My Q5 saved our lives in today's Noreaster
12-27-2010, 10:30 AM
#11
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Bob
12-27-2010, 10:41 AM
#12
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So after a very good nights rest i am calm, lol. I would like to apologize for any spelling issues ahead of time. I have pics from the road at the end of the post.
Regarding tires, it has the stock Continental Cross Contancts on it.
So we started out in NH around 3pm. It started to get hairy as we made our way further south. By the time of the Mass-CT border it was getting bad. In CT we were in near-whiteout condition. The road was completely unplowed. There were traffic reports of near closing on I95 so the the GPS took us another way, RT 1 i think. The plan was the then take the Hutchinson to the Tapanzee. On rt. 1 we encountered cars stuck horizontally on hill climbs. Some were spinning tires and rolling back. It was a bit of an obstacle course at times. I found myself pulling around people to get ahead of the pack. I felt safer alone than in a tight pack where people were tailgating. I think could see a little better with well ambient light as well. When it came time to take the exit, we could only see the sign. It was impossible to see the ramp. I stopped the car to look out and saw a car that mis-judged the ramp location. It was in teh ditch, rear wheels in the air. We plowed ahead another 5 miles and got onto the saw mill south. The whiteouts were getting pretty bad but i figured we need to break through into the city and it would be better. All of a sudden we saw two disoriented drivers going the WRONG WAY on the highway. I cant imagine how scared/confused they were. Once we made it onto the Hudson Parkway it was pretty nice. LOTS of lighting and pretty well plowed roads. The Henry Hudson, West Side, Gowanus and Prospect Expressway were pretty good shape. Ocean PKWY (6 lane road) in Brooklyn was not clean, but two steady streams of traffic each way. I employed the "pass and leave behind method" in order to isolate myself from people that were not driving well. We had stop by the inlaws to pick up our dog. We turned onto Ave X and found one bus stock nearly blocking the whole road. The car in front of me tried to pass in the opposite lane but got stuck. I stopped. The car in back of me stopped and got stuck. I wiggled my way out of the parking spot (lol) and managed to find an opening onto the sidewalk, drove the corner and got onto the one way street where their house is. The street had not seen a plow the entire night. Not a single track in the snow. The Q5 killed it, cut is straight through to their house. We parked on a hydrant. got the dog. But we were stuck to get out. I am guessing because the car was got and sat around for about 15 minutes and settled. A little bit of chipping at the hard use under the tires and i was about to go. All of a sudden a guy pulls in on the corner from the WRONG direction and gets stuck blocking the entire street. He was stuck bad in a snow drift on a older minivan. I mananaged to drive onto the sidewalk and turn the car around. Back down the same street against traffic we made it to the corner. After some zig zaggins around a few stuck cars we had to make a turn onto a street that had snow drifts above the headlamps. The car slow down, but still pulled through. We were now on W6. the last major street in our journey home. It is usually a street that has Parking on one side, a bike lane, traffic lane, turning lane, traffic lane in the other direction, another bike lane and then parking. Yesterday it was one lane of semi-plow tracks in the middle of the street. I was going along pretty happy to be the only one, up the block a lincoln towncar flies around the corner, makes the turn in our direction, spins out and blcoks the whole blow zone horizontally. I couldnt backup as the side streets were a mess. I ended up getting some speed, going into the unplowed snow drifts on teh side of the road and going around him. He was out of the car trying to figure out what to do as we passed and i could see the aww in his face as we managed to get through. The car slowed, but again, never stalled.
Finally next to home i pulled into our garage and just spend a few minutes hugging the wife. 10 hours later it was finally over.
The conclusion is, Quattro proved itself. Audi fan for life!
The pics below are in focus. It really was that bad.
Before the storm:
During:
Finally Home:
My favorite:
Regarding tires, it has the stock Continental Cross Contancts on it.
So we started out in NH around 3pm. It started to get hairy as we made our way further south. By the time of the Mass-CT border it was getting bad. In CT we were in near-whiteout condition. The road was completely unplowed. There were traffic reports of near closing on I95 so the the GPS took us another way, RT 1 i think. The plan was the then take the Hutchinson to the Tapanzee. On rt. 1 we encountered cars stuck horizontally on hill climbs. Some were spinning tires and rolling back. It was a bit of an obstacle course at times. I found myself pulling around people to get ahead of the pack. I felt safer alone than in a tight pack where people were tailgating. I think could see a little better with well ambient light as well. When it came time to take the exit, we could only see the sign. It was impossible to see the ramp. I stopped the car to look out and saw a car that mis-judged the ramp location. It was in teh ditch, rear wheels in the air. We plowed ahead another 5 miles and got onto the saw mill south. The whiteouts were getting pretty bad but i figured we need to break through into the city and it would be better. All of a sudden we saw two disoriented drivers going the WRONG WAY on the highway. I cant imagine how scared/confused they were. Once we made it onto the Hudson Parkway it was pretty nice. LOTS of lighting and pretty well plowed roads. The Henry Hudson, West Side, Gowanus and Prospect Expressway were pretty good shape. Ocean PKWY (6 lane road) in Brooklyn was not clean, but two steady streams of traffic each way. I employed the "pass and leave behind method" in order to isolate myself from people that were not driving well. We had stop by the inlaws to pick up our dog. We turned onto Ave X and found one bus stock nearly blocking the whole road. The car in front of me tried to pass in the opposite lane but got stuck. I stopped. The car in back of me stopped and got stuck. I wiggled my way out of the parking spot (lol) and managed to find an opening onto the sidewalk, drove the corner and got onto the one way street where their house is. The street had not seen a plow the entire night. Not a single track in the snow. The Q5 killed it, cut is straight through to their house. We parked on a hydrant. got the dog. But we were stuck to get out. I am guessing because the car was got and sat around for about 15 minutes and settled. A little bit of chipping at the hard use under the tires and i was about to go. All of a sudden a guy pulls in on the corner from the WRONG direction and gets stuck blocking the entire street. He was stuck bad in a snow drift on a older minivan. I mananaged to drive onto the sidewalk and turn the car around. Back down the same street against traffic we made it to the corner. After some zig zaggins around a few stuck cars we had to make a turn onto a street that had snow drifts above the headlamps. The car slow down, but still pulled through. We were now on W6. the last major street in our journey home. It is usually a street that has Parking on one side, a bike lane, traffic lane, turning lane, traffic lane in the other direction, another bike lane and then parking. Yesterday it was one lane of semi-plow tracks in the middle of the street. I was going along pretty happy to be the only one, up the block a lincoln towncar flies around the corner, makes the turn in our direction, spins out and blcoks the whole blow zone horizontally. I couldnt backup as the side streets were a mess. I ended up getting some speed, going into the unplowed snow drifts on teh side of the road and going around him. He was out of the car trying to figure out what to do as we passed and i could see the aww in his face as we managed to get through. The car slowed, but again, never stalled.
Finally next to home i pulled into our garage and just spend a few minutes hugging the wife. 10 hours later it was finally over.
The conclusion is, Quattro proved itself. Audi fan for life!
The pics below are in focus. It really was that bad.
Before the storm:
During:
Finally Home:
My favorite:
Last edited by theperchik; 12-27-2010 at 01:34 PM.
12-27-2010, 10:53 AM
#13
AudiWorld Super User
I think I would have been looking for a place to stay overnight though, rather than to charge on through like you did.
Great job and glad you made it.
Bob
Note: Bob, you forgot close properly quote bracket. I fixed for you.
Last edited by TIME89; 12-27-2010 at 11:39 AM.
12-27-2010, 11:12 AM
#14
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i ordered a set of OZ 17" Rims, with the Michelin Xice for $1050 shipped, and tirerack is offering a $70 american express gift card for the purchase of these tires. It was a decision between the Bridgestone Blizztak or these, and i choose these because it was recommended to me, and because of the gift card.
$1050 small price to pay for me and my families safety in the snow. I live in jersey and went down to the jersey shore outlet when the snow first began, when i got there, it was about 3 inches of snow max, I made a right turn from a stop sign, and midway through the turn I felt the rear swaying. Another time was coming down a very small hill, and i had trouble stopping.
Then i came home and went on tirerack to read the reviews of the Goodyear LS2 tire, and out of 10 for snow traction it got about a 3.5 or 4, which is pretty bad, then reading more reviews, a lot of people complain about their bad traction in snow.
12-27-2010, 11:43 AM
#15
AudiWorld Super User
Amazing story, Thank, Perchik. After this story you deserve that we call you Perec.
I bet pics don't give a good justice what you and your wife get true.
Now, after all this excitement behind you - would you better stay in NH on more day - wtf your employer think about?
I bet pics don't give a good justice what you and your wife get true.
Now, after all this excitement behind you - would you better stay in NH on more day - wtf your employer think about?
12-27-2010, 12:43 PM
#17
AudiWorld Senior Member
My story is basically the same. I'm surprised to see how many different brand tires our cars come with. I have Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires 235/60r18. It's an all season tire that performs exceptionally well. First time driving it in this much snow for this long.
My story is very very similar, I was skiing at Stratton w/ my family. 5 of us in the car. We left Stratton at around 330, my family back in Staten Island were telling us to leave because it's coming down. We got back to I-91 around 430 and ate in Brattleboro, VT. We got on the road around 5 and it was snowing but not too bad. Having driven the Q5 in snow before I had a good idea how it handled. I had my heated mirrors on, fogs, rear fogs and just moved it along, very smooth linear motions. I was passing everything on the road from Massachusetts through Connecticut. The only car to pass me were 2 Porsche Cayenne's. It became tough when you couldn't see the lines on the road because people would wander all over while trying to pass them. The car drives very solid on the snow and very well. Audi's are made for the snow I guess. If the left or right side of the car has traction it will pull you through whatever you need to get through. It really is amazing. When the car hit snow mounds it felt like puddles. The car would barely pull left or right and I always had control. I can only imagine how well it would be if I had proper snow tires on.
I had to drop my sister off in Greenwich CT. I-95 was pretty shut down so I got off and took Rt-1 to get through. I made it through those roads fine, they were pretty empty. She lives on a hilly street and Q5 just trudged up it with no problem at all. Just put your foot down and it goes it doesn't hesitate, it says ok and that 3.2 just sounds great doing it. The car doesn't slide around, it just goes. Her street wasn't even cleaned yet and I went straight down her street without a single issue. Got there around 930PM. Now off to Manhattan (REVIS ISLAND for your JETS fans!!!) Got back on I-95 and it was a parking lot. Managed to get off at exit 19 (Rye) and got back on Rt-1. I took that into the Bronx. The Bronx was hell. People were out, people were walking in the middle of street, could barely see them, no visibility. Buses were stuck, ambulances, cops, you name it and they were stuck. I was just going right around them. Move out of my way!!! The Q5 gets through the snow without any problem, it eats it up and does it so well. Its also very safe as I never ever lost control. At one point on a turn I ran into a huge snow drift, drivers side plowed into it and I was going right into a concrete barricade but before I could react the traction control light turned on and it straightened right out for me. AMAZING. The whole night my family was telling me to slow down but never once was speed a problem.
I did manage to get the Q5 stuck, 3 times. In the Bronx just trying to get out. Those stupid cabbies w. their crown vics and town cars. They skid all over and get stuck so easy. I ended up stuck because there was nowhere to go, when i found a path to go I ended up getting stuck in deep snow going up a hill. Tried rocking, nothing. traction off, nothing. My brother was spotting me and he said my rear wheels weren't turning but my fronts were. Forgot about Torsen doing that. We managed to get a shovel, a little digging and off we were. Continued dodging taxi's and stuck cars. I broke every light home. No need to stop. I managed to get into Manhattan via Morris ave and the 3rd ave bridge. The roads there were cleaned really well. FDR was perfect and i dropped my brother off at 34th st and lexington. This was around 1AM. Long day. Luckily I had enough gas to make it. The Brooklyn bridge ramp had stuck cars trying to get up. I took the tunnel and from then on it was clear. I had the same mentality, just pass everyone and be alone, its safer that way. I did just that and I passed every car I could. Just kept going. When I crossed the Verrazano Bridge, cars were stuck getting in and out the toll booth due to snow drifts. I was able to just cut right through. I passed plow trucks because they were going to slow. Didn't bother me because by now I knew I could handle just about anything Mother Nature could throw at me. I made it home somehow. My street had a big snow drift to turn in, I hit it hard and plowed right through it and then got stuck as I turned into my driveway. Uphill bricks will do that. My family dug me out and it was 2AM and I was home sweet home and safe. My cousins from Texas who have never seen snow like this muchless a Blizzard were amazed. The Q5 did really well and they were just as impressed as I was. I did talk to the car to help her get through this. Her and I were one together and we conquered!!!
This morning I had to pick my brother up from the ferry and I got stuck pulling out of my street, 2 feet of snow and a huge snow drift, I high centered due to the plow hard packing the snow but I rocked her our and was on my way once again. The car had no issues stopping. When you turn hard right of left it doesn't slide on. None of that. The Quattro system works phenomenal and so does the traction control. Last night was like an obstacle course and the Q5 was king.
I really hope you guys dont try to get our and test the Q like we did, because we did it out of necessity not fun. It can handle it and handle it safely and it performs. It really is worth every penny we paid for it. The Bronx was hell...oh did i mention the jackass in a BMW X6 who was going nowhere, just sliding cause his dumbass had aftermarket rims and summer tires on it....
I think she deserves some Blizzacks now haha too bad Tire Rack has em sold out for the season...
Stay safe guys! Pics coming soon!
All in all, 2 feet of snow here on Staten Island.
My story is very very similar, I was skiing at Stratton w/ my family. 5 of us in the car. We left Stratton at around 330, my family back in Staten Island were telling us to leave because it's coming down. We got back to I-91 around 430 and ate in Brattleboro, VT. We got on the road around 5 and it was snowing but not too bad. Having driven the Q5 in snow before I had a good idea how it handled. I had my heated mirrors on, fogs, rear fogs and just moved it along, very smooth linear motions. I was passing everything on the road from Massachusetts through Connecticut. The only car to pass me were 2 Porsche Cayenne's. It became tough when you couldn't see the lines on the road because people would wander all over while trying to pass them. The car drives very solid on the snow and very well. Audi's are made for the snow I guess. If the left or right side of the car has traction it will pull you through whatever you need to get through. It really is amazing. When the car hit snow mounds it felt like puddles. The car would barely pull left or right and I always had control. I can only imagine how well it would be if I had proper snow tires on.
I had to drop my sister off in Greenwich CT. I-95 was pretty shut down so I got off and took Rt-1 to get through. I made it through those roads fine, they were pretty empty. She lives on a hilly street and Q5 just trudged up it with no problem at all. Just put your foot down and it goes it doesn't hesitate, it says ok and that 3.2 just sounds great doing it. The car doesn't slide around, it just goes. Her street wasn't even cleaned yet and I went straight down her street without a single issue. Got there around 930PM. Now off to Manhattan (REVIS ISLAND for your JETS fans!!!) Got back on I-95 and it was a parking lot. Managed to get off at exit 19 (Rye) and got back on Rt-1. I took that into the Bronx. The Bronx was hell. People were out, people were walking in the middle of street, could barely see them, no visibility. Buses were stuck, ambulances, cops, you name it and they were stuck. I was just going right around them. Move out of my way!!! The Q5 gets through the snow without any problem, it eats it up and does it so well. Its also very safe as I never ever lost control. At one point on a turn I ran into a huge snow drift, drivers side plowed into it and I was going right into a concrete barricade but before I could react the traction control light turned on and it straightened right out for me. AMAZING. The whole night my family was telling me to slow down but never once was speed a problem.
I did manage to get the Q5 stuck, 3 times. In the Bronx just trying to get out. Those stupid cabbies w. their crown vics and town cars. They skid all over and get stuck so easy. I ended up stuck because there was nowhere to go, when i found a path to go I ended up getting stuck in deep snow going up a hill. Tried rocking, nothing. traction off, nothing. My brother was spotting me and he said my rear wheels weren't turning but my fronts were. Forgot about Torsen doing that. We managed to get a shovel, a little digging and off we were. Continued dodging taxi's and stuck cars. I broke every light home. No need to stop. I managed to get into Manhattan via Morris ave and the 3rd ave bridge. The roads there were cleaned really well. FDR was perfect and i dropped my brother off at 34th st and lexington. This was around 1AM. Long day. Luckily I had enough gas to make it. The Brooklyn bridge ramp had stuck cars trying to get up. I took the tunnel and from then on it was clear. I had the same mentality, just pass everyone and be alone, its safer that way. I did just that and I passed every car I could. Just kept going. When I crossed the Verrazano Bridge, cars were stuck getting in and out the toll booth due to snow drifts. I was able to just cut right through. I passed plow trucks because they were going to slow. Didn't bother me because by now I knew I could handle just about anything Mother Nature could throw at me. I made it home somehow. My street had a big snow drift to turn in, I hit it hard and plowed right through it and then got stuck as I turned into my driveway. Uphill bricks will do that. My family dug me out and it was 2AM and I was home sweet home and safe. My cousins from Texas who have never seen snow like this muchless a Blizzard were amazed. The Q5 did really well and they were just as impressed as I was. I did talk to the car to help her get through this. Her and I were one together and we conquered!!!
This morning I had to pick my brother up from the ferry and I got stuck pulling out of my street, 2 feet of snow and a huge snow drift, I high centered due to the plow hard packing the snow but I rocked her our and was on my way once again. The car had no issues stopping. When you turn hard right of left it doesn't slide on. None of that. The Quattro system works phenomenal and so does the traction control. Last night was like an obstacle course and the Q5 was king.
I really hope you guys dont try to get our and test the Q like we did, because we did it out of necessity not fun. It can handle it and handle it safely and it performs. It really is worth every penny we paid for it. The Bronx was hell...oh did i mention the jackass in a BMW X6 who was going nowhere, just sliding cause his dumbass had aftermarket rims and summer tires on it....
I think she deserves some Blizzacks now haha too bad Tire Rack has em sold out for the season...
Stay safe guys! Pics coming soon!
All in all, 2 feet of snow here on Staten Island.
Last edited by Coolieman1220; 12-27-2010 at 03:11 PM. Reason: Adding pics
12-27-2010, 01:28 PM
#19
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Yeah, pics look so much more tame than it actually was.
Wow, that is practically the same story. Since i was on the west side i went straight for the tunnel and didnt bother with the bridges. Glad to hear that was the correct choice.
Looking at the maps we were on RT 1 as per navigation, you are right.
I would have rather been in there no matter what, still sledding and playing with my nephew's. If i had kids in the back seat i would have probably done a motel. I think the choice to keep going was borderline between ballsy and stupid. The only reason its not on the stupid side alone is the Q5.
Wow, that is practically the same story. Since i was on the west side i went straight for the tunnel and didnt bother with the bridges. Glad to hear that was the correct choice.
Looking at the maps we were on RT 1 as per navigation, you are right.
I would have rather been in there no matter what, still sledding and playing with my nephew's. If i had kids in the back seat i would have probably done a motel. I think the choice to keep going was borderline between ballsy and stupid. The only reason its not on the stupid side alone is the Q5.
Last edited by theperchik; 12-27-2010 at 01:33 PM.
