Winter road trips (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames: 2014, hotels, home)

[djcord]

Hello all,

I'm moving to Ames from the southwest for graduate school and have never been in the snow let alone that part of the country before. I plan on visiting family back in the southwest over winter break so I'm trying to plan everything ahead of time. What tips do you guys have for a road trip in december to somewhere warmer and then going from there back to a snowy Iowa? I have heard multiple things about getting winter tires for a car in Iowa, but as far as I know the winter tires will get messed up the second I'm in the warm southwest right?

Just trying to see if anyone has experience doing such a thing during the winter when it snows as I want to be pretty safe during all of this. Any advice or recommendations are appreciated!

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by djcord

Hello all,

I'm moving to Ames from the southwest for graduate school and have never been in the snow let alone that part of the country before. I plan on visiting family back in the southwest over winter break so I'm trying to plan everything ahead of time. What tips do you guys have for a road trip in december to somewhere warmer and then going from there back to a snowy Iowa? I have heard multiple things about getting winter tires for a car in Iowa, but as far as I know the winter tires will get messed up the second I'm in the warm southwest right?

Just trying to see if anyone has experience doing such a thing during the winter when it snows as I want to be pretty safe during all of this. Any advice or recommendations are appreciated!

Road trips can be hit or miss in the winter and road conditions can change in what seems like an instant. I personally never tried to by car travel between Nov and March. I also never had winter tires for my car in all the years I lived there. I do slightly recall my dad switching out the tires for spring/summer and fall/winter when in was a kid, but that was decades ago. You just go with all season tires now unless you are planning for some serious winter driving like someplace in Colorado or similar.

[ktulu7]

I drove to Louisiana from Central Iowa at Christmas last year. I just used my all-season/summer tires and took it easy of course in the North, until I got to the warmer climate. I had to do some adjusting of tire pressure of course, because of the stark differences in temperature. Make sure you have your usual winter vehicle supplies with you on the trip so that you're covered when you get back to the North and you'll be good. Just note that if your tire pressure is good when you're in the warm climate, it'll be low in the cold.

Don't sweat it. The only other concern really is time, because you could drive back into a heavy snowstorm or something, so you might want a little extra time in your schedule just in case.

[djcord]

Thanks for the tips you two. It was really worrying me driving to visit family since I've heard driving in snow can be scary, but it looks like I'll be ok if I just keep on my all season tires and play it safe. Really appreciate it!

[Meemur]

OP, just keep in mind that some winters are mild and travel is possible, but during others, there's storm after storm, and long-distance travel is not advised.

It's the same reason I never used to buy plane tickets in September for December travel: we usually didn't know until late November what the pattern was going to be.

Please understand that both I-80 and I-35 have big gates at the on ramps and IDOT will shut those when conditions get bad. This is not done lightly. Conditions really do get that bad out here.

There will be days when you won't want to drive at all, let alone leave Ames, so I wouldn't promise your family that you're going to come home during winter break. Tell them you'll make a decision after Thanksgiving if you want to be prudent.

It is my sincere hope that we have an easy winter, but I suspect we're going to pay for the mild one we had last year.

Here's a little footage from 2016 -- it gets a lot worse -- but note the wind if you have a small vehicle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjEAOjmGpJI

[smpliving]

I've driven (first 2 weeks in January) from Cedar Rapids, Iowa down to Dallas Texas, straight across to Phoenix Arizona, with final destination Los Angeles, taking the same route back to Iowa, but skipping Texas and traveling across Kansas and Missouri to Iowa. That year we were lucky there was no snow past Kansas City. Just stay south of Colorado and watch weather reports.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by ennaf

That year we were lucky there was no snow past Kansas City. Just stay south of Colorado and watch weather reports.

We do have good years! The winter of 2014 was not one of them. Both I-35 and I-80 were shut down in Iowa several times. The OP might get out, but getting back to Ames could be problematic. The long-range forcast and current trends at the time need to be carefully considered.

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by djcord

Hello all,

I'm moving to Ames from the southwest for graduate school and have never been in the snow let alone that part of the country before. I plan on visiting family back in the southwest over winter break so I'm trying to plan everything ahead of time. What tips do you guys have for a road trip in december to somewhere warmer and then going from there back to a snowy Iowa? I have heard multiple things about getting winter tires for a car in Iowa, but as far as I know the winter tires will get messed up the second I'm in the warm southwest right?

Just trying to see if anyone has experience doing such a thing during the winter when it snows as I want to be pretty safe during all of this. Any advice or recommendations are appreciated!

Typically. Note the word! Typically, even when there is a major event, and I would be afraid of an ice event in Missouri or Kansas as I would snow in Iowa, the road teams up here clear the roads in a day or so, or even less.

If you allow a window of time, and a budget for hotels you should be OK.

The thing you must aviod is trying to get buy on a skinny budget.

An older car, 10 plus years.
Deferred maintenace, any age, Yes I AM talking about the check engine light and the little tiny shimmy when you hit the brakes.
Trying to make the run in the time alloted by Google Maps. Add 25 percent for slow driving and an hour for every four of driving and a day for being able to
flex around the weather.
Not enough money to take care of getting towed out of the ditch, or spending the night in a decent hotel at premium prices.

My son drove up last year before Christmas. We unloaded the furniture in the only sub zero weather in Des Moines last winter, had he gotten a hotel, taken the extra day, for 110 dollars he would not have slept in the cab of a very cold truck, and we would have unloaded in 25 degree weather rather than negative 5 degree weather.

By the way, Ames is a nice town.

Cheers
Qazulight

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by Qazulight

had he gotten a hotel, taken the extra day, for 110 dollars he would not have slept in the cab of a very cold truck, and we would have unloaded in 25 degree weather rather than negative 5 degree weather.

I remember that thread! Yeah, that was a piece of bad luck. )-:

[mustang84]

I wouldn't worry about winter tires if you have a good set of all-seasons. Read reviews on Tire Rack or some other tire website. Typically tires with softer rubber will be better for snow/ice, but they wear a little faster. If you do buy winter tires, don't worry about driving on them in when you are down south...it won't hurt them. Winter tires are just a softer rubber with deeper grooves for traction.

You can't predict the weather. I've driven in snow storms before and it is not fun, but those with experience driving in snow know that it's all about taking it slow, defensive driving, and not braking too hard. There is a certain threshold where it becomes too dangerous / risky to travel--just listen to the National Weather Service warnings or look at the Iowa DOT winter travel website. Iowa 511 | Road Conditions | Highway Construction | Iowa DOT If a towing ban is in place during a winter storm, tow trucks are not allowed to pull out stranded cars, so it is best not to travel at all when a tow ban is in effect.

Generally though, Iowa has milder winters than areas further east or north. Unless there is a huge snow storm, the roads are generally cleared within a day at the latest. The northern 1/3 of Iowa seems to get the most snow. As someone else said, I'd be more worried about ice storms that frequently hit Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Ice is much worse and less predictable than snow for winter driving, especially black ice.

When traveling, make sure to have a winter travel kit in your trunk plus a flashlight and blankets in case you were to go off the road. It doesn't hurt to keep a small shovel or some kitty litter in the trunk also (kitty litter helps with traction if stuck on ice).