Driving 2WD in snow (Denver, Louisville: house, buy, live)

[ocsuxx]

Hello everyone,
I am leaving this fake, plastic, traffic infested, hellhole they call So-Cal soon and i am Denver bound! Anyway, i have a question for the locals? I have a Ford Explorer 2wd (Rear WD) do i need to panic and buy a new car for the winter or will i be good with just snow tires? I will be commuting in and around Denver and sometimes to CO Springs but i want to save some $$ and not buy a car for at least a year or so. Can i make do with what i have?? I know obviously not to drive up in the mountains with ice and snow on the ground in the winter. Thank you for your feedback!
Shawn

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by ocsuxx

Hello everyone,
I am leaving this fake, plastic, traffic infested, hellhole they call So-Cal soon and i am Denver bound! Anyway, i have a question for the locals? I have a Ford Explorer 2wd (Rear WD) do i need to panic and buy a new car for the winter
No.
or will i be good with just snow tires?
Yes
I will be commuting in and around Denver and sometimes to CO Springs but i want to save some $$ and not buy a car for at least a year or so. Can i make do with what i have??
Yes, I was a visiting nurse in the Denver area for years with 2WD cars.
I know obviously not to drive up in the mountains with ice and snow on the ground in the winter. Thank you for your feedback!
Shawn

You could probably drive in the mountains, too. We did. We did not get a 4WD until we had lived here 23 years, in the meantime we did a lot of mountain and general winter driving. Buy a new car when you need a new car.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I think he'll definitely need more time to learn how to drive in the slick stuff in RWD than if he had FWD or AWD/4WD. When I was in town last February, I had fun sitting by the window at the Village Inn watching people making right turns onto Colfax out of the parking lot. All the RWD trucks and SUVs spun their rear wheels (or at least the one facing me) like crazy and took forever to get out of the driveway. The FWD cars (including my rental) had little difficulty.

[Katiana]

My old FWD van fishtailed like crazy in the smallest amount of snow. It depends on the car.

[ocsuxx]

I did hear that 2 WD is not the problem if you have front wheel drive and snow tires your fine. I have rear drive and no snow tires (right now?) I will be getting the right vehicle down the road but the house comes first so i need to save my $. just dont want to kill myself or go Thelma and Louise off the hwy!!! Thanks for the feedback.
Shawn

[Katiana]

You'll be fine. DH had several RWD cars out here; had a long commute from Louisville to Golden through lots of rural-ish country, never had an accident. I generally drove FWD as a visiting nurse.

[Fastway57]

A set of studded snows and a little patience you will be fine.

[bullfish15]

I have a RWD pickup with no snow tires. Sure, I won't drive up pike's peak in January but I have no problem driving in the worst of the snowfalls.

[COflower]

You'll do okay but I would look into a front wheel drive vechicle anyway...say a Honda or Toyota.

I tool around pretty good in my Honda Accord and it's better on gas than a Ford Exploder. I had a Suburban in Denver and it was awesome but it had four wheel drive. I had to trade it in for my Honda and I am not crying (as much) at the pump.

I'd say, leave the Explorer behind and invest in a nice smaller car. Front wheel drive is preferred when driving in the snow, especially on a hill.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Katiana

My old FWD van fishtailed like crazy in the smallest amount of snow. It depends on the car.

What??? You sure you mean FWD as in Front Wheel Drive? You cannot fishtail period in a FWD unless you're going in reverse. You also can't spin your tires from a dead stop near as easily as they usually put the engine and sometimes transmission right up there in the front of the vehicle. If it's over the drive wheels, you get more traction.

And that's been my experience too. I personally like to drive RWD in snow once in awhile because I like to get sideways. But not when I'm on I-25 or I-70 where people are trying to run you off the road at 80. Then I like to have FWD or 4WD and watch my speed, braking, steering, etc.