I HATE ROAD SALT

[JDgreen227]

Yesterday it hit 52 degrees in mid-Michigan, I got out a hose and power washer and cleaned our winter vehicle, a 2004 Saturn, when the cleaning was done, I noticed the nearly new chrome rear license frame was badly pitted by the corrosive road salt they dump on the roads here.

Road commissions say they cannot use as much salt as they would like because the cost has steadily increased, as far as I am concerned they can stop using salt and spread sand instead. Sand is cheap, gives better traction than salt, doesn't ruin things like salt and doesn't pollute groundwater to the degree salt does. Those who argue salt is needed for melting ice, I say bull roar. Salt stops working when it gets cold enough no matter how much they dump on the roads. Maybe if they stopped spreading the stuff on the roads people would slow down and pay attention to their driving instead of yakking on their phones and chatting with passengers, etc.

To those in other states that use salt on the roads, is it as much an irritation there as here?

 

[captaincrab55]

Salt stops working when it gets cold enough no matter how much they dump on the roads.

JD, At what temperature does salt stop working???

 

[Craig Clayton]

In Ontario the issue is exactly the same. It is a love hate relationship with salt. People will drive as fast as they can provided they are able to stay on the road. Just wait until spring and the fear of black ice is gone, they have a lot of gas pedal travel to use up.
Craig Clayton

 

[Craig Clayton]

This is in metric
Road Salts - The Principles of Salt Use
This is simpler F
What temperature does road salt stop working? - Yahoo! Answers
Better in F
HowStuffWorks "Why do they use salt to melt ice on the road in the winter?"
Craig Clayton

 

[JDgreen227]

JD, At what temperature does salt stop working???

It varies on who you ask, my own opinion is that as the temperature drops below 32 degrees (freezing) it becomes less effective and at 4 below zero it stops working, and from what I understand the wind chill factor also influences the performance of salt.

 

[JDgreen227]

This is in metric
Road Salts - The Principles of Salt Use
This is simpler F
What temperature does road salt stop working? - Yahoo! Answers
Better in F
HowStuffWorks "Why do they use salt to melt ice on the road in the winter?"
Craig Clayton

I just looked at the Yahoo.com link, loved that quote where someone says they have a lot of older cars that still look like new because of the salt free roads in Canada. For a long time I was sure the road commissions here in Michigan were in cahoots with the automakers who wanted us to trade in our rusty cars on new ones.

 

[LD1]

I happen to actually live in an area that gets both. They salt the state routes and interstates, local and county roads get the sand.

And I have to say that I much perfer the salt. And just deal with the consequences. Sand is fine in a little bit of packed snow, but on ice it does very little to help traction IMO. It just rolls around. And then all the loose sand at the intersections come spring is a hazard all its own.

And bottom line is, without salt, black ice is a danger to EVERYONE I dont care how careful you are. Even a ever so slight curve at 20mph can be very bad on black ice.

Are you going to make a 40 mile commute to work everyday @ 10MPH???

 

[Egon]

loved that quote where someone says they have a lot of older cars that still look like new because of the salt free roads in Canada.

OK!:laughing:

 

[JDgreen227]

OK!:laughing:

Egon, is that actually true or not....? By "older" I define a car made before 1985. I do have an '85 Crown Vic that I drove till '94 then stored in my barn, it was Ziebarted when new and kept very clean, but the body still has a fair amount of rust. Do you see very many in Canada that are still driven and unrusted?

 

[JDgreen227]

I happen to actually live in an area that gets both. They salt the state routes and interstates, local and county roads get the sand.

And I have to say that I much perfer the salt. And just deal with the consequences. Sand is fine in a little bit of packed snow, but on ice it does very little to help traction IMO. It just rolls around. And then all the loose sand at the intersections come spring is a hazard all its own.

And bottom line is, without salt, black ice is a danger to EVERYONE I dont care how careful you are. Even a ever so slight curve at 20mph can be very bad on black ice.

Are you going to make a 40 mile commute to work everyday @ 10MPH???

I have been retired since end of '02, no commute needed. And I drove commercial straight trucks all over Michigan for a living for 31 years, all over the Upper Pensinsula in mid-winter too. Still think salt is more damaging than it is worth.