Driving in Southern Michigan - questions from California

[daepp]

I purchased an 09 4WD Ford Escape here in So Cal and shipped it to my daughter in College in southern MI.

- The car has very modest mud and snow tires. The first two Michiganders I spoke with there said they didn't use snow tires, but these were students. The car literally will be driven a few days a week for just a few miles in small college/rural town, with an occasional 90 minute drive to DTW. Any advice?
- Do gasoline engined cars parked outside there need block heaters, or is that just diesels?

Thanks Braintrust!

David

[Shadetree930]

No need for full on snow tires. Use the tires on the car until time for new ones. Then just get some generic all season.

Block heaters in southern MI ..... fuggitaboudit.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

she might beg for a remote starter so the truck can be warmed up before she goes out to it.

Do not worry about block heaters on the gas engine, if she is worried about geling of fuel then she can add some Lucas Treatment.

Tires can be a different question and you will get dozens of different answers. For me, the SUV is an inherently unstable platform when compared to a standard sedan or Outback or other such low profile vehicle. She truly needs to understand driving such a vehicle and know that it is NOT inherently safer because it is an SUV or bigger than a Civic. Attitude and experience of the driver is more important.

Sometimes they do great jobs and snow removal and ice treatment and sometimes they do not. The answer is: It depends.

[Tim Hancock]

She will be fine with especially with 4wd. Many folks in these parts get through winter with only 2wd vehicles with all season tires. Just make sure she gets a good ice scraper for the windows.

[GLASEM]

Excellent vehicle for SE Michigan
Should be no winter issues
Main issue is keeping it washed of the salt.
Take my vehicles at least weekly to the coin op to wash the underside during the winter
What part of SE Michigan?

[HardDrive]

Gotta be MSU or Hillsdale.

Cars fine.

Ice scraper, keep a couple blankets in the car, AAA card, cell phone.

If it really hits the fan, they will close schools.

[pavulon]

IMHO, snow tires and a brake pad/rotor/drum check are the best investment in safety you could make here. Young Californian (has she driven in snow before?) + snow=couldn't turn or stop=crash. To me it will someday be $700-1K well spent on my each of my kids and worth the peace of mind.

[mikeferg75]

I went to WMU, she will be fine, black ice will be the thing to catch her off hand. If she has zero winter experience I suggest she go with someone the first couple of storms.

[daepp]

Wow - great advice. Thank you.

Hurricane - this SUV is no higher in COG than an Outback. She grew up driving an MBZ ML SUV and is pretty used to it.

Glasem - thanks for the reminder about washing off the salt. I never mentioned it and she has no knowledge of it.

HardDrive - Hillsdale, kinda near Jackson, 2 hours east of Chicago. Not close to the big lakes. I should have known about the emergency blanket - I will have her get all over that. She has a AAA on order.

Pavulon - good recommendation on the safety check. I still can't decide on the tires. On top of the snow tire debate, she has no place to store the other set. I will have to think about this one.
She has no snow driving experience, but I have two boys with much snow experience lined up for a few lessons once is snows or ices.

[gprsh924]

Ten minutes of instruction of how to drive in snow and the constant reminder to slow down in the snow will be more valuable than snow tires will ever be.

Sometimes I think being forced to drive a less than ideal car in poor weather can be safer as it should help minimize the invincibility factor.

[Hard-Deck]

Hillsdale is an excellent College! She may want to put some weight in the bed of the truck, behind wheelwells. I suggest a few bags of sand. If she gets stuck sometime, the same sand can be used to put on ground for traction.

[pavulon]

I think all of the advice here is legitimate. The thing that would haunt me is, if she was injured in an accident that you may have helped her avoid, but didn't, how will you find peace? If another $1K gets you some peace of mind (not a guarantee) that is a good investment and essentially nothing over the course of a life time.

edit: The Dakotas and Minnesota already getting snow.

[Hydrocket]

The extra safety margin of snow tires is undeniable. I grew up driving RWD cars in the snow long before there were proper winter tires. I consider myself an expert in driving in the snow and actually like driving in snow. The difference between snow tires and all season tires in winter is dramatic. And it's not just when there is snow on the ground, which people sometimes forget. As soon as temps fall below 40 degrees, most standard tires compounds turn harder. And traction, braking and handling can suffer. Also, when people think 4WD, they often ignore snow tires because 4WD gives them a false sense of security. They think it's just a traction issue (ie. "we won't get stuck"). But lack of initial traction is rarely (if ever) the reason why there are accidents in winter. It's usually loss of control (slipping and sliding at speed) and especially lack of braking. In those cases, 4WD does nothing to improve those situations. I say absolutely do NOT skimp on getting winter tires. It's simply not worth it. This is your family and you want piece of mind. Get the snow tires. Especially if she is a newbie at winter driving.

Also, if you buy your tires locally, many places will store you summer/winter set at their place. You come in during the fall/spring and they will remount your spare set of wheels/tires and put the other set into storage on site. Works well and I have done it. Just call around to see who offers the service.

[GLASEM]

Might suggest she befriend a Michigan driver who when there is a first snow.....atleast several inches.....
Find a large empty parking lot.......and have her do skid pan exercises
Did this with my kids every year........kept them out of trouble
Still do this myself

[romad]

stay off I-94 and I-75 until you learn to drive the weather......young cali girl driving in michigan winter...maybe mounting a camera for some good youtube footage. Fresh snow is actually not a problem its the inbetween conditions that are hazardous. Four wheel drive is not protection against ICE.

[romad]

Originally Posted by mikeferg75

I went to WMU, she will be fine, black ice will be the thing to catch her off hand. If she has zero winter experience I suggest she go with someone the first couple of storms.

When were you at Western?

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

David,

Glad she is used to these vehicles. She will be fine then. We all have a panic moment in the ice and snow no matter how skilled or used to the vehicle.

Just a good all season set of mud and snow tires. Maybe some BF Goodrich or something. Do not worry about a second set of tires for the vehicle, it really is not that bad. And as stated, if it gets that bad then they will close down the school. Most of the winter will be dark and gloomy in comparison to Kalifornia.

Best and let her relax and enjoy! And keep her away from my BILs Cousins ;-)

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Originally Posted by GLASEM

Might suggest she befriend a Michigan driver who when there is a first snow.....atleast several inches.....
Find a large empty parking lot.......and have her do skid pan exercises
Did this with my kids every year........kept them out of trouble
Still do this myself

You just do this for fun!!!

[Shadetree930]

Shadetree930 grew up in Hillsdale.

Father and brother graduated from Hillsdale College. My daughter still lives there.

She will be fine with a 4WD SUV. The campus is small enough that driving is not required day-to-day.

[ChemMan]

I suggest a AAA membership. It pays for itself with a single use. All season tires on a SUV is fine for MI winters.