Chiberia Rising, in Pictures: Man, Last Night's Blizzard Sure Did Suck

"Earthbound And Down" (andrewkrok) 02/02/2015 at 12:03 • Filed to: None

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So, Chicago got somewhere around 16 inches of snow last night. Plows were forced to stay on major arteries all night, with orders to plow side streets only after the snow had stopped. Most side streets, as of this moment (11:08 a.m.) are still untouched, leaving drivers to contend with the shin-deep powder standing between them and the heavily-salted and nearly-clear roadways just a block or two away.

Instead of digging myself out from a three-foot snowdrift, which I will have to do at some point today anyway, I went out and took some pictures of the Snowpocalypse aftermath. Temperatures are hovering in the teens, with wind chills in the single digits. Fun!

No, arrest orders weren't issued for people on the road past 11 p.m. No, the trains and buses never stopped. And we're the Second City? Pfft. Sack up, New York.

Textured Soy Protein > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:15

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DIBS!

UncleWalty > Textured Soy Protein 02/02/2015 at 12:21

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This is common practice in Pittsburgh even when it isn't snowing.

finance-your-groceries > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:22

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In Canada, we call this a 'skiff' ....

SirPoopyPants > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:23

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I'm still seeing hipster shitheads riding bikes. I hope they crash.

Captain_Spadaro > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:23

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Didn't the city say that people couldn't do that anymore?

ghost650 > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:24

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Someone call that A4!

Vlan1 > UncleWalty 02/02/2015 at 12:24

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In Baltimore it's illegal.

timgray > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:26

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It stopped snowing in chicago at midnight. no excuse for them to have not hit the secondary roads by 7am.

Earthbound And Down > Captain_Spadaro 02/02/2015 at 12:26

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Yeah, but I think most people are going to give it a pass for now.

If it were three inches of snow, I'd be collecting new pieces of patio furniture. 16, I think I'll let it slide. It's not like a Streets & Sanitation truck will be coming by to take chairs any time soon. If they do, there'd better be a god damned plow attached to the front of it.

damnthisburnershitsux > Vlan1 02/02/2015 at 12:27

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In areas outside Boston it's legal to kill someone for moving your chair

The Ghost of ¯\_()_/¯ AKA BabySteps > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:27

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I haven't set foot outside yet. That will come in an hour or so. As for the car. . . I haven't driven it in about three weeks so I am sure the battery is dead by now. Since I ain't going anywhere anytime soon it is just going to stay in it's little spot for now.

Judd > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:28

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I learned the lesson yesterday that while snow tires are incredibly useful ground clearance is also very important. Got myself stuck at low speeds in about 13 inches of snow an hour or two after this picture.

Earthbound And Down > timgray 02/02/2015 at 12:28

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Oh, I agree. It just, you know, never happened. I bet they'll come through around 1-2pm today, once everybody's either left the street or realized they're fighting an uphill battle with regards to escaping.

Pensacola Ave. is fuuuuuuuuuuuucked .

Skamanda > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:28

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Subaru ain't even care. After I'm done with work for the day I'm taking mine out to play!

Heavy Petting Zoo > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:31

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One year we got 28 FEET of snow in one season. 2-3 feet in one storm was not uncommon. 16 inches? psssshaw That's called a light dusting...

Maxaxle > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:32

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...and I'm just sitting here in San Diego, complaining about 50- and 60-degree weather.

Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie > Skamanda 02/02/2015 at 12:33

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My hubby was asking me the same thing yesterday.

"So, when it's done snowing, can we take the Forester out to a parking lot and play?" all with a big shit-eating grin on his face.

O[][][][][][][]O ™ > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:34

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What's going on here? Saving a parking spot?

Thor's Hammered > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:36

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We got about a foot last night in Milwaukee. Everything looked very similar to your pics, but they did have most of the side streets already cleared.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:36

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I had plenty of fun with some friends from my Toyobaru club. A little ol' thing like a blizzard wasn't gonna stop us from getting some delicious ramen!

Mercedes Streeter > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:36

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The suburbs up near the Wisconsin border got hit worse. 18+ inches. Due to the position of the house, our driveway got three feet of snow from top to bottom. Then, since I live at an intersection of the neighborhood, the plow drivers gave zero fucks when dumping 6+ foot tall snow piles at the foot of the driveway.

But on the positive side: So much snow, the office isn't even open today!

Earthbound And Down > O[][][][][][][]O ™ 02/02/2015 at 12:37

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Yup. Welcome to the 'dibs' system, a completely illegal system built by folks who never learned to share.

JB1 > Captain_Spadaro 02/02/2015 at 12:37

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Doesnt chicago say they will throw away any thing left on the street to reserve parking spots? If so, it could be a good opportunity to leave all your old unwanted furniture out!

Southern_Expat > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:37

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Almost makes me miss Milwaukee. Almost.

But what I really miss, is how the city would go on about it's merry business even after a 20"+ dump. Being a Southern transplant who never had to deal with snow, it toughened me up real quick.

With that being said though...I now live in the desert.

Captain_Spadaro > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:37

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Point taken.

JB1 > Vlan1 02/02/2015 at 12:38

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What will the city do? How do they know who left the stuff on the street?

Schnell! > Judd 02/02/2015 at 12:40

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Ahhh, the "high-side" (in Minneapolis lingo)

User1312 > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:40

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Helped free half a dozen cars yesterday, walking to/from the grocery store. Winter tires, people. And how do I say "don't fucking floor it" in Spanish?

Schnell! > Maxaxle 02/02/2015 at 12:41

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I was just thinking this morning how weird the weather is. We can see ground here in MN and 20F felt cold yesterday... strange times indeed.

boredalways > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:42

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Stop your crying and go start a snowball fight...maybe a cop will role up on you gun drawn like NY

Derel1cte > Captain_Spadaro 02/02/2015 at 12:43

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I'm pretty sure these photos are from Mass. Space savers are completely legit here.

flabberboozled > JB1 02/02/2015 at 12:43

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Brilliant!

estorilsuprasedan > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:44

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Manhandled my WRX 30 miles from the suburbs to downtown yesterday midday. It was fun as hell!! The stock Dunlops suck though, definitely saving up for some Blizzaks next winter.

Derel1cte > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:44

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It's not illegal. In Boston it is allowed by the city to save your space for up to 2 days after a storm.

Rod Millington > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:44

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Got about 10 inches here in Buffalo. School still open because they used up all their snow days in the storm last year. Glad I live on a street with bus stops so it gets plowed regularly.

marcinmk > Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie 02/02/2015 at 12:45

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Roads weren't all that bad. It was mostly the drivers. Drove back downtown from IN, then up to Loyola, Wicker Park, downtown, Loyola, and back downtown last night. Only managed to get stuck once taking the R down a side street that was unplowed and the bumper decided to act like a plow. best driving since last year's blizzard :D

DeLM > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:45

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was delivering in it yesterday, saturn was surprisingly good in it. With that said, it still sucked.

5mtFXT > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:46

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Detroit got dumped on like this as well. I'm in the close suburbs and I had a 3 foot drift in front of my house and covering my driveway. My FXT handled it like a champ

MDTaddi > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:46

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I'm sorry, i was too busy digging out of 34 inches, plus the 12 I'm getting right now. #NewEnglandAintGotTimeForDat

Ltd783 > Skamanda 02/02/2015 at 12:47

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I've had my Outback for about a decade now, and snow to me still means one thing: Parking lot drift-time!!

Captain_Spadaro > JB1 02/02/2015 at 12:48

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I believe so, hence why I asked.

Full disclosure: I don't live in the city proper, I live in the suburbs.

DeLM > Mercedes Streeter 02/02/2015 at 12:49

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I am up in the borderlands too, that blowing snow is no joke. half the farm roads are 1 lane.

Judd > Derel1cte 02/02/2015 at 12:49

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Instead of digging myself out from a three-foot snowdrift, which I will have to do at some point today anyway, I went out and took some pictures of the Snowpocalypse aftermath.

Pretty sure that's Chicago, bro

asldkefojdsofjasdjf > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:49

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Counter point - A system hated by lazy fuckers who never learned to work for themselves.

Derel1cte > Judd 02/02/2015 at 12:50

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Ah, My mistake. Illinois plates look a lot like mass. plates when they're half covered in snow.

rudyH > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:51

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Hey....you know what would be news? A winter where it doesn't snow! Stupid stories.

detailer4u > JB1 02/02/2015 at 12:51

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Now that is thinking out side of the box you left out for them to pick up!

Earthbound And Down > asldkefojdsofjasdjf 02/02/2015 at 12:52

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Oh, I'm sorry, are you not familiar with the law? The one that points out that streets are property of the city, and that citizens don't get to run around claiming eminent domain?

rudyH > Captain_Spadaro 02/02/2015 at 12:52

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I grew up in Chicago on the South Side. You move someone's winter parking space marker and you're dead.....or WORSE!

Stang70Fastback > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:53

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Our little convoy of Chicagoland Toyobarus laughed in the face of this blizzard. Winter tires FTW!

Note that the BRZ ahead of me has a TWO inch suspension drop, and was still plowing like a champ through what was at least 6" of snow since the last time the plows had been through. She did get stuck two or three times but a little bit of rocking and some POWWEERRR got her going again! Needless to say, I was impressed how well our cars handled it. People were looking at us like we were nuts, lol.

rudyH > Skamanda 02/02/2015 at 12:53

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That's totally irresponsible of you. BTW Have fun!!!

Takuro Spirit > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:55

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We got hammered here in SE WI too, but not to the point that Illinois did. Highest totals were under a foot down south by the border in Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, but the drifts were mad deep, yo. Had a 13 incher myself. Rest of my area (north of Milwaukee) got 7-8 inches.

I'd be sort of thankful if the plows stayed off MY side street though. Fuckers left a 3 foot deep heavy chunky snowbank at the end of my driveway. Woke up early to deal with that shit, now my back feels like Mama Cass has been walking on it, yet I'm sure my wife (AWD CX-5) and I (snow tire shod Camry) would have no issues getting to the main highway, which was surprisingly clear of snow. In town.

Skamanda > Ltd783 02/02/2015 at 12:56

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That's easily half the reason I bought an Impreza again after owning a MINI for a few winters - and I've spent every free chance I got with enough space, sideways in the snow all over metro Detroit...

Takuro Spirit > estorilsuprasedan 02/02/2015 at 12:56

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Nice semaphore license plate.

detailer4u > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 12:58

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Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow.........................!

Seriously this weather does suck........but there can always be an upside........................

BionicPhil > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:01

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I had some help digging out this morning...

3.14 rad/s > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:02

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I took my Jeep out for some fun last night, but I had to dig out the Dodge Journey to take to work this morning. BTW, this is in Michigan, not Chicago, but we got 16.7" of snow too.

KnowNothingKnowItAll > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:03

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Damn. As a former resident, I really feel like Chicago the best, most livable major american city. But I dont miss this at all. Especially this time of year when it seems like winter has no beginning and no end.

The difference between snowfall like this in Chicago versus New York or Boston is that it could realistically take two weeks for it to get warm enough for this to melt. It seems like in the northeast, it doesn't stay below freezing for weeks at a t.

Pete Zapardi's Pizza Party > estorilsuprasedan 02/02/2015 at 13:04

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You're rockin' those OEM summer-only Dunlops in the snow? You're a brave soul my man. I'm taking delivery of my WRX this week and I'm not even driving the bastard home from the dealership without having winter tires put on it.

Serious Gord > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:04

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meh.

A heavy snowfall, sure, but nothing worth posting a dozen or more pictures of.

Come up to western Newfoundland where they get 200 inches of snow a year often with up to 100 mph winds (Google wreckhouse)

Gonemad > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:08

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So, that's why the windshield wipers are up: "Car buried here, no step."

If there was a single Tesla on that street, wouldn't that be the single car unblemished and free to move? I'm thinking the power to keep the batteries warm would be enough to melt the car from several inches of snow...

Vlan1 > JB1 02/02/2015 at 13:09

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I have no idea. I just remember damn near every time it snowed the news stations always reminded people that it was illegal and that Baltimore PD would be enforcing violations.

*shrugs*

Vintage1982Benz > UncleWalty 02/02/2015 at 13:11

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Philly, too.

Vintage1982Benz > SirPoopyPants 02/02/2015 at 13:12

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I'm amazed how many people try to bike in snow here in Chicago. Morons.

Jc Coello > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:12

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Not so Trail rated now huh?

deus ex plaustra > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:12

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18 inches of snow turned my Mazda6 into a Transit Connect.

DLu > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:13

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New England's turn today ...

Rocko > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:13

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The road crews kept the West Loop pretty clean. The G8 didnt get stuck!

m > asldkefojdsofjasdjf 02/02/2015 at 13:13

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Counter-counter-point: There's nothing lazy about choosing to park in the first available spot you find rather than endless circling around crowded, snow-covered streets wasting time, wasting fuel, and adding to congestion. In my experience, finding a spot in Chicagoland is hard. There just aren't enough street parking spots for everybody to have one at once. So when some jerk thinks he has a right to occupy a spot even when he's NOT using it, he's making the existing problem into an even worse one.

estorilsuprasedan > Pete Zapardi's Pizza Party 02/02/2015 at 13:13

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I go to school right now so the WRX was a very, very, very generous gift from my mom. Between my salary of ramen, used books and regret I can't swing new tires just yet, but this summer I'll work my ass off to get steelies and some real tires. Side note - you're going to love your WRX! It's a blast literally anywhere you go.

BunkerMan > finance-your-groceries 02/02/2015 at 13:14

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Yeah, tonight will be our third 16" blizzard this WEEK. No joke.

auzzya > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:14

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We delivered 25,000mt of salt from Windsor, Ontario to Chicago the day before this and I sure am glad we got out when we did. Listening to the radio, there was more than one tug and barge forced to tie up as the bridges in the Calumet river weren't opening due to snow clearance

estorilsuprasedan > Takuro Spirit 02/02/2015 at 13:15

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Confused on what that means - I googled semaphore, but means variable or abstract data. Is my plate data?

DLu > Skamanda 02/02/2015 at 13:15

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Sienna AWD, traction/stability off = fun for me in NH ... :D

gomjabber > Southern_Expat 02/02/2015 at 13:15

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Is winter....

(in Greater Milwaukee Metro)

lawlence > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:16

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Packed my wheels full of snow going through 3ft snowdrifts sideways yesterday. Fun!

MonkeePuzzle > Skamanda 02/02/2015 at 13:18

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out to play with the suby was always my reward for shoveling the driveway

drdude > Stang70Fastback 02/02/2015 at 13:18

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Your Series Blue has turned into a Series Brrrrr.
Or is it a BRRRrrrrrZ?

I donno. Its 65*F here.

Fragile_this_side_up > estorilsuprasedan 02/02/2015 at 13:21

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He's making fun of how fkn far out it sticks. Which, to be honest, looks ridiculous. BTW, let us know when you run into something by using summer tires in the snow. It's only a matter of time.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:21

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Looks about right here around Detroit. We too got about 16 inches. My Jeep was loving it last night and this morning. I have quite a few friends / co-workers who stayed home today cause they couldn't get out.

Fragile_this_side_up > Judd 02/02/2015 at 13:21

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SAAAB!!! :D

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow 02/02/2015 at 13:22

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Ha, thats funny. My friend with a FRS is stuck at his house. Too much snow for it to plow through.

R W > Vintage1982Benz 02/02/2015 at 13:30

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i love the people who bike and smoke a cig a the same time.

Stevie Welles > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:30

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Probably got about a foot here in Michigan. Great day to take out the Land Cruiser with snow-rated off-road tires! I was the only one at work this morning.

dkpjester > Stang70Fastback 02/02/2015 at 13:30

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Here's mine before digging it out. Blizzaks make this the best snow car I've ever driven.

450X_FTW > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:31

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Can't imagine doing that without having a driveway to park in. Here once they issue a snow emergency you have 24 hours to move your car or else they tow it.

PumpkinRider > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:32

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Since I live on the corner of my block next to a forest my driveway is located on a right angle to the actual street (its also like a 30ft distance to a dead end). The plow drivers missed the street that was in-between my driveway and the forest because the snow had piled on so high you couldn't see the street and it could easily be mistaken it for part of my lawn. I ended up calling my cities service center which apparently doesn't work on the weekends, so they redirected me to the cops for "emergency situations."

I don't like to bother the police, but my brother was going to be coming home anytime and i doubted he was going to plow through 6ft of snow with his rust bucket Lexus. The policewoman I talked to was pretty kind and just told me that their drivers were busy keeping to the main roads and were working on getting to all the smaller streets as soon as possible. After that, I decided to head outside for a minute and trample my feet around in snow by my house to spell out the word plow with an arrow. I would have added a please, but my legs were freezing enough. I figured that would be enough of a attention getter for the driver who would be sitting pretty high up in their truck. If not, I was sure my brother would try his best with his rust bucket Lexus conversion to snow plow.

But the driver did arrive, and my father commented on his majestic plowing skills as if his savior had just arrived for a second coming. Its too bad though, I was really looking forward to gathering data on that Lexus snow plow.

Earthbound And Down > 450X_FTW 02/02/2015 at 13:34

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I, luckily, have a garage to park in.

Here it is:

:\

Stang70Fastback > dkpjester 02/02/2015 at 13:34

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People see the light weight as a detriment in the snow, but I don't. It makes it really tossable in the snow, and the lack of inertia makes it much more willing to change direction and go around curves without sliding off the road. I love it. It's so 'friendly' that you can turn all the aids off and just drive it yourself and it's so easy to feel what the car is doing. And if it does get stuck, it does take 17 people to get it moving again.

icelandr > estorilsuprasedan 02/02/2015 at 13:35

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Lucky you made it, I took mine home on the Dunlops roughly 30 miles and drove it for 3 days before the winter tires were on it in November, just outside of Detroit metro.

I have driven on normal all-seasons my whole life growing up in North Dakota, so it didn't scare me although I wanted to have lots of winter fun plus I am out of school now too. I tend to think I am a rally driver, which started in the Trailblazer SS I had for college.

PatBateman > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:36

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F. THAT. S.

- Texan

R W > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:36

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it got real nasty real quick. was shopping on michigan, about 130 or so if went from winter wonderland to class 3 kstorm.

icelandr > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:40

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A foot and a half really isn't anything. Drove in a blizzard through Chicago in 2013 at 3am and the snowplows were slowing our caravan down (Dodge 2500 Cummins, Chevy 2500 Duramax, Chevy Trailblazer SS, and a Subaru Legacy). Not much slows down North Dakota/Rural Minnesota drivers.

Loping Camshaft > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:40

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#CarGuyProblems

Justbrowsing > asldkefojdsofjasdjf 02/02/2015 at 13:41

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I used to dig my car out of its snow-cave on the street, even while it was still snowing. I'd remove every flake of snow possible from my parking space on the street. It'd be this perfectly clear rectangle big enough to parallel park a Continental. I'd come home from work every day and remove any particles that strayed into my space from others who later dug out their cars. It would be perfect , spic and span at all times.

And I'd never drive my car away.

Ever. I'd leave it there until April, taunting anyone who patrolled my street, looking for a free pass on shoveling. I'd deliberately add 25 minutes to shopping trips, just to take the CTA and avoid moving the car. I'd cackle with glee when a moocher would slow down, thinking they might squeeze into some of the empty space I'd cleared, only to realize as they got next to it that I had perfectly positioned my car such that no other car could squeeze in front or behind and "space split". Sometimes, when it was 5:30 PM and I knew the moochers were patrolling like wolves rounding a rabbit hole, I'd go out and start my car and move it an inch forward, then leave, and come back a few later and move it back an inch, as the poor soles streamed by, their heads on a swivel, eyes bugging out, desperately seeking a place to stash their SUV for the night without risking a hair moving out of place due to manual effort.

Good times, always.

chicagoE36 > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:42

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Are you in Humboldt?

450X_FTW > Earthbound And Down 02/02/2015 at 13:43

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that, um, yeah that sucks, a lot

Takuro Spirit > estorilsuprasedan 02/02/2015 at 13:44

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Old school turn signal flag type dealie.

dkpjester > Stang70Fastback 02/02/2015 at 13:44

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I agree. It's easy to adjust from the rear when needed and it being light also means you don't have those pants crapping moments where you go to stop and the car just slides. LSD is good for keeping power down as well I think. Could do with more ground clearance (mild drop doesn't help), but otherwise I have no complaints.

estorilsuprasedan > Fragile_this_side_up 02/02/2015 at 13:48

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It's all season tires from the factory, not summer tires. And I used the Grimmspeed license plate relocator, and that spacing is the minimum it sticks out. I agree it's weird but there are no other relocation kits out yet for the new WRX.

I think tires are too low profile on new cars, so even all season tires lose their grip. The Camry I had before had 14 inch wheels with high profile Michelin's and it was better in the snow than the rex.