Any tips for winter driving in Minnesota?

[manoj_2002]

Hi everyone,
This is my first winter in Minneapolis, and I have to drive about 20 miles to work, and my car Camry LE, 1997 4C, will be parked in the open at workplace, though at night I have a covered parking.
I would really appreciate some tips to get ready for winter driving.
1. My front tires are new (3 months old), my rear tires are not bad. Do I need any snow tires? I don't know what they are and how much they cost , frankly.
2. I am thinking of going for a Block heater, Snow vipers. DO I need (to do )anything else?

Any replies will be highly appreciated.

Thanks
Manoj

[dtro]

welcome to MN in a couple of weeks there will be a couple of feet of snow


Just kidding ....but it HAS happened.

I have dealt with the snow every year for my 16 years of driving. My biggest tip is leave plenty of room between you and the car ahead of you. This is very difficult most of the times because there is always that idiot the has to pull in between, which forces you to back off further which leads to a never ending battle.
Also, go easy on the accelerator. You will get much better traction on light accelration.
Another great investment would be a remote starter. There WILL be days when it will take 10-15 minutes to warm your car up. Much better to do that in the warmth of your apartment/home then out there in the subzero weather. You really don't want to do this by simply having an extra key and locking the vehicle and going back inside. First off, the cops here will enforce a law that says this is illegal and second, car theft skyrockets because of this practice.
Another one, is if you live in the city (Minneapolis or St. Paul) be prepared for the parking/snow plowing procedure. It never fails, every year the first big storm hits and hundreds of people get there car towed to the price of a couple hundred of dollars .

They make the rules VERY difficult to understand....parking is allowed on even days on an odd route and if there is more than 3 inches and if you are parked on an emergency snow route you must abide by the even days rule unless you live on an odd street on an odd day. In the case of a holiday, odd numbers houses need to park on the even side, unless it's a one way. In that case you need to call the main office which won't answer because it's a holiday.......you get the point......PAY ATTENTION.
Good luck, it's not as bad as some might tell you.

[CamNub]

Invest in some good tires and drive slowly when the snow hits, even if it's only like 1/2 an inch. Many drivers new to snow get in tons of accidents because they aren't used to it.

For example in other states they are hit w/ only a little bit of snow, but their road system totally shuts down w/ tons of accidents and whatnot.

And Snow tires are tires made w/ a certain type of rubber which is soft(or it might be hard) which gives you much more traction in the snow and in cold temperatures. I don't think it's necessary to have a 2nd set of tires, but a good set of all-seasons may be a good investment.

[Zandro]

Im not sure what its like in Minnesota, but its pretty darn cold where i
come from, and i can give you a lot of realy good tips what to keep in your
trunk and equip your car with.

1. A small shovel (if you get stuck, this can save you)
3. Winter clothes ( i have an special polar suit, but normal winter clothes is also good)
2. Towing rope ( in case you need towing)
3. An emergency powerstarter /w air compressor (gives you emergency power
if your battery goes flat, and auxilary power to keep your phone alive)
4. An ice scraper with a brush (scrape ice of the windows and brush the snow off your car)
5. Engine heater (or block heater as you call it) makes your car heat up much faster and
saves the engine of wear) if you got an electric outlet close to your car.
6. Dubed tires (basicly tires with spikes in them) dont realy know if they sell them
"Over there" but on ice and snow ther is nothing better. and buy them one size narrower
than the summer tires, i got 195 in summer and 185 in winter, you actualy get better
traction that way. it may sound silly but its true.
7. A good quality flashlight, pref a LED flashligth as it last 20 hours+
on a single alkaline battery pack
8. A spare fan belt (or what you call it) its what drives the generator/dynamo
(or what you call it) If it snaps and dont have a spare your battery will run out
of power quickly.

I actualy got more in my trunk/car than i mentioned above, but i only mentioned that witch is relevant for you.

[steve97]

While you didn't ask specifically about this part of winter driving, but I would suggest (unless you have done so already in the last 12 months, that you replace the headlights with some new ones. Just because they are not blown, doesn't mean that you don't need to change them. Bulbs actually dim through use.

Also, how fresh-good is your battery? When it is that damn cold outside, you don't want to chance it.

[CamNub]

Originally Posted by Zandro

Im not sure what its like in Minnesota, but its pretty darn cold where i
come from, and i can give you a lot of realy good tips what to keep in your
trunk and equip your car with.


6. Dubed tires (basicly tires with spikes in them) dont realy know if they sell them
"Over there" but on ice and snow ther is nothing better. and buy them one size narrower
than the summer tires, i got 195 in summer and 185 in winter, you actualy get better
traction that way. it may sound silly but its true.

I don't think they allow Dubed tires or even snow chains because they ruin the roads so badly.

What Zandro mentioned are all good things to have in your car in a emergency situation. It's always good to be prepared. And to add to his list, like a candy bar or something in case you are stranded and hungry.


Lately the the past couple years, MN winters haven't been as snowy. I tend to believe it's caused by global warming. But when it snows, it snows pretty hard.


Edit: I don't know where you got your car from, but you may want to get your car coated for salt. I don't know where it's done because it comes on pretty much every car here, but the coating will help prevent eroding and such.

[skywise]

I'm even further north, in the great city of Winterpeg (Winnipeg) and while good all-season tires work ok, actual snow tires are great. I got a set of them for my Tercel last year and they helped alot with the slicked down intersections.
As soon as my Camry is allowed across the border I'll be getting it a set of steel rims and winter tires.

[CamNub]

^Yep. But it is kind of expensive to have another set of wheels laying around and having to change and allign them every winter.

They are no doubt very good in the winter, but they are a little more expensive to have.

And On a side note, have fun in our great Minnesota winters. It's so warm.
Have fun when the temp drops to like -20 below. And then even farther w/ windchill.

[Grayguy]

Snow tires, while a nice bonus, are by no means neccesary. I have just all weather tires, and I only got stuck one time last winter. Personally, I think that if i can get around Duluth (which is one giant hill) that anyone should be able to get around the cities just fine. Besides that, remote car starters are your best friend..but I'm too cheap to buy one since I can just walk out and start it myself. Oh, and just make sure you have the right kind of oil in your motor before it gets too cold too

[Gary_602Z]

A good solid battery and make sure the car is in good tune so it will fire quick with out cranking forever also a good lightweight winter oil will let the car crank a little easier when cold. Block heaters are good if you have a place to plug it in, just don't forget to unplug before you drive off.

Have you driven in the winter snow and ice before if not be aware of ice patches!

Gary

[[TüsK]]

Idk, I live in norther MN and its not too bad. I just use a remote starter and slow down.

[CamNub]

Originally Posted by [TüsK]

Idk, I live in norther MN and its not too bad. I just use a remote starter and slow down.

Slowing down is important. It's much more slippery so being aware is a must.

[SnakeyeS]

Yep, slow down and get car washes frequently!

[Grayguy]

Also, if you have a manual tranny, use it for strategic traction control. Also, Down shift in stead of breaking...I usually drive to school with out touching the brake once on snowy mornings...and that's 20miles.

[Your Uncle Moe]

Originally Posted by manoj_2002

.
I would really appreciate some tips to get ready for winter driving.
1. My front tires are new (3 months old), my rear tires are not bad. Do I need any snow tires? I don't know what they are and how much they cost , frankly.

A common misconception is to put the good tires on the front in a FD car. You should always put the better tires on the rear wheels. This is because you have more control over the front wheels in case you lose grip. You can turn the wheels, you can accelerate, and you can brake. Now when it comes to the rear wheels, you really have no control over them except for braking. And in a moment of panic, pulling the hand brake is going to be one of the last things on your mind.

So I would recomend putting the better tires in the rear, or just buying 4 new tires altogether.