Howdy! I am planning to move to the southeast part of Michigan around this new years. I am excited to get out of my state and see what other parts of the USA have to offer. But one thing that really worries me, and that I wanted to reach out about, is the winters in the north.
I’m moving from Texas, so for the most part, snow or ice is rare, and it usually meant the whole city shut down for a few days if it happened that year. And now I need to coordinate a moving truck up to Michigan, which from what I know, snow is to be expected? Do y’all have any tips for dealing with this?
I’ll also be moving into a suburb area, is there anything I need to know about that? I’ve heard shoveling snow is kinda important, is that true? How often do you need to shovel snow?
Thanks y’all
Thanks for all the driving tips, it seems there’s a lot that goes in to driving in the north, beyond just worrying about ice. Just wondering, does everyone have a 4wd or awd car? Does that help at all on the road?
Snow tires are way more beneficial than 4WD/AWD. As already said, 4WD/AWD will help you avoid getting stuck, but it can’t help you with stopping or turning.
Just take it easy the first snow. Brake early, corner slowly, don’t go too fast. It seems like everyone forgets how to drive on snow the first time it snows, which results in more of a mess.
4wd/AWD will be useful in accelerating, and can offer better control generally, but can be a detriment to braking, since the mass of the extra drivetrain bits makes for a heavier vehicle. Same goes for an all electric car - those are famously heavy. Does everyone have 4wd/AWD? No, but AWD does tend to be pretty popular. Just remember to give yourself ample distance for stopping. The most important thing is to learn how your car behaves in inclement weather, so that you can adjust your driving techniques as necessary.
This reminds me - after a decent snow, especially a drier powdery snow, driving lanes may be relatively clear, since the snow has blown off them. But there may be a buildup of snow in between lanes, or down the center of a lane where wheels don’t contact as much. Be especially careful when changing lanes or crossing those snow ridges. You might be going faster on the comparatively clear wheel tracks, feeling perfectly safe, and getting a wheel or two on one side of the car up on a snow ridge can start an uncontrolled slide.
4wd is vastly overrated. You really only need it if you are driving on unplowed roads with significant snowfall. The far more important thing is using winter wiper fluid so it doesn’t freeze.