FWD? AWD? Snow tires? Studded tires? A heavy vehicle?
Is there some combination of these things that will actually make a car handle well in 6-12" of snow?
Growing up in the MidWest my father only used snow tires. Worked just fine. Of course, it helps to be the first one in an unplowed parking lot so that you can spin around, do some doughnuts and fast stops just to get back your annual “snow legs.”
Yes, the vital component that you missed is experience.
In short you need a working car to drive in snow, I don’t know of any that actually does not work in snow.
I’ve driven in deep snow with RWD, RWD w/ posi-traction,FWD, FWD w/ traction control and AWD and it is does get easier with more advanced drive systems.
Snowtires make a big difference, it will almost jump you a class (RWD w/ snows is more like FWD w/o , FWD w/ snows is more like AWD), not that is changes the way the car handles (you still have to drive a RWD like a RWD car), but in terms of traction I have noticed as much of a boost.
In that deep snow it would help to have the ground clearance, which would tend to be 4/AWD, which would also help you very much in such snow.
You need patience to drive in the snow. You must drive slow and you have to be thinking much further ahead than you normally do.
Oh, you also need a good reason to be out driving the snow.
Common sense.
Just to add the differing drive systems help you to get going, the braking system is what you need to stop, which has very little, if anything, to do with your drive system.
You primarily need skill to drive in the snow. Driving in unplowed snow can have more in common with skiing than regular driving. Practicing extreme snow and ice driving in large parking lots is fun and very educational. You need to know how to get out of skids cold and without thinking about it. You will skid very often in snow and ice.
You need to know the limits of your car and stopping distances in different conditions. Stopping distances can be hundreds of yards under different conditions.
You need to know that while it is easy to drive too fast, it is rare to drive too slow.
If you have a pickup truck, several hundred pounds of weight in the back over the rear tires helps a great deal because it is naturally light unloaded and that doesn’t work well with rear wheel drive.
4-wheel drive gets you going but turning and stopping are what actually get people into trouble. The appropriate tires help and you also need a AAA card.
I drive a lot of long distances on snowy roads.
What are my requirements? Good windshield wipers, lots of wiper fluid, adequate defrosting (front and rear), adequate snow removal from hood, headlights, windshields and roof and brakelights, decent tires, and plenty of patience.
Added bonuses include FWD and anti-lock brakes. Also more patience.
Avoid spinning your tires - they warm up and then it’s hopeless.
If you have rear wheel drive keep your front tires straight when trying to get out of a drift. If they are turned they act as a snow plow.
Snow.
I agree with the first paragraph, but in many climes you may as well hibernate as give up just because there are a few inches of snow on the ground.
Mainly you need practice. The most important thing is never make any sudden moves, which is why you must plan way ahead. Increase stopping distance enormously.
About a dozen years ago, I happened to be in Seattle when they got a mother-lode (should that mother-load?). My son, who grew up in Montreal, drove through it without difficulty, but the highway shoulders were strewn with abandoned cars. Seattleites just have no practice.
I get away with all-weather tires in Montreal, but if I had to drive out of the city, I would get snow tires. 4WD is even better.
Emergency supplies, in case you get stranded:
extra blankets or a sleeping bag
extra non-perishable food
water proof matches or a lighter
flares
shovel
windshield scraper
chains
spare tire
water
blankets or a sleeping bag
candles.
the best thing you can do to prepare yourself is to go out to an empty parkinglot full of snow and do donuts. Pull your e-brake, spin out, slide…have fun. (make DAMN sure its a completely empty parking lot and you are no where near any concrete blocks, lamposts etc)
In doing this, you will get used to how your car handles in slippery conditions and you will be remarkably well equipped to handle the situation should it arise in the future.
Kitty litter.
I need dual front-mounted infrared beams to sweep the pavement ahead of me and melt, baby, melt.
I’m curious about you people that all recommend snow tires instead of all season… how do they handle on the pavement? Or is that not a concern where you live – there’s no infrastructure in place to get rid of the ice and snow from the roads? I mean, probably only ever drive in snow three or four times per year. Everything else is slush or perfectly good, dry pavement.
All season tires are a compromise between what is good for wet, snow, and dry weather. Compared to real snow tires, all season tires pretty much suck.
Good snow tires make a world of difference in snow. On dry pavement, they wear out quickly and will make your gas mileage drop.
I second the recommendation for finding a nice empty parking lot and going out and acting like an idiot. You want to find out exactly where your car is going to start losing control, and what you need to do to get it back. Then when you are out in the real thing, you’ll be much better prepared.
The key phrase for driving on snow is NO SUDDEN CHANGES. Slam on your brakes and you are going to end up in a ditch. Try and turn to fast and you’ll end up in a ditch. Nice easy turns, easy accelerations, and nice slow braking, and you’ll get where you want to go.
Four wheel drive and a decent bit of ground clearance don’t hurt either. The main danger of four wheel drive is it makes you think you can go anywhere. Four wheel drive makes you go. It doesn’t help you stop, and it doesn’t help you turn. I’ve seen quite a few four wheel drive trucks in a ditch because they didn’t quite have this figured out.
I keep seeing references to “ice tires” or “winter tires” which seem to be an improvement over regular snow tires. Does anybody have any experience with them?
Yes indeed. Do everything—stopping, turning, slowing down, etc.—much more gradually than you would in clear, dry conditions. And especially don’t slam on your brakes if you don’t have anti-lock brakes; in that case, pumping your brakes is the best way to stop quickly if you absolutely have to.
And even if you know what you’re doing and your vehicle is well-equipped to handle snow, other drivers may not be, so watch out for them.
Growing up the main roads were kept clear but residential roads were lucky to get plowed once or twice a month.