Winter tires for just one trip?
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Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Why not rent an SUV for the trip? It keeps the miles off your vehicle and likely will have a better tire for mountain roads.
Wouldn't it have OEM tires? OEM tires are typically designed to be quiet and fuel efficient but are horrible for winter driving. There are exceptions, but it's extremely unlikely you'd receive an SUV from a rental agency with tires as good as those Bridgestones.
I'll add that I don't understand why anyone would even want to drive a rental vehicle instead of their own vehicle, unless their own vehicle is unreliable. Why wouldn't a person want to put the easy highway miles on their own vehicle? Is there really a situation with a normal vehicle where the depreciation is worth more than the rental cost? How would a rental car agency make money if they're charging less-than-depreciation value for rentals?
You don't even really need 4WD in the mountains if you have decent tires and some weight in the back. My buddy has been living in the middle of the Rockies for years with his 2WD '88 Dodge Ram. He plans on replacing it in the next few years with another 2WD truck. He hasn't needed 4WD yet and doesn't think the initial expense and fuel economy hit is worth it for the occasional time he may need it.
Sure. Sometimes it's just nice to drive something else.
When I went to Cleveland in 08, I rented a G8. Sure, I could have driven my '94 Prizm and banked all the reimbursement miles. (And I did that while I was going through my divorce to "earn" some extra coin to stay afloat.)
The concerns about an SUV having street tires is a valid one. I didn't realize his truck was 4WD.
One can own a beater they use close to home and rent a ride for those cross country trips, having a temporary car payment while using the beater to save in the long run.
Before we bought our van, I considered that route. Just renting a van when we wanted to haul the entire family on a vacation.
Since most folks don't really need a large SUV or truck, having a smaller car for day to day use and renting larger vehicles for those occasions when you need a bit more room or whatever has a certain appeal.
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Why not rent an SUV for the trip? It keeps the miles off your vehicle and likely will have a better tire for mountain roads.
Wouldn't it have OEM tires? OEM tires are typically designed to be quiet and fuel efficient but are horrible for winter driving. There are exceptions, but it's extremely unlikely you'd receive an SUV from a rental agency with tires as good as those Bridgestones.
I'll add that I don't understand why anyone would even want to drive a rental vehicle instead of their own vehicle, unless their own vehicle is unreliable. Why wouldn't a person want to put the easy highway miles on their own vehicle? Is there really a situation with a normal vehicle where the depreciation is worth more than the rental cost? How would a rental car agency make money if they're charging less-than-depreciation value for rentals?
You don't even really need 4WD in the mountains if you have decent tires and some weight in the back. My buddy has been living in the middle of the Rockies for years with his 2WD '88 Dodge Ram. He plans on replacing it in the next few years with another 2WD truck. He hasn't needed 4WD yet and doesn't think the initial expense and fuel economy hit is worth it for the occasional time he may need it.
Sure. Sometimes it's just nice to drive something else.
When I went to Cleveland in 08, I rented a G8. Sure, I could have driven my '94 Prizm and banked all the reimbursement miles. (And I did that while I was going through my divorce to "earn" some extra coin to stay afloat.)
The concerns about an SUV having street tires is a valid one. I didn't realize his truck was 4WD.
One can own a beater they use close to home and rent a ride for those cross country trips, having a temporary car payment while using the beater to save in the long run.
Before we bought our van, I considered that route. Just renting a van when we wanted to haul the entire family on a vacation.
Since most folks don't really need a large SUV or truck, having a smaller car for day to day use and renting larger vehicles for those occasions when you need a bit more room or whatever has a certain appeal.
I think you have it now! As a veteran of 30+ years of mountain snowskiing vacations and also living in the snowbelt I like dedicated snow/ice tires. But I have also had several successful mountain vacations with good all season tires!
The realities are:
In a blizzard many passes will be closed, they will not let you go and get stuck up there. Be prepared to go back and stay someplace else that day!
The chain law may often be on, and they accept cable chains. They sell cable chains EVERYPLACE in the mountains, even some supermarkets in Colorado stock them. IF a pass was open to 4WD vehicles with chains only, I would not go anyway.
A Colorado Highway patrol study said clearly that your risk of getting stuck is modest compared to going off the road and flipping, especially for high C.G. Vehicles.
You may spend the entire winter mountain vacation looking at beautiful snow covered mountains, parks and ski areas, while driving on dry roads!!
Go, have fun, enjoy the beautiful drive over the passes as opposed to trying to set a speed record and passing everybody in sight! Then, next year after you get addicted to winter mountain vacations (maybe skiing) buy some snow/ice tires!
fsskier
The realities are:
In a blizzard many passes will be closed, they will not let you go and get stuck up there. Be prepared to go back and stay someplace else that day!
The chain law may often be on, and they accept cable chains. They sell cable chains EVERYPLACE in the mountains, even some supermarkets in Colorado stock them. IF a pass was open to 4WD vehicles with chains only, I would not go anyway.
A Colorado Highway patrol study said clearly that your risk of getting stuck is modest compared to going off the road and flipping, especially for high C.G. Vehicles.
You may spend the entire winter mountain vacation looking at beautiful snow covered mountains, parks and ski areas, while driving on dry roads!!
Go, have fun, enjoy the beautiful drive over the passes as opposed to trying to set a speed record and passing everybody in sight! Then, next year after you get addicted to winter mountain vacations (maybe skiing) buy some snow/ice tires!
fsskier
Thanks for the replies everyone!
I will check out cable chains. I did not know they were made for that. I don't expect to drive on the chains, the idea was more in case of emergency. It can't be pleasant to drive on!
At this point, we only have a route-no itinerary. I planned it this way so we wouldn't have to try and meet any special deadline. I don't want to have to push it too much, so maybe that is the best route. I've done some research, and already found one route that we will avoid because it sounds like a death trap in winter. We drove it in the summer, and all the white crosses on the side of the road proved it. We have lots of time too, so no rush.
Thanks again everyone!
I will check out cable chains. I did not know they were made for that. I don't expect to drive on the chains, the idea was more in case of emergency. It can't be pleasant to drive on!
At this point, we only have a route-no itinerary. I planned it this way so we wouldn't have to try and meet any special deadline. I don't want to have to push it too much, so maybe that is the best route. I've done some research, and already found one route that we will avoid because it sounds like a death trap in winter. We drove it in the summer, and all the white crosses on the side of the road proved it. We have lots of time too, so no rush.
Thanks again everyone!
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