[cyano84]

Hello everyone, I will be moving to Troy next week from Florida. I know it's gonna be one heck of a transition. However, the part I'm most freaked out about is the driving! I have never driven on snow before and the videos and alerts on the weather channel about Michigan scares me. Also I have to get a car when I'm there. Do I need a AWD or is a FWD just fine? Second question, is it preferable to have heavy cars like Accords or is compact cars like Civic fine? Thank you so much for your time!!

[skinnayyy]

You'll be fine in any car in Troy. Dress appropriately and you could ride a motorcycle year round.

[mgkeith]

Yes, you will be fine, really! Try to relax. It will be best if you try to live fairly close to where you work, at least until you are accustomed to winter driving. Teenagers everywhere learn to do it each year, and you will, too; it's really not all that difficult. I am currently teaching my forth.

[mgkeith]

...The Weather Channel focuses on extremes. Don't watch it for a while, if it's upsetting you.

[animatedmartian]

Most cars with stock equipment pretty much all behave the same in snow and the only real thing you have to worry about is how you drive. No matter the car, just take it easy and don't be in a rush to get anywhere. Speed is the leading cause of winter accidents.

There are aftermarket modifications that you can put on a car to somewhat make driving in snow easier/safer, but of course, that comes at a premium and most drivers who are used to snow can get by without them. Again, just take it easy and be aware of what your car is doing.

[DTWflyer]

You will be perfectly fine in Metro Detroit in almost every type of people.
Everyone gets around fine here in all types of vehicles.

The biggest thing that will be different here than in Florida will be that you will want to be sure that your vehicle is in good shape and mechanical repair to drive in winter/cold weather. For most around here this is no big deal, and should be a part of routine maintenance in all climates, however you can get away with some things in a place like Florida that you can't here.

This includes stuff like having functional windshield wipers, washer fluid, replacing an old battery, making sure your heat/defroster systems work, ensuring you have adequate tire tread, a snow/ice scrapper & brush in the vehicle, etc.]

In the Detroit area, in a "normal" winter we typically have about ~10 days per winter of poor winter driving conditions - where there the main roads are snow covered during the rush hour commutes. Of those ~10 days, maybe 3 days are really of the type where they truly impact commerce where you should avoid being on the roads, would not come into work, deep snow or ice where the plow crews cannot keep-up, etc.
(Winter 2013-2014 was an extreme outlier of cold/snow, Winter 2011/2012 was an extreme outlier of mild & little snow).

This isn't the land of the frozen tundra here. The biggest difference in winter driving will be adjusting speed, steering, and braking for lower traction situations.

[Retroit]

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[MI-Roger]

Accord and Civic? What are those?

Just kidding, but the Great Lakes Basin is about the only part of the country where Ford, GM, and Chrysler products are common. You may be surprised at the scarcity of Dealerships for brands that are very common in other parts of the country. The cars themselves are not rare but there seem to be fewer Dealerships for Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, etc.

Winter driving on snow or ice requires lower speeds, starting and stopping with your wheels straight, and smooth sweeping turns. Sudden starts, hard stops, and quick turns are only good in summer here.

[beachmouse]

The secret advantage of small cars is their much shorter stopping distance in wet or slushy conditions compared to a heavy SUV. AWD/4WD is all about the go, and not so much about the crucial stop at the light or sign, and the stop is where a lot of accidents happen. And Michigan is generally pretty quick about snow removal on main roads.

If you plan on driving regularly into more rural areas in the winter where there's more of a gap between plow sweeps, then I might look into getting a small Subaru with AWD.

[belleislerunner]

SE Michigan is like most of the Midwest, and Florida, - one of the flattest places to drive (i.e. safest to drive in the winter).

It's much worse to learn driving in winter in places like Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Denver etc.

Kudos on the new gig. You'll be just fine in whatever car you have in Florida. 5-10 days/year (during blizzards or black ice) you'll just drive slower (10-30mph). The rest of the year will be identical to Florida driving conditions (minus the burning fires or hurricanes).