[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by MSchu

preference has little to do with it, this poster is looking for reassurance and support. i40, is the best bet. how is your car OP... all checked up and ready to go?

Why? Just askin'.

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Why? Just askin'.

Me too....having driven both in virtually every season of the year and in every kinda car.




From the OP
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks!

[jlb80]

Hi all,

Thanks for the input. The car is going to be heading in for its 35000 mile checkup before heading out. I'm planning on getting a set of all-weather tires, which I've heard should be okay if sticking to the main interstates?

A friend mentioned that if I don't mind tacking on a few hours to the trip that perhaps heading across Arkansas and then into Memphis before heading north to Chicago might be better than trying to get through St. Louis. He claims that driving through St. Louis can be enough of a chore during the summer as it is.

I've never really done any winter driving since I'm from the west/southwest, so how much snow is too much snow for me to expect to handle while driving on the highways? Should I just plan on staying off the road if actively snowing at all?

[AOldfield]

Originally Posted by jlb80

Hi all,

Thanks for the input. The car is going to be heading in for its 35000 mile checkup before heading out. I'm planning on getting a set of all-weather tires, which I've heard should be okay if sticking to the main interstates?

A friend mentioned that if I don't mind tacking on a few hours to the trip that perhaps heading across Arkansas and then into Memphis before heading north to Chicago might be better than trying to get through St. Louis. He claims that driving through St. Louis can be enough of a chore during the summer as it is.

I've never really done any winter driving since I'm from the west/southwest, so how much snow is too much snow for me to expect to handle while driving on the highways? Should I just plan on staying off the road if actively snowing at all?

If I may interject...coming from the Northeast and having experience driving in all sorts of weather, yes, I think someone who has little or no experience driving in bad weather should stay off the roads. I say this primarily for one's own safety, but also for other's (dogs and humans included!). All-weather tires are certainly better than summers, and you are smart to get a complete tune-up before heading out. My husband just made the trip from VT with our cat a couple weeks ago by the southern route, as it had started to snow in CO by then. He hadn't put snows on the truck yet so I begged him to take the southern route. Took him 3.5 days but he was doing 11-15 hr. days. PM me if you want his take on it. He's driven ALL over the country in all sorts of vehicles at all times of the year. I agree that sometimes the southern route can be just as tricky as I-70 in the winter for different reasons, but I'd tend to think I-40 would be a little easier this time of year for someone like you. As I said, I come from the Northeast and I wouldn't do the I-70 route in the winter if you paid me...just my opinion, though. Good luck on whatever you decide and give a pat to the dog for me. Oh, and most hotels do accept pets (Motel 6's always, some Holiday Inns. The husband seemed to have worse luck than I did on finding ones that do), some pet rooms are nice, some not. I guess just try to stay in one that's in a bigger town. I would think it'd be harder to sneak in a dog than a cat, especially if the dog starts barking..

I also agree that allowing 4.5 days for the trip is wise...weather, car trouble, pee stops, and if you're only going to do daylight hours. This way, if you make it sooner, all the better!

[Cyborgt800]

I just went from LV to Denver last night on I-70....it was awful! getting stuck behind snowplows doing 30mph, idiots that couldn't drive or stay in a lane and of course black Ice...white ice, slushy ice, brown ice....ice with ice on it etc.. Despite that I did well until hitting Eagle County...Temps dropped to 6 and the rental POS's wiper nipples and lines froze so I had no wiper milk! I had to pull over every ten miles and splash some water on the windshield so I could see! I saw lots of 4x4's and Suvs in the median, on guard rails, in ditches and one right after it rolled plus one stuck rig. If Denver wasn't my destination I would have gone 40!

[jlb80]

Thanks for additional feedback. The dog friendly hotels is another reason I am thinking to try to arrange the stops to end up in larger cities. I think it will be not too bad to just stay off roads when snowing, but what about black ice which I've read quite a bit about, and which the last poster mentioned? If I stick to daytime driving will I be able to completely avoid this?

Also, I was reading some more online, and what is a better tire for the trip, all-weather or winter tires? Are the full winter-tires going to be more than necessary for interstate driving? All-weather would be a more economical choice (and also won't really have a place where I'm moving to store an entire set of tires once Spring rolls around if I'd have to switch from winter --> summer/all-weather).

Also, I've read that the winter tires can't really be used in temperatures greater than about 40 F. So, since the first legs of my trip in the day time might be a bit warmer than this, am I going to do significant damage to winter tires for that part of the drive?

Thanks again, and sorry for so many questions! I keep thinking of new things.

[AOldfield]

Originally Posted by jlb80

Thanks for additional feedback. The dog friendly hotels is another reason I am thinking to try to arrange the stops to end up in larger cities. I think it will be not too bad to just stay off roads when snowing, but what about black ice which I've read quite a bit about, and which the last poster mentioned? If I stick to daytime driving will I be able to completely avoid this?

Also, I was reading some more online, and what is a better tire for the trip, all-weather or winter tires? Are the full winter-tires going to be more than necessary for interstate driving? All-weather would be a more economical choice (and also won't really have a place where I'm moving to store an entire set of tires once Spring rolls around if I'd have to switch from winter --> summer/all-weather).

Also, I've read that the winter tires can't really be used in temperatures greater than about 40 F. So, since the first legs of my trip in the day time might be a bit warmer than this, am I going to do significant damage to winter tires for that part of the drive?

Thanks again, and sorry for so many questions! I keep thinking of new things.

No worries, better to ask questions...as Pink says, there are NO stupid questions! Black ice does not discriminate to light availability...it's due to the temperature of the road surface. The sun melts whatever precipitation there is on the road, and then the ambient temp re-freezes it...the colder the road, the more likely the presence of black ice, despite available sun. No tire does well on black ice, except maybe studded to a limited degree..it's more the skill of the driver to negotiate. You certainly don't want studded tires for a long trip. Pure winter tires are a chunkier, softer rubber tread for grip in immediate traction situations, but more likely to wear faster on a long, interstate trip, especially on clear, dry roads. I did do VT to VA and back on pure winter tires, but they ran hot and were always in risk of blowing...I just kept an eye on temps of tire at each stop. All-seasons are better, an all around better bet for long-distance driving, kind of splitting the difference. The southern route is much easier to predict storms than I-70, with higher elevation. Yes, they may be better prepared for it, snow-plow and salt wise, but if you're stuck in a mountain pass at 14k ft. it might be hours or days before a plow truck comes. Just take the southern route and take it easy. Time and gas mileage and peace of mind will pay for it in the end. If you're at all hesitant, better to just pull off for the night/day than take a chance on not getting there at all. Again, PM me if you have any questions at all...good luck!!

[mjjudd]

I am orig from Normal IL and lived in san diego for a while..have made the cross mid-country trip about 6 times (round trip) around this time of year. Have taken both routes mentioned (I-70 and I-40) and would recommend avoiding both. Was snowed in on the mountain in Albuquerque for 6 hrs before the troopers told me to turn around cause they closed it down. I-40 i avoid with a passion cause the truckers will screw with you the entire route, and the weather is usually terrible.

My recommendation is go a little south out of the way and take the I-8 to I-10 to I-20 to I-30 to I-40 to I-55 route. Yes it adds about 3-400 more miles, but trust me this is the easiest and less hassle route. Definately better for smaller cars as the only bad weather you will really hit is some parts of texas and then when you start heading north around St Louis.

Usual trip time is about 35-40 hrs of drive time, have done it in 2.5-5 days, depending on how determined you are.

[jdrtx]

I have found it to be less expensive for one person to fly than to drive that kind of distance. You may need to leave the dog home for this trip.

[dynimagelv]

JUssst an FYI......almost ALL of NM is snowed in right now.....I70 looks better n better