<p>My son started in college this fall in MN. We are from CA and don’t know the inside tricks for snowy climates. Do you put snow tires on your passenger cars during the winter? Storing the tires would be a problem however I want to be sure the kid is safe. He will likely be driving into the city (about an hour each way) once a week starting in February.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>Snow tires make a HUGE difference, and I highly recommend them, especially for a Californian unused to driving in the snow. </p>
<p>I live in Denver - where, contrary to popular belief,it doesn’t snow very much - but often drive up to the mountains to ski. All my driving is in mid-size sedans on the less-expensive side. In my 25 years in CO (moved here from the Bay Area) I’ve never owned an SUV or 4-wheel drive. With snow tires, I have no problem even during the rare blizzard in the city, and rarely have trouble getting to the ski resorts. When not in use, my snow tires are stacked in the corner of my garage, taking up less room than you’d imagine.</p>
<p>BTW, our closest friends live in the country, in Maine. They also drive sedans. With snow tires. And they get by just fine.</p>
<p>My H bought a sports car with rear wheel drive. We live in Northern Michigan and we get significant lake effect. He put snow tires and you would not believe the traction he got. It was remarkable.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much snow they get in Minnesota, I don’t think much in the last few year. It mostly gets cold there. I would check on that.</p>
<p>But our local tire store will store the tires we are not using at their shop, we didn’t have to pay anything extra. Many people who have snow tires also buy an extra set of wheels for them. You can look on Craig’s List and many times people are trying to sell their snow tires and wheels. Also look on ebay locally.</p>
<p>My daughter needed new tire on her car her senior year in upstate NY; we live in the south! It was suggested to go ahead and put snow tires on her SUV, which did not have front wheel drive. While we knew they would only be needed a few months, we decided to go ahead and use snow tires. The car still has the same tires on and we have driven it in the south for the past 3 years! We did not expect to get this long a wear out of them, as the heat would make them wear faster. I have them checked often by my mechanic, and there is still nice tread on them. </p>
<p>I say go with the snow tires and buy a set that can stay on the car.</p>
<p>I guess I should have said he drives mid sized, rear wheel drive sedan.</p>
<p>I live in MN, and have never owned snow tires. But a rear wheel drive car is a problem here (regardless of tires). Every car I have owned in the 30 years I have lived here has been front wheel or all wheel drive. So if he is going to keep that car, he may need to get snow tires. If he buys them at Discount Tires (chain up here), he gets free rotation for the life of the tires. Not sure what other states they are in, but assume if they are in CA it would carry over to there.</p>
<p>Deb, MN got about 85 inches of snow two winters ago (that is over seven feet). I know I ran my snow blower several times a week for months. 
Last winter was a bust, but we already had a strong storm that dumped over a dozen inches on the Twin Cities last weekend. If this kid is south of the Twin Cities (St. Olaf, Carleton, Gustavus), they usually get more (for some reason huge storms often miss us just to the south).</p>
<p>Without a doubt, snow tires. In fact, a car with front or all-wheel drive is far preferable. I drive AWD with studded snows here in the NE, but I went to HS in MN, where we all learned to chant, “turn into the skid, turn into the skid.”</p>
<p>Always drove year round with 2 snow tires (front or back, depending on front or rear-wheel drive) when I grew up and lived in a snowy climate.</p>
<p>I use all-season tires and have never had a problem in New Hampshire. This is with FWD and AWD vehicles. I have coworkers with RWD cars that do use snow tires (maybe studded). It looks like a pain to do - they typically have a spare set of steel rims with the snows mounted on them and they change back and forth for winter.</p>
<p>I change every year (obviously, as studded snows are neither legal nor desirable to run in the summer), and they normally do it while you wait. I wouldn’t think studded snows are necessary in MN, where it’s pretty much flat, but they’re a huge help getting up steep hills here and in the increasing number of ice storms we seem to be getting.</p>
<p>Glad to hear Minnesota is getting some snow. Last year nobody got snow, it was an economic disaster here. Hoping for snow!</p>
<p>Are you sure he has a rear wheel drive car? I just say that because a majority of cars are front wheeled drive. The exceptions being BMW, Infinity’s and a number of sports cars. They do have better handling but I am sure you know. </p>
<p>Anyways, rear wheel drive, he will definitely need snow tires. No way around it. I would think about an extra set of wheels also as he will need 2 sets of tires as long as he is in MN.</p>
<p>Disclaimer, I know there are other rear wheeled cars, I was just generalizing. Other cars that can use snow tires are very light cars, such as Mini Coopers and Prius. My BIL had a Mini Cooper, very hard in the snow.</p>
<p>Yes to snow tires. I use studded snow tires. I’ve lived in MN and now VT. We haven’t had much snow yet this year, but a wicked bad episode of black ice.</p>
<p>I live in snow country. No way I’d drive a RWD car w/o snow tires. I put snow tires on all our vehicles every winter. One crash with “all season” tires taught me that lesson.</p>
<p>I have a front wheel drive Volvo sedan. It should get good traction but it does not. We have snow tires for it…put them on in December, take them off in March (in CT). </p>
<p>OTOH…we have an Accord and a Mazda van, both front wheel drive, that handle just fine in the snow without snow tires.</p>
<p>The last rear wheel car I drove was a 1972 Impala and it was HORRIBLE in the snow.</p>
<p>When there is a snow/ice season, it is generally a good idea to get winter tires on an extra set of wheels, so that you can swap them in your own garage when the snow/ice season comes, and swap the non-winter tires back when the snow/ice season is over.</p>
<p>Consumer Reports has tire test reports each November (they rotate yearly between car tires, truck tires, and ultra high performance tires), so you can buy access on-line or see the print issues in the library. Both winter and non-winter tires vary in capability in snow and ice, as well as other conditions.</p>
<p>Also if you are even thinking about studded tires check to see if they are legal where he is living. They are illegal in some places. </p>
<p>I wish there were classes in how to drive in the snow. The first year my D drove to our house (we have not lived in the snow belt for long) she drove into a snow bank at the end of our street. It is a skill. </p>
<p>Thumper1, that’s the car I learned to drive in. It was a trip. I remember how easy it was when I got a front wheeled drive car.</p>
<p>Deb…I took out a number of rural mailboxes driving that impala in the snow. It just didn’t stop very well…and had a lot of weight to keep it going.</p>
<p>Yes, to snow tires. We put them on all of our cars, including those that are 4WD. Snow tires are made of a material that is different than that found in all season tires and every test I’ve ever seen or read about shows a substantial traction/stopping advantage with snows. We see it as a safety issue and have done it for years, for our own cars as well as those of our kids.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. He drives a 2010 Dodge and it is for certain RWD.</p>
<p>Snow tires it is.</p>
<p>Michigan then Minnesota back to Michigan. I love snow tires because slush is more slippery than powder snow and the snow tires seem to plow through slush better. Rear wheel drive is not the easiest car to drive in slush, ice and snow. If he’s never driven in it - snoiw - before…he needs to practice. Perhaps he was out earlier this week and now knows? Speaking of Imapalas when I was young I had a huge Mercury that loved to do 180s on snow and ice, never hit anything but OMG…I was glad to “move up” to a Subaru.</p>