Vehicles (Duluth, Grant: house, buy, schools) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

MegaDave · 10-24-2007, 11:10 AM

Hello all, My family and I are moving to your area the first of the year. We are looking forward to the change. We live in Vegas and we are tired of the schools and the constant growth just to list a few....LOL Anyway, I have not lived in an area with cold winters since I have been a kid and I was wondering about how my car will stand up and if I should trade it in for a diff. model. We curently drive a convert. mustang...Should I get a 4x4 suv or something? Do I need to get snow tires or use chains? I just don't have a clue...LOL Thanks for your time...Peace

golfgal · 10-24-2007, 12:22 PM

Most people that have convertibles here put them in storage in the winter, they do get a little chilly-but if you have a hard top, it isn't so bad. You don't need a 4x4, they are nice for the few times/year you might have to drive through a deep snow bank but for the most part a car with front wheel drive is just fine, especially with current gas prices. Chains are not allowed in MN and most people just have all-season tires. Some people put on snow tires and they do give you more traction but it is just something else you need to do every year. The road crews here are good and rarely do you have to drive through snow on the roads--your driveway, yes, the roads, not usually.

moving123456 · 10-24-2007, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golfgal

Most people that have convertibles here put them in storage in the winter, they do get a little chilly-but if you have a hard top, it isn't so bad.

I would say a bigger percentage of people do not store their convertables and do drive them all winter. The average Mustang/Sebring/Solara/Wrangler/etc drivers that I know do not have seperate cars for winter. My mother drives a Sebring Convertable all winter and I have never really felt much of a difference between that and my hard top car while riding in it during the winter.

Minnehahapolitan · 10-24-2007, 02:49 PM

You can drive most cars here. If you live in the Metropolitan area, there isn't any more need for a 4x4 than in Las Vegas. If your car is older, or the engine is sensitive there is a possibility of it not starting, but that holds true for any automobile, not just cars. If you get stuck, someone usually helps. Put your car in 2nd Gear and roll slowly back and forth. Dig around the tires if need be. Never revv an engine in snow. Stop and accelerate slowly. Most roads are plowed quickly. Thats all the basics.

30cent · 10-25-2007, 07:25 AM

As a mustang owner I will tell you if it is a GT get your self a second car or trade it in on a front wheel drive car or a 4X4. I had to drive my stang 1 winter and because the car was light and powerful the car would not track in a straight line in icy conditions or with small amounts of snow. And if it gets deep the car was doomed to get stuck. It was like driving a "drift car" the back end would slide from side to side (and NO i was not "playing around"). I have live here all my life and grew up driving rear wheel cars in the winter. If you have never driven in snow before be very careful! You can and will loose control of your car if you don't respect conditions.

TimtheGuy · 10-25-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 30cent

As a mustang owner I will tell you if it is a GT get your self a second car or trade it in on a front wheel drive car or a 4X4. I had to drive my stang 1 winter and because the car was light and powerful the car would not track in a straight line in icy conditions or with small amounts of snow. And if it gets deep the car was doomed to get stuck. It was like driving a "drift car" the back end would slide from side to side (and NO i was not "playing around"). I have live here all my life and grew up driving rear wheel cars in the winter. If you have never driven in snow before be very careful! You can and will loose control of your car if you don't respect conditions.

I agree. A Mustang is a terrible car in snow/ice/sleet/slush. I love having a 4x4 up here, but would get any front wheel drive vehicle at a minimum.

MidniteBreeze · 10-25-2007, 04:20 PM

I agree...front wheel drive with good all season tires (snow tires even better) will be fine 99% of the time in the metro area (where it's relatively flat and they're good about plowing), but I would avoid a rear-wheel drive vehicle, especially if you don't have any experience driving in snow. My first car when I was a kid was rear drive and I spun around all over the place....plus I grew up in Duluth where it's hilly, so some days I just didn't drive for fear of getting stuck.

I owned a convertible (Sebring) when I lived out in Colorado. Granted it's not quite as cold as Minnesota in the winter, but I really didn't notice much of a dfference as far as temperature inside the car (I did drive it home to MN over Christmas one year when it WAS super cold....and it was fine.)

Also remember if you DO get a 4x4, please remember how to PUT in in 4WD! When I lived in CO this bugged the heck out of me...people (usually from warmer states) with expensive SUV's that didn't know what the 4x4 button was for. And here I am in my convertible (with wide tires...not ideal for snow) passing them as they slid in the ditch!

K-Luv · 10-25-2007, 05:44 PM

You only want to use 4wd if you are actually IN snow or stuck. A 4x4 on a plowed road, esp. if the road is icy, is dangerous. Stick with something fwd and you'll be fine.

MegaDave · 10-25-2007, 06:23 PM

Well thank you all for the replies. I think we will def. look into getting another car before the move. Thanks again.
Dave

MidniteBreeze · 10-26-2007, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-Luv

You only want to use 4wd if you are actually IN snow or stuck. A 4x4 on a plowed road, esp. if the road is icy, is dangerous. Stick with something fwd and you'll be fine.

True...especially if it's a "part time" 4x4 vehicle (not to mention it's bad for your vehicle to drive part time 4WD on dry roads). But I guess that's part of my point...people buy these expensive SUV's and trucks with fancy 4WD options (some have part time, full time AND low range choices) but have NO idea what to use in what kinds of conditions. They'd be much better off in a front wheel or maybe all-wheel drive vehicle which takes the "guess work" out for them.

We were back visiting in CO Springs last winter when they were getting some snow. We went out to play poker at a friend's house and it had gotten kind of nasty out by the time we were ready to go home (they don't plow very well out there either.) No worries, we all had some kind of 4x4 vehicle and there wasn't much traffic out. But we seriously had to give some of our friends a "tutorial" about their 4WD systems and follow them home. Granted they weren't used to "real" blizzards like Minnesotans are, so I can understand their apprehension about driving in it...but two of our friends had owned their vehicles for YEARS and had NEVER put it in 4WD, once! Just seems like they could have saved themselves some money and bought 2WD trucks, lol.