Deteriorating road conditions to and From Ski mountains and the treacherous roads You choose or "GPS" chooses for you!

[BenedictGomez]

BTW Waze has option to avoid unpaved roads.

Does the inverse exist? I think I'd like that more!

 

[bigbob]

It's very simple. Don't expect roads other than the interstates to be plowed in the middle of the night. There are a shortage of drivers and people who want to plow. They need to sleep just like you. plan your trip accordingly. And yes, get 4 peak rated snow tires if you travel in snow country, best on dedicated rims so you can change them seasonally, so they don't wear out quickly in the summer.

 

[urungus]

I would recommend familiarizing yourself with VT's snow control plan here, particularly the map on page 10: https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/documents/Snow and Ice Control Plan.pdf - VT has a plan for prioritization of different state roads and how well they keep up/how quickly they're cleared will mostly follow that plan. If you're trying to take a road in green or yellow on that map - it's likely to still be pretty messy even many hours or even a full day after the storm ends, especially for larger storms.

Thanks that map is a great resource

 

[BenedictGomez]

best on dedicated rims so you can change them seasonally, so they don't wear out quickly in the summer.

This.

Both my wife and I have extra wheels for dedicated snow tires. And the cheapest wheels (steel) are the best because you actually want that extra weight. The additional cost of the rims only hurts once, and because I can easily change my own tires I dont have to pay Costco or Walmart or wherever how much they charge (I dont even know) to put on snow tires in the winter and then pay to put on all-seasons in the spring. I presume that adds up versus owning rims.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

my snows are on my nissan stock wheels and my summers are on some black rims that look nice on the black car

my tire shop swaps them and stores the off seasons for 30/mo

 

[2Planker]

my snows are on my nissan stock wheels and my summers are on some black rims that look nice on the black car

my tire shop swaps them and stores the off seasons for 30/mo

My tire guys charges $200/year for storage and 2 change overs

 

[KustyTheKlown]

ya i am definitely paying the nyc metro area tax but its all good. i am an apartment dweller. i need the shop.

 

[djd66]

This.

Both my wife and I have extra wheels for dedicated snow tires. And the cheapest wheels (steel) are the best because you actually want that extra weight. The additional cost of the rims only hurts once, and because I can easily change my own tires I dont have to pay Costco or Walmart or wherever how much they charge (I dont even know) to put on snow tires in the winter and then pay to put on all-seasons in the spring. I presume that adds up versus owning rims.

Yeah ,that's what I prefer too. I know I am saving money, but the biggest advantage is I don't have to lift tires up into the trunk of my car 2x/yr and make appointments at a tire shop. I have a professional jack and battery powered gun that I only use for the tire change over. Got it all at Harbor freight for pretty cheap. It take me about 20 minutes to do the switch.

 

[ceo]

A bunch of years ago a friend and I skidded into the ditch descending the east side of Roxbury Gap after a fine day at Sugarbush. Got pulled out and limped down to Roxbury, but the radiator was cracked and we had to get flatbedded home to Somerville. The proprietor of the Roxbury Country Store, who was hugely helpful, told us they regularly get bus drivers come to grief following their GPS up there and end up with a busload of pissed-off skiers.

 

[Edd]

My tire guys charges $200/year for storage and 2 change overs

What town is that in? Tried to find something like that in my area but couldn’t.

 

[Smellytele]

Well we drove from Bozeman to red lodge Friday night after getting into Bozeman almost 5 hours late. I90 was closed because of snow until 7 which delayed us another 1.5. The normal 80mph highway was down to doing 50mph on snow cover roads. Tractor trailers off the road here and there. Got of the highway and still had another hour to go and it was snow packed down roads the rest of the way. No salt used out here nor sand. Got to red lodge around 11. Final got to bed at 12:30mst. Long day seeing we got up for our flight at 3:15 est. up for about 23hrs.

 

[rebel1916]

(front wheel drive almost lost speed going up a mild incline down to 9-MPH with all kinds or tractions light activating and limiting pick up speed.

You have to turn off traction control when you are losing power to the wheels in snow. If you don't, the system will just keep reducing power to the wheels as long as the traction is poor.

 

[kingslug]

Well..it would be safe to say that a good part of utah roads at the moment are full of cars and trucks going nowhere. Its a mess out there.

 

[Bumpsis]

Most of the time I'm less concerned about about my own vehicle's performance (4wd Toyota Sienna with snow tires) and my snow/slick roads driving skills than I am about the occasional idiot who thinks that having a 4wd will make him/her(?) exempt from the laws of physics when driving in slippery conditions.
Just a couple of days ago (Thursday 2/13) I was making my way south on Rt 30 driving towards Stratton. The road was really slick, you could easily see the sheen of ice on the road. Yet, some idiot in a Jeep with NJ plates (of course!) was tailgating me, as if it were a rush hour traffic on I95. Even a slight slowdown on my part could send the Jeep in to my back. I pulled off and let him pass. I don't usually wish ill on road crazies but I was willing to make an exception and hope that karma would put the Jeep in a ditch. I was encouraged to see that even locals (VT plates) were driving with more respect for the roads conditions that morning.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Some idiot in a Jeep with NJ plates (of course!) was tailgating me

Year after year New Jersey drivers rank somewhere in the top-5 list of safest states in America for driving.

And knowing is half the battle.

 

[Bumpsis]

The swipe at the NJ drivers was really meant to be a light joke... every state has its share of road "immortals". I suppose it came out sounding harsh.
Still, it really does amaze me how many 4wd vehicle drivers hold unrealistic expectations of what 4w drive can really do or not do in slick conditions.

 

[JimG.]

That's a nice way of saying there are a lot of shitty drivers out there.

 

[zyk]

I dropped the rav in a snowbank on the way back from gore. After walking roughly 5 miles I found a kind soul to help. Between my tow chains, come-a-along, and straps we got it done. People helping people. I now have a new friend.