Choosing a car for heavy snow fall (help please) (anchorage ak) (F150, vehicles)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Our family is moving to Anchorage soon. We will probably be living about 20-30 miles from the actual city and are looking for a good SUV to drive through the snow. Lived in cleveland for many years and used to driving in snow but I understand there is alot more snow and it's alot colder in Anch.
I understand that snow tires etc and safe driving are really what matters. We want something that will be able to maneuver through heavy snowfall (i.e. decent ground clearance)
Looking at 4x4 SUVs
Looking at the ford explorer but it's ground clearance is only 7.6" and it sits on a car frame
Also looking at Chevy Tahoe but it seems like it might be too big. Though it does have a decent ground clearance and power. Sits on a truck frame.
Can anyone please shed some light? I'd hate to buy a huge SUV and find out we don't need it, but i'd also hate to buy a smaller SUV that doesnt perform any better than our sedan.
Last edited by hatingthemidwest; 09-09-2013 at 04:18 PM..
The size of the SUV is not what is going to matter. What's going to matter is making sure that you have the right kind of snow tires. You're also going to need to run lightweight synthetic oil in your engine, and synthetic fluid in your transmission. Be sure you have a plug-in block heater.
You're also going to want some cold-weather survival gear.
I'm a Northerner. You can hit me up with a PM if you would like to.
1. Dodge Power Wagon if you want a truck (front and rear lockers)
2. Older (2005-2010) Jeep Grand Cherokee or Commander with Quadra-Drive II. Newer models should be fine too but they have an open front differential. QDII has front and rear ELSD. Can put 100% of the power to a single wheel.
3. Any Land Rover or Range Rover
Definitely put winter tires on so you can actually stop or turn once you get going with your top of the line 4x4 system!
Location: The Circle City. Sometimes NE of Bagdad.
24,480 posts, read 26,021,800 times
Reputation: 59858
Quote:
Originally Posted by hatingthemidwest
Our family is moving to Anchorage soon. We will probably be living about 20-30 miles from the actual city and are looking for a good SUV to drive through the snow. Lived in cleveland for many years and used to driving in snow but I understand there is alot more snow and it's alot colder in Anch.
I understand that snow tires etc and safe driving are really what matters. We want something that will be able to maneuver through heavy snowfall (i.e. decent ground clearance)
Looking at 4x4 SUVs
Looking at the ford explorer but it's ground clearance is only 7.6" and it sits on a car frame
Also looking at Chevy Tahoe but it seems like it might be too big. Though it does have a decent ground clearance and power. Sits on a truck frame.
Can anyone please shed some light? I'd hate to buy a huge SUV and find out we don't need it, but i'd also hate to buy a smaller SUV that doesnt perform any better than our sedan.
You might want to ask this question in the Alaska forum for more info.
Alias Toyota Tacoma king cab.
Otherwise, Fj Cruiser, Landcruiser, and 4Runner will cut the bill for you.
Personally, I am positive, a larger Subaru will do just fine, unless you really want to live way out in Anchorage sticks somewhere. It's normal civilized city.
Don't recommend a Ford or GM but recommend a Toyota that has been completely rebuilt specially for arctic weather and has little relation to the stock truck? Great advice if they have buckets of cash. If you spend $100,000 on a Geo Metro you could make it awesome in the snow too. Spend a little to customize a Suburban and it will go through almost any amount of snow too, for a lot less than the Top Gear truck (that was a great episode).
I would get a Suburban, but I like full size vehicles. I've driven my stock (not the Sub in the video), other than 285/75/16 tires, 4x4 2000 Suburban through 18" of snow without any problems and was at 180,000 mechanically trouble free miles when it was totaled in an accident. Or get a Tahoe if you want something a little smaller, I've got 176,000 miles on my 1999 no problems in the 40,000 miles I've owned it, haven't seen more than 10" of snow since I bought it but that wasn't a big deal.
You can find someone with just about any 4x4 who has gone through amazing amounts of snow at one time or another. Get something reliable with 4 wheel drive, enough ground clearance and as Garagelogic said proper tires and chains and you'll be fine. Good vs bad tires will make more of difference than Ford/GM/Dodge/Toyota.
If the Suburban is too big, maybe a Kia Sportage is the way to go, they seem to do better than I would have guessed in the snow.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
