2WD Commuting Into Anchorage (legal, cars, install)

[Rance]

It doesn't matter what your driving when a moose steps out in front of you. If the oncoming lane is full of vehicle there is the ditch option if you've got time. The one moose I hit was at noon. Only trouble was there were 2 large calves in line right behind her. So they pretty much had the entire highway taken up. I hit that cow in the front shoulder doing 55 mph. Like hitting a brick wall. And destroyed my full size truck.
They can appear as fast as a deer. At night you might get lucky and see a red eye reflection. It's the only warning you get.
People die hitting a moose. In the smaller vehicles the legs get taken out from under the moose and they come right through the windshield. In winter they tend to hang around highways to get out of the deep snow, or gaze on the short brush growing in the ditches. Even in a large truck your going to loose the radiator and headlights. Not good if your 20 or 30 miles out in the dead of winter from the nearest town.

[warptman]

It's like black ice, but it's there pretty much the whole winter unless it goes above 32 degrees. Moose are pretty much impossible to see at night from Willow to Wasilla. There are a lot of accidents every winter between moose and cars/trucks. Moose collisions happen pretty much year round on the roads. They pop out of nowhere very fast.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by warptman

I'd go with a 4x4 for the commute. It sits higher and there are a lot of moose on the road between Willow and Wasilla and a lot of collisions between car/truck and moose. I wouldn't want to hit a moose with a Subaru or in anything.

My ex-wife hit a moose on the New Seward Highway at about O'Malley and she and the Subaru survived. I was surprised how well the Outback held up. The hardest part for her was having to watch APD put the moose down. It survived the crash but with two broken legs they had no choice.

I'll still stand by my opinion that a Subaru would be the best vehicle for a commute. Good traction, good survivability and good gas mileage.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by ozarksaints

oh...and that weather sounds down right balmy....jeez, seldom dips below freezing...really? guess I can tell my wife to un-pack my coat to save on moving box space cause I won't need it! lol

I think that was, seldom dips below zero. Although that can change quickly. Last March my friend and I came up to see a little of the winter here and were concerned because they were having temps around 40 (that's not winter!). We needn't have worried though, because a few days into our visit we got whiteout conditions on the road out of Homer followed by couple of -20 nights and single-digit days, plus an avalanche that kept us on the Kenai Peninsula for an extra night. Using an unheated outhouse at 20 below, now that's what I expected of an Alaskan winter!

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Rance

I think many drivers feel they are 10 feet tall and bullet proof in their 4wd. But they still have a couple tons they have to bring to a stop on glare ice.

That's interesting - I actually thought about this some more last night. For some reason, it's always been instinctual for me to drive slower in a larger vehicle. Maybe its because I get to drive a variety of larger trucks at work, but when I climb into a larger vehicle, particularly the higher off the ground I am, the slower I will drive. For some people, it seems to be the opposite. You see some of these guys pushing their 8000 lb F350's around town like they were driving a Ferrari. It doesn't make any sense to me, I always assumed it was some type of Freudian compensation thing. Though I see Gals speeding around in sky-jacked pickups to from time to time as well.

[AADAD]

Originally Posted by tigre79

I think that was, seldom dips below zero. Although that can change quickly. Last March my friend and I came up to see a little of the winter here and were concerned because they were having temps around 40 (that's not winter!). We needn't have worried though, because a few days into our visit we got whiteout conditions on the road out of Homer followed by couple of -20 nights and single-digit days, plus an avalanche that kept us on the Kenai Peninsula for an extra night. Using an unheated outhouse at 20 below, now that's what I expected of an Alaskan winter!

Positively.

[Marty Van Diest]

Moose are a problem. Especially near Willow. It's just another reason to drive slower. The biggest problem with winter driving is that people drive too fast and follow the driver in front too closely. They don't have enough reaction time.

But with moose, sometimes your number is up. That's just the way it is.

A friend of mine hit a moose with a 3/4 ton 4X4 on the Palmer Hay Flats. He is in a nursing home with brain damage as a result.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Rance

I've been driving 2wd my entire driving career in AK. I've never had any trouble other than trying to stop on wet ice roads. Studs will help. And a set of chains as a backup for hill climbing etc.
A front wheel drive will even be better.
I also own a 4wd Dodge with Cummins diesel. I need to plug it in for an hour if it gets below zero but other than that it runs great all winter. It's my plow truck, trailer puller in the winter and I keep it in 2wd unless I need 4wd.
Once you start commuting...you'll see more 4wd vehicles in the ditch along the route to Anc than 2wd. I think many drivers feel they are 10 feet tall and bullet proof in their 4wd. But they still have a couple tons they have to bring to a stop on glare ice.

I agree completely. I have been commuting from Settler's Bay to Anchorage daily for the last seven years using a 2WD vehicle. The vast majority of the ditch divers I see every winter are the 4WD and AWD vehicles. The only advantage a 4WD or AWD vehicle gives you on snowy and icy roads is better traction when accelerating. They don't stop any faster, or give you any better control when braking, than 2WD vehicles as all these ditch divers found out. Front-wheel drive is preferable, as opposed to rear-wheel drive, and all 4 tires should be studded.

When the snow is more than a foot deep, then I use my 4x4. But that is only an issue on the backroads, not on the highways.

[RedJacket]

There really should be more of a push from moose-proofing cars sold in places like Alaska, Maine, Vermont and other states that have a high population of moose. I believe Saab has done some work in moose-proofing all their cars because of the large moose pop. in Sweden.

snopes.com: Moose Story

Moose Accident photos & pictures - moose pictures car crash

[RedJacket]

I've never owned a 4WD and I've lived in some of the snowiest areas in the country. Front wheel drive is all you need.

People who have 4WDs that require an extension ladder to get into are probably owners of a two inch pecker.