4wd needed in CO springs? (Denver: home, neighborhood, school)

[ecorpuz12]

Looking to relocate...just wondering if 4wd is an absolute necessity during the winter. i've heard the snow generally melts fairly quickly...but how many super snowstorms (3+ days to melt) are there each winter? thanks all.

[Mike from back east]

Here's a thread on the topic, there are more such threads listed in the index about cars and driving in COLO SPGS.

There's a great thread in the Denver forum on Subaru's, the winter-driving car of choice here for many people....

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by ecorpuz12

Looking to relocate...just wondering if 4wd is an absolute necessity during the winter. i've heard the snow generally melts fairly quickly...but how many super snowstorms (3+ days to melt) are there each winter? thanks all.

Depends on the year and the location. How many times would it be acceptable to tell the boss you can't come to work because of the snow?

That said, you might be able to get by with front wheel drive and chains, depending on house/job/school locations. Terrain would be a consideration as well as proximity to a city/county plowed road.

[PokerMunkee]

No, not needed. If you want to be smart, get winter tires. Tons of videos and info on the Internet about winter/snow tires. The better ones don't even have studs (studless), technology is grand!

As my other posts have stated, I'm a huge fan of having the proper tires for the conditions.


Winter Tires+FWD is better than AWD/4X4+All-Seasons.

Winter Tires+Fulltime AWD is the best of the best.

[ecorpuz12]

i did a quick search but i guess i my search string wasn't good enough. thanks for the replies all...i lived in MD for 3 yrs and weathered several snowstorms with a FWD car and didn't have any problems. i wasn't sure if mountain snow was somehow more lethal than the near sea-level variety...LOL

[ShelleyJ]

I don't think that a 4WD is necessary. We have 2 front wheel drive vehicles and do just fine.

[otowi]

Don't have it, lived here my whole life, been just fine.

[lalahartma]

Unless you want to go up to the mountains! Seriously.

[beezle1]

I think it depends on where you live and where you commute to. Up here on the Palmer Divide there are days when I think I could not have gotten home from work without my Subaru. And there have been times when we have very huge drifts (4 feet) and the plows do not come through the neighborhood for 3 days so there is no way to get out. However, in town, or closer to main roads you would have no problem.

[Amery523]

Just keep in mind that COS does not plow a lot of residential streets. They plow the main arteries but the residential ones, no. If you live on the north side of COS that area also tends to get more snow too. While my car is not 4WD or AWD, it is a Honda CR-V and that higher clearance off the ground was at least able to get me out of my non-plowed residential street right onto a plowed major street many times and I do live on the north side too. My next car will have AWD or 4WD but I go to the mountains to snowboard regularly and I drive to Denver once or twice a week. Absence of these factors, winter tires and a car with higher ground clearance will probably do the trick MOST of the time.