A scary trip

[Easy Drifter]

I drive our Company's 3/4 ton 2005 GMC van most of the time. It was bought used and was a rental Co. job. The tires are the cheap General All Weather, good under no conditions, terrible in the snow. A couple of other problems are typical GM. The power steering is such that there is absolutely no feel so you have to watch carefully or you will wander at the best of times. Just changing a heater control will cause you to veer. The throttle also has no feel so trying to maintain a steady speed is difficult. OK for big city driving but awful on the highway.
Sat. heading home (12K on a highway) conditions were terrible. Snow covered road with icy patches, high gusty winds that moved the beast around and poor visiblity. Temp about -20c. Speed limit 80k but I wasn't over 50 and usually less.
Heater on full blast set on inside, not windshield. A little fogging on side windows. Normal cure either put air conditioner on or crack a window. No way I was taking a hand off the wheel to fumble with either.
Thermostat opens up and I could feel a blast of very moist hot air. Instant total fogging and freezing of all windows. Zero visibility. Very impressive GM.
I know the road and knew I was about 200 yds. from the Park Street exit to Victoria Harbour. I live at the other end of the Harbour. Off the throttle and more or less coast to where I can barely make out the posts at the exit. Steer between them, I hope, and stop on ramp. Dangerous as heck but I cannot see SFA. Open window and watch cloud of steam leave. Lucky as window is normally frozen shut. More good design. Scrape enough ice off inside of windshield to see road. Get the H--l off of ramp. Put heater control on to windshield and shortly can see again. Drive home through town able to see.
After over 100 years you would think GM could figure out how to make a better product.
Any way about as scared as I have ever been in a vehicle. Since I raced (and rallied) for many years I have had my share of incidents!

[Daniel]

My best was when I was driving an Audi 80 and heard a pop and then instantly the windows misted up and the footwells filled with hot water. Luckily I was only about 200 metres from home so I just wiped the window down and then drove home and parked the PoS up. What was dumb was that I then drove it to work the next day with the windows open and steam pouring out the windows. I admitted defeat in the evening though and called the AA out and they bypassed the heater. If the heater had gone pop any other time I think it would have been a lot more dangerous :uhoh:

[leopard]

I think it's a standard condition that if we want more visibility in the wet weather, cars like van (GMC or whatever the brand) which have relative standing windshield is the right choice than sedan. Although it has aerodynamic disadvantage to gain some speed, I don't think we need to drive fast in the wet.

Besides using double blower of AC, you might forget to use foglight. Certain cars have been equipped with this lamp but for the best result it's recommendable to put additional yellow lamp in the car the use of which mostly in the wet or snowing weather.

[Easy Drifter]

Note temp. Minus 20c. or about 3 below F. Windows misted and instantly froze solid on inside. It was daylight and snowing hard. I don't care what lights you have (and mine were on) when the inside of the windshield is ice covered you can see diddley squat! It was the sudden blast of hot moist air when the engine thermostat opened at operating temp. after I had travelled about 10 K.
Normally, provided my side window wasn't frozen shut, I could have opened it or put A/C on. Both would have stopped problem but conditions were such I needed both hands on the wheel. The question is why is there a blast of moist air when the thermostat operates as it should and opens when the engine reaches operating temp?

[RichardM]

Unlike Fords, GM use a regulating valve in the hot water line to control temperature. Ford uses a blend valve to mix hot and cold air. Just thinking as I type so ignore any thing not making sense. Why the moist air in the cabin when the thermostat opens? Pressures change in the water system is one thing that happens. Do you smell antifreeze inside the van? If so, you may have a leak in the system that is intermittent. Check the hose connections for signs of a leak.

[Easy Drifter]

More likely all the snow on the floor.

[RichardM]

Ah, the engine gets up to temperature, puts heat in the coils and melts the snow putting warm moist air in the cabin of the van. Here in Texas, we don't claim to know a lot about snow. And if you saw the traffic last week when it snowed twice, you would know that was a true statement for sure. :)

[leopard]

great, if you have stock of bottled tea available in the car it doesn't need any effort to make some ice tea for free. It really make a sense. :)

[Magnus]

I do not no of any cars in sweden whcih don´t have fog-lights.

[leopard]

Not sure, Alain Frost said that such additional fog-light is helpful.

[Magnus]

Yep, but as far as i recall Alain Prost is not from sweden ;)

[leopard]

yep absolut, I know he said so because I read magazine ;)

[Easy Drifter]

Aircraft Landing lights wouldn't help with the frost on the inside of the windshield! I have had it happen before but usually just moisture and I could get at the heater A/C controls. This was broad daylight with an icy/snow covered road and high gusty winds. Both hands needed on the wheel.
I am used to poor roads. I have been driving for over 50 years and have rallied in the winter. Since the first of Dec. I do not think we have had more than 6 or 7 days without snow. Midland, about 20k away, has had over 400cm of snow so far. We are all, in central and Eastern Canada, likely to set new records. Global warming?

[RichardM]

Sure an aircraft landing light would have helped you. Those suckers put out lots of heat. If it had been mounted on the dash, it would have kept the windshield nice and toasty. Okay, that was a smart alec answer and certainly not what the poster who suggested extra lighting meant. :)

[Easy Drifter]

Hey, I am a great one for smart cracks myself. Back in the 60's we had a windshield mounted adjustable spotlight (Helspos???) for rallying. Great for when the jerk coming at you wouldn't dim his lights. Worked every time!
We also had a runway landing light liberated from Gimli (disused part). Never could get it working. Probably 440 and we only had 220.

[leopard]

How could you both live with such hardship of a region? :)

[Easy Drifter]

Being crazy helps. Hey, different seasons. Everything turning green in the spring. Reds, oranges, yellows in the fall. White winters, ice fishing, snowmobilers killing themselves, people from the the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) flipping SUV's on their way to and from ski hills. They haven't figured out they go better in the snow but do not stop or turn any better and roll over easy. Great fishing, boating and swimming in the summer. Come on summer!!!!

[RichardM]

Easy Drifter, I hear summer is beautiful up there in Canada, especially if it comes on a weekend. :)
Richard in Texas where it is supposed to be 86F/30C today

[Easy Drifter]

Really great if it is a long weekend!!

[leopard]

The only thing I can do driving in pouring rain is turning AC on and that extra light, master headlight will not make a sense. Those are doing ice racing tend to do the same. I don't know if ice and anything there are different. However in case unpleased with my idea, please apologize. :)