It's salt season again

[slacktide_bitog]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Here they use sand because it's too cold for salt to work.

Calcium chloride works to -60

Also, sand is really nasty and clogs sewer systems

So what's your solution instead of salt? Just let the snow/ice buildup so cars can't even drive anymore? I guess they won't rust out if you can't go to work.

There are other alternatives such as calcium magnesium acetate (CMA)

 

[92saturnsl2]

Calcium chloride works to -60

Proof? I've always heard that -25F is its practical limit as a deicer.

It's also one of the worst offenders for corrosion if an inhibitor is not added.

 

[c502cid]

I was always impressed with Colorado's handling of snow treatment, least around the area I lived (Colo Spgs). A majority of the time, nothing but sand and sunshine. In very cold weather or re-freeze conditions they'd use magnesium chloride spray, either as a pre or post treatment. My 1985 F-250 that spent its whole life in Colorado had no rust other than in the usual cosmetic places in the sheet metal-- wheel arches and behind the front fenders. When I sold it in 2018, the fella that bought it here in KY (I brought it with me when I moved here in 2017) thought it was unbelievable how rust-free it was given the age.

I'm going to b*tch about Colorado snow treatment just because I can. Mag chloride, while doesn't eat sheet metal like salt, keeps the ABS/wheel sensor people in business, it's horrible on electronics. They just dump it on roads here, it's like driving on a chemical river on most highways and local roads. Even the local self service car washes have a mag chloride neutralizer setting, it's slimy and doesn't come off easy.
Sanding the roads, some seasons it's more like graveling the roads because we lead the nation in windshield repair. It also contributes to our winter brown cloud....saying that, I'd rather have the traction, so I can't b*tch too much.

I suppose I'll take what we have over salt, but it still isn't a great answer.

Lastly, no one listen to 92Saturn at all. We never have sunshine here. It's colder than the North Pole and stays that way year round. The state is full anyhow.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Proof? I've always heard that -25F is its practical limit as a deicer.

It's also one of the worst offenders for corrosion if an inhibitor is not added.

Yeah, I have heard the practical limit being -25, though I have seen freezing points of calcium chloride-water solution to be as low as -60

Both numbers are mentioned on this page

 

[Kurtatron]

I spent my Christmas vacation in Florida. I am already trying to move there. I have spent every Christmas there last 30 years.

I don’t understand it. Everyone says the summers up north are so great yada yada. Last summer was a joke! It literally rained 50% of all summer days and other days it was just overcast. I have to endure a horrible winter for a marginally small chance of a few nice days? Oh, and in August it is just as hot and humid as Florida!

Florida winter kicks the pants off of Northern Summers. Much more sunshine, consistent weather. I am so done with the Midwest. I want out.

 

[Accent Abuser]

ODOT loves to waste salt here in Ohio. That and brine get spread like its free. If they are even calling for flurries they are dumping the stuff heavy. The county I'm in will use sand and cinders when the salt supply is low but not very often. I hate the the salt and brine because it eats up everything metal and dry rots anything rubber.

I seen an article last week how road salt is getting into our drinking water supply and causing problems with aquatic life in streams and rivers. Really doesn't surprise me at all having lived in northern Ohio my whole life. When they treat the roads here they make black top roads look white with all the salt and thats no exaggeration. All that run off from the roads can't be good for water supply or environment.

They do the same here in Mass. You'd think they're trying to pave a gravel road with rock salt, and that's not even hyperbole. They will lay it on thick any time the temperature drops below freezing even when there's no snow. There's really no other good solution except maybe some massive infrastructure plan to put heating elements in the road. Ethylene glycol, toxicity to wildlife aside, will eat your paint off.

Best thing to do is extremely frequent washing and use something like FF. I have almost no rust on my car just from hosing the underside 3-4x a week during salt season.

 

[doublebase]

I was always impressed with Colorado's handling of snow treatment, least around the area I lived (Colo Spgs). A majority of the time, nothing but sand and sunshine. In very cold weather or re-freeze conditions they'd use magnesium chloride spray, either as a pre or post treatment. My 1985 F-250 that spent its whole life in Colorado had no rust other than in the usual cosmetic places in the sheet metal-- wheel arches and behind the front fenders. When I sold it in 2018, the fella that bought it here in KY (I brought it with me when I moved here in 2017) thought it was unbelievable how rust-free it was given the age.

If I’m not mistaken, that treatment spray is worse than road salt.

 

[doublebase]

They do the same here in Mass. You'd think they're trying to pave a gravel road with rock salt, and that's not even hyperbole. They will lay it on thick any time the temperature drops below freezing even when there's no snow. There's really no other good solution except maybe some massive infrastructure plan to put heating elements in the road. Ethylene glycol, toxicity to wildlife aside, will eat your paint off.

Best thing to do is extremely frequent washing and use something like FF. I have almost no rust on my car just from hosing the underside 3-4x a week during salt season.

I try to spray my undercarriage down once a week in the winter months, the thing I question is...am I just washing off my fluid film? I guess it doesn’t matter, it’s still better than doing nothing I suppose. But it pains me to see what happens longterm to our vehicles up here in the north east, compared to down south. I’m jealous of those folks.

 

[doublebase]

Not so much worried about salt, moreso the endless amount of folks that don't take it careful when required. Caught these four on my holiday trip from IL to CO. The first two trucks passed me only minutes prior; the black dually throwing up snow and ice on everybody's windshield.

View attachment 83153
View attachment 83154
View attachment 83155

Yeah, I find the pickup trucks are now some of the riskiest drivers on the road in winter now...they put it in 4WD and think they’re invincible. Often on questionable tires.

But the worst offenders I see - and the most dangerous - are the old Chrysler minivans. These things were terrible in the snow when they were NEW. Now I see 15 year old minivans bombing up and down the highway in the middle of a snow storm like they’re driving a tank. Shocks blown out all around, thing bouncing all over the place. Then I see them in a ditch somewhere further up the highway. Blows my mind.

 

[demarpaint]

We were "supposed" to get a dusting to an inch of snow yesterday. Since we haven't had any snow yet, the town decided to salt the roads in anticipation, and call in extra help for OT pay, something they do from time to time to burn up money and take care of their own. In any event it didn't snow and now the roads are a salty mess. Our taxes could be a lot less if they responsibly managed money. Why trim grass on the local ball field on a Sunday when nothing is going on all week? Oh there's plenty more examples of waste!! Rant off.

 

[Skippy722]

Yeah, I find the pickup trucks are now some of the riskiest drivers on the road in winter now...they put it in 4WD and think they’re invincible. Often on questionable tires.

But the worst offenders I see - and the most dangerous - are the old Chrysler minivans. These things were terrible in the snow when they were NEW. Now I see 15 year old minivans bombing up and down the highway in the middle of a snow storm like they’re driving a tank. Shocks blown out all around, thing bouncing all over the place. Then I see them in a ditch somewhere further up the highway. Blows my mind.

I wouldn’t say those old vans were terrible, but my dad always put decent tires on it… Then again I was 16.

And now I realize I’ve been driving for over 10 years and am ever closer to being 30 so now I’m sad.

 

[PF52]

sometimes there is more salt on road than snow.. in NE ohio.. no joke... and I'm not even talking the extreme lake effect areas..
only secondary snow belt here.

Here in the Chicago area, there was a New Years Eve some years ago where it snowed about two inches - not unusual for Chicago - but for some reason the city or the state had decided to give all the salt truck and snowplow drivers the night off and so they did nothing. The snow quickly turned into black ice as people drove over it. By morning, there were hundreds of cars wrecked on the expressways. There was the usual finger-pointing afterward, and as a result every municipality now overdoes it with salt. Two inches of snow? Let's put down six inches of salt! They use so much salt now they start warning us we'll run out of it by February. Every year.

I love winter, so I'm not going to complain too much. I finally realized it's better to just keep a winter beater and drive it any time there is salt on the road. The good car can stay in the garage, clean and dry. And the beater can sit outside and drip nasty gray salty slush in the driveway and not in the garage.

 

[64bawagon]

I spent my Christmas vacation in Florida. I am already trying to move there. I have spent every Christmas there last 30 years.

I don’t understand it. Everyone says the summers up north are so great yada yada. Last summer was a joke! It literally rained 50% of all summer days and other days it was just overcast. I have to endure a horrible winter for a marginally small chance of a few nice days? Oh, and in August it is just as hot and humid as Florida!

Florida winter kicks the pants off of Northern Summers. Much more sunshine, consistent weather. I am so done with the Midwest. I want out.

You forgot about all the mosquito's that the rain brought.

 

[64bawagon]

Here in the Chicago area, there was a New Years Eve some years ago where it snowed about two inches - not unusual for Chicago - but for some reason the city or the state had decided to give all the salt truck and snowplow drivers the night off and so they did nothing. The snow quickly turned into black ice as people drove over it. By morning, there were hundreds of cars wrecked on the expressways. There was the usual finger-pointing afterward, and as a result every municipality now overdoes it with salt. Two inches of snow? Let's put down six inches of salt! They use so much salt now they start warning us we'll run out of it by February. Every year.

I love winter, so I'm not going to complain too much. I finally realized it's better to just keep a winter beater and drive it any time there is salt on the road. The good car can stay in the garage, clean and dry. And the beater can sit outside and drip nasty gray salty slush in the driveway and not in the garage.

I miss being able to buy a 10 yr old Pontiac for a few hundred bucks and getting an entire winter of fun out of it.

 

[Delta]

Maryland must get an abundance of the brine junk. There was a 30% chance of just flurries and they do this crap!

Good thing there's a heavy dose of Cosmoline on the frame of the Taco...

PA doesn't use as much of the brine, but uses the Hell outta the rock salt. It's like you're driving on gravel roads. My fender flares are chipped up pretty bad after only one winter...

 

[zzyzzx]

sometimes there is more salt on road than snow.. in NE ohio.. no joke... and I'm not even talking the extreme lake effect areas..
only secondary snow belt here.

That happens here too. Sometimes they pre-treat and then the snow doesn't materialize.

 

[doublebase]

I wouldn’t say those old vans were terrible, but my dad always put decent tires on it… Then again I was 16.

And now I realize I’ve been driving for over 10 years and am ever closer to being 30 so now I’m sad.

AWD or the front wheel drive? Because the weight distribution in those front wheel drive vans left a lot to be desired, IMO.

 

[zzyzzx]

I spent my Christmas vacation in Florida. I am already trying to move there. I have spent every Christmas there last 30 years.

I don’t understand it. Everyone says the summers up north are so great yada yada. Last summer was a joke! It literally rained 50% of all summer days and other days it was just overcast. I have to endure a horrible winter for a marginally small chance of a few nice days? Oh, and in August it is just as hot and humid as Florida!

Florida winter kicks the pants off of Northern Summers. Much more sunshine, consistent weather. I am so done with the Midwest. I want out.

Same here, except the summers in Central Maryland are hot and humid to the point where I'm really not expecting any difference in Florida, except for the UV index (which is already a problem for be here, but I will deal with it).

 

[Duffyjr]

I have my old 89 Sierra that pulls duty when salt/brine/gravel is laid down, I try not to drive my Lucerne during this time.

Just another reason I refuse to pay enormous amounts of money for a vehicle.

 

[Car guy]

I’m retired and my wife works 5 minutes a day so we drive our 2012 Fiat 500 in the winter and store the new cars during winter. I get the unlimited monthly car wash for $20 a month during the winter month and use it everyday.