Driving in upstate new york, need advice about car (Buffalo: home, live)

[mikehawk]

I will be driving to upstate new york from florida and need advice. Currently I have a 330ci bmw that is rwd and on performance tires. I would prefer to drive this car because it is very safe and comfortable but I'm not sure how it will be in the northeast in the heavy snowfall.

I also have access to an AWD audi, but it is my brother's and it has more miles so I'm worried aobut it making the 2500 mile trip.

Do you think the 330 should be able to hand the snow for a week or two? Do the roads get cleared quickly enough to safely operate a RWD car on the roads? The major cities i'm visiting are syracuse and buffalo.

Thanks,
Mike

[Glen NY]

Mike, Despite the heavy snow fall of these areas, I think sedans, non 4wd's, are still the predominant vehicle, it seems most people have no problem. Although I no longer live year round in Syracuse, I have family that still lives there. They have never owned a 4wd vehicle and never had any problems. 4wd is a plus if you happen to be driving during heavy snow. Yes theye are very dilligent about snow clean up. Good luck, Glen

[BillsMan]

Mike, you should be fine, the roads are cleared here round the clock when it accumulates. It also depends on the time of year with January and February being the worst for snow. On occasions we get slammed with a lake effect storm which will dump 6-10" on you in a matter of hours, when that happens the road crews are out salting and clearing the roads.

So, come on up and bring your camera and enjoy the beauty of upstate NY!

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by mikehawk

I will be driving to upstate new york from florida and need advice. Currently I have a 330ci bmw that is rwd and on performance tires. I would prefer to drive this car because it is very safe and comfortable but I'm not sure how it will be in the northeast in the heavy snowfall.

I also have access to an AWD audi, but it is my brother's and it has more miles so I'm worried aobut it making the 2500 mile trip.

Do you think the 330 should be able to hand the snow for a week or two? Do the roads get cleared quickly enough to safely operate a RWD car on the roads? The major cities i'm visiting are syracuse and buffalo.

RWD cars are poorer in snow, generally, than FWD and much poorer than AWD. I'm guessing that your performance tires have a wide tread? That's another negative; the best tires in snow are skinny ones.

NYS does a good job generally clearing the highways; often the challenge is negotiating streets or secondary roads to get to the highways in the first place. Snow is capricious even in the snowbelts you'll be visiting; lots of times you'd have no trouble at all, but there always is the chance of a big lake effect snowfall in that region.

Unless you really have a significant worry about the Audi's reliability, I think it might be a better choice, if you travel when snow is a serious possibility. You probably don't want to do this, but you could mount better tires on the BMW and it would be less of a problem in snow. Costly, though, and kind of a waste if you'd never use the tires again.

[ontheroad]

I've driven an older model of bmw 320i in New England and Upstate NY, and elsewhere with light to heavy snow, and only had one incident on LI (in a storm) but I got out of it by rocking the car.

And if you are driving on main highways, and not unpaved country roads, you should be fine.

[mikehawk]

Guys, thanks a bunch for the great replies. If it helps at all, I will be driving in early December. I will be coming up through central PA, to Buffalo, then to Syracuse, and will be heading to long island around the 13th of December. I assume it will be mainly highway type driving, mainly staying in the cities.

[Hartwick]

I drive a BMW Z4 with Bridgestone run-flat tires. I once attempted to drive home during the beginning of a snow storm. Had absolutely no traction; the traction control and DSC were constantly working to keep me safe. I finally parked the car in a supermarket parking lot and called my wife to drive me home. Never again will I attempt to drive that car in the snow.

The cities you are visiting are notoriously heavy snow cities. The Audi may be better if it has suitable tires on it's AWD.

Keep your BMW home, safe, clean, and away from all the sand and salt used to keep the roads clear.

[mikehawk]

Originally Posted by Hartwick

I drive a BMW Z4 with Bridgestone run-flat tires. I once attempted to drive home during the beginning of a snow storm. Had absolutely no traction; the traction control and DSC were constantly working to keep me safe. I finally parked the car in a supermarket parking lot and called my wife to drive me home. Never again will I attempt to drive that car in the snow.

The cities you are visiting are notoriously heavy snow cities. The Audi may be better if it has suitable tires on it's AWD.

Keep your BMW home, safe, clean, and away from all the sand and salt used to keep the roads clear.

how is the z4 before or after the snow? as in after the roads are cleared? thanks for the info.

[cpiseco]

The roads being cleared also depend on other things, too. It may snow, the roads may be clear, but the weather may be cold enough to freeze the water on the roadways and turn to black ice. Now, if you hit a patch of that, it won't matter what kind of car you're driving, heh.

I suggest AWD. I used to drive a FWD Buick and now I drive an 4WD Xterra. I don't know how I ever drove around in that Buick, or the Chevy before that, or the Pontiac before that. Bottom line is, as a New York State resident, you get plenty of experience driving in the snow and learn how to handle it.

If you've never driven in snow, slush or ice before, or if you can count the number of times on one hand...I still suggest taking the AWD Audi and only take the BMW as a last resort.

But hey, it certainly is beautiful up there. =)

[BillsMan]

Black Ice .. WEEEEEEEE!!!!