Snow chains

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices which are affixed to the wheels of vehicles to provide superior traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains are usually attached to the drive wheels of a vehicle (e.g. the front wheels on a front-wheel drive car), though all four wheels may be chained to provide extra stability. Some owner’s manuals for four-wheel drive cars specify that two specific wheels can be chained, leaving the other two unchained if necessary.

Snow chains are paired into 2 sets of chains. You should buy chains that match your tire size (tire width and radius numbers can be found printed on the tire).

A set of chains are placed on the wheels that are connected to the drive train in order to gain traction in icey, snowy or muddy conditions.

Front Wheel Vehicles:
Most passenger cars are front wheel powered vehicles, so the snow chains would be placed on the 2 front tires.

Rear Wheel Vehicles:
Pickup trucks and older cars are usually rear wheeled drive so the chains are placed on the rear tires.

4 Wheel Vehicles:
4 wheel vehicles can use 2 sets of chains on all 4 wheels. With only 1 set of chains they are often put on the rear wheels, but can be placed on the front wheels instead for the added steering benefit.

In snowy conditions, transportation authorities often require snow chains to be fitted on vehicles that lack four-wheel drive and proper tires. These requirements are usually enforced by checkpoints, before which eligible drivers must have snow-chains fitted on their cars. Near such checkpoints, chains can often be fitted professionally for a fee. Snow chains limit the speed of the automobile to approximately 30 mph (50 km/h), but in deep snow the chains can be very useful.

Purchasing the right size chains for your tires

U.S. tires have standardized sizing information. This information can be found on the sidewalls of the tires. The first letter(s) is for the vehicle type, P for passenger, LT for light truck. The next 3 digit number gives the tire’s width in millimeters. The next 2 digit number gives the tire’s height to width ratio. The next letter is R, which stands for radial ply tires (not radius) followed by the last 2 digit number, which is the rim diameter for the vehicle’s wheels.

Nokian Tyres

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Nokian Tyres plc () is a Finnish manufacturer of tires for cars, trucks, heavy duty equipment and bicycles. It is the largest car tire manufacturer in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Nokia, Finland, Nokian (which were originally branded as Nokia tires), was split from the then conglomerate Nokia (which later became worlds largest mobile phone vendor) in 1988. Nokia Corporation no longer has any ownership-interest in Nokian Tyres, whose largest shareholder (with an 18.9% stake) is the Japanese tire vendor Bridgestone. However, Nokian Tyres still operates as an independent company.

In the bicycle industry they are known as one of the few manufacturers of metal studded snow tires.

Nokian Tyres also runs the Vianor tyre chain, which is the largest and most extensive tyre franchise in the Nordic countries with approximately 190 retail outlets across Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Baltic countries and Russia.

Snow Hill High School

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Snow Hill High School is located in Snow Hill, Maryland. Tom Davis is the principal.
The school is part of the Worcester County circulation.
Snow Hill High School was built in 1957.
According to the Snow Hill, Maryland page, parts of the 1999 film Runaway Bride were filmed on campus.

Snow Advisory

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

See Severe weather terminology for a comprehensive article on this term and related weather terms.


A Snow Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when a low pressure system produces snow that may cause a significant pain in the ass, but does not meet warning criteria. The advisory criteria varies from area to area. Snow advisories are typically issued only when a storm system is expected to only produce snow in the advised area. Depending on the amount of snow that is expected, a Heavy Snow Warning can be issued for similar times, but when larger amounts of snow are expected. The exact border between a snow advisory and heavy snow warning varies throughout the country. If other forms of wintry precipitation are expected, then a Winter Weather Advisory or winter storm warning can be issued, also depending on the amount of precipitation that is expected.

Snow chains

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices which are affixed to the wheels of vehicles to provide superior traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains are usually attached to the drive wheels of a vehicle (e.g. the front wheels on a front-wheel drive car), though all four wheels may be chained to provide extra stability. Some owner’s manuals for four-wheel drive cars specify that two specific wheels can be chained, leaving the other two unchained if necessary.

Snow chains are paired into 2 sets of chains. You should buy chains that match your tire size (tire width and radius numbers can be found printed on the tire).

A set of chains are placed on the wheels that are connected to the drive train in order to gain traction in icey, snowy or muddy conditions.

Front Wheel Vehicles:
Most passenger cars are front wheel powered vehicles, so the snow chains would be placed on the 2 front tires.

Rear Wheel Vehicles:
Pickup trucks and older cars are usually rear wheeled drive so the chains are placed on the rear tires.

4 Wheel Vehicles:
4 wheel vehicles can use 2 sets of chains on all 4 wheels. With only 1 set of chains they are often put on the rear wheels, but can be placed on the front wheels instead for the added steering benefit.

In snowy conditions, transportation authorities often require snow chains to be fitted on vehicles that lack four-wheel drive and proper tires. These requirements are usually enforced by checkpoints, before which eligible drivers must have snow-chains fitted on their cars. Near such checkpoints, chains can often be fitted professionally for a fee. Snow chains limit the speed of the automobile to approximately 30 mph (50 km/h), but in deep snow the chains can be very useful.

Purchasing the right size chains for your tires

U.S. tires have standardized sizing information. This information can be found on the sidewalls of the tires. The first letter(s) is for the vehicle type, P for passenger, LT for light truck. The next 3 digit number gives the tire’s width in millimeters. The next 2 digit number gives the tire’s height to width ratio. The next letter is R, which stands for radial ply tires (not radius) followed by the last 2 digit number, which is the rim diameter for the vehicle’s wheels.

Parade lap

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

A parade lap, also know as a formation lap or warm-up lap, is a lap before an autoracing race begins, in which the drivers go around the track at a slow speed (usually between 30 and 70 MPH), and, in some cases, behind the safety car. The lap is to ensure that track conditions are safe, and that there are no dangerous problems with the cars (including the safety car) or the circuit. The parade lap either leads to a rolling start, or back to the grid.

The parade lap is best-known for its use in Formula One and other Formula sports. In Formula sports, the parade lap is often important as it allows the cars to warm up their tires, which is crucial in order to be competitive during the race. Drivers will often attempt to warm up the tires more quickly during the lap, by steering slowly from side to side.

Snow line

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

The snow line is the point above which, or poleward of which, snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year.

The interplay of altitude and latitude affect the precise placement of the snow line at a particular location. At or near the equator, it is typically situated at approximately 4,500 meters (or about 15,000 feet) above sea level. As one moves towards the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, the parameter at first increases: in the Himalayas the permanent snow line can be as high as 5,700 metres (18,700 feet). Beyond the Tropics the snow line becomes progressively lower as the latitude increases, falling all the way to sea level itself near the poles.

In addition, the relative location of a mountain to the nearest coastline can be a factor in how high the snow line would be; a peak near a coast — especially the west coast — of a continent might have a lower snow line than one of the same height and at the same latitude situated in a landmass interior, because the average summer temperature of the surrounding lowlands would be warmer in the latter spot than in the former, thus making a higher altitude necessary to keep the snow from melting in the summer.

Snow Dome

Posted on January 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Snow Dome can refer to:

  • Snowdome is the name of several indoor ski resorts located around the world.
  • Snow Dome mountain (7,160m) near Concordia in Northern Areas of Pakistan
  • Snow Dome mountain (5,029m) in Chaprot Pass in Northern Areas of Pakistan
  • Snow Dome mountain (3,456m) in Alberta — British Columbia, Canada

Snow dome is also another name for:

  • Snow globe

Tread

Posted on January 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

The tread of a tire or caterpillar track refers to the rubber on its circumference that makes contact with the road. As tires are used, the tread is worn down limiting their effectiveness in providing traction. A worn tire tread can be replaced using a process known as retreading. The word tread is often used incorrectly to refer to the pattern of grooves cut into the rubber. Those grooves are correctly called the tread pattern, or simply pattern.

Street tires

The grooves in the rubber are designed to allow water to be expelled from beneath the tire and prevent hydroplaning. The proportion of rubber to air space on the road surface directly affects its traction. Generally there is a tradeoff of tread friction capability; deeper patterns often enhance safety, but simpler designs are less costly to produce and actually may afford some roadway noise mitigation. Tires intended for dry weather use will be designed with minimal pattern to increase the contact patch. Tires without any tread patterns are known as slicks and are generally used for racing only, since they are quite dangerous if the road surface is wet.

Street tires will also include wear limit indicators in the form of small raised bridges within the grooves. When the tread is worn down enough that the limit indicators make contact with the road, the tire is deemed to be at the end of its service life. Brake pads use similar indicators in the form of notches on their surface that disappear when they are used.

Off-road tires

Off-road tires used in mud or dirt feature individual knob patterns to allow the tire to bite into the surface and leverage the sides of the tread to get a better grip. Given the smaller contact patch, these tires tend to wear quickly when used on asphalt.

Mountain bike & motorcycle tires

Mountain bike and some motorcycle tires feature tread patterns similar to off-road tires used on cars and trucks but may sometimes include an unbroken tread that runs along its center. This feature provides better traction and lower noise on asphalt while the bike is vertical while retaining its ability to provide lateral grip when the bike is leaning.

Caterpillar tracks

Caterpillar tracks such as those used on military tanks or construction machines have metal track segments which may be rubber-coated. They usually do not feature tread patterns, because these would offer little additional grip given the weight of the tracked vehicle.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (ballet)

Posted on January 2nd, 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a non-traditional modern ballet rising from the success of other fairytale ballets such as Cinderella, Coppélia, and Alice in Wonderland.

With the direct correlation between classic fairytale ballets and Walt Disney animations, Snow White became an idea many ballet companies have adopted into their own original work, pulling from the Disney animation and Disneyland Snow White musical for guidelines.

Scenes in this ballet vary from company to company as this is not a traditional performance piece.

Scenes

Scenes appearing in most productions of the Snow White ballet include:

  • Village scene - traditional opening to many classic ballet productions.
  • Palace or Garden - to introduce the queen and huntsman.
  • Enchanted Woods - Where Snow White flees the Huntsman, sometimes with dancing trees.
  • Forest - Where Snow White meets animals and the dwarfs.
  • Wedding - Traditional ending to many classic ballet productions.

Characters

Characters in the Snow White ballet typically mimic those in the Disney production in appearance and costume as that is where most inspiration comes from.

These characters typically include:

  • Snow White
  • queen
  • doctor
  • Huntsman
  • Seven Dwarfs
  • Animals
  • Villagers
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