I plug it in for about two-to-three hours prior to starting. My Dodge Caravan has block, oil pan, and transmission pan heaters, along with a battery blanket (I have never found battery heating useful except to nurse weak batteries, but the vehicle came with it and I have not removed it). Neither had any problems starting in the cold. The Dodge even got toasty warm inside! So much so, that I would have to turn the heat *down* after all the interior materials warmed up. I was surprised by that - it is the only vehicle I have had that can get uncomfortably warm in such frigid weather.
The Escort does not heat so well. In fact, it would not even hold operating temp unless it was revving fairly high (no tach, but I would estimate around 2500 or more RPM). So, every time I slowed to stop, idled, etc., the temp needle would drop down near "C." I will have to work on diagnosing that this summer, as it seems like a highly unusual condition to me. No other vehicle I have ever owned has done this.
Mileage on the Escort for the last tank, which was consumed entirely during the cold snap, was just over 21 mpg - painfully low compared to the 35 mpg I was enjoying over the summer, and average of 27 mpg I had experienced up to that point during the sub-freezing months. But, compared to 12-13 mpg on the van, it was still nice! The added idling and the drivetrain resistance of the cold fluids/lubricants kills the fuel economy.
Consistent and effective maintenance makes all the difference when vehicles are subjected to extreme temperatures.
Well, consider that the temperatures in the 40s are 40 degrees warmer than the single digits... 40 degrees warmer than -40 is zero, so yeah, that's about right for shorts initially. I see now that the forecast says possibly +35 degrees as a high on Thursday! That is going to seem tropical for a while, but when it drops back to normal temperatures (zero to -20 for this time of year), zero is going to feel real cold.
Jim
How much snow did you finally end up getting? Actually driving in winter in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois is usually a lot worse than winter driving up here. Driving on white ice on side roads at zero degrees you can still get pretty good traction here, even on highways like that, as long as you don't do anything too quick.
It's not unusual to travel for 10 miles on a highway without seeing a car so usually there is lot's of room even if some sliding starts. Heavy traffic, slushy or icy roads like you get often is a nightmare. Lot's of people here forget what it's like driving in the populated areas you are in. I'll take the snowbank or a deer's rump over hitting another car.
Jim
Jim
Remind me where you are located! For some reason, I was thinking you were in northern Michigan, but now I think I am way off....
I drove to Niagara Falls in December of 2001. On our way into Buffalo, we hit the front end of what proved to be a whopper of a snow storm (7' in five days). There was about 12" of snow on the ground and it was falling FAST.
I was driving a Dodge rental car, FWD automatic. On the freeway there, vehicles were driving 10-20 mph and sliding into the ditches left and right. It was a little bewildering, but I had no problems - just cruised along at 35-40 as space allowed and dodged the moving roadblocks with NY plates. That was a really fantastic trip - the snow and the falls were beautiful. I had never seen snow come down like that before.
Also, the silly ATF in it is the primary reason, I think, for the poor winter mileage. I am researching some cold-weather alternatives that may help me avoid this problem in years future. I replaced the engine oil this summer with Amsoil synthetic. The engine is very smooth, burns no oil, and has no leaks. Even after about 8,000 miles on the oil, it is still a lovely golden color.
We, too, were being very spoiled by mild winters. 2+ weeks of the real cold stuff sure was a swift kick to the groin....
another winter storm on the way ... more snow and lots of WIND ... we'll see if we have a delay or cancellation tomorrow!
You recalled right. I'm in the Upper Peninsula. About 60 miles south of Lake Superior
about 10 miles north of the Wisconsin border. (Just far enough south so we don't usually get much lake effect snow". I used to live on the west end of the peninsula and almost 200 inches was our average for snow. Here it is only around 85. I used to hate early winter storms with snowflakes as big as the palm of your hand, trying to make it over copper peak and could hardly see my hood ornament let alone the road.
Holland is familiar with "Yooper Land". It's beautiful in the summer and fall.
Jim
Jim
While you are suffering the chill, our problems are something of the reverse. +37C (98F) here today and 40 C (104F) tomorrow. Dog has moved from cool spot to cool spot all day. At 10:00pm, it is still 30C (86F) and I think I will sleep in the study which is the only room with air-conditioning.
Send some snow our way!
Cheers
Graham
Bob
I am trying to remember the last time I experienced temperatures as high as Graham reported. Years and years - I think August of 2001, when I was in eastern Oregon for my brother's wedding, the temperatures were in the 90s (F).
I think temps like that would kill me now.
I know it is not really the image that most people think of for Australia. Australia is geologically the oldest continent and most eroded, the maximum height being Mt Kosciusko at about 7,000 feet. However, the Great Dividing Range (which stretches from Cape York (the pointy bit on the top right of an Australian map), right down the East Coast, past Melbourne to the bottom of the mainland) sees snow every year, most heavily in the section between Melbourne and Sydney. We get three to six months of good snow cover with decent skiing within 60 miles of Melbourne. I fly between Sydney and Melbourne (about 600 miles) regularly and can usually see snow most of the way in the period from July to October.
Because there is such a huge area of fairly undulating country covered with thick snow in the Australian Alps, it makes for fabulous Nordic Skiing, but you have to be very well prepared and self sufficient. Much of the country is tough for bush walking even in dry weather and very little of it has navigable roads.
Practically, in the distance between suburban Melbourne and Canberra (about 400 miles), there is only one fully tarmacked road across the Great Dividing Range. There are about four roads trafficable by 2WD and several more tracks which are reasonable 4WD. Even some of the roads which are marked on the maps are marginal. I just looked at one road I have used with extreme care and the map suggests it is a highway. However a 4WD magazine's page is less complimentary suggesting it is poor 4WD. When I last used it, much of it was 5mph stuff with fallen trees being a big issue. One was sufficiently high above the road that by cutting off limbs, we could squeeze the car beneath. Despite living in the city, I always carry a small axe, folding bush saw and small folding spade in the car.
Occasionally I have mentioned going bush in my Outback and my current Kluger (Highlander). I have one trail that I would like to try, traversing from the back of Mount Buller (a ski field near Mansfield), through wild country and across the ranges to Mount Howitt in Gippsland (the region of Victoria, where I hail from). However, I think I will try it with my brother in law who has a fully rigged out Toyota Landcruiser and the skills to use it. One part of the track is across a large rock slide and I would like to see it first hand before figuring out if it is feasible with a Kluger. There are also multiple steep switchbacks on rough dirt
Both Sydney and Melbourne have very rugged country starting right on their doorsteps. Sydney is locked in by the Blue Mountains, a steep to sheer sided range which even today has only one real access route across it. It snows in these mountains frequently, even when Sydney is warmish. My parents lived in these mountains for some years and my father, a land surveyor (and superb bushman) reveled in tracing the marks placed by the first explorers who took 25 years, after first settlement, to find a path across the mountains. Despite 221 years of white settlement, there are still places within 50 miles of the Sydney CBD that have never seen white men's feet. A few years ago, some climbers happened upon a valley in the Wollemi with a group of previously undiscovered huge pines, hangovers from primeval forests. Some have been cloned from cuttings (and are being sold to ensure their protection from an environmental disaster such as a fire) but the valley's whereabouts remains secret. http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1371627.htm
The upside of the low elevations of the Australian Alps is that we get frequent snow but do not suffer sustained freezes. That means that there is an excellent airport in the midst of the Australian Alps which can accommodate a 737. If you ever want a good holiday, come on down!
Happily, the cool change has now swept through and the pool is keeping the kids cool. You could still ship some snow to us, though.
Cheers
Graham
Thank you for that vivid post. It certainly stirs a desire to visit the country.
I find the Wollemi Pine intriguing. Not only does the tree have a rustic beauty about it, but just thinking about its ability to survive untold millennia of change inspires admiration. Unfortunately its current location, while being its sanctuary, is also its prison. Still, it is nice to know that history lives along side us; somehow, it makes me feel more humble about our role.
I did not own a car while in Sydney but found the train system in good shape then. I wonder how trains are fairing there these days.
I also enjoyed your "mini-travelogue". Fascinating. Wonder if you've done any prospecting for opal? I think a place called Coober Peddy(sp?) was where some are located. Anyway pretty awesome the barren distances between population clusters there.
Jim
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=139726
They will have the car for a full year. So if interested, bookmark the following thread.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...roduction.html
Bob
Subaru should either rework their old Navigation system, or just dump it for a Suzuki-approach solution such as integrating an existing NAV system, or possibly sub-contracting a Garmin or other product to work with a larger display screen.
The claim's the heat shield keeps heat from other engine components, and keeps the turbo warmer.
Uh....my understanding is heat's a major problem for Turbos. Heat cokes the turbo's oil and oil bearings, causing turbo failure.
Does it make sense to add a shield that makes the turbo run Hotter ??
Not being able to put my Yellow Lab back there is a deal breaker
Too bad that the Outback misses the mark on the utility factor as it certainly looked to be a great replacement and improvement in all other areas.
Seeing all this, I am now checking into the Forester and I certainly like the available cargo area height and am ok on the depth. It's more spartan in certain areas when compared to the Outback but I certainly like the additional interior room and am loving the idea of that moon roof. I'll being going for a test drive this weekend.
Thanks for listening,
Alan
98 OBW Ltd (159,000 miles)
They have distinctly different driving characteristics.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25194956&postcount=1172
Should be on sale later this summer. We won't get the Legacy, but rather the Outback. Even so, assuming this picture is the real deal, it will give you some idea of size.
Bob
We gave away over $10,000 in prizes from various sponsors and had coverage by the editor of Drive Magazine or the entire trip, and even had a police escort by the NJSP from exit 9 to the GWB on the NJ Turnpike!
http://48hrs.info if you guys want to check it out, and I encourage folks to think about doing the trip next year with us.
-mike
Subaru Guru and Track Instructor
Bob
A pity this sort of thing does not happen in the Northwest.
Given there are scads of Subarus around here (especially Outbacks), one would think Subaru NW would hold more activities.
SOA should do the same here. It could be a good sales tool.
Bob
Subaru USA has other versions of this, but not quite as complete.
Only the VTD diagram was rather hard to understand (I understand the concept but the illustration didn't identify MP-I (the previous diagram MP-T appears to be multiplate transmission).
As for Subaru's comment about power application: totally agreed. Everything else I've driven (FWD, RWD) would unexpectedly spin wheels on many occasions. So far my 'Bu, on decent roads, has been darn good about accelerating hard without spinning wheels - it just goes.
Now, about that dual-range shifter.....
Think about it - it would stand out from the other Imprezas, and those are the supposedly adventurous trekkers.
As I have been reading of the snow and chills in the Northern Hemisphere over the past month, I have wondered whether you could send some our way. We have had a lengthy heat wave, topped out today by the all time hottest day ever in Melbourne (46.4C or about 116F). Victoria in South Eastern Australia is claimed to be the most fire prone and dangerous fire area in the world (topping California and Southern France!). There is a long history of catastrophic fires with disastrous ones a couple of years ago burning about 5,000,000 acres. The fire weather conditions today are reported to be the worst ever measured, with intense heat, high gusty winds and humidity below 5%.
Up to 10:00pm today we have had more than 400 fires in the state with 15 substantial ones currently running. The closest is about five miles from us and there have been helicopters flying over regularly through the afternoon. Whole communities have been destroyed by fires, ignited by the wind carried embers from blazes many miles away.
So far, there are fourteen confirmed deaths and probably more than forty.
I come from a heavily forested area in Gippsland, to the East of Melbourne which has come under severe fire attack today. My eighty year old Mum is still on seven acres by herself and we have been tidying up recently to reduce the fire risk. When you live in such a hazardous environment, you have to take responsibility for your safety, and that of those around you. With the risk today, Mum had packed the irreplaceable objects, got her pets organized and remains ready to evacuate at short notice. Earlier in the day, we discussed the possibility of her going to my sister's but a fire developed.
The latest fire started about five miles from my sister's and has now run forty miles to the coast. A wind change a couple of hours ago, turned the run of fires at right angles, sweeping over my sister's home. Fortunately, she and her husband, are superbly prepared with a fire dousing system protecting house and sheds with sprays connected to tanks and pump keeping everything wet./ They have lost gardens, outlying sheds and several years stock of firewood, but have suffered comparatively less than neighbours who have lost everything. Many are burnt out, as are communities across the state.
Professionally, I earn my living from dealing with Insurance Claims and see many fires. Domestic fires are always the most traumatic, especially so when there are fatalities. Bushfires, with their widespread impact, destroying whole communities are horrific.
There will be stories of miraculous escapes, but the key determinant in survival in these incidents is preparation and planning. After the fire passed this afternoon, my brother in law, toured the neighbourhood (most neighbours having fled well in advance of the fire). He has a large spray pack on the back of his tractor and doused spot fires as most house fires actually occur after the fire front passes.
Tomorrow will bring more dramas. Here is hoping that my family suffer little further loss.
Not So Cheers
Graham
As always, our thoughts and hopes for the safety of you and your family are with you. Keep us posted when possible. There's an article in today's New York Times online about the fire and fatalities.
Serge
This car has almost 110,000 miles on it with the original water pump. (Yeah, I had the timing belt replaced 2 1/2 years ago and should have done the water pump at the same time, but I didn't ....)
Especially when I start the car in the morning I hear a really high pitched whine. It's also been exceedingly cold here for quite awhile! At first I thought that the whine was related to the faster speed of the engine at start up on the cold mornings. Then I realized I was smelling an odor when I was stopped at a light. At first I thought it was possibly the exhaust from vehicles burning ethanol - then I realized that it's coolant that I'm smelling. The only time I seem to smell it is when I am stopped at a traffic light. I've also remembered that hearing a whine can mean that bearings are failing somewhere in the engine.
Is it possible that the water pump is failing, but with the cold temps it isn't causing the gauge to show overheating? The temp gauge does move from cold to a normal setting while driving. That doesn't seem to have been affected.
Something else that might cause these symptoms?
thanks ...
Brenda