Car Talk: Driving in ‘Stella,’ Snow Tires, and a Shout Out to Adirondack Tire [SPONSORED]

About ten years ago, we had what I thought was the 'snow storm of a century' -- I was living in Vermont, about three feet of snow had hit in two days right around Valentine's Day, and by the time it was done I had spent a few crazy nights full of drinks, midnight sledding, and even skiing down the streets behind cars. This time around, for "Stella" (I'm pretty sure a decade ago the storms weren't named), I didn't have time for the fun shenanigans of skiing down the street after a few drinks, and had to actually haul myself to work.  Luckily, my job is FULL of craziness at Q103, but still, as an adult life goes on despite storms.

Last night, driving from Western Ave. to Wolf Road at about 8:45 PM, I found myself rallying from lane to lane, feeling as if I was a character in a "Fast and Furious" movie.  Literally, as I turned to get on the Northway from Western Ave., I felt an impending sense of doom as I looked ahead at the turn and immediately regretted my decision.  Instead of turn I saw a huge mound of snow that may not look like it in my photo, but was as high as the hood of my car, right in the middle of the entire lane.  There were two rows of a tire track on either side of the 'lane of snow.'  Here's my shotty photo and interpretation of a legitimate news presentation photo:

"Oh, Crap" I thought (but was stuck as I couldn't get back on Western Ave.- the snow barrier was too high to the left of me).  There was no way I was NOT getting stuck (with a truck RIGHT behind me nonetheless).

I've got a best friend who works up in Alaska as an engineer, and I remembered some of the conversations that we've had about winter driving, so I committed and rallied, and somehow by whatever force I made it around the turn!  The saga didn't end there, as it took me about 45 minutes to drive the few miles to finally get to Wolf Road.

I will say that while it was a slow, long drive, I didn't skid once.  There were a couple times I had to pop my car in 1st and 2nd gear to stay safe, but I managed.  Largely because I recently got new snow tires.  The tires make a huge difference, and at the times that I would have been drifting and skidding (like I did for the first half of the year in snow) I was clinging to the road.  Traction is so key in this kind of weather, and it's unbelievable the difference that my new snow tires made.

Adirondack Tire Company has some great deals, for those of you who might have realized how worn your tires are, or maybe feel like your car is out of alignment.  They've actually even got some coupons and deals running right now on their website at: Adirondack Tire .  As adults, as rock show hosts, as family members, as whatever role we play, we need to stay safe, and car safety is crucial to that.  I know I'm giving a HUGE thanks to my new snow tires the last two days for getting me around Albany safely.

Adirondack Tire locations span from New York to Vermont, so don't miss out on what they have to offer - and most importantly, don't take a chance with your car safety.

Check out some of my photos below: