I bought a 6000-lb tow rope today to use at my Snow-X racing. People are always stuffing their cars into snowbanks, and it's a good thing to have any time, as I saw today!
On the way home from buying the rope I was stopped at a red light and saw a Pontiac Sunfire dead in the intersection with the 4-way flashers going. He was sitting in the middle of two lanes, and blocking the right lane of the intersecting traffic. This is a major street (called Hunt Club Rd.) in rush hour traffic.
Here's where he was stuck, between the Eastbound lanes of Hunt Club.
So I turn down the side road (Bridle Path), park, and walk back to the Sunfire. As I'm walking up the guy who owns the car runs up to his car with a washer fluid jug half full of gas and tries to pour it into the gas tank with some sort of improvised funnel. I walk up and ask him is he wants a tow, and he says "No, I'm good". Ya right. So I walk halfway back to my car and watch him try to start it. After 30 seconds of trying he gets out and starts heading over to me. So I ask him again if he wants a tow and he says yes. So I back my car onto the island between the right turning lane and the main road, hook up my brand new tow rope, and drag him off the street onto the island. Let him borrow my cell to call his folks, and all is good.
What got me the most is how easily the SVX dealt with it. I know Sunfires are small cars, but I didn't even feel him behind me. There was no tug when the rope went taught (it's braided, so it absorbs shocks), and I didn't know I was pulling him till I looked behind me and saw his car moving. I never had to touch the gas pedal once, I was actually riding the brakes a bit. The 3+ inches of frech snow were no hindrance either.
So after saying thanks, the next thing out of the kids mouth was "What kind of car is this?"
I love my car, it makes me look like a hero!