All-Looking for some winter driving advice. My son goes to college in New England and I am buying him a Subaru (so much for the watch savings), which has all wheel drive. Questions:

1. Is all wheel drive with the all purpose tires safe for winter driving conditions, or will he need snow tires? He won't be doing a huge amount of driving since his school is in a very small town but maybe some ski weekends, etc.

2. What is the best way for him to learn how to drive in the snow and ice? Not a lot of practice time here in SoCal.

3. Any issue leaving the car outside for 5 weeks over winter break, or is it important to find a place to garage the car?

Any other thoughts will be appreciated as well. Thanks.

 

1. Winter tires are a must. Makes a huge difference. I have a all wheels drive car but I still use winter tires.
2. There are specific winter driving training courses. I know both BMW and Mercedes offer them.
3. I dont think that would be an issue unless it gets very cold.

Here are some links

https://www.bmw-drivingexperience.c...e-experience/bmw-snow-intensive-training.html

https://www.mercedes-benz.ca/en/driving-academy

http://icedrivingcanada.com/en/

 

+1 to all of this. Also make sure he keeps a small shovel and a bag/box of cat litter in the car during the winter(he can pour cat litter on/around tires if he gets stuck for extra traction)

Leaving the car for 5 weeks should be fine, it may need a jump start when he gets back if it gets cold enough.

As for driving in the snow, slow is the absolute best option. some of the snow driving courses tend to give younger drivers too much confidence in slick conditions.

 

+1 to Toishome and Jwit. Leave lots more space between you and the car in front of you. Braking and turning must be done more slowly and smoothly to reduce the risk of losing traction.

Best of luck to your son as he starts a new chapter in his life.

 

For tires, if the tires are all season with good tread the Suby is set. My opinion about tires from the desolate driving in winter storms of the Midwest. Jumper cables, shovel good ideas. Is he driving to school each day? Just wondering if he really needs a car.

 

Add a windshield scraper/brush - a big sturdy one - and a pair of waterproof winter gloves to the list of must-haves in the car. A blanket isn’t bad idea either.

 

NEVER use cruise control when driving on snow and/or ice! Or on WET roads, period. Many block heaters (if equipped) are designed not to function until the temperature reaches -18° C (0°F). Use synthetic motor oil, not mineral oil, and not a blend. Wheels tend to lose traction when lower gears are used. Drive in the highest gear practicable. Double your usual following distance. Read your owner’s manual re: proper use of ABS (if equipped). Never leave your car idling, unattended, doors unlocked, in adverse weather. AWD (or 4WD) are great for helping you get farther away from help when you need it. Posted speed limits assume perfect driving conditions. Slow down! Find an empty shopping center parking lot on a Sunday morning, early, and practice braking, accelerating, turning etc.,, when there is little or nothing to hit. Things learned during 60 years of driving in the frozen wasteland of the western Canadian prairies, 100 kms east of the Rocky Mountains.

 

Ahhhhhhh the window scraper. If I had a nickel for the window scrapers I snapped in half.

 

Good recomendations from many. Totally agree to most of them. Would say that the most important things are tyres and to take it easy. If the road is icy and snowy, one really need to increase distance and decrease speed. Simple yet important, and easy to forget...

If the road can be expected to be icy, studded winter tyres is the only thing that is sufficient, really!

 

+1 on this one!

Make sure to always have a combined scraper/brush tool in the car, use studded winter tires (They are not the best on snow, but will save your life when you hit ice) Shovel and jumper cables if the battery is a bit iffy and it sits around for 5 weeks. A warm blanket and gloves as previously mentioned is worth it´s weight in gold. Not necessarily for your son, but if he see someone who has gone off the road, he can help them keep warm too.
If your son would end up in a situation where his Subaru starts sliding in a corner, don´t let got of the gas! Keep accelerating... I know how this sounds, but trust me it works! The Subaru uses a constand 4wd and if you let go of the gas, the weight distribution will help sending the already initiated spin into an out of control spin... No need to floor it, but keep accelerating and the car will straighten itself up.

Listen to @Canuck never use the cruise control if the roads are slippery.

Wishing all the best to your son in College!

Best regards//
Peter

 

And while you're in that snow covered parking lot...Have a bit of fun. Do a few donuts. Learn about over steer and under steer.
Defrost your wind shield before using your wipers. Use winterized solution in your windshield wiper reservoir. Letting your car warm up for more than a few minutes really does not do anything for the engine. Only the interior cabin temperature. With anti lock breaks I've found it best not to pump the breaks. Gentle even pressure. Oh yes...seat heaters are great.

have fun
kfw

 

Do North Americans carry tow ropes?

 

Your AAA (CAA) card takes up a lot less space.

 

I grew up in Winnipeg in Canada - the Mercedes/AMG winter testing program is done, in part, about an hour away and winter is pretty long and ferocious.

All your son really needs is:
1) Winter tires; car and driver magazine did a comparison test a number of years ago that always stuck with me. They found winter tires actually made more of a difference than AWD. Obviously having both was the best performer. Funnily enough I never had them or used them in Winnipeg - most people were just good winter drivers out of necessity.
2. Drive slower, more carefully, with more ponderous movements and more stopping distance. Tell your son to find a snowy, empty parking lot and go and experiment. Slam the brakes on and see how the car reacts. Turn sharply and feel it push, etc. Get used to the different dynamics;
3. Be mentally prepared for him to have at least one fender-bender. Young men, slippery roads and inexperience (not to mention college) are a recipe for a minor accident; and,
4. Get him one of these:


Oh, and tell him to cab or not to drive if he’s planning on going out for drinks, or if the weather is worse than he’s comfortable with. No need to be a hero, it’s just about getting back in one piece. Worst case scenario after 5 weeks of the car sitting is that he’ll need a boost - someone in New England will have jumper cables and be willing to help him out....

 

Maybe a complete set of snow tires and wheels from the Tire Rack? I've always done this for my wife's BMW all wheel drive 5 cars. Try Blizzak snows, best for the bucks mounted on just wheels, nothing fancy. Tire Rack offers this service at no additional cost and delivered wherever.

1. TireRack.com® - Free Shipping | Free Road Hazard Protection.‎

If you're going to keep the car 3 or 4 years the cost of tires already mounted on wheels will be off-set by the costs mounting and dismounting tires twice a year. Additionally using 2 sets of tire over 4 years will equal buying the second set a couple of years into owning your vehicle.

 

Tires and AWD are no substitute for practice on snow and ice. Honestly, relying on those alone tends to get people into more trouble than if they used their common sense. Best way for him to learn would be to sign him up for a defensive driving course course where the instructor will put him in a car on a skid rack to mimic slippery conditions.

 

I live in upstate NY so I get hammered with snow. I've also bought several Subarus, so PM me if you have questions about those.

All good suggestions here. As far as driving in the Winter, one great thing my dad did when I was learning to drive was to bring me into an empty, flat parking lot that was covered in snow and ice. He'd have me practice getting out of a skid, knowing how to react to ice etc...... To this day, I sometimes find an empty lot to "brush up" my driving skills.

And a big yes to the kitty litter and making sure that you use "winter" washer fluid.

 

All season tires are not really all season...well maybe if you live where snow doesn't happen...

 

+1 to the above (snow tires!) and throw a windshield cover in the car as well. It does wonders when put on the outside of the front shield while parking for a longer while. Saves you a lot of time in scraping the window... And make sure he's wearing warm clothes when going out, even by car. Or have a safety blanket in the car. I once got stuck (fuel issue) in a one day old Volvo V70 Cross Country while it was 0 Fahrenheit outside (-18 Celsius). You'd be surprised how quickly the cold hits you when the engine (and heater) no longer does it.

 

Best/Almost Worst cold weather driving story I’ve heard:

I have a client who lives in a remote, northern Canadian city. He has a cabin in an even more remote area - in the summer he can boat, but in the winter he uses “winter roads” - cleared paths on the frozen lake to drive there. These tend to be very infrequently travelled.

He was going up to his cabin for a few days of ice fishing by himself, plus his trusty dog. He drives a GMC pickup. Along the way, as it’s a 3 hour drive, he pulled over due to the call of nature.

His dog manages to step on the door lock button, locking him out of the car in -22 weather in the middle of nowhere. No cell reception. Miraculously, two hours later, another car comes down the road and finds him sitting on the tailgate shivering. They drive him to a fishing camp 45 minutes away, where he’s able to call OnStar and have them remotely unlock the truck, and gets driven back - dog is ok and they carry on their way but hell of a close call. He now always takes his keys out of the car.

You never know in the winter...