Driving in snow in Rochester (Detroit: 2014, home, high schools)

[WinterK]

How difficult is driving in the snow? I know there are driving schools up there to teach skills for driving in snow or ice. I'm planning a move back to my hometown of Rochester in a couple of months. I have no experience driving in anything except blinding torrential rain in Florida. Thanks

[craig11152]

If the vehicle you drive has ABS brakes the learning curve is minimal.
If your vehicle has 4 wheel or all wheel drive remember that just because you can drive faster doesn't mean you can stop faster.

[WinterK]

Thank you. I have a 2008 Toyota Camry. I don't think it's 4 wheel drive, I'll have to look it up.

[lynnc99]

Man of us do fine with AWD vehicles. Take it slow and trust me, it doesn't snow as hard in Michigan as it rains in Florida every single summer day (I moved back home to Oakland County after a stint in Naples).

But yes, if your unsure, reach out to a driving school for some pointers. Or YouTube it!

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by WinterK

Thank you. I have a 2008 Toyota Camry. I don't think it's 4 wheel drive, I'll have to look it up.

It won't be all wheel drive it will be front wheel drive. What's more important to know is if it has ABS brakes. The old style brakes require you to "pump" them when stopping in snow or ice to be sure you don't spin out. ABS brakes do the pumping for you so you just hold your foot on the brake and let the ABS system do it's thing. If that is confusing I am sure YouTube has dozens of videos explaining.

[leroythelion]

Originally Posted by WinterK

How difficult is driving in the snow? I know there are driving schools up there to teach skills for driving in snow or ice. I'm planning a move back to my hometown of Rochester in a couple of months. I have no experience driving in anything except blinding torrential rain in Florida. Thanks

Take it easy, take it slow. Be aware that it takes a lot longer to stop. Don't lock your brakes. You'll get used to it. You won't be able to take a lesson until it actually snows which by then will be too late. Change your tires to good 4 Seasons or snow tires. That makes a huge difference. Be careful of the idiots on the road...there are plenty of them. Stay away from high schools and the inexperienced teenagers driving around them.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by leroythelion

Don't lock your brakes.

That is the part were the OP needs to determine if the 2008 Camry has ABS brakes or not.
It appears from my two bit research that ABS was standard in all trim packages of 08 Camry's. If so then "lock your brakes" is protocol so the ABS system can do its thing.

[DTWflyer]

Here's my post about weather/winter in Metro Detroit (recopied from other threads):

Weather:
(from posts I've made earlier in the year)
Metro Detroit winters overall are pretty moderate as far as it goes for being in a northern locale. Somewhat similar winter to NYC, although we don't get the influences of the ocean the way they do.

Snow:
- Metro Detroit averages about 35-45 inches of snow/year. Some years more, some years less.
- Winter 2013-2014 saw record seasonal snowfall, which was around 90" for the winters
- Typical for us to get about 1-3 "big" snow events per winter that make getting around difficult for about 12-24 hours until the road crews can dig out. This typically takes a 8-12"+ snowfall with snow rates at 1-2" per hour to really inhibit commerce
- Expect about 10-15 lousy commuting days per winter - where snow, ice, slush will make travel slower but doesn't really shut down much in the way of businesses
- Most of our snowfall comes in 1-3" increments from passing squalls and clippers
- Most winters we get the snow and it will stick around for a bit if we are in a freeze/cooler period, but usually about a week later it will get warm up for a day or two and melt most its.
- Most winters Metro Detroit tends to be more "brown" than "white"
- The big exception was winter 2013-14 where not only did we get frequent snow, its stayed really cold for about 6 weeks, so the snow that fell stuck around for most of Jan, Feb and to mid-March with no real thaw
- Usually start to get the first measurable snow around Thanksgiving, pretty much done by mid-March
- We don't get the big "nor-easters" like the East Coast, nor do we get the lake effect snows like the northern and western parts of Lower Michigan on the lakeshore

Cold:
- Temps generally stay pretty mild through early/mid November highs in the 40s/50s, lows in the 20s/30s
- December starts to usually see sustained periods with highs only in the 20s/30s, and lows in the 20s
- January is usually the coldest month, usually get a week where temps stay in the single digits/teens, lows in the singles digits or slightly below zero
- Feb tends to usually be a bit warmer but mid-month, but the higher sun angles and longer days tend to make it feel warmer than Dec/Jan
- Mar starts to be full-on "mud season" where tends now are consistently in the 30/40s/50s during the day, but 20/30s at night
- April is the most frustrating month as it usually takes forever for it to actually green-up and get nice out, usually toward the end of the month

Gloom:
- Due to the warmer waters of the Great Lakes versus the colder air moving across the lakes, we get a lot of gray, overcast, cloudy days from October through February. Sunny days tend to be a rare treat.
- By November the days get fairly short with sunrise after 7am and setting around 5pm. Like said in Nov, Dec, Jan its you may go all week at work without being outside during the daylight hours.

---


In January (2017) metro Detroit had only 2 days of sun

There have been pockets of sun here and there a few more days than that, but really only 2 that have been consistently sunny and clear.

This seems pretty typical though in Michigan with the Great Lakes. We tend to not get many sunny days in the winter until the Great Lakes get some significant freeze and/or we have very strong high pressure.

I also joke this is often the time of the year I can go from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon without seeing my house/yard in the daylight. Sometimes branches or trash may be lying down in the backyard but I won't notice since its always dark. At least our office has a lot of natural light.

--

The best time of the year for weather in Southeast Michigan in my opinion is mid-May to late-June & August through Early-November.

[Coldjensens]

ABS has been standard on cars since I can't remember (probably the 1990s, but well before 2008).

Front wheel drive will be fine. You will not have any issues unless you end up in a snow storm, or black or visible ice that has not been salted (or it is too cold to salt). If there is heavy snow, either wait, or just drive slowly and leave a ton of room between you and the next car, stop early for lights and stop signs, do not try to accelerate quickly. That is about it.

If there is ice or black ice - find a way to drive later. It is dangerous for anyone, no matter their experience and a very unpleasant and tense driving experience overall. It is rare, but if it occurs, just do not drive. It is not worth the risk. Wait it out. Usually the roads are safe again within 24 hours or less.

The most likely occurrence is you will have dry roads. Even if there is snow everywhere else, the roads are usually clear.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

ABS has been standard on cars since I can't remember (probably the 1990s, but well before 2008).

It wasn't mandated till 2013 in the USA. I realize "mandated" and "standard" are not the same but I imagine there were cars built with ABS optional right up until mandate time. Neither my 2002 Honda nor my 2001 Saturn have ABS brakes. I bought the Honda new and I vaguely remember wanting them but it was something like a $1800 up cost because they were packaged with a moonroof and a couple other things I didn't want to pay for.