Honda Odyssey in Duluth??

[cubssoxfan]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a good set of snow tires instead?

[601halfdozen0theother]

I once got my toyota camry stuck in an "ice hole" (pot hole in the ice on the street) on one of the hilly Chester Park area residential streets in Duluth. It took 3 men hacking at the ice and rocking the car to get me out.

Now that I have a van I've found that it's so much better because it rides higher than most cars. When there's a lot of snow on the streets in the winter or road construction involving dirt in the summers (61) a vehicle that has a higher clearance between the bottom of the vehicle and the ground (ok, so I'm not a car person and don't know the lingo) is better than a lower riding car.

I don't think on most days the 2wd v 4wd thing matters, but you'd better always have good brakes, and ride (but don't drive) high!

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by twinfants

Our family is relocating to Duluth this summer for my husband's new job. I'm a SAHM and we have three young children. He drives an AWD Toyota Highlander and I drive a Honda Odyssey which is front wheel drive. Am I even going to be able to drive my van during the winter? We are looking at homes in Congdon, Lakeside and some areas of Hermantown. We visited Duluth last Fall and I remembered the hills and I started wondering if the roads are cleared and salted enough during the winter weather to drive a front-wheel drive car or do I need to consider driving something else??

Most roads are salted and cleared adequately for a FWD vehicle, although you may need good (winter) tires. What an AWD might be useful for are uncleared (or steep) driveways and steep back roads, as well as driving in the actual storms before the roads are plowed, which is usually a couple hours on the main routes.

I've driven mid-size to large FWD sedans ('96 and '01 Buick Park Avenue, '00 Chevy Malibu) almost exclusively as my daily drivers in the past, and the only times I remember having trouble were when my tires were worn (or my transmission was almost gone, but that's another story entirely). I remember driving my Malibu home with new snow tires during a perilous storm and remarking how the car handled like a 4WD.