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
You’ll want to have a snow shovel before the snow falls. Get an ergonomic one, with an oddly bent handle. Much easier to use than a straight-handled shovel. If your neighborhood has sidewalks, it’s your responsibility to clear snow from the sidewalks that border your property. If there’s a big snowfall, like 8" or more, a snowblower is a godsend. Might be worth it to get a used one for $100 on craigslist or FB marketplace.
You will also want a snow brush/ice scraper for each car. Get a sturdy one. If it’s freezing outside, turn you car’s windshield defroster on, with the fan on, as soon as you start the car. If you leave it off until the car is warmed up, and then turn the hot air onto the windshield, you risk cracking the windshield.
If there’s snow on your car, use your snow brush to clear the snow off of all the windows, and the headlights, taillights, third brake light, and license plates. If there’s a lot of snow, brush or scoop it off of the hood, roof, trunk lid (otherwise, it will blow off and obscure your or someone else’s visibility).
If there’s freezing with snow or sleet in the forecast, lift the windshield wipers up and let them stand proud. This prevents them getting frozen to the windshield. If they do get frozen to the windshield, free them before attempting to turn them on. It’s possible to break the plastic clips that hold the wiper transmission together, and then you have no wipers until that’s fixed.
Keep windshield washer fluid in the trunk. You’ll go through that in a sloppy winter in no time, even if it’s not actively snowing, because other cars will kick up wet road dirt that just smears when you use the wipers dry.
When the temperature falls in the autumn, and then again in the winter, your tire pressure will go down. Check your tire pressure to make sure everything is properly inflated for proper traction and more even tire wear.
When driving, be prepared to use your parking brake to assist with stopping in an emergency. My Ford Fusion is awful stopping in the snow, so I keep a finger on the electric parking brake at all times. If it starts sliding, adding the parking brake helps immensely.
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.