Moving to Madison for Graduate School (living in, love, tips) - Wisconsin (WI) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

GreggB · 04-19-2007, 07:11 PM

Just a word on vehicles....a 2 WD well be sufficient. Wisconsin does an excellent job on plowing the roads in the winter. So many people in that state have 4 WD vehicles, and I bet the vast majority of them NEVER use it!!!! I lived there for over thirty years, always had a Front Drive or Rear Drive vehicle and only remember getting stuck once!! Good Luck to you!!!

Drover · 04-19-2007, 07:58 PM

It's not so much a matter of getting stuck as just plain having control over your vehicle. I got stuck in a minor snowstorm once in a Porsche 944. We're not talking about a powerful beast of a car; this car had all of 150 horsepower. And all it took was one inch of snow to turn that thing into a hockey puck. I could not drive up a miniscule incline from a stop. Just plain resting my toe on the gas pedal was enough to send the car sideways. Control is a good thing. Stick with FWD or AWD; only do RWD if the car has an EXTRAORDINARY traction control AND stability control system. Or, alternatively, keep a tow strap in your trunk and hope some frostneck takes mercy on you and yanks you out of the ditch.

GreggB · 04-19-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drover

It's not so much a matter of getting stuck as just plain having control over your vehicle. I got stuck in a minor snowstorm once in a Porsche 944. We're not talking about a powerful beast of a car; this car had all of 150 horsepower. And all it took was one inch of snow to turn that thing into a hockey puck. I could not drive up a miniscule incline from a stop. Just plain resting my toe on the gas pedal was enough to send the car sideways. Control is a good thing. Stick with FWD or AWD; only do RWD if the car has an EXTRAORDINARY traction control AND stability control system. Or, alternatively, keep a tow strap in your trunk and hope some frostneck takes mercy on you and yanks you out of the ditch.

I hear you on this. Most of my vehicles were always "Stick" (manual Transmission), and to me, that gives the driver SO MUCH extra control over their vehicle in adverse conditions. My worst winter vehicle was a 2WD Ford Ranger. I DID put a couple of sandbags in the rear to help traction. One of my BEST winter vehicles was a 1992 Ford Festiva (FWD). It went through snow like a hot knife through soft butter!!! Traction Control is always a good addition to ANY vehicle.

Drover · 04-19-2007, 08:28 PM

My 944 was stick. Even trying to start from a stop in 2nd gear with a whiff of snow on the ground resulted in sideways action. Trying to start from third would simply result in a stall, even in snow.

hanna · 04-20-2007, 10:17 PM

I lived on Sheboygan Ave in the Sovereign Apts. The Carolinas were next door, I think. For grad students it is an excellent neighborhood. I chose it because of the bus service. I knew parking on campus/downtown would be a pain and I didn't want to mess with it. Because there is a state agency on Sheboygan the bus service is awesome. There were eight buses that stopped there and they all went to campus. Everything I needed--groceries, post office, bank, book store, etc.--was within walking distance. It isn't the funkiest neighborhood, but I was looking for function over funk. It worked great for the two years I was there, and for a grad student it is an excellent choice.

There are other students in the area, but they are mainly other graduate or international students. There are also several retirement apartments/communities in the are.

Don't bother with a 4WD. In town it isn't needed. But if you are like I was, I put maybe 6000 miles on my car the two years I was there (and most of those were going out of town to visit family and friends). Living in that neighborhood, I rarely had to drive to anything, and I think I drove to campus fewer than five times--it just isn't worth the hassle.

agb2003 · 04-22-2007, 09:01 PM

I REALLY appreciate all of your responses, they have made me much more comfortable with moving to Madison and all the choices I have to make. I am still nervous about my car, I drive a '00 Honda Passport (2WD, rear wheel, with some feature "winter drive"), I am considering taking it up there and then seeing if I need to buy a new car once I experience the snow.

I am wondering, is the Whole Foods in the Hilldale Mall open yet?

Drover · 04-22-2007, 09:41 PM

The Hilldale Whole Foods isn't open yet. There's a Whole Foods about 4 blocks away that, I presume, will stay open until the Hilldale location opens.

katreese · 04-23-2007, 06:00 AM

I drive a compact car and have never had any problems in the 10 years I've lived here. When it's coming down inches per hour (and the city doesn't plow until it STOPS) I stay off the roads, but IMO anyone should in that situation (no matter what their vehicle). I think a previous poster mentioned this - the only really bad times to drive are before they plow. Other than that you'll have to watch out for sliding on the ice, but you won't get stuck in snow.

Driving in the snow WILL take some getting used to. Just drive as fast as you are comfortable (i.e. slowly) and don't let other vehicles on your bumper terrorize you into speeding up.

I have AAA and that eases my anxiety about winter driving, although I'm sure they get busy in a bad storm too. It might help to do some research about what to carry in your car over the winter. Here's an example: http://minneapolis.about.com/cs/transportation/qt/wintercarkit.htm (broken link). I myself just carry a flashlight, blanket, jumper cables, shovel. This is a populated area so I'm not very worried about getting stuck - having friends and family nearby helps, and you'll get to know people soon!

Drover · 04-23-2007, 07:27 AM

IMO one of the most overlooked items to carry is a tow strap. You'd be surprised how many people with 4WD trucks or SUVs will stop and yank you out of a ditch or a drift or whatever if you stand there with a tow strap and wave 'em down. Saves you waiting an hour for a tow truck (since they'll all be out yanking people out of trouble) and shelling out 75 bucks.

katreese · 04-23-2007, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drover

IMO one of the most overlooked items to carry is a tow strap. You'd be surprised how many people with 4WD trucks or SUVs will stop and yank you out of a ditch or a drift or whatever if you stand there with a tow strap and wave 'em down. Saves you waiting an hour for a tow truck (since they'll all be out yanking people out of trouble) and shelling out 75 bucks.

Wow - good to know - I think I'll go run out and buy one of those now