Ideal Vehicle for Wyoming? (Cheyenne, Laramie: RV parks, sale, apartment)
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I see. Is this another reason why higher profile vehicles are preferred because of the gravel on roads?
I wouldn't say that "higher profile vehicles are preferred" ...
I figure on a windshield per year per vehicle on my Subie's as well as my Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 turbodiesel pickup. My F-250 might go two years on a windshield, but then again ... I replaced that two years ago in May and it was less than a week before Mrs Sun caught a rock on the dirt county roads heading home. It took a 2nd new windshield to fix that. Glass isn't a covered item for us because I can buy a new windshield for less money than the insurance coverage per year.
Wintertime road treatments can be persistent after the storms and cause a lot of rock chips on paint and glass. Some of my vehicles don't get driven anymore during inclement weather, but the windshields can get pitted in a couple of years and need replacement then if they don't require replacement from being cracked.
You have to watch the rock chip locations in your windshield during the cold weather here. They can form a stress riser which is the start of a crack when you run the defroster. Some of the chips are so small that you can only catch them with the tip of a ball point pen so they cannot be filled with the glue like a larger bullseye could be.
Paved roads are sanded to provide more traction when they turn to ice. We dont have the cash for salt. The stones come from all the mud and ice that ends up under your fenders when you do drive on graveled roads which are quite common .
In my opinion the graveled roads are much easier to drive on during the winter than the paved roads which are plowed. The plow leaves a nice skim of ice on the road and it can be quite slippery. The gravel roads even with a foot of snow are quite driveable as long as you have the ground clearance.
The main problem is drifts from the wind and spots that ice over quickly and suddenly from snow being blown across the road.
Nowhereman, it's going to depend greatly on where you live in Wyoming and what kind of driving you do. Others have given you their opinions and experiences. Mine differ a little, and I thought you should also know them.
Windshields: I've lived in Gillette (NE Wyoming) for 45+ years, driven an average amount of miles in that time, and only recall replacing two windshields -- one in 1987 after strong winds near Muddy Gap sandblasted the windshield and another a year later when I caught a rock on I-90 in Billings, MT. I did get a small pit in my pickup windshield a few years ago but had it "fixed" rather than replaced. I suspect that those experiencing frequent windshield problems live on country roads. I live in town. When driving on rural gravel roads, I slow and pull as far to the right as practicable when meeting another vehicle. I imagine it's saved me a few windshields. I drove the AlCan when it was mostly all gravel and most people got broken windshields. I didn't, but I took all the precautions I could.
Needed vehicles: Over the years I've enjoyed a lot of camping, hunting, fishing and photography in the mountains. For that a 4x4 is very nice but not necessary. I drove a 4x2 pickup for a few years, and it would go most places that a 4x4 would go in the summer. In the winter I carried chains and used them a couple times. If you want to take off on mountain trails, I'd recommend a 4x4. AWD or FWD don't allow sufficient clearance for many of the trails -- climbing over tree limbs and boulders -- and there are long, steep grades on some trails that demand under-low to avoid overheating the brakes.
If you can stick to paved or graveled roads in the mountains, AWD or even 2WD can get you around in the summer just fine.
For winter driving, it depends on where you live and the importance of getting out every day. (Some days, even a 4x4 with chains won't be enough!) I currently drive 30K+ miles per year in NE Wyoming. For most of the past 40 years I've had at least one 4x4, but a couple years ago I got tired of paying for the upkeep and fuel for my F250 and traded it for a Prius. I put M&S tires on it this past winter and was able to go just about everywhere I wanted to on the days I wanted to go. There were a few days I declined to travel muddy roads and a few other days I wished I would have (declined), but it got me by pretty well. (2015-'16 wasn't a bad winter.) I'd prefer to drive an AWD (I like Subarus), but none can approach the 45 mpg of the Prius, and as much driving as I do, that makes a difference.
My son has a 'Vette and takes it out several times during the winter. You won't need to put your babies away for the whole winter, but you really will want something more suitable for snowy/icy roads -- preferably either 4x4 or AWD.
Nowhereman, it's going to depend greatly on where you live in Wyoming and what kind of driving you do. Others have given you their opinions and experiences. Mine differ a little, and I thought you should also know them.
Windshields: I've lived in Gillette (NE Wyoming) for 45+ years, driven an average amount of miles in that time, and only recall replacing two windshields -- one in 1987 after strong winds near Muddy Gap sandblasted the windshield and another a year later when I caught a rock on I-90 in Billings, MT. I did get a small pit in my pickup windshield a few years ago but had it "fixed" rather than replaced. I suspect that those experiencing frequent windshield problems live on country roads. I live in town. When driving on rural gravel roads, I slow and pull as far to the right as practicable when meeting another vehicle. I imagine it's saved me a few windshields. I drove the AlCan when it was mostly all gravel and most people got broken windshields. I didn't, but I took all the precautions I could.
Needed vehicles: Over the years I've enjoyed a lot of camping, hunting, fishing and photography in the mountains. For that a 4x4 is very nice but not necessary. I drove a 4x2 pickup for a few years, and it would go most places that a 4x4 would go in the summer. In the winter I carried chains and used them a couple times. If you want to take off on mountain trails, I'd recommend a 4x4. AWD or FWD don't allow sufficient clearance for many of the trails -- climbing over tree limbs and boulders -- and there are long, steep grades on some trails that demand under-low to avoid overheating the brakes.
If you can stick to paved or graveled roads in the mountains, AWD or even 2WD can get you around in the summer just fine.
For winter driving, it depends on where you live and the importance of getting out every day. (Some days, even a 4x4 with chains won't be enough!) I currently drive 30K+ miles per year in NE Wyoming. For most of the past 40 years I've had at least one 4x4, but a couple years ago I got tired of paying for the upkeep and fuel for my F250 and traded it for a Prius. I put M&S tires on it this past winter and was able to go just about everywhere I wanted to on the days I wanted to go. There were a few days I declined to travel muddy roads and a few other days I wished I would have (declined), but it got me by pretty well. (2015-'16 wasn't a bad winter.) I'd prefer to drive an AWD (I like Subarus), but none can approach the 45 mpg of the Prius, and as much driving as I do, that makes a difference.
My son has a 'Vette and takes it out several times during the winter. You won't need to put your babies away for the whole winter, but you really will want something more suitable for snowy/icy roads -- preferably either 4x4 or AWD.
aRE there any good roads in Wyoming where you won't experience any kind of damage?
It's a big state. Is the western side of Wyoming better for driving? I don't go off roading or anything like that.
I wouldn't say that "higher profile vehicles are preferred" ...
I figure on a windshield per year per vehicle on my Subie's as well as my Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 turbodiesel pickup. My F-250 might go two years on a windshield, but then again ... I replaced that two years ago in May and it was less than a week before Mrs Sun caught a rock on the dirt county roads heading home. It took a 2nd new windshield to fix that. Glass isn't a covered item for us because I can buy a new windshield for less money than the insurance coverage per year.
Wintertime road treatments can be persistent after the storms and cause a lot of rock chips on paint and glass. Some of my vehicles don't get driven anymore during inclement weather, but the windshields can get pitted in a couple of years and need replacement then if they don't require replacement from being cracked.
You have to watch the rock chip locations in your windshield during the cold weather here. They can form a stress riser which is the start of a crack when you run the defroster. Some of the chips are so small that you can only catch them with the tip of a ball point pen so they cannot be filled with the glue like a larger bullseye could be.
So all of this isn't because of increment weather but you may experience this during summer weather?
I wouldn't guarantee that there aren't risks of damage. Most of the roads are pretty good. Paved and otherwise. Seems like driving a car involves some level of risk to its' condition.
People's tolerance for wind + grit damage, or having the lower parts of car finishes varies. Oh, and Montana is very similar.
Personally I like that we don't use much salt on the roads. Others think it would be better. I'd rather deal with some paint worn off than all the rust and damage from salt.
I wouldn't guarantee that there aren't risks of damage. Most of the roads are pretty good. Paved and otherwise. Seems like driving a car involves some level of risk to its' condition.
People's tolerance for wind + grit damage, or having the lower parts of car finishes varies. Oh, and Montana is very similar.
Personally I like that we don't use much salt on the roads. Others think it would be better. I'd rather deal with some paint worn off than all the rust and damage from salt.
Yes that salt will rust out the bottom of your car. I would imagine then you don't see many Cadillacs or luxury cars in Wyoming?
Yes that salt will rust out the bottom of your car. I would imagine then you don't see many Cadillacs or luxury cars in Wyoming?
Actually there are plenty of luxury cars. Mostly driven by the bureaucrats.
In general, if you plow you should use salt if you can. Plowing leaves a sheet of ice that is more dangerous than the snow that was there before.
There are many dangerous spots on the roads in Wyoming that really should be salted such as the Lincoln summit west of Cheyenne on the I-80. Black ice forms in seconds there and causes many accidents but it is never salted and the ice is just allowed to grow.
Another spot is the summit east of evanston on the I-80. Over the last 10 years or so they have spent 10's of millions of dollars there trying to make it safe in the winter but to no avail. Salting would have been much cheaper. What many people have told me and Ihave noticed myself is when you drive into wyoming during the winter your back tenses up and when you leave the stress is relieved. When you leave Wyoming the road conditions go from an iced up 2 track single lane road to a nice wide open blacktop with no ice.
Actually there are plenty of luxury cars. Mostly driven by the bureaucrats.
In general, if you plow you should use salt if you can. Plowing leaves a sheet of ice that is more dangerous than the snow that was there before.
There are many dangerous spots on the roads in Wyoming that really should be salted such as the Lincoln summit west of Cheyenne on the I-80. Black ice forms in seconds there and causes many accidents but it is never salted and the ice is just allowed to grow.
Another spot is the summit east of evanston on the I-80. Over the last 10 years or so they have spent 10's of millions of dollars there trying to make it safe in the winter but to no avail. Salting would have been much cheaper. What many people have told me and Ihave noticed myself is when you drive into wyoming during the winter your back tenses up and when you leave the stress is relieved. When you leave Wyoming the road conditions go from an iced up 2 track single lane road to a nice wide open blacktop with no ice.
So this makes me wonder the roads in Wyoming are more treacherous than California?
California roads are beat up and lots of road rage and congestion here.
but then again the roads in California are full of potholes and not maintained as those pot holes beat up your car. Who has worst roads as a whole? California or Wyoming?
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