Every winter has that ONE night. Children toss and turn in their beds, unable to sleep from the anticipation of the coming snow day. Plow drivers give their loved ones a last kiss before heading out into a long, cold night. And I head to my garage, top off the windshield wiper fluid, check tire pressures, don driving gloves and head out into the fresh snow.
Here in St. Louis, last night was our first real snowfall. I celebrated the occasion by taking my car out for its first winter shakedown. Lots of changes this year - FWD and a manual transmission in place of AWD and an automatic. But the lack of grip is compensated for by better tires, more nimble steering and a lighter chassis.
I hit the usual spots. The abandoned industrial complex behind my local big-box store makes an excellent winter skid pad. An open warehouse, big parking lot and the occasional light post provide good surface variance without too many obstacles. The next stop is my local park, which has a long and winding car trail - perfect for judging the limits of lift-off oversteer in ice and snow.
I headed home around 3am, confident in my and my car's abilities. I pulled into my garage as the first snow plow made its way down my street.