IT'S OVER....for the year
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,594
From: Western NY
Yes, I suppose i could take the car(s) on a nice day, but I take the liability insurance off for the winter, so that could be a problem...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 347
From: SC
Have you ever seen what road salt can do to a car? Between the corrosive effects of the salt, and the paint damage from salt pellets thrown around either the salt dispensing trucks themselves, or just general traffic, it can trash the exterior of a car in a hurry. Plus, salt dragged on to the carpets from your feet, can ruin the carpets too.
Yes, I suppose i could take the car(s) on a nice day, but I take the liability insurance off for the winter, so that could be a problem...
Yes, I suppose i could take the car(s) on a nice day, but I take the liability insurance off for the winter, so that could be a problem...
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,594
From: Western NY
Well, 135,000 miles on my 2002 Ford Ranger, driven through snow, salt, rain in the northeast and it hasn't fallen apart yet. I mean, I love and care for my Vette, but it is a car after all, not a SHRINE! Just clean it! And like I said, I don't have to drive in snow, but if the roads are dry.........
I was born in Perth Amboy, a little north east of Medford. I recall getting on the phone, and calling one of my aunts one day, before I left for work, as I needed a tidbit of information. (I was working the 4PM-12PM shift that week) My cousin, who was a school teacher at the time, answered the phone. I was pleased to talk to her, but asked why she wasn't in school. She replied, "The schools are closed due to snow". I was a little surprised, and asked how much snow had fallen. She replied, "A little over an inch". I broke out laughing, and she asked why that was so funny.....what did we do, when we got "that much snow". I told her that around here, we slow down to 55!!
FWIW, I have a GMC 4x4 for winter driving.....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 347
From: SC
Let me provide some perspective...You're in Medford, NJ, not exactly the "snow belt region" where I live. Therefore, you're probably not familiar with real winter conditions. Driving a limited ground clearance car like a 'Vette, isn't a practical thing to do, even if there wasn't the road salt issue. I don't know if you've ever heard of "lake effect snow", which is a situation where cold air blowing over a body of water, such as either Lake Erie or lake Ontario, can whip up blizzard conditions and huge amounts of snow, in literally no time at all. That happens a lot, here.
I was born in Perth Amboy, a little north east of Medford. I recall getting on the phone, and calling one of my aunts one day, before I left for work, as I needed a tidbit of information. (I was working the 4PM-12PM shift that week) My cousin, who was a school teacher at the time, answered the phone. I was pleased to talk to her, but asked why she wasn't in school. She replied, "The schools are closed due to snow". I was a little surprised, and asked how much snow had fallen. She replied, "A little over an inch". I broke out laughing, and she asked why that was so funny.....what did we do, when we got "that much snow". I told her that around here, we slow down to 55!!
FWIW, I have a GMC 4x4 for winter driving.....
I was born in Perth Amboy, a little north east of Medford. I recall getting on the phone, and calling one of my aunts one day, before I left for work, as I needed a tidbit of information. (I was working the 4PM-12PM shift that week) My cousin, who was a school teacher at the time, answered the phone. I was pleased to talk to her, but asked why she wasn't in school. She replied, "The schools are closed due to snow". I was a little surprised, and asked how much snow had fallen. She replied, "A little over an inch". I broke out laughing, and she asked why that was so funny.....what did we do, when we got "that much snow". I told her that around here, we slow down to 55!!
FWIW, I have a GMC 4x4 for winter driving.....
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,454
Likes: 6
From: Pittsburgh PA
I'm guessing you don't work on cars. I read a post not long ago where someone was replacing some rusted away brake lines and a few of their tunnel plate bolts snapped off. That's what salt does. Despite being called a plastic car, there is a lot of steel and aluminum under the shell. Salt also destroys bridges, sewers and other infrastructure. Why do you think it is never used on airport runways?
Myself (and others it seems) prefer not to have our expensive toys destroyed. I don't even drive my Dakota in that crap unless I have to. I have an 03 Saturn Wagon with a total investment of $4300 for those duties. When it wears out or the salt desolves it, I'll get another beater. The good stuff stays in the garage.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,594
From: Western NY
Believe me, I've considered it, but my wife still has a lot of family here, and at least at this point, we're staying put. Secondly, I'd rather deal with a blizzard that an earthquake, tornado, or tsunami. And finally, real estate is pretty reasonable here....taxes are high, however. In all honesty, even if my wife was willing to move, I couldn't afford to go back to my home town and buy a decent house.......
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 347
From: SC
I'm guessing you don't work on cars. I read a post not long ago where someone was replacing some rusted away brake lines and a few of their tunnel plate bolts snapped off. That's what salt does. Despite being called a plastic car, there is a lot of steel and aluminum under the shell. Salt also destroys bridges, sewers and other infrastructure. Why do you think it is never used on airport runways?
Myself (and others it seems) prefer not to have our expensive toys destroyed. I don't even drive my Dakota in that crap unless I have to. I have an 03 Saturn Wagon with a total investment of $4300 for those duties. When it wears out or the salt desolves it, I'll get another beater. The good stuff stays in the garage.
Myself (and others it seems) prefer not to have our expensive toys destroyed. I don't even drive my Dakota in that crap unless I have to. I have an 03 Saturn Wagon with a total investment of $4300 for those duties. When it wears out or the salt desolves it, I'll get another beater. The good stuff stays in the garage.
Pro
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 624
Likes: 1
From: Northern NJ
Give me a break with the salt. What a bunch of ... I guess all those expensive cars on the road every day, regardless of weather, mercedes, bmw, audi all come with 4 wheel drive not to drive on salted snowy roads. I won't take the vette in the snow only because I don't have the tires for it and the front wheel drive car is much better. I have lived here all my life and none of my daily drivers fell apart because of the snow. Once the roads dry up, the vette comes out.
Pro
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 624
Likes: 1
From: Northern NJ
I'm guessing you don't work on cars. I read a post not long ago where someone was replacing some rusted away brake lines and a few of their tunnel plate bolts snapped off. That's what salt does. Despite being called a plastic car, there is a lot of steel and aluminum under the shell. Salt also destroys bridges, sewers and other infrastructure. Why do you think it is never used on airport runways?
Myself (and others it seems) prefer not to have our expensive toys destroyed. I don't even drive my Dakota in that crap unless I have to. I have an 03 Saturn Wagon with a total investment of $4300 for those duties. When it wears out or the salt desolves it, I'll get another beater. The good stuff stays in the garage.
Myself (and others it seems) prefer not to have our expensive toys destroyed. I don't even drive my Dakota in that crap unless I have to. I have an 03 Saturn Wagon with a total investment of $4300 for those duties. When it wears out or the salt desolves it, I'll get another beater. The good stuff stays in the garage.
Pro
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 624
Likes: 1
From: Northern NJ
Just ran in to the local NAPA and it's in piles at all the intersections. Thing is no one wants to find a slippy spot anywhere these days despite where they live. I was sliding a go-cart around on red dog roads at 12yo so it doesn't scare me so much.
I'm one of those nut jobs that , in my younger days, would actually go out and ride around when the roads got bad. Doing donuts in the snow covered Hill's Dept Store parking lot on a Sunday evening was always good for a laugh. That was with my 65 GTO.... ahhhh them were the days.
I'm one of those nut jobs that , in my younger days, would actually go out and ride around when the roads got bad. Doing donuts in the snow covered Hill's Dept Store parking lot on a Sunday evening was always good for a laugh. That was with my 65 GTO.... ahhhh them were the days.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,606
Likes: 355
From: Rochester New York
Like someone said before, if you work on your own cars, salt is the devil. It takes a lot more than just washing the salt off. Salt dust will get into spots you can't just wash off, and mix it with some water and in no time you've got rust. Part of the enjoyment of these cars for many of us is keeping it as nice as possible. Keep our cars away from salt is one of the ways we do this. To each their own, for those who don't care, drive it!
Be thankful the majority of Corvette owners don't drive their cars in the snow and salt. It's part of why a real nice C5 is still at upper $20k prices.
Be thankful the majority of Corvette owners don't drive their cars in the snow and salt. It's part of why a real nice C5 is still at upper $20k prices.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,594
From: Western NY
Like someone said before, if you work on your own cars, salt is the devil. It takes a lot more than just washing the salt off. Salt dust will get into spots you can't just wash off, and mix it with some water and in no time you've got rust. Part of the enjoyment of these cars for many of us is keeping it as nice as possible. Keep our cars away from salt is one of the ways we do this. To each their own, for those who don't care, drive it!
Be thankful the majority of Corvette owners don't drive their cars in the snow and salt. It's part of why a real nice C5 is still at upper $20k prices.
Be thankful the majority of Corvette owners don't drive their cars in the snow and salt. It's part of why a real nice C5 is still at upper $20k prices.
People who don't deal with road salt just don't understand. Secondly, although it hasn't been mentioned yet, there are plenty of crazies slippin and slidin around in their rentals (lease cars), because they won't invest in winter tires since it's not really their car. It's just too risky to cruise around in the 'Vette in the winter...
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this Vette from the swift completion of it's appointed rounds" 
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,594
From: Western NY
