We are thinking about moving to Colorado (Denver, Woodland Park: buy, live in)

[Mecadorian]

I have never lived in Colorado or any place that has snowed. Is it true that you MUST have a 4x4 truck or SUV out there? Would i be able to take my Toyota Corrolla out there? My boyfriend and i are thinking about visiting first to get a feel of where we want to move, any ideas for a young couple on in healthcare the other in retail. Thanks!

[EscapeCalifornia]

There's been lots of threads about this. A 4x4 is not required but they are popular along with AWD cars like Subarus. Front wheel drive cars like your Corolla are fine 99% of the time in the cities.

[Neditate]

Yes, this question comes up all the time. You might want to do a search.
A 4wd is not a requirement. I've lived here for 27 winters and I drove Honda Civics for 16 of them with no real problems. Put snow tires on in the winter.

[bikerpppp]

No, you don't need 4x4 drive. I live in the Denver metro area and I own a subaru outback. This gets me into the mountains to ski with no problems. I have also put studs on it for the backcountry dirt roads. The frontrange is very mild compared to the mountains. I'll bike ride almost year round. The snow is very heavy in the mountains, not so much in the front range. My other car is a honda Odyssey. This van works fine for the winter. If you have any other questions feel free to email this account. Cheers-

[PokerMunkee]

Where in Colorado? If in the city (Denver, Springs, etc), you will be just like everyone said. If you find yourself going up to the mountains to ski a lot, you may eventually want to get an AWD car. If you find yourself driving in a lot of snow and not confident, you could get some snow tires for a few hundred dollars which would really help.

I live in Woodland Park, at around 8500', and we can get some good snow storms. I have an AWD Dodge Magnum which does great. I also have some cheap winter tires on another set of rims incase it gets really bad, since I commute to Cripple Creek (9600') 5 days a week.

[PokerMunkee]

Some videos showing the benefit of winter tires:

FWD cars:
YouTube - Winter Tire Demonstration - Module 5 of 6
AWD cars:
YouTube - Winter Tire Demonstration - Module 2 of 6
RWD cars:
YouTube - Winter Tire Demonstration - Module 3 of 6

The $200-500 is really worth it, considering it could save your life or a claim!

[EscapeCalifornia]

Is it OK to get a set of winter tires and have them swapped twice a year on the same rims or will repeated mounting/unmounting damage the tire at all?

[PokerMunkee]

It's OK to do that, but it is usually best to get a dedicated set of wheels to mount the winter tires on.

After a few winters, the extra set of wheels will pay for themselves because it's usually around $20 a wheel to mount/balance a tire. So each time, that's around $80 or so. Plus, you usually want a smaller wheel for the winter, since it's less resistance you have to push through the snow. So for example, if your car has a 16" wheel, you are better off having a 15" wheel with a narrower tire (if possible).

Tirerack.com usualy sells "packages" that will fit your particular car. The cheapest method is to find out what wheel you need and then go on craigslist and buy them used.