Anyone not go on a winter hike because of their car?

[Adk_dib]

I had a small 4 wheel drive SUV. I recently got a Prius and I like it, but am warry of driving it in the mountains during the winter. I have been caught in a few stroms that the 4 wheel drive vehicle came in handy. If I know the roads will be clear I see no problem. But if we get a large storm on thursday (like we just got!) I am afarid I will run into unplowed roads that the "car" will get me into trouble on. Anybody have the same fear?

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

One thing you could do which seems to have been forgotten on the east coast is get a set of tire chains. I always carry them in the car. Then if things start to get dicey, I can put them on and get myself out of there. In some western states you'd already have them because it is mandatory to have them with you so they can be put on when needed.

Today's chains, by the way, are not the chains of your father or grandfather. There has been much innovation in the design and if you know what you are doing they go on very quickly.

 

[BobC]

I have a Corolla, which should be somewhat similar to your Prius in driving ability. The big difference is using snow tires. I'm surprised at how many people I meet that either just don't use snow tires or use "all season" tires right through the winter. Many people seem to think that if they have a front-wheel drive car, that's enough. The snow tires make a big difference for me and so I never fear driving north in bad weather.

 

[Jay H]

On a similar note, I have a Subaru outback with 8" ground clearance, Bridgestone Blizzaks (all around). My recent purchase was cable chains. I would wonder if your prius would have clearance for actual tire chains, but I bought a pair of cable chains (SCC SuperZ6) for my Subaru for my winter pursuits.

Forget about getting stuck in a ditch, getting towed from certain places is very expensive. I carry a tow rope and stuff in winter too so I could get a pull or pull somebody if need be...

Having said that, there is no subsitute for clearance though...

Jay

 

[mookie]

2 words

Snow Tires!

I was never a firm believer until i actually purchased them. they make a world of difference.

 

[RoySwkr]

I am afarid I will run into unplowed roads that the "car" will get me into trouble on. Anybody have the same fear?

All the time When I used to go with groups I was much braver about driving in bad weather but it's much tougher to push a car out by yourself :-( And even if you get there on a nice day there may be no safe parking exempt from accidents or towing.

It's better if you have 4wd, chains, etc. and another similar vehicle to help you if needed. However remember that 4wd just get stuck farther from help. I remember a certain Garfield trip when we drove partway in, our driver insisted on going out last because "I have a Jeep and won't get stuck!" It's just lucky there were 3 to push it out of ditch and another Jeep owner who waited at hwy to make sure we got out. A police chief told me a story about a guy who went out for a moonlight drive in his SUV and went down a power line cut, the next day instead of a wrecker they sent a bulldozer to fetch it. One NE3k hiker once got so stuck she had to rent a car to get home as the tow truck wouldn't go there until the mud dried. And there's a guy whose name begins with P who might have a story for you.

A Prius will definitely limit where you can go. But if gas goes to $5 per gallon or if we have gas rationing, it may go farther than a monster 4wd

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

On a similar note, I have a Subaru outback with 8" ground clearance, Bridgestone Blizzaks (all around). My recent purchase was cable chains. I would wonder if your prius would have clearance for actual tire chains, but I bought a pair of cable chains (SCC SuperZ6) for my Subaru for my winter pursuits.

Forget about getting stuck in a ditch, getting towed from certain places is very expensive. I carry a tow rope and stuff in winter too so I could get a pull or pull somebody if need be...

Having said that, there is no substitute for clearance though...

Jay

Good point. When you buy chains make sure they have proper clearance for your car. There are low profile chains and cable chains for cars with low clearance. Also, it is possible to "over drive" any vehicle. I have seen SUVs stuck in the snow. There are times when I would use chains to avoid sliding into a ditch. Most of the time I save them to get me out (not talking about a ditch). I figure, outside of going into a ditch, most anywhere I could drive in without chains, I could drive out with them. A "come along" is also good if you are going somewhere where you are likely to get stuck. For myself, back logging roads that I might drive in the summer are one place I would avoid in the winter with a passenger car even with chains.

 

[leaf]

I have Cooper Arctic Claws for my Honda Civic. Great snow tires. As everyone else already said, it makes a huge difference.

If you don't want to mess with putting chains/cables on and off, you might want to look into these:

http://www.autosock.us/

I personally don't have them, but they seem to be getting good reviews. Much easier to manage then chains.

 

[Mac]

Tires

I have studded winter tires. This helps especially during periods of "wintry mix" where roads become icy.

 

[onestep]

When shopping for winter tires, look for the peaked mountain with snowflake symbol. Tires marked with this symbol have been designed specifically for use in severe snow conditions.

M&S (mud & Snow) tires, aka All Season Radials, are O.K. but certainly not up to par with a "real" Winter Snow Tire.

I purchased 4 Winter Tires mounted and balanced on plain black steel wheels last fall from an online tire discounter. (hint, you've seen their ad on tv) Even with shipping charges they where less expensive than if purchased locally.

I should have done this YEARS ago!

 

[BobC]

One other tip, when purchasing snow tires, try to find a place that will do the tire change-over for free both before and after the winter...but make sure "free" really means free. On one of our vehicles I used a place that claimed the changeovers were free, but then charged me for the balancing on each tire which came to $38 twice a year. Not a huge amount of money....but on my Toyota I used Direct Tire (in Mass.) where they truly do your change-overs for zero dollars. It's worth paying a bit more for the tires in the first place if the service center offers this.

 

[mookie]

Just purchase a jack and some jack stands from any auto parts store (around $30) and swap your own wheels/tires out twice a year. takes about 25 minutes to do and dont have the hassle of bringing vehicle to garage.

 

[Jay H]

mookie: you're assuming you have a spare set of rims. Most people don't have a tire balancing machine and changer...

A set of steel rims is a good investment, some places charge $15/tire to mount and balance tires to a rim.

Jay

 

[mookie]

my bad jay, i was replying to onesteps post.
i find it much easier to have a set up dedicated especially to winter (Steel wheels and snow tires) that i change over myself.
whoever drives around on all seasons in the winter i suggest trying snow tires out, especially if you plan to head north into snow country frequently.

 

[BobC]

Getting on my hands and knees to change over 4 tires using jack stands vs. driving 5 minutes to the garage and waiting less than 1 hour for them to do it for nothing...hmmm. Tough choice.

 

[Jay H]

+1 for an impact wrench

Most garages, dealerships, etc, use an impact wrench to put your lug nuts/bolts on.. I've found that sometimes that makes them super hard to get off!

Once, when getting brake work done (I had a stripped caliper bolt), the stupid garage didn't even tighten the lug nuts on my Subaru. 2 (of the 5) were about to literally fall off, the other 3 were loose. Fortunately, I noticed it the next day, but do check them before leaving the garage... I like to do my own work myself!

Anyway, to the O.P I have always managed to go on a winter hike when solo (because I can go places in my Subaru) but have changed plans before. If all else fails, since I live right next to a county park with trails, I can always hike out my back yard..

Jay

 

[onestep]

I used a place that claimed the changeovers were free, but then charged me for the balancing on each tire which came to $38 twice a year.

I called around to price shop the charge to remove my summer tires and put on my winter tires. Without fail, each place "assumed" I wanted the winter tires balanced. After explaining that the winter tires where already mounted and balanced on their own rims I still got the "yeah but's" about how I really should get them balanced again! Only one place didn't try to sell me balancing. They charged me $12 to "rotate" my winter tires on and my summer tires off.

They will have my future business, which will include more than just rotating tires.

 

[BobC]

That's why I ended up sticking with the place in Mass. which does the mounting and balancing for free - and I give them a lot of my other business because they don't nickel-and-dime me to death. The only "catch" (if you can call it that) is that you have to have purchased the tires from them.

 

[adktyler]

Another related thread to snow tires and such is here: http://www.adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=9925&highlight=snow+tires

 

[MarkJ]

A VIP auto parts place near my house would not take old tires off my rims and put 2 snows I Have because I didn't buy their tires....I don't go there now and I now have 4 extra rims.