Help me winterize?

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Alicat423
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Help me winterize?

Post by Alicat423 »

I need some help as much as anyone is able to...
I have a 2007 Toyota Highlander 4wd. I've never driven in true winter conditions. I'm coming to Colorado for one month from TN for lots of skiing, hiking, climbing, etc. I'll be all over 70 from Denver to Aspen. Then I will make my way up to Montana, through Canada, and finally to Anchorage Alaska.
Some things I apparently need are
New tires (do I have to have snow tires?)
Engine block heater
Snow chains

Does anyone have a specific brand recommendation or a car shop that they trust? Can be anywhere from Kansas City, Denver, anywhere between vail and aspen, Great Falls, Montana.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I don't know much of what I'm doing and I have seen many complaints of idiots in SUVs in Colorado. Help me not be one? Lol

I guess the best thing would get everything sorted in Denver? Idk. I can't do anything in TN because no one knows anything about this stuff either and I don't want to drive snow tires on a highway for the 1000 miles to Colorado I would think.

Anything would be a huge help as my head is spinning from Google... :/
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SoCool
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by SoCool »

Alicat423 wrote:I've never driven in true winter conditions
Hi Ali,
The trick to winter driving is to always go a little slower than seems necessary. Vail Pass can be truly treacherous in a blizzard. And yes you can drive snow tires on dry highways, if you wish to get that done at home But studded tires, perhaps not.
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Alicat423
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by Alicat423 »

Thanks Mike! I'm moving to Alaska so come visit and we can hike again :)
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3rdGenNative
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by 3rdGenNative »

I'll throw this out since you've mentioned I70. http://kdvr.com/2015/11/07/colorado-to- ... is-winter/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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SkaredShtles
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by SkaredShtles »

Get snow tires. I doubt that you will really need any of the other things in Anchorage.

I'd recommend Michelin X-Ice - they are quieter and better-wearing than Blizzaks. And their snow/ice performance seemed to be comparable to the Blizzaks.

The rest of that stuff would be "optional" equipment, IMO.
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by SkaredShtles »

3rdGenNative wrote:I'll throw this out since you've mentioned I70. http://kdvr.com/2015/11/07/colorado-to- ... is-winter/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I really, really, REALLY hope that they are serious about this and start handing out tickets like Pez candy.
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by jrs1965 »

Alicat423 wrote:I need some help as much as anyone is able to...
I have a 2007 Toyota Highlander 4wd. I've never driven in true winter conditions. I'm coming to Colorado for one month from TN for lots of skiing, hiking, climbing, etc. I'll be all over 70 from Denver to Aspen. Then I will make my way up to Montana, through Canada, and finally to Anchorage Alaska.
Some things I apparently need are
New tires (do I have to have snow tires?)
I've never used chains or studs... Due to the softness I'm not sure how long a set of snow tires would last driving all the way across the country. I think the recommended cutoff for using snow tires is around 40 deg? Not optimal, but I recently went with a new set of AT tires for my truck so I could go year round without having to switch out. I'll just stay home if conditions are too crappy...

Highly recommend staying away from I-70 during peak skiing hours on the weekend. It only takes one accident on I-70 and you're stuck in traffic for hours!
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by globreal »

I would add to this thread....

Since you have a 4WD, that will help you with traction going up hill and around turns. However, 4WD does nothing to help you on the downhills. Rubber on ice slides! So you really need to go slow on the downhills.

The exception to this would be, if you have studded snow tires or chains. Those will give you the traction to help you to brake and actually stop going downhill.
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Alicat423
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by Alicat423 »

SkaredShtles wrote:Get snow tires. I doubt that you will really need any of the other things in Anchorage.

I'd recommend Michelin X-Ice - they are quieter and better-wearing than Blizzaks. And their snow/ice performance seemed to be comparable to the Blizzaks.

The rest of that stuff would be "optional" equipment, IMO.
Yeah the other two stuff is more to get through Canada. Hopefully I won't need snow chains but it cant hurt to keep them in the trunk. I think they make you have them to get into Canada as well (similar to that I 70 thing someone posted).
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Yes on snow tires, and as noted - you need them by law in certain conditions here. This time of year the tire shops in CO can get backed up because so many people are getting them done now, so be ready for a long wait, and for popular sizes to require to be ordered.

You should not need chains if you have AWD/4WD and snow tires. In CO you shouldn't need an engine block heater, but not sure about Alaska. Maybe wait until you get there and find out from the locals what they think. Good windshield wipers are a must though, the crap they spray the highway with is disgusting and streaks really bad if you don't have good wipers.

As far as driving, 4WD is great for getting going, but it does nothing to help you stop. I think a lot of the "idiot SUV" comments stem from people flying down the highway thinking because they have 4WD that they can stop faster. That is totally false, you cannot stop faster. Good tires help with that, but its better to follow the same rules that the yellow signs on the ski mountains proclaim: Space Not Speed! Give yourself plenty of room and time to stop so you can react to what is going on in front of you - unfortunately the person behind you may not always follow this advice.

In general, just take your time. Start slower from stop signs/lights etc, don't just gun it, especially if turning out of a parking lot. You may need bigger gaps in the traffic than normal to merge. Patience is a virtue in winter driving.
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by AyeYo »

From someone that worked at a Toyota dealer in snow and cold central New England and drove that exact model of Highlander in many serious snow storms, let me give you a quick list of things you absolutely do not need for winter travel in a Highlander:
Alicat423 wrote: New tires (do I have to have snow tires?)
Engine block heater
Snow chains
The Code15 law does NOT call for snow tires. Tires with the M/S designation will also suffice. Never heard of that? Neither have most people. That's because almost any and every tire used on a typical passenger vehicle has an M/S designation. The tires that don't (high performance summer tires and DOT legal race tires) aren't going to be found on a Highlander anyway. If your stock tires have good tread life left, leave them alone. If they're getting low on tread, you might want to get another set of all-seasons, get a more aggressive tread all-season if you're worried about the snow. The Highlander is a beast in the snow and snow tires are completely unnecessary, even with some of the horrible factory rubber Toyota likes to use.

Most Toyota vehicles shipping anywhere in the US aside from very warm areas like FL and the Southwest come with the cold weather package standard. It usually consists of a higher power starter and beefer battery. Talk to any Toyota dealer or check your original window sticker to see if your car has it. If it doesn't, a higher CCA battery might be a good idea (for Alaska, not CO). A block heater is not necessary in either case and has more to do with occupant comfort (heat blows warm faster) than engine performance.

As for "idiots in SUVs", as someone else already said, that has nothing to do with equipment and everything to do with a driver that thinks having a large, AWD or 4WD vehicle makes them immune from slippery conditions, so they fly down the highway as if the road is dry - right up until they blow straight through a corner and end up upside down in a ditch - hopefully not taking out other people along the way.

AWD helps you get going and prevents you from getting stuck in deep snow. It does not help you turn and it does not help you stop. Drive slow, leave 4x (or more) your normal following and braking distances, leave lots of extra travel time so you don't rush, and anticipate potential situations ahead so you can plan rather than react, and you'll be just fine. If your car is equipped with VSC you'll be even more fine because that makes the Highlander absolutely idiot proof in any slippery situation aside from hurling it into an icy corner at 90mph.

IMO, in the few storms I've gone through so far this year, this state does a piss-poor job of clearing roads and doesn't seem to know what de-icing is. If you can survive driving here, you'll be able to drive anywhere.



Full disclosure: I've been driving a Prius on all-seasons for three years now without an issue.
Last edited by AyeYo on Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Help me winterize?

Post by polar »

Snow tires are better than all-season tires for traction on snow and ice, but like mentioned above, they don't work very well when it gets warmer. Granted I haven't noticed a huge difference in my car's handling when I was driving with snow tires above 50 degrees (due to the wide temperature swing we have in CO), I was probably wearing them out a lot faster due to the softer rubber compound used. So unless you're willing to swap out snow tires for all-seasons once it warms up, I would just get new all-season tires for your Highlander. Make sure your all-season tires have a "M+S" designation on the sidewall. I can't imagine any tires for a SUV wouldn't have the M+S (mud and snow) designation, but it doesn't hurt to be sure. (Just FYI, snow tires have a snowflake symbol on the sidewall). When you're driving in snow, just go slow, leave plenty of room between you and the car in the front, don't brake and turn at the same time. When I don't have cars behind me, I'd like to brake from time to time just to get a feeling how slick the road is and adjust my speed/following distance accordingly.

Engine block heater helps in starting your car when it's really cold. It is probably not necessary in CO, plus you'll need a place to plug it in. So if you're parked in a public parking lot with no power outlet, it's useless. Might as well get it when you get to Alaska.

Snow chains are nice to have. I keep a pair in my Subaru in winter time, but honestly I've never had to use it.

I'd also keep a small snow shovel, jumper cable, towing strap, a warm sleeping bag, maybe some emergency food/water, and emergency reflective signs in the car. The towing strap proved to be really useful on roads less traveled. I've helped tow SUVs out of a small ditch before, and I've also got my Subaru stuck in soft snow and needed help from others to tow it out.
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