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Add me to the count for those who say you should be fine without snow tires. I do second the advice of whoever said to buy some kind of chains to take along in case of emergency but keep them packaged up to take for a refund because you probably won't need them, especially if you plan to hunker down during stormy weather.
The only thing I would take issue with is your plan to use I-81 which cuts through a lot of mountains which get a lot of bad weather. I would probably stay south on I-20 until you get to I-95 which will keep you on mostly flat terrain with more predictable weather. On the same note, forecasting is improved and access to up to date information is always available. If the forecast is clear for two or three days there would be no need to avoid the more direct I-81 route. As long as you're not going to be crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge at morning or evening rush hour you should have no problems there. A phone mapping app like Waze might be your best friend for minute by minute traffic changes.
One thing no one has mentioned is the lesser quality of snow removal in southern states. Due to having less manpower and equipment. So a two or three inch snowstorm that wouldn’t flutter an eyelash in New York State is a Near Disaster in OK or AR.
Also keep in mind if you decide to ride out a storm in a hotel, lots of other people will have the same idea and rooms may be scarce. In western Kansas, when they close I-70, people often end up taking shelter in high school gymnasiums due to lack of motels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
As one of the "don't leave until spring" people, I wouldn't say you needed snow tires. But you will be traveling over a variety of terrain and through various climates --and all I am familiar with in winter is many New England winters and a terrifying drive from Virginia to Massachusetts during January.
So I guess the best advice to come out of all this is to watch the weather--very carefully.
And the weather reports can be wrong. Also, since you are on the move, obviously what they predict will be constantly changing so you will have to be current. The sun may be out in CT but there may be white out conditions (cannot see out of the car windows due to blowing snow) in parts of MA.
The Mass Pike may be covered in so much unplowed snow that you can't tell where the road IS. Or rte 91 or 84 through CT can be coated with black ice that you can't see, but cars will be spun out all over the place and you have no control of the vehicle.
Also, it's not always that easy to just stop in a motel. Conditions can deteriorate and you want to get off the interstate and into a motel but in white out conditions, you can't see the exit signs. Also, it's not that easy around here to find motels that accept dogs. When you are forced off the road by the poor conditions, you have to take any motel you can get.
So keep a close eye on local conditions and try to stop at a motel earlier rather than later if the weather is looking to be not so great. Try to stay off the roads at night unless you have perfect weather--cold, crisp, and a clear sky. Maybe we'll have a snowless January and it will be simple. But if there's one truth about New England weather it's like that old saying that if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change!
Good luck.
By the way, you haven't mentioned if your truck is RWD, or 4WD. Or a dually. 4WD could be useful, and would make a difference in some of the possible weather options. I've never driven a dually, but I would imagine 4 drive wheels would have better traction than 2.
A consensus? Well, I know I have a bit more sense of adventure than some folks. So far, I've gotten myself out of what I've gotten myself into. Even if you end up driving in a snowstorm, if the plows are out, you will be ok if you are careful. Notice I said snowstorm, not blizzard. You should go slower than you think you need to - significantly slower. Remember that you are the driver BEHIND the drivers in front of you, not the driver in front of the drivers behind you.
As for snow tires (redux!), one of the other posters had some good points in favor of them. Modern tire rubber compounds have advanced a lot since I was young. I wouldn't be surprised if they had better grip on ice because of the rubber compounds. I haven't used snow tires in a long time. Here's the thing though, snow tires are expensive, and they will reduce your mpg and driving comfort - or at least - that is what I think of them. You COULD get 4 basic rims, get snow tires mounted and balanced, and stick them in that trailer for if you need them. If you do need them, it will probably only be for a few hundred miles, if that much. I'm in New England myself now, and I don't know anybody who uses snow tires, but I know some people do. You could change them yourself if you needed to, doing it like that.
I've relied on carrying chains, myself, when I thought ahead. I've done that trick of leaving them in the package and returning them. Its kinda taking advantage of the store, but I've done it myself. I probably wouldn't today, but who knows!
That time I got stuck off Whitefish Bay I didn't have any. I hadn't planned on being adventurous, and where we started from was the midsouth, and the stores there didn't have such things as chains in stock. I went off the main highways, thinking to watch a sunset over Whitefish Bay, what with it being famous in its own way. I just got the itch to take a little blue road side trip. Which we did. It was the dead of winter, and a big snowstorm had just been through. I got to the end of the road, and had to turn around to get back out. It was a parking lot, but I ended up floating the car (a Mitsubishi SUV) on top of 2 feet of snow in a distance no more than the length of the car. Ooops. A little adventure threatened to become a big adventure. And this was before I had a cell phone. Fortunately, I managed to find a couple of able-bodied living souls out in that miles-from-anywhere spot (they were snowmobiling), and we pushed the car out of the snow.
Icing is one of your biggest hazards, much more than snow. Most snow is ok to drive in - you actually get a little traction from dryer snow. It's when it is wet snow, and FREEZING and icy on the pavement that things get bad. Really bad, like can't even walk on the surface slick. The interstates will be salted and sanded, so slushy by itself is only reason to slow down and observe caution. I lived in AZ for years, but I was in Phoenix. I remember Flagstaff being ugly sometimes, but I don't recall any surprises there. As you get towards Oklahoma, if it HAS snowed, you may start finding black ice conditions on the roads. What happens is the snow melts in the day, and refreezes at night. Actually, once you hit snow country, any time you see a darker patch of pavement you need to pay attention as it might be ice. Again, the interstates themselves will not see as much of this - as they get the most grooming. Like plowing and salting. You might not see a single patch of black ice the whole trip. I'd say the odds of not seeing any are good. But you need to be aware. That is the kind of condition you might see on bridges and overpasses - and why you will see roadsigns saying something like "bridge freezes first".
Like AlaskaEric said, you probably won't see any of those conditions, with a little caution. I think there is a lot of sound advice in those posts I've quoted. And there are good phone apps to track weather by the minute today. You should have phone reception all the way across if you stick to the interstates.
It's a RWD truck. It does have the tow mode which gives you better gearing for heavy loads, and the Ford 'ecoboost' which gives more power -- I have zero trouble hauling the trailer with two 1000 lb horses in it. I don't go any faster than 55 when I'm hauling. Maybe 60 on a dry lonely straightaway. I'm a tortoise not a hare.
I am not at all the kind of person who gets a thrill out of taking risks, but I've done a lot of things which most people would never attempt (such as living far out in the woods, living in a tent in the middle of a Saskatchewan sheep ranch with my sheepdog, training an unbroken horse after not having been in a saddle for forty years, designing and building my own house ... a long list, it's getting to be). I am always willing to take reasonable risks for a goal. Many thousands of people drive on interstates in winter towing moderate trailers, and survive. I could be one of them.
On the balance, I believe caution, all-weather tires, winter-prepping my vehicle, carrying winter emergency gear including chains, and listening to weather reports continually, will most likely be sufficient to get across the country intact.
As for snow tires (redux!), one of the other posters had some good points in favor of them. Modern tire rubber compounds have advanced a lot since I was young. I wouldn't be surprised if they had better grip on ice because of the rubber compounds. I haven't used snow tires in a long time. Here's the thing though, snow tires are expensive, and they will reduce your mpg and driving comfort - or at least - that is what I think of them. You COULD get 4 basic rims, get snow tires mounted and balanced, and stick them in that trailer for if you need them. If you do need them, it will probably only be for a few hundred miles, if that much. I'm in New England myself now, and I don't know anybody who uses snow tires, but I know some people do. You could change them yourself if you needed to, doing it like that.
Just FYI, since you said you haven't used them in a long time - in my experience they never reduced my driving comfort.
They will be louder and the vehicle will not handle as well in evasive maneuvers (and hopefully the OP won't have any of those!).
i.e. the vehicle will probably corner a bit worse in high speeds, so you probably won't want to autox on them.... unless in snow
Yes MPG will suffer.
But to me the payoffs are well worth it. I went and played in 2" of snow in my "new" car with all seasons after 30 years of studded snows. Meh. I like the studs better.
OP - You know what I forgot though? Is this your vehicle that you will be keeping in the northeast? You may want snows when you get here anyway. Though they may be cheaper to buy here than in your current location.
Last edited by WouldLoveTo; 12-16-2017 at 11:19 AM..
Keep your new all-weathers on and carry chains, watch the weather, you'll be fine -- five posters
Snow tires a must, and get the best kind -- four posters
Don't leave until spring, you are crazy -- three posters
So .... not exactly a consensus.
Nice summary. I fall in the 1st two though. Not sure if you counted mine for both. Snow tires are a must but only if its going to snow along the way and rather you wait to do it than drive all those miles.
PM me when you have an idea the time frame you're thinking of taking the trip. I can give you an idea how the pattern will be. FYI.. I wouldn't do it over Christmas weekend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaseyB
We tend to get more snow in February than January around here. January is colder, but February brings larger snowfalls (don't ask me why that is, LOL).
Our biggest snowstorms are from coastal storms. Clippers and shortwaves produce snows but not a lot. We get big storms when the Polar Jet stream and Sub tropical Jet stream merge together. When that happens off the coast we get those big snowstorms and usually it happens in February because both jet streams are very active. When it happens over land we get those sloppy messes or rain.
So unless spring starts early in February, the OP might have to rethink coming in February.
But if its like past few years, March will be cold and snowy as well. lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
Keep track of your posts?!? What are you the C-D weather man?
No horses in the trailer, just stuff. Shipping out livestock in the spring, just taking the dogs now.
I tallied up the responses so far and get:
Keep your new all-weathers on and carry chains, watch the weather, you'll be fine -- five posters
Snow tires a must, and get the best kind -- four posters
Don't leave until spring, you are crazy -- three posters
So .... not exactly a consensus.
There will never be a consensus. Some people have no winter experience. Others are totally clueless. Some are terrified of anything more than a sunny day and a dry road. And a few of us have lots of winter experience and long distance winter driving experience.
As for the route, I've driven MA to NC many times...I would suggest forgetting the TZ bridge, stay on 81 to 84 to 90 (or catch the Taconic Parkway in NY for the scenic route to 90).
If you are looking for a place to stop for the night in PA, I highly recommend Granny's in Frackville.
You cannot take the Taconic Parkway if you are in a truck, let alone pulling a trailer as neither are allowed.
about the tires, good all weather. I am more concerned about the trailer pulling, I hope the OP has one of the good stability systems for hitching the trailer to keep it running straight. We put one on our truck to tow a 33 ft. trailer and it made a WORLD of difference. I sold the trailer so I don't use mine anymore. But it was a necessity with the trailer.
You cannot take the Taconic Parkway if you are in a truck, let alone pulling a trailer as neither are allowed.
about the tires, good all weather. I am more concerned about the trailer pulling, I hope the OP has one of the good stability systems for hitching the trailer to keep it running straight. We put one on our truck to tow a 33 ft. trailer and it made a WORLD of difference. I sold the trailer so I don't use mine anymore. But it was a necessity with the trailer.
A good point. My trailer is 14 ft. It will be loaded with the heavy things at the bottom (unlike what is possible with horses, which by their nature are an unstable top-heavy load). That should dampen sway a good bit if there is any. The trailer is pretty new to me, it's what they call a slant load which is a wider than normal horse trailer. However I will check with my more trailer-savvy friends and see whether I need to add anything.
Keep track of your posts?!? What are you the C-D weather man?
My god, right?
What is wrong with you people? You know...some times we actually go a whole week without snow. Some times... gasp... it gets into the low 40's even 50's! The sun actually comes out in Winter, too! Some times... it just snows a little. Snow storms that make really dangerous and scary driving conditions happen 3 times a year maybe. 4 or 5 in a really bad year. 1 or 2 in a good year (like the last 2).
To assume it's going to be a named winter storm (omg, do we really name winter storms now?) is just ridiculous.
OP, just have good tires. Watch the weather. Adjust your route when the time comes, if the weather turns bad. If not, enjoy the midwest and safe travels.
In case anyone's still following this thread, there have been the following updates:
Due to changes in the way I am going to get my horse across the country, the horse trailer is going to stay in California with my horse until April. So as far as I know I am just driving a pickup with no trailer. I'm teamed with a girlfriend so as to have two drivers. Tentative leave date is February 1st.
I convinced my husband not to drive a big U-Haul type truck across the country, because I think he would be miserable. He is driving our Honda Fit, teamed up with his brother, a mellow dude. My husband is a tense, grit-your-teeth traveler who makes me literally sick with stress after a couple days in the car with him, so we are driving separately.
We would like to get set up with containers (Pods, ReloCubes), but neither one is able to get anywhere near our house, just as I feared. UPack doesn't even cover the Santa Cruz Mountains at all, there are too many narrow steep mountain roads and impossible driveways (we have both). So the only option is to rent a van, put our stuff in it, drive 30 miles to their terminal in San Jose, unload it into their trailer. Probably two trips. A very very long arduous day, even with hired help.
But still better than trying to move it all by ourselves. At least our new house, though just as mountainy and remote, has a publicly maintained straight-ish road to it, though it is gravel.
Meanwhile, the attic is filling with labeled, sealed boxes. All the books, all the tschochtkes, packed. Starting in on the fragile artworks, which are many. My daughter was back here for Christmas and went through her little mountain of stuff, and even threw some out. Our seemingly infinitely long list of deferred maintenance and refinishing and repairs has been whittled down almost to a punch list.
On the other side of the continent, the bathroom pipes froze, the oil heater is apparently heating the entire town of Conway, from the way the tank is going down, and the weather there is positively frightening. The good part is that we aren't there, we're in California where the night lows are in the forties. It is fixing to rain hard though, which is going to stop the exterior painting for a while.
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and it will be simple. But if there's one truth about New England weather it's like that old saying that if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change!
