Winter driving guidance needed

MikiJ · Aug 28, 2018

Dan S
My wife bought her snow tires at a smaller family-owned tire shop and they store her tires for $50, or something like that. However, in the US, almost everyone buys their tires at a store that's part of a massive chain (Discount Tires, TireRack, Big O), and I don't think they perform that kind of personal service.

You're right, Tire Rack does not supply tire storage. However the mount, balance and ship your tires and wheels wherever in the CONUS. No additional charge for any of these services.
We always had them shipped to our local tire store where they either stored them for a nominal charge and then switched them over twice a year. Actually this is the best way to deal with loading and unloading these heavy tires and wheels twice a year and storing them in your garage.

albertob · Aug 28, 2018

Also, if he will be driving the car in roads where salt has been diffused, he should wash the car periodically (also the lower chassis) and apply a wax on the painting.

I have been driving in Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Poland,...) for a long time and the effects of salt can be terrible. I have a Volkswagen which is considered to be treated against rust, but I try to be super careful anyways.

It Is very common to see cars with points where corrosion started (maybe a weak spot where a small stone has scratched the coating and the rust protective layer).
The problems is that once rust starts, is very difficult to stop it.

Below a photo of a vw golf 7 where rust started (taken from google). From a small spot like this, if not treated it can diffuse and get bigger.

Alberto

Larry S · Aug 28, 2018

ConElPueblo
Here in Denmark, a lot of auto garages let their customers stash their wheels at their workshop for a very modest fee or as a service to those who purchase tires at them. I am sure that places that face worse conditions than we do have similar arrangements.

My mechanic has a tire service as well. Spring / Fall changeover and storage. Very convenient .. not cheap though. He’s making retirement noises which scares me.

akshayluc420 · Aug 28, 2018

Coming from the desert (Dubai) to the Great White North (Toronto), this thread is immensely informative and invaluable to me. Thanks to the OP and every one else that's chipped in!

I may have to reconsider which car I want to pick up later; I was thinking of a '16 Genesis Coupe 3.8 (it's a RWD), but now will need to do some homework on the various AWD types. Apart from the Impreza, is there any other great non-german AWD sedan/coupe? Kia Stinger? 😗

Marty McDawg · Aug 28, 2018

akshayluc420
Coming from the desert (Dubai) to the Great White North (Toronto), this thread is immensely informative and invaluable to me. Thanks to the OP and every one else that's chipped in!

I may have to reconsider which car I want to pick up later; I was thinking of a '16 Genesis Coupe 3.8 (it's a RWD), but now will need to do some homework on the various AWD types. Apart from the Impreza, is there any other great non-german AWD sedan/coupe? Kia Stinger? 😗

I’m my experience RWD is not the answer. Front wheel drive or AWD are.

With rwd, you run the risk of hitting the gas too hard and the ass end of the vehicle hopping out and causing you to drift, veer, slide, etc.

Front Wheel drive or AWD allow you to be in more control over the vehicle.

dwboston · Aug 28, 2018

akshayluc420
Coming from the desert (Dubai) to the Great White North (Toronto), this thread is immensely informative and invaluable to me. Thanks to the OP and every one else that's chipped in!

I may have to reconsider which car I want to pick up later; I was thinking of a '16 Genesis Coupe 3.8 (it's a RWD), but now will need to do some homework on the various AWD types. Apart from the Impreza, is there any other great non-german AWD sedan/coupe? Kia Stinger? 😗

If non-German is a requirement, then look at the Acura TLX, Lexus GS, Hyundai Genesis, or similar. All come in an AWD version. I prefer the Acura SH-AWD system, which has torque vectoring, both front-back and side to side. It's great in the snow.

duc · Aug 28, 2018

I only read the first page, so apologies if this has been said. Aside from all the good advice on increasing safe distance behind other cars and all that; the best thing he can learn is to simply take his foot off the gas (without putting it on the brake) for most snow/ice driving things that sneak up on you. You get a lot out of just that maneuver.

There will be times when you have to go to the brakes for sure, but many may be avoided if you just stop with the gas.

larryganz · Aug 28, 2018

Archer
Not that long ago London (Ontario not UK) had 1.5 meters of snow in a 36 hour period...4 inches is what we call a "dusting" of snow in most parts of Canada...

Speaking of snow in Canada, on our honeymoon in the middle of August 1992 we had to drive from Lake Louise to Waterton National Park through the biggest snowstorm in decades, in a rented Ford Taurus and summer tires. The roads were so treacherous with deep snow, and we could barely see the road markers sticking up through the snow at the side of the road. Somehow we made it to a hotel outside of Waterton National Park.

We'd started on a 10 day train, driving, backpacking trip through the Canadian Rockies - beginning in Denver with the Oregon Trail Amtrack to Seattle, then renting a car there and driving, with stops in Vancouver, Lac Le June, Jasper and Banff, Lake Louise, Waterton National Park, Glacier National Park, Jackson Hole WY, and the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park, returning the rental car in Denver.

Our train hitting a teenager on his bicycle while on a bridge in Oregon on the second day, and having to perform CPR in a ditch (me Doctor, wife an OT) so that he would live long enough for his parents to take him off life support, should have been a sign that our honeymoon was in jeopardy.

But we pushed on, and put the tragedy behind us as we drove through mountain passes, paddled canoes, rode horses, hiked over Nigel Pass and camped, rode a snow cat over the glaciers, saw dozens or hundreds of waterfalls, and sat in the hot tub at the resort at Lake Louise while the snow began to fall. As we drove away from Lake Louise the snowfall became heavier and heavier, and I'd only had one season of winter driving experience, having moved to Colorado from Texas the year before. I found that going slow and steady it was the only way thru it, rather than turning back. Mind you, this was the days of paper maps and no GPS to help keep us on course!

We couldn't camp in Waterton and Glacier National Parks as planned, with so much snow, and we were lucky to find a hotel with an unclaimed honeymoon suite, with hot tub in the middle of the room and mirrors on the ceiling (scary and low class but clean). We still continued on to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone/Grand Tetons after waiting out the snow, but at that point we decided to stay at the lodge at Jackson Hole and a cabin in Yellowstone, rather than camp.

Sometimes I'm still amazed that we made it through that storm, which made it down to Montana and set records (had not snowed in August in 100 years), but I don't have much info on the impact it had in Canada. This article says Glacier National Park got a foot of snow during the August 1992 snowstorm, and it was even worse farther up north in Waterton National Park - https://weather.com/forecast/news/first-snow-august-montana-glacier-national-park-20140822

Also http://www.krtv.com/story/36194207/august-snow-in-great-falls-flashback-to-1992-video
Also https://www.weather.gov/media/wrh/online_publications/TAs/ta9419.pdf

larryganz · Aug 28, 2018

akshayluc420
Coming from the desert (Dubai) to the Great White North (Toronto), this thread is immensely informative and invaluable to me. Thanks to the OP and every one else that's chipped in!

I may have to reconsider which car I want to pick up later; I was thinking of a '16 Genesis Coupe 3.8 (it's a RWD), but now will need to do some homework on the various AWD types. Apart from the Impreza, is there any other great non-german AWD sedan/coupe? Kia Stinger? 😗

My 2008 Infiniti G35x had a great AWD system, same as used on the Nissan GTR but without the turbo and power (306hp). I don't know if the current Infiniti models use the same excellent system. I do like the Audi AWD system with clutch pack LSD.

I would not get a Nissan, Honda, or Chevy AWD, and only allowed buying the 2007 RAV4 that my wife wanted for the kids because it could lock the AWD into a 4WD on snow and it was all we could afford at the time. I've watch youtube videos of most of the other brands AWD system failing to get the car moving when only 1 or 2 wheels have traction (placed on 4 rollers to independently let each wheel slip or get traction), and failing to make it up a slippery hill with all 4 wheels on the ground. The Subaru always makes the cut.

Also, I had a Jeep Cherokee LTD with Quadra Trak AWD system that worked very well on snow, and it offered 3 modes - AWD, 4WD lo, and 4WD hi. I would take it out drifting on dirt and snow all the time. I suspect other jeep models may do well too. My daughter's 2011 Jeep Compass has a differential lock mode for snow driving, and it does well on her Continental Extreme Winter snow tires. I tested it and it got my approval with the lock button on, and still did fairly well with it off on packed snow. But maybe the Ford Focus RS AWD might also be good? I'd research that one, as it's based on a rally car.

dwboston · Aug 29, 2018

Archer
Not that long ago London (Ontario not UK) had 1.5 meters of snow in a 36 hour period...4 inches is what we call a "dusting" of snow in most parts of Canada...

And most areas of Canada are prepared for snow, with snow removal and road treating equipment, as is New England. Thus the stories of Washington DC and cities in the Southern US (and apparently London) being shut down completely by a few inches of snow from the odd snowstorm.

Archer · Aug 29, 2018

dwboston
And most areas of Canada are prepared for snow, with snow removal and road treating equipment, as is New England. Thus the stories of Washington DC and cities in the Southern US (and apparently London) being shut down completely by a few inches of snow from the odd snowstorm.

Yes, if I'm lucky the plough may come through sometime the day a heavy snow has actually fallen (usually late in the day) or the following day.

For 4 inches, they typically don't bother...

dwboston · Aug 29, 2018

Archer
Yes, if I'm lucky the plough may come through sometime the day a heavy snow has actually fallen (usually late in the day) or the following day.

For 4 inches, they typically don't bother...

We'll get roads plowed and likely pretreated with salt/de-icer for 4 inches of snow. The only question is whether the guy who plows my driveway will show up for that amount of snow. One winter he didn't, then it froze and stayed that way until March.

Archer · Aug 29, 2018

dwboston
The only question is whether the guy who plows my driveway will show up for that amount of snow.

That's why I do it myself...

Canuck · Aug 29, 2018

We live in a cul-de-sac, and City Roads dept. never maintains our front street. That, plus our garage access is through an un-paved back lane. Again, no maintenance. My spouse couldn’t get her car out of the garage for the first four months on 2018. The packed snow is seldom less than about one foot deep. I don’t remember a time when this city actually “shut down” as a result of a heavy snow fall. Rural highways, yes!

guaranteed.rohu · Aug 29, 2018

+1 to winter tires and chains if you're going up a mountain

kkt · Aug 29, 2018

Larry S
I am on my third Outback::
However I would strongly recommend winter tires. Matched with the AWD they make the car virtually unstoppable. This is especially important for hills and ice.

Don't even think words like "unstoppable" as they lead to overconfidence. For winter driving, caution and winter-specific training are more important than anything, even winter tires and AWD.

dwboston · Aug 29, 2018

Archer
That's why I do it myself...

If my driveway were as flat and short as that, I would do it myself.

Archer · Aug 29, 2018

dwboston
If my driveway were as flat and short as that, I would do it myself.

Sure...but the photos don't show how long it actually is...but hey you win...

Co-axial · Aug 29, 2018

calalum
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.

Best advice drive slower and allow longer time to break keeping distances. Not sure about tyre types, in the UK we don't change tyres between seasons.

calalum · Sep 13, 2018

<First of all, congratulations on sending your son off to school in Hanover. That is a tremendous accomplishment.>

Well, the congrats go to him, not me. i just write the checks. He did the work and community service and sports and whatever to get in there, and he is putting in the hours and his grades are near the top of the class.

And thanks again to all for the advice and guidance. He picked up the car a couple of days ago and is very excited and extremely appreciative.

Winter driving guidance needed

MikiJ

albertob

Larry S

akshayluc420

Marty McDawg

dwboston

duc

larryganz

larryganz

dwboston

Archer

dwboston

Archer

Canuck

guaranteed.rohu

kkt

dwboston

Archer

Co-axial

calalum

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