Best vehicles for Winters in WY? (Riverton, Lander: home, to buy, schools)

[Cat1020]

So, I am still planning on a move this summer to Wyoming and am needing some suggestions for a vehicle that would do well with those Wyoming winters??? It must be an SUV (preferably nothing with 8 cylinders)... I've lived in the South all but 2 years of my life so I'm thinking the Honda Civic I drive is gonna have to go.

[branDcalf]

Most people get along fine with front wheel drive vehicles of all sorts. 6-cylinders are preferred because of the hills, but there are many 4-cyl cars around.

The highway department does a great job keeping the highways open. So do city crews. I got along with a PT Cruiser for years. It did have a manual transmission, though, which compensated for the small engine.

If you really want a different car, go for ground clearance and 6-cylinders. But you might be okay with your Civic. I have two friends who drive them in North Central Wyoming.

[Brian_M]

8 years and zero issues with our 2001 VW Jetta, including lots of trips t different ski hills all along the MT/WY/ID/CO/UT mountains. The only "special" thin was running Nokian WR tires (winter rated all seasons). My mom commuted back and forth between Lander and Riverton for 20 years with different FWD cars and generic all-seasons, never an issue there either.



You don't need anything other than your civic, though putting on some winter tires will make a HUGE difference. Next best use of your money would be taking the Bridgestone winter driving course in Steamboat Springs.

[sunsprit]

as above, many folk get around quite well with FWD cars.

AWD Subaru's are very popular, and you'll see a lot of OBW's and Forester's. The 165-ish hp 4-cylinder 2.5ltr engines are more than adequate for normal driving and the premium priced 6-cylinder models aren't very common. The 6-cyl cars are noticeably quicker to cruise speeds, but at the cost of increased fuel consumption for the performance. During winter driving conditions, you'll rarely be able to use the increased HP of the 6 over the smaller engine.

If you're staying on paved roads, it's a fairly rare occurrence to have deep loose snow. Typically, the driving is on ice slick surfaces with a minimal snow hardpack or just a hardpacked snow layer.

There are numerous SUV's of every manufacturer on the roads here. If you like the Honda, it's got a dealer network and aftermarket support.

Prudent driving around here does suggest knowing when to plan your travels around winter storm/inclement weather driving conditions. When the forecasts are for road closures or when they do present, then it's time to be off the roads until conditions improve. Be aware that just because WYDOT has "opened" a road after a closure, that doesn't mean that the driving conditions are returned to normal … they can still be a "white knuckle" driving experience.

[Crazy4Chickens]

I drive a Honda Civic here in Western Wyoming and she does just fine with some Snow Tires on her, so you don't have to buy an SUV unless you want to. I thought the same as you did about having to trade in the Honda for something all wheel drive or Four wheel drive until I asked around on this forum and people set me straight. I have never gotten stuck, I drive smartly, I stay home when the conditions warrant it, and it's worked out fine.

However if you do feel like you want to get something else many people around these parts drive Subarus. Great ground clearance, and fantastic in the snow. Big trucks reign here Ford's, Chevy, and Rams, but you said SUV so those may not be what you're after. My brother drives a Ford Escape and he gets along just fine it it up here. I've also seen Ford Explorers as well.

[nm9stheham]

Where are you moving to in WY, OP? And do you need to get out to work every weekday? Those factors gonna have a lot to do with what you need. If you are in an area that does not get a lot of snow, you can do a lot with what you have.

I never had anything but RWD cars in the eastern mountain and for 7 years in central and northern IN, with plenty of snow. The key was snow ties (and chains for the older RWD cars). A good set of snow tires will do wonders for any vehicle.... Bridgstone Blizzacks are known to be quite good in a lot of different winter conditions.

[WyoNewk]

I agree with most above. I've lived in NE Wyoming for many decades and usually owned at least one 4x4 or AWD during that time, but if you don't need to be out in the country where there's deep snow, FWD with good snow tires should be sufficient. I'm down to a Prius for my main car now (and wife's car is also FWD). As long as I've got enough ground clearance, my FWD with Blizzak snow tires all around is overall better in snow and ice than a 4x4 or AWD with all-season tires. I think the Nokian snow tires that Brian mentioned are about the same quality as my Blizzaks. Just don't use either of them in the summer. They wear very quickly in warm weather and don't grip either.

Probably most snow tire users have a second set of wheels for their snow tires. I've done that in the past, but since I didn't plan to keep my Prius for more than 3 years, I figured a second set of wheels would cost more than just remounting every spring and summer. Either way works, and the cost isn't much different.

Incidentally, I drive ~30K miles per year in NE Wyoming for my job. This winter has been about as bad as it gets around here except for major blizzards, and there's only been one morning this year when I didn't use my car due to snow. It took the city that long to get snow plows to my street. Pickups and SUVs were moving but not much else. We probably average one big blizzard every year or two, usually in September/October or April. Most everything halts for a day when that happens -- schools and many businesses close, highways and streets are either closed or driving isn't recommended. A day later everything is back to normal.

To recap:

-- For optimum grip and handling, I'd recommend a Subaru Outback (or the slightly smaller Subaru Forrester) with Bridgestone Blizzaks on all 4 wheels. Other AWD vehicles work too, but Subaru has been the AWD specialist for decades, and there's probably no other manufacturer that does a better job with AWD than Subaru.

-- If you intend to get off the roads and explore the mountains in the summer, a full sized 4x4 pickup or similar SUV would be the best choice.

-- If you'll be living in town and can park your car when the snow gets really deep, your Civic should be fine with Blizzaks or Nokians.

-- If you don't mind slipping and sliding and maybe getting stuck now and then, your Civic with good all-season tires will work most days. Most Wyomingites probably don't use quality snow tires, unfortunately. They should. We'd have fewer accidents if everyone used them, but if drivers would slow down and leave more space between their car and the vehicles around them, even all-season tires can provide reasonably safe travel on most days.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by nm9stheham

Where are you moving to in WY, OP? And do you need to get out to work every weekday? ....

First question.... Where, oh Where in WY? Conditions vary if in Burgess Jct, Pinedale, Pine Bluffs?

Generally, in areas with out lots of accumulation (Mtns_), a std FWD with all-seasons will get you by.

TDI Jetta or Passat can be really nice to the long distances in WY (50 mpg = long range) with plenty of torque for the hills / wind. I tend to enjoy my 1250 mile range between fill-ups in my B4V Passat wagons. My subie (for ice driving) likes to be filled up every 350 miles.

When in COLD country... run on the top 1/2 of your fuel tank and install a new fuel filter every Oct. Fill up before leaving vehicle sit for a spell. (Diesels fill before putting to bed each night (warm tanks like to condensate)). Buy fuel at a high volume dealer.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

I think the Nokian snow tires that Brian mentioned are about the same quality as my Blizzaks. Just don't use either of them in the summer. They wear very quickly in warm weather and don't grip either.

That's the main difference between the Nokian WR range of tires, they really ARE all seasons. I ran 3 sets, year round, and got within 10% of their expected life (about 45k of the 50 expected). The last half of the 3rd set were after moving to Georgia, where I discovered they did outstanding in the wet too.



Anyway, heat doesn't degrade that particular line of tires. They are Extremely picky about frequent rotations though. 5k mile rotations are the factory recommendation. Trading one annoyance (rotations) for another (2nd set of rims/tires).

[jody_wy]

Friday Saturday last week it took a 4 wheel drive high clearance pickup to get to the highway. Friday morning early a chained up semi went down cabin creek road broke thru the drifts. County finally ran a blade up the road late Saturday evening. now on the west side of the state the county had it roads plowed before the State has it's secondary roads plowed. east side they wait till the storm and wind have stopped.