Am I getting out of snow right?

[rml605]

So I live in the North East and this snow sucks. My car is on the street outside my apartment and today again I need to fight to get out of my spot even after shoveling some snow due to the ice. I don't smell any clutch burning, but I must keep it as friction point and gas it for a good 1 or 2 secs but then I depress clutch and play around with it like in reverse. Is this really the only option? I saw one guy in a pickup revving the hell out of his car and he couldn't get out. I think he smoked his tires pretty bad. I'm honestly more concerned about destroying my tires over my clutch. It seems my clutch in my Acura is bullet proof (knocks on wood),

[theholycow]

It sounds like you're doing a pretty normal rocking motion. That's fine. As long as you don't spin up your tires like pickup rev guy your tires will be fine. Spinning them up too fast can generate a lot of heat and abuse them pretty bad. Sure it's all more wear on the car than driving straight down the highway for the same amount of time, but that's how winter works.

Another option, if FWD, might be to set the parking brake, turn the steering wheel, and give it some go. Sometimes that can spin the car as if the rear axle was nailed to the ground. Usually it's pointless.

There's always enhancing traction. You can remove snow/ice, put sand or a traction mat down, or get studded winter tires.

[daleadbull]

If you are spinning your tires with the clutch half way out, then you're burning your tires and your clutch. If your tires are already spinning why not let the clutch all the way out and modulate the throttle? As long as the tires are spinning, you won't stall. Now, I've never been stuck like that so I might be speaking out of my ass.

But if you're doing the rocking back and forth between 1st and reverse thing, then what you're doing is fine as long as you don't sit there revving the car with the clutch pedal half way out more than a couple seconds.

[tankinbeans]

Winter snow blows goats. Period.

If you are able to get going without smelling anything, you're probably doing just fine. The important thing is not to glaze yourself more ice patches by revving the crap out of it and spinning the tires too quickly. Turn your tires full left, and full right a couple times. This can help give you a clear patch for the drivewheels to work with. Rock it and do your best, some abuse to the vehicle is an inevitable biproduct of living in the northern latitudes.

[potownrob]

WINTER TIRES FTW
barring that, listen to what the other guys have suggested