Miata Mailing List: January 1994, Message #113
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   From: Ken Warren 
Subject: Re: snow tires
   Date: Mon, 17 Jan 1994 17:05:28 -0500

On Mon, 17 Jan 1994 capek@peach.rtsg.mot.com wrote:

> Since I have to drive my Miata year 'round, snow tires are a must.  I put
> on four Pirelli 210 Ps and am very pleased with their performance.  They
> stick so well that you tend to get very over-confident.  That is, until you
> hit your first patch of glare ice.  Went over a railroad bridge this morning
> on the way to work.  Did the sideways Texas two-step in a blink.  Years
> of Chicago snow has taught me well, though.  No suddenly movements of anything.
> Just a little off the gas and got the snows to hook up on some rough spots.
> Skip Barber would have nodded well done.  Taught the persons behind and in the
> other lane the disadvantage of following too close.

One of the advantages of rear wheel drive, IMO, is that you can recover
from a slide. I've got lots of seat time in both FWD and RWD, and in
*really* low traction conditions, I'll take RWD any day. Of course, the
Miata *is* a little light for best results... :)

> 
> QUESTION FOR OTHER MIATA OWNERS:
> 
> Do you find that other driver stop very close to the back of your car?
> 
> My theory is that people unconsciously judge stopping distance by the apparent 
> size of the car, not the actual separation.  Either that or they feel that
> they can intimidate a smaller car in front of them.  Any opinions?

Absolutely. However, only people in other *cars* do it, in my experience.
People in sport-utes tend not to, and truck drivers don't ever do it. Or
maybe they do, but the vehicle is already so intimidating I don't notice
it's a little close? 

Size is a definite cue to distance. People know that cars are x by y by z,
and therefore they can be u size and still be a safe distance. I get
people follwing me down the PA Turnpike at whetever speed I like to drive
that day who are *far* closer to me than they were to the last guy they
followed for 10 miles. :)

--
Ken
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           Ken Warren               E-Mail: kenw@netaxs.com
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