Help!! Just got my 2010 Prius II and am being transferred to aspen

Get studs. Forget "snow tires" Studs on all 4, and put them on other wheels so you can swap them off easily. Its a little more cost now but worth it in the long run.

 

Before spending any money on snow tires or studs, I would recommend giving the factory Yokohama tires a try. So far, they've been working for me on mountain snow and ice. The traction control on the Prius is helpful as well.

In Colorado, you will most likely also be required to have chains for your car. Personally, I have a set of SCC SZ123 "Z cables" on order.

 

Wait until you get to Colorado, which will have far better winter tire advice and selection than you can possibly get in Florida.

 

I grew up in Wisconsin. Personally, I don't think snow tires are ever necessary. Just drive carefully; go very slowly, leave lots of space in between you and the person in front of you, and don't do anything sudden. Leave lots of time to arrive at your destination so you don't feel rushed. Don't accelerate quickly, or let your wheels spin (not that the Prius will let you), as that just makes the vehicle harder to control and can get you stuck. And watch the car in front of you; if he slides on something, that's your advance warning.

And once there's a nice snow on the ground and you find an empty parking lot, play around with the car a bit, and see what it feels like; how quickly (or slowly) it stops, how it may fishtail when turning, etc.

And I really mean that going slowly and leaving lots of space thing. Even in Wisconsin, everybody forgets how to drive in snow until the second or third snowfall of the season, and there are tons of accidents. In a bad storm, going half the speed limit (or less) isn't a bad thing.

 

I agree with Macman. Give the Yokos a try in the snow. This week we got 12 inches of snow in Fargo. It was my first chance to drive my Prius in winter conditions and I've been pleasantly surprised by the stock Ecopia E20's on my car. That said, they are brand new and it won't surprise me in the least if I need snow tires next winter. Above all, drive carefully. Best of luck!

 

It is all about the driver, not the tires.

Since you have never driven in snow, buy the best studded tires you can. You will be pissing a lot of people off driving in Aspen, so you better have good tires to drive defensivly when people pass you or cut you off.

Snow isnt scary, but you NEED practice. I 100% agree, take your car to an empty parking lot and let loose. We just got more snow a couple nights ago, it will probably snow or be snowing as you drive out.

Also chains are not manditory except for big rigs and trucks accross I-70. I would plan your drive so that you are not on the I-70W between Denver and Aspen anytime from 5am to 10am. The daily ski traffic will be bumper to bumper for 3 hours, and we know how to drive in the snow and expect others do as well. We wont give you extra room or have much patience for lollygagging on the tiny 4 lane interstate.

Not trying to be mean, just letting you know what will most likely happen. I dont know if they do skid courses in Florida (perhaps wet skid tracks?) but it might help give you a feel of what it is happening.

Having said that, my Prius is just fine in the snow and I climb mountains with it every day. The driver is key, the tires are secondary. Also forgot to mention, if you put snow tires on your car in Florida (if you can even find them down there) then drive accross country in the heat, you will destroy them.

Wait until you get to Colorado. If you are heading up through Colorado Springs (60mi south of Denver), then I would buy tires there. Recommend Michelin X-ICE, they are awesome. If you want the extra protection then get studded, but you really should not have them on the roads. Otherwise, buy tires in Denver. Aspen is a "tourist" town, and everything is rediculously expensive. Even people who live in Aspen usually bring in their supplies from Denver as they come.

If you are living in the backrange, forget buying a shovel. Buy an ATV with a snow plow or at least a snow blower. Last winter every storm was 6" to 18" of powder. Great for skiing, but not great for shoveling by hand.

Have fun.

 

I agree with the suggestions to get some snow tires - studded or not. Simply put, they will increase traction in snow conditions, and it's traction that is the most important factor. Can a "skilled" driver do well with less traction (i.e. OEM all-season tires)? That's a debate akin to "...which brand of oil should I use?" and which I'll not enter.

Get snow tires (with or without studs). Note that some reviews seem to suggest that stud traction (when there is no ice) may or may not be as good as the "Studless" tires (i.e. Blizzaks, etc.).

Good luck. With good tires and some careful, defensive driving techniques, you'll be fine.

 

Here is a link that may be of interest:
Colorado Highway Quickfacts
"Noncommercial Vehicles. For noncommercial vehicles when the chain law is implemented, one of two possible levels is called for.
"Chains or snow tires required.

This level requires
chains, or snow tires, or all-season tires with an M+S rating (mud+snow) with at least 1/8" tread, or four-wheel drive vehicles with all four wheels engaged (conventional tires okay).​

"Chains only.

This level requires
chains, or four-wheel drive vehicles with all four wheels engaged (conventional tires okay).​

"Passes in Colorado most likely to see chain laws for non-commercial vehicles are the US 550 passes, Lizard Head, Slumgullion, Monarch and Wolf Creek. These are also the passes most often closed during the winter.
"The chain law discontinues when either bare pavement is encountered or signs advise it has ended."

Welcome to the Rockies.

 

They have good snow removal there but there will be times when it's snowing that 4wd with snow tires on all 4 or chains will be required. Ski areas and steeper mountain roads ect. Aspen is back in amongest the 14teeners and if you like exploring the great outdoors you'll be wanting to add an SUV for the US Forrest roads. I'd wait until next summer for that as you might not like the "Unique lifestyle" they have in places like Aspen or Lake Tahoe in Calif. An Suv is good for hauling in supplies form Denver as stated by poster above. I got mine for the wilds of N AZ and N NM and SW CO when I lived out there. I did Grand Junction more than Denver but I was on that side of the mountains so it was an easier drive and not as much snow.

Let your new friends help you with what to get for winter clothes. Can you say "Gore-Tex?

Colorado Travel link: Travel Center — CDOT
Kansas Travel link: Kansas Department of Transportation: Traffic and Travel Information

Garmin says it's 2100 miles. Route takes you NW through Ala. to Memphis, TN then north to St. Louis then west on I-70 all the way to Glennwood Springs, Co. That Kansas and east Co part is a bitch. Especially in winter. I might consider angling across Texas to I-40 west towards NM then over to I-25 north to Denver. All depends on the weather forcast and your schedule.

Do make the drive across Colorado in the daytime as the winter mountain views will be spectacular for someone who has never seen them in person.

Keep in touch and let us know how things are going and don't forget to send those lift tickets.

 

What bothers me the most about your query is the following admission:

" Well Ive never seen snow or mountains or needless to say driven in either condition.Will have wife and 4 month daughter with me."

Unfamiliarity with conditions, location, and vehicle is a dangerous recipee. I would strongly urge you to be as cautious as possible. Having lived in the Pacific NW, which has a diverse winter enviroment, and traveled and spent time in both Colorado and Wisconsin, I'd say how you approach the journey will be no less important than the tools you equip yourself with.

Don't take shortcuts. Making yourself as familiar as possible with the route you intend to take...I would recommend snow tires....

I think you'll find as I have when I've spent time in Wisconsin and Colorado...that places that typically get a lot of snow have a much better infrastructure in place for dealing with that same snow...locals don't panic, they clear the roads agressively. BUT the problem is even in Colorado, big storms can hit that make driving perilous for anyone with any skill level.

So knowing your route, popular and mainstream...and being aware of what will be your potentially everchanging enviroment I woud think will be 2 of your biggest safety tools.

Most of all...error on the side of caution. Better to arrive late or later and say, "Yes we lost time because we stopped and waited while a storm passed"...then find yourself in an uncomfortable or white knuckle situation because you pressed on into and enviroment that you did not feel comfortable with...

The best way to deal with a winter storm that makes driving conditions hazardous is to watch that storm pass from inside a warm hotel room. So cell phone, and the usual tools of communication, for knowing what is coming up and options are as usual an absolute must.

I have to say..you're not afraid of rapid change. New car, and a one way trip from one of the Sunniest states to one of the Snowiest?

By the way, I'm prejudice, I live in the Pacific NW which I think is one of the most diverse and beautiful enviroments in the world. But of the places I've traveled I would credit Colorado as being one of the "other" beautiful places to see...but quite a bit different than Florida...

 

Do you know it is minus 10f in Aspen as I write this. Looks like lows in the teens or single digits on the western end of your trip with at least one snowstrom of some type on the way in the next ten days. You may want to get winter coats and gloves on the east side of the plains say KC or STL if you don't already have them. I get my gear from outdoor sport retailers like The REI Winter Sale Through 11/29: Great Deals on Holiday Gifts, Outdoor Gear, Equipment and Clothing for Skiing, Snowboarding & More and backcountry outfitters.

And you'll be needing a snow shovel to keep in your car at all times. If not for you for the guy blocking the road in front of you who doesn't have one.

Site auto inserted a longer rei link than I put? Interesting

 

OK. First: I learned how to drive in Boston; then joined the Navy, and spent a lot of time in and around Norfolk, Virginia. With, by that time, a car.

Whilst the people who live in northern and western Virginia know snow, those who live around Norfolk, generally, don't. Chilly, yes. Ice and snow: generally not.

Which leads to interesting situations. There's this one freeway that runs from Virginia Beach to Norfolk, directly east, with a couple of gradual turns just before one enters Norfolk proper. The winter I was there there was some freezing weather with rain resulting in icy/slippery roads. But it wasn't that obvious.

As a New Englander, when one gets out to drive and it looks chilly, it's second nature to wiggle the steering wheel back and forth a couple of times when starting out and periodically while driving. If the car slips, one slows down.

I could tell that those people from Virginia Beach weren't doing that because, after flying down the interstate at 65 for a dozen miles, they'd hit that first curve and go right off the shoulder and down the bank. There were a couple of dozen cars down there at the end of the day.

So, the main advice I have for you is to keep first and formost in your mind at all times, once the outside temperature is below freezing, that your car may not have good contact with the road. Wiggle your steering wheel from time to time and make sure that the car will go where the steering wheel is pointing. And, obviously, if it doesn't, slow down. I note that, based upon the evidence, the check, the slow-down, and the general idea that at, say, 20 MPH a car can execute an end-for-end swap does not come naturally to Southerners such as yourself.

Second: driving in snow, slush, and ice requires the car-handling techniques of stock car racers. It's not if you're going to skid: you will. While it is possible to creep around a corner, most people who drive in snowy states tend to execute four-wheel drifts. The best way to learn this stuff is, as a previous poster mentioned, in a snow-covered parking lot. Skid around; slip, try to swap ends. Get a really good feel of how a car handles in the snow. Practice counter steering. You can't do this stuff in Florida without going 90 on dry pavement or 40 on wet, but you can do tons below 30 on snow. You'll be a better driver for it.

Third: Others' advice on this forum about heading for a motel is a good one. In Massachusetts, when I was growing up, the speed limit law was kind of interesting: The numbers on the speed limit signs were strictly recommendations. You were supposed to drive below the limit that was safe. And the cops could ticket you if they thought you were going too fast for the conditions. In fact, with ice storms present, the cops could and did give people tickets for speeding if they were driving faster than 0 MPH (i.e., they were on the roads at all!).

Finally, and this is important, too: Don't think that you need a four-wheel drive SUV to navigate snow. If you do think that, you've been watching too many commercials. The best snow-handling car I ever owned was a '71 VW Beetle that, with the engine in the rear over the drive wheels, could practically climb trees in the snow. The worst I heard of was a mid-engine Fiero, who, when the driver showed up at the Chevy engineering facility where she worked in a snow storm, was given derisive applause for making it, and jeers for even trying. (And that was from the people who designed the car!)

As a general rule, SUVs and the like handle worse than four-door sedans; and, just because they're big, does not mean they handle better in snow. Sedans and smaller cars do better on snow and ice, in general, than SUVs, right up to the point where the additional body clearance makes a difference. Four wheel drive is a bit better, but not that much better. A Prius with its traction control and the weight on the drive wheels will do just fine. As pointed out by a previous poster, snowy states are very aggressive about getting the snow off the roads. Come to think of it, in really heavy snow storms, following a plow a hundred yards or so back is a well-known acceptable strategy. And, if the plow gets stuck, well, at least they have the radios and can call for help!

Drive up to St. Louis or somewhere on your way North, pile into an Advance Auto or some other generic parts store, pick up a collapsible snow shovel for the trunk, some kitty litter for traction if you're feeling really nervous, and, if you want to go whole hog, some reflectors and/or flares if you get stuck.

As far as clothing: The problem you have is that the stores in Florida will overcharge you mercilessly for cold weather clothing, if they have any. You'll find better stuff, cheap, at your final destination, since all the clothing stores carry this stuff as their main lines and they compete with each other. But you have to get there, first. I'd suggest the LL Bean catalog, myself.

KBeck

 

I believe there's a Sam's Club near Aspen. I've driven past it.

If chains are required on cars in Colorado, the conditions are really horrible and you'd be advised to stay home. Put the latest weather link on your phone and just avoid driving in those conditions.

 

I also had a 66 VW Bug. With aggressive tires on the back, it would go anywhere. It was a horrible winter car below 25 degrees because of the lack of heat and defrost capability.

My 2010 Prius with studded snow tires is fantastic in the snow! I live in Sheridan, WY most of the time and expect snow and ice and sometimes subzero temps for the next 4 months.

 

I can attest to this. I used to drive a Jeep C-J5, which was not large when compared to today's huge SUVs, but it was one of the most serious four-wheel-drive vehicles on the planet. My Jeep could wade through snow that would stop any car, but it was a squirrelly thing to drive. It took a very skilled driver to keep that thing on the road and pointing in the right direction.

My Prius with VSC is just the opposite. It has average ground clearance and front-wheel-drive. You aren't going to knock three foot drifts out of the way. But assuming the roads are passable, it is by far a better driving winter vehicle. It tracks straight, brakes straight, doesn't spin out, doesn't spin tires when starting, and refuses to swap ends. I have to remind myself that the roads are slippery, because I can't feel it with the Prius.

The crux of this story is that there are two unrelated aspects to winter driving:

1) The ability to slowly slog through deep snow, ruts, and bad roads.

and

2) Safety and ease of driving on slippery roads.

Trucks and SUVs are generally good at #1, but not necessarily #2.

A Prius with VSC is very good at #2, but lacks the ground clearance for #1.

Tom

 

A lot will depend on where you live and work I would think. I spent years commuting from a suburb west of Denver to a ski town in the mountains in a Honda Accord with all-weather tires and never needed studs or chains since they work so hard to keep the roads clear for the skiers. Your biggest challenge will probably be digging yourself out of your own driveway. I'm willing to bet you'll end up buying a 4WD to go with your Prius before too long.

P.S. Aspen is beautiful! It's also very expensive. The gas prices are ridiculous so hang onto your Prius. Congratulations on what I hope is a promotion with a BIG raise.