Road salt

[BrookieChaser]

Unfortunately it's getting to be that time of year in PA.
This video popped up on my youtube. I know the topic has been discussed here. It's nothing new, and won't change anything, but it's the first I've heard it brought to the general public's attention.

 

[Swattie87]

Just rock me to sleep tonight BC will ya!

Washed and waxed my 4R yesterday. She’s still only seen snow twice at 42k miles, only once on purpose…Caught a bad squall on the way home from Penns in March one time. I try to get it out once a month or so over the Winter, just to run it, but I try to find a window where it’s rained at least once since the last snow AND the roads are completely dry. It’s definitely sat 6 weeks or more (not really good for it) waiting for such a window before. But my wife said I’m allowed to “keep” one vehicle. And I intend to keep this one. So I really try to not let it see salt period.

Gotta do my daily yet for the Winter. She doesn’t get quite the life of the 4R.

But yeah, not good for our water clearly either. Everyone who I’ve ever known who has driven a car on snow tires (the new “all-weather”, not “all-season”, category are pretty good too) once, immediately buys them. Yes, they make that much of a difference. Give me tires, keep the salt.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I agree Swattie.

If people would just prepare for snow, with tires like you said (and chains), and learn to drive in it, they wouldn't have to use the salt and calcium they do. That's how they used to handle winters. But I'm sure nowadays there's a lawsuit waiting if they wouldn't treat the roads.

 

[tomgamber]

They didn't salt in Idaho. Just cinders.

 

[poopdeck]

I’m the same, I do not drive my truck, currently a 4WD GMC 3500, crew cab, long box dually, in the winter. I didn’t drive my old 2003 GMC 2500 in the winter. Not just when there was snow or salt on the road, winter as a whole. I plug my trucks into a battery tender and say goodbye until the spring striper run. When I traded in the 2003 on the 2026 the appraiser actually came out and told me he looks at trucks that are less than five years old and the frames are not nearly in as good shape. He asked me what I do to prevent frame rot. When I told him I don’t drive it in winter he looked at me sideways. My wife knows if the weather or roads are bad we are driving the oldest car in the fleet.

 

[TerrellBFly]

no Salt, no STEEL!

Funny how we still salt our fish, anyways.

 

[Swattie87]

I’m the same, I do not drive my truck, currently a 4WD GMC 3500, crew cab, long box dually, in the winter. I didn’t drive my old 2003 GMC 2500 in the winter. Not just when there was snow or salt on the road, winter as a whole. I plug my trucks into a battery tender and say goodbye until the spring striper run. When I traded in the 2003 on the 2026 the appraiser actually came out and told me he looks at trucks that are less than five years old and the frames are not nearly in as good shape. He asked me what I do to prevent frame rot. When I told him I don’t drive it in winter he looked at me sideways. My wife knows if the weather or roads are bad we are driving the oldest car in the fleet.

My daily is currently a Chevy 2500 4WD CC with the 6.6 gasser. We needed two large vehicles that could accommodate rear facing car seats without pushing me (6’0) into the steering wheel up front. Realistically, the only vehicles that do this well, with any reasonable amount of usable cargo space (also a priority with two infants) are minivans, full size body on frame SUV’s, and full size pickups. 3 row midsize SUV’s are a joke. My wife already had a Sienna, which is awesome and we love (with Bridgestone all weather tires on it), so I didn’t want to get a second minivan. Modern half ton picks ups and full size body on frame SUV’s all suffer from a similar myriad of reliability issues mostly stemming from the fuel saving and emissions related equipment on them. HD (gas anyway, diesels are different) trucks don’t have any of this, so the 3/4 ton gas engine versions from GM, Ford, and Ram are all picking up in sales right now. Clearly I’m not the only one who came to that conclusion. It was $995 more for an equitably trimmed 2500 with a 6.6, than a 1500 with a 5.3. The 1500 with a 6.2 (major reliability issues), would have been more than the 2500! I assume the government will figure this trend out, and start requiring some of this junk on the HD’s too.

Anyway, I really like the truck, but it does get daily’d in Winter right now. If it gets salty, the undercarriage gets power washed as soon as the roads dry. In Spring I spend a Saturday underneath it cleaning it as best I can. The usual stuff, do what you can do. But, if emissions junk comes for the HD’s, my wife will likely see me attempt an angle that this truck (with no emissions crap on it) also needs to be kept. 😜

Get the kids front facing with smaller car seats and I’ll buy a used Outback XT to commute with and run around in the snow with. No better car for that.

 

[Solitariolupo]

If your worried about the precious trout don’t they used to live in salt. It’s are fish that don’t have scales that will take a beating.

 

[jifigz]

If your worried about the precious trout don’t they used to live in salt. It’s are fish that don’t have scales that will take a beating.

Hmmmm. The only fish I can think of in PA that don't have scales are catfish and American eels. Catfish are tough as nails, and I am pretty sure they'll be just fine.

Your post has me a little baffled. Yes, trout can tolerate salinity, and there are sea-run brooks and browns and rainbows, but......that doesn't mean that road salt washing into the stream is a good thing for them.

 

[falcon]

The salt usually gets washed into the streams when water levels are high. Thar helps somewhat.

 

[Solitariolupo]

Hmmmm. The only fish I can think of in PA that don't have scales are catfish and American eels. Catfish are tough as nails, and I am pretty sure they'll be just fine.

Your post has me a little baffled. Yes, trout can tolerate salinity, and there are sea-run brooks and browns and rainbows, but......that doesn't mean that road salt washing into the stream is a good thing for them.

When did I say that, that was a good thing for them.


Salt hurts more freshwater fish that don’t have scales more than fish with scales. If it’s going to start killing fish you’ll probably see those fish die off first.



Also a little salt in the waters is actually good as it kills parasites.

 

[tomgamber]

I read it again and still not sure what he said. 🤣

 

[poopdeck]

My daily is currently a Chevy 2500 4WD CC with the 6.6 gasser. We needed two large vehicles that could accommodate rear facing car seats without pushing me (6’0) into the steering wheel up front. Realistically, the only vehicles that do this well, with any reasonable amount of usable cargo space (also a priority with two infants) are minivans, full size body on frame SUV’s, and full size pickups. 3 row midsize SUV’s are a joke. My wife already had a Sienna, which is awesome and we love (with Bridgestone all weather tires on it), so I didn’t want to get a second minivan. Modern half ton picks ups and full size body on frame SUV’s all suffer from a similar myriad of reliability issues mostly stemming from the fuel saving and emissions related equipment on them. HD (gas anyway, diesels are different) trucks don’t have any of this, so the 3/4 ton gas engine versions from GM, Ford, and Ram are all picking up in sales right now. Clearly I’m not the only one who came to that conclusion. It was $995 more for an equitably trimmed 2500 with a 6.6, than a 1500 with a 5.3. The 1500 with a 6.2 (major reliability issues), would have been more than the 2500! I assume the government will figure this trend out, and start requiring some of this junk on the HD’s too.

Anyway, I really like the truck, but it does get daily’d in Winter right now. If it gets salty, the undercarriage gets power washed as soon as the roads dry. In Spring I spend a Saturday underneath it cleaning it as best I can. The usual stuff, do what you can do. But, if emissions junk comes for the HD’s, my wife will likely see me attempt an angle that this truck (with no emissions crap on it) also needs to be kept. 😜

Get the kids front facing with smaller car seats and I’ll buy a used Outback XT to commute with and run around in the snow with. No better car for that.

I owned 5 cars at one time. Actually my wife had four and I had one. I’m down to 3 with two drivers. I like having extra cars. My wife works from home and I’m retired so we don’t have to drive every day. When I did work I had a company car to drive. My 3rd car is a Subaru Outback XT. We are getting ready to replace the 2014 Murano probably with another Murano and we are thinking of keeping the old one as our snow/Hoboken car. It only has 56K mikes on it and I’d rather keep than get lowballed on the trade in.

As far as road salt goes, I’m a proponent for the safety factor but some towns way over use it. I don’t care what kind of tires you have your still sliding on ice and thats why there is road salt. Chains, no thanks.