Winter travel in Colorado (Colorado Springs, Loveland: landlord, live in, legal)

[Brill]

Hi

2 questions here, somewhat related. I moved to Colorado Springs earlier this year. I love to ski and am gearing up for ski season. The problem is I drive a Ford Focus. My question is about tires, what would be the best kind of tires for traveling out to Breck/Keystone/Abasin during the winter? I was up there last winter and saw plenty of small front-wheel drive cars. This does not seem like an impossible task. The way I see it I got 3 options:
1. All season tires and chains
2. Good winter tires without studs
3. Winter tires with studs(I read studs are legal in CO all year around, is this true?)

Realistically I think studs may be overkill. If it's snowing bad, I won't drive. But I do want to be prepared in case I get caught in a blizzard. I moved out here after the two big blizzards last year, but I still caught some of the Colorado Springs winter. With the current set of tires, I did not have any real issues driving. My main concern is being able to make it to the ski areas and back.


The second question is somewhat related to travel. Loveland Pass, how bad is it? Obviously it is probably pretty treacherous in the winter months, but what about the summer? Everything I read makes it sound like anyone who goes over it when they don't have to is nuts. I am interested in going up there for sightseeing/photography purposes.

Thanks.

[jazzlover]

A front-wheel drive car will do pretty well with snow tires, especially if it has traction control (some Focuses do). Studs are good if one is driving on ice--that's what they are for. They aren't a whole lot of improvement over snow tires on just snowpacked roads. Loveland Pass can be nasty in winter. It is subject to quite a bit of blowing snow, and slides run fairly regularly. I used to drive Loveland Pass before the tunnels were built and it could be a pain. In the summer, it's a pretty, but slow drive. Be aware, too, that trucks carrying hazardous materials are not permitted through the Eisenhower Tunnel, so those trucks are routed over Loveland.

The big problem on the "I-70 Sacrifice Zone" and a lot of the roads frequented by Front Range drivers in the winter is the large number of winter driving idiots and ignoramuses one must contend with on the roads. They are either driving too fast for conditions or their own driving abilities, or are scared spitless and drive too slowly. After driving Colorado mountain roads for nearly 40 winters now, I worry a lot more about other drivers than about contending with the adverse road conditions themselves.

[Brill]

Some people I work with told me the same thing, that I should be more worried about the other drivers then the actual road conditions.

[Katarina Witt]

In the summer, Loveland Pass should not be a problem. It snows VERY infrequently in the summer, and usually just flurries.

[dynimagelv]

ahhhhh fond memories of going over Berthoud pass in a snow storm in my 49 ford with street tires[no one told us we couldnt make it........so we did ]

[COflower]

I have driven the state since I got my driver's license back in (egads) 1985.

what do you need?

Seriously, a good all season tire. I used to work for a tire store (aka Big O Tires and actually we had five stores that I worked for) and the all season tire hasn't failed me yet.

Do you lose a bit of traction with an all season? Sure but a mud and snow tire, in the extreme conditions will also not be the most safest way to get around either.

I have done the trip to Breckenridge from Colorado Springs in some pretty dicey situations in my Honda Accord. Other than feeling a little out of sorts, not once have I wrecked a vehicle because of M+S rated all season tires.

My landlord/friend used to use studded snow tires on his car. Guess who wrecked on what is basically the same car I have (his was a two door Accord a year older than mine)!

I've come to the conclusion that while tires are extremelly important, it's the driver and most of the people I know who actually live in the mountains, they have basic all season tires and do just fine.

[Tillersony]

I have lived in Colorado for 33-yrs.I have gone with both all-season tires,and gone with studded snow tires.I am formerly from Wisconsin so I have driven on a lot of snowy roads.For the best all around safe drive in Colorado winter conditions I highly recommend the studded tires (all 4-wheels of course). These go on my Honda Accord(front wheel drive only).I also have a Dodge diesel 4x4,but carry chains in the event the snow gets to deep.

[bartonizer]

A dedicated snow tire like an X-Ice or Blizzak would be a noticeable improvement from an all-season if you're hitting the slopes a lot. If not, there's probably no need for them on the Front Range. Of course, with snow tires you're expected to keep 2 sets of tires and wheels around, which can be difficult when you don't have the space or money. I've left a set on all summer before; they just wear faster.

I don't recall seeing people putting chains on cars too often when I lived there, but they're probably a good thing for peace of mind, and much cheaper than the other options, as I really don't see a need for studded snow tires unless you live in the mountains. As others have mentioned, perhaps the most important thing you can do in really bad conditions is to drive slowly and look out for vehicles.

[jazzlover]

My philosophy about tire chains is this: if conditions are bad enough that a normal passenger vehicle or light truck needs them to cope with winter conditions, then it's time to park and wait for conditions to improve. I've been driving in Rocky Mountain winters for over four decades and the only times that I've had to chain up was driving a truck towing a very heavy trailer, or to chain up a 4WD all the way around to cope with unplowed ranch roads and trails.

If one is going to use winter tires, then today's good quality dedicated winter tires will perform very adequately without studs. Studs tear up the roads and, once the studs wear down, they lose most of their effectiveness. They are a has-been technology.

And, as I've said umpteen times, none of that stuff is a substitute for winter driving experience.

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

My philosophy about tire chains is this: if conditions are bad enough that a normal passenger vehicle or light truck needs them to cope with winter conditions, then it's time to park and wait for conditions to improve. I've been driving in Rocky Mountain winters for over four decades and the only times that I've had to chain up was driving a truck towing a very heavy trailer, or to chain up a 4WD all the way around to cope with unplowed ranch roads and trails.

If one is going to use winter tires, then today's good quality dedicated winter tires will perform very adequately without studs. Studs tear up the roads and, once the studs wear down, they lose most of their effectiveness. They are a has-been technology.

And, as I've said umpteen times, none of that stuff is a substitute for winter driving experience.

In my 45 years of winter driving experience in CO, I believe what Jazz espouses is spot on.