Do I need AWD cars in Cincy? (Cleveland, Cincinnati: rental car, rental)

[Chemistry_Guy]

You generally don't need AWD in Cincinnati to get where you are going, but when it is done right with some sort of traction control it is a great safety feature. I prefer driving our Subaru whenever the roads are wet, not just in the snow. After driving a RWD pickup truck for years and having it fishtail when the level of traction suddenly changes, the AWD is a welcome relief.

As far as snow driving, it comes down to your personal situation. If you work at a job where staying home on snow days is not a big deal, or you live on a very flat street, the AWD might not be necessary. On the other hand, if you need to be able to get around 365 days a year and 360 days is not going to cut it, you should probably get the AWD.

[kjbrill]

The problem is you can only move as well as the traffic around you regardless. I called my daughter to see whether she got to work in Hebron this morning OK. She said yes, it only took her twice as long. But she said some of their employees use the Loveland exit off I-275 and come around I-275 to Hebron. She said one person called in, said they had left early sat virtually dead for two hours, finally got a chance to turnaround and went back home.

An AWD vehicle is if nothing else a confidence booster. But unless it has a sophisticated traction control system governing the power to each of those 4 wheels it will be no better than 2-wheel drive, especially on ice.

I went out about 10:00 AM. Our streets we just wet. Of course Mason had put down enough melt to handle an 8-inch snowfall. I guess their storage bins are full due to the mild winter and the employees haven't been getting enough overtime driving the trucks.

[Briolat21]

As someone else noted - it is not the UP of Michigan.

That said - if you are paranoid phobic of "northern" winters and are coming from some place South of here with no snow/ice ... and AWD gives you the confidence to get through a winter - go for it.

wecome to cinci!

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Unless you want to stay home whenever it snows, you need something other than 2wd.

Originally Posted by ram2

This is Cincinnati, not the U.P. of Michigan. I had RWD cars when I lived in Cincinnati and it was a non-issue in winter.

The UP of Michigan is one of the easiest foul weather driving areas there is. It is utterly flat and when it snows, they scrape it flat in hours, and it stays frozen, often for the entire winter.

Unlike Cincinnati in which every street is a goat run and patches of ice abound from freezing and thawing snow, freezing rain and ice.

Apparently you are from neither place.

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Well, first snow today. 1" if that. There was a three and a half hour traffic tie up on I75 .

State police closed southbound I-75 Monday after an estimated 30-vehicle pileup stopped traffic south of Cincinnati.
Snow affected the area starting around 2 a.m. EST Monday. At the the time of the crash, flurries and snow squalls were in the area (http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snow-squalls-rapid-freezeup-co-1/59807 - broken link). Temperatures were in the mid-20s and winds were gusting to around 34 mph.
The crash happened around 10:40 a.m. Police told WCPO-TV the road could be closed for up to seven hours.
Drivers have sustained injuries, but authorities released no more information.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported a semi-trailer was involved with the accident. It also reported, "All lanes are blocked. A detour is in operation for the next five hours."
Dispatchers blame slick and snowy roadways for the accident, according to FOX 19.

This was from two months ago. Let's see you post anything close to this from the UP of Michigan, ever.

[Ohiogirl81]

A good set of all-weather radials and common sense is all you'll ever need.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

A good set of all-weather radials and common sense is all you'll ever need.

Oh, that's is so quaint. "Radials?" Really?

[ram2]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

The UP of Michigan is one of the easiest foul weather driving areas there is. It is utterly flat and when it snows, they scrape it flat in hours, and it stays frozen, often for the entire winter.

Unlike Cincinnati in which every street is a goat run and patches of ice abound from freezing and thawing snow, freezing rain and ice.

Apparently you are from neither place.



This was from two months ago. Let's see you post anything close to this from the UP of Michigan, ever.

This just shows the stupidity of Cincinnati drivers.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by ram2

This just shows the stupidity of Cincinnati drivers.

I'm not exactly sure what your post means, nor can I speak about the UP. But my husband's extensive experience in the snow belt of northern Indiana--and plenty of exposure to it as a visitor myself--only reinforces the point that winter driving experience on straight, flat roads through lightly populated areas bears ZERO relevance to what happens in Cincinnati when there's even a light snowfall.

Yes, I've seen plenty of what I'd term bad judgment or inexperience/lack of skill on the part of drivers here in the snow. It's all the more reason to be as well equipped as possible yourself, just from a defensive driving standpoint if nothing else.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

I'm not exactly sure what your post means, nor can I speak about the UP. But my husband's extensive experience in the snow belt of northern Indiana--and plenty of exposure to it as a visitor myself--only reinforces the point that winter driving experience on straight, flat roads through lightly populated areas bears ZERO relevance to what happens in Cincinnati when there's even a light snowfall.

Yes, I've seen plenty of what I'd term bad judgment or inexperience/lack of skill on the part of drivers here in the snow. It's all the more reason to be as well equipped as possible yourself, just from a defensive driving standpoint if nothing else.

Someone needs to visit the U.P. The land around Michigan Tech (Houghton) and the Porcupine MOUNTAINS is not flat.

[Cleveland_Collector]

I would say that FWD will get you by in Cincy just fine as long as the road crews are diligent. Having experienced 30 or so winters in Cleveland (which usually gets much more snow than Cincy), I prefer to have AWD/4WD. However, the road crews do a good enough job to where 2WD/FWD drivers mostly get along just fine.