Icy roads - steep hills - tire solutions?

[GJM]

YVK, my darling wife and I have been giving much thought to a solution for your downhill commute to the hospital.

1) our first solution is this helicopter, since there is a pad at the hospital. Might not work because we know you are afraid of small planes.



2) our next thought was something with four wheels but more capable than your SUV. Of course that is not practical with your limited garage space.



3) here is our third and final solution.

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

We live on a bench with a fairly steep and twisty road out of the neighborhood. With snow on the ground and temps fluctuating from above to below freezing we sometimes have ice problems. Few years back I wrecked a RAV4 after an uncontrollable slide. Today my wife was unable to drive down and barely returned back home. I was able to get out, sliding in a couple of spots and almost taking out somebody's mailbox along the way. I was literally going 1-3 mph. Both of our cars are small SUVs, AWD, ABS, and we always put winter tires for the season. I'm not sure what else I can do to mitigate the risk. Not sure if tire chains are practical or even allowed by the city.
Wife's car tires are 255/45 R20, mine are 265/40 R21 front and 295/35 R21 rear. Ideas?

Part of the solution to this problem may be relational and not a hardware one. From what I have surmised of your vocation , you have very legitimate public interest needs to get to the hospital ASAP when called. Would you feel comfortable talking with your local Public Works Director and Fire Captain? You can articulate that you have had problem with getting out over a long period of time and in most places Fire Departments are 24 hr operations and so is Public Works when in winter operations snow removal mode. Getting you to work may not be their primary organizational need but I bet more than not, a decent civic minded leader of either organization would connect the dots and help with a plan, something like you walk out a couple blocks to an employee waiting in a truck etc. for emergency callouts in the night?

If pavement temperatures hover near freezing frequently, pretreatment of the roadways with winter chemicals before the storm (NaCL, MgCl, "Beet Juice" etc., whatever the agency is using) at hills, curves and intersections may result in higher levels of service overall for the City but that is a policy solution that would come interactions with the Public Works Director, Politicians and other influential Stakeholders.

In general, studded snow tires are the best hardware option IMO. My father lived on a steep hill that was also a dead end street (ie lowest priority for snow removal). He never got stuck in his POS Ford Aerostar after buying studded tires for the winter. As alluded to by others, you do loose studs with more frequent higher speed highway travel, there is more road noise and there is some compromise for breaking/ wet weather handling, but he was stranded without them.

[BN]

Are there any driving techniques that might help? Locked in a lower gear etc? Sometimes there's nothing that you can do but hold on.

I think @GJM's ATV Rider looks good, but I would need a heated cab.

[Dov]

Are there any driving techniques that might help? Locked in a lower gear etc? Sometimes there's nothing that you can do but hold on.

I think @GJM's ATV Rider looks good, but I would need a heated cab.

Auto Heat and Air Conditioning
With the optional automatic heat and air conditioning (cab with clear-side enclosure required), your R-Series machine automatically adjusts to maintain a constant temperature, keeping you comfortable and helping you focus on your work. Numerous vent locations allow you to stay comfortable and productive in the most extreme temperatures.

https://www.bobcat.com/na/en/equipme...remium-comfort

[YVK]

Thinking slightly outside the box.

Is there a safe place to park your daily driver or a winter beater car that is past the problematic hill that isn't terribly far away?

Could get a Snowmobile or ATV for short run between parking space and home for the worst days if you have to respond to call out?

No, unfortunately no place to park.
I am only half joking but on powder days getting down on skis would've been feasible, safer and more fun. Getting back up...

Part of the solution to this problem may be relational and not a hardware one. From what I have surmised of your vocation , you have very legitimate public interest needs to get to the hospital ASAP when called. Would you feel comfortable talking with your local Public Works Director and Fire Captain?

Not at all. We have incredible relationships with our first responders. Many of them end up working in my cath lab as techs, our main admin guy for that department is a former fire fighter. I used to give quarterly talks on cardiac emergencies to them. Sometimes they bring patients directly to the lab bypassing ER, and I let them stay in control room and watch as I work. We've spent a lot of years building that culture of continuity for the benefit of our community. Calling them for help is something I could certainly do if no other options existed.

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

No, unfortunately no place to park.
I am only half joking but on powder days getting down on skis would've been feasible, safer and more fun. Getting back up...



Not at all. We have incredible relationships with our first responders. Many of them end up working in my cath lab as techs, our main admin guy for that department is a former fire fighter. I used to give quarterly talks on cardiac emergencies to them. Sometimes they bring patients directly to the lab bypassing ER, and I let them stay in control room and watch as I work. We've spent a lot of years building that culture of continuity for the benefit of our community. Calling them for help is something I could certainly do if no other options existed.

Leveraging that relationship with first responders to smooth the way in engaging the Public Works Department seems like a logical next step to getting what you need...

[Erik]

If studded snows are the solution, then a second set of rims will make that a lot easier. It will be easier to get the tires you want; with a floor jack and an impact gun* you can swap all four wheels easily whenever you want; and they won't take up any more space than the tires alone would.

*Use a torque wrench for the final tightening on your lug nuts.

[Dov]

If studded snows are the solution, then a second set of rims will make that a lot easier. It will be easier to get the tires you want; with a floor jack and an impact gun* you can swap all four wheels easily whenever you want; and they won't take up any more space than the tires alone would.

*Use a torque wrench for the final tightening on your lug nuts.

Yeah just get the torque extension + sockets and use impact https://www.amazon.com/Torque-Impact.../dp/B07KN8T8Y3

[GJM]

If studded snows are the solution, then a second set of rims will make that a lot easier. It will be easier to get the tires you want; with a floor jack and an impact gun* you can swap all four wheels easily whenever you want; and they won't take up any more space than the tires alone would.

*Use a torque wrench for the final tightening on your lug nuts.

YVK is on a plane, so I can answer this. He needs to go from asleep, when on call, to the hospital and into the cath lab as fast as humanly possible, to open a clogged artery and minimize damage to a patient's heart. Every minute matters. It is completely unpredictable in that it takes him being on call, there being a patient emergency, and there being icy road conditions on the hill from his house down to the hospital. That means no time for putting on chains, changing tires, or calling public works.

[GJM]

My final suggestion -- this outside and plugged into an engine block heater. No windshield to have to clear snow and ice off of.