Moving from HOT climate (AL) to COLD climate (Iowa) - what new things should I consider?

Don’t forget a good ice scraper . In the morning you can use “ cold water “ and let the windshield wipers run a bit on slow. Never turn on the heat in the defrost position, the glass can totally fog up. Clear glass before you drive off. Should there be a building close by, where you work or play, park next to it, they give off a lot of heat.
If visibility is bad, follow a tractor trailer, they will make a path also. In Winter do everything slow. Come to work late if you hear the roads are bad, let others prepare and defrost the road. And as someone else said, never drive on ICE especially black ice. Other than that, it’s just like Atlanta.

PS In Fairbanks they drive 50 MPH on ice, that continuously builds up!

 

Man, I remember driving my tank of a car Mercedes 220d in freezing rain conditions. Every car was crawling and if you stopped your car would slide sideways because of the road crown. My poor grandma was very upset during that drive home.

 

Freezing rain is the worst.

 

Yup. That's why living further north in Minnesota, where freezing rain is rare, isn't so bad. Snow for recreation can be really nice.

 

I notice I don’t experience much of that stuff any more, it must be California.

 

Actually it was in Pennsylvania. Driving home to New Jersey.

Many years ago.

I’m thinking Pittsburgh PA to Edison NJ. My grandma passed away about 1986 and I owned that car around that time. Drove my wife in that car to have our first child. That was 1984.

 

Humidity is the key. That’s why Alaska/ Greenland is very cold but not miserable AND why dry California is more pleasant that the entire East coast. But, this semi- arid desert environment can produce some + 100 F days and 40-50 degree nights, if you are camping. That’s Summer. Winter, remember the Donner Party?

 

Growing up in the east and moving west as an adult I would agree. When I was young the low humidity in the winter made the cold much more tolerable. The humid cold here in the Sacramento valley in the winter seems more cold.

But, the summer heat is much more tolerable. When I was cutting the lawn at our house back east I had to take a break, sit down and wring my dammed t-shirt out.

 

These days I just do whatever yard work I can do, then just make myself a Chilada and sit and admire my work. When I recharge I do some more work, then have another Chalada, when I finally finish I have another Chilada and sometimes a nice Cigar.

 

Oh, this is nothing compared to large parts of the country, Wisconsin, most of the mid-west, all of the East coast. In fact, I don’t think the humidity improves until Iowa, Missouri and Texas. From that point it’s not really
bad all the way to the West Coast. I can remember laying on the beach in Madison, Wisconsin and just sweating. The beach was grass. @ University of Wisconsin. Same in Chi, Cleveland.

 

Honestly I didn’t think the humidity broke until you were near the Continental divide.

 

Sounds like heaven.

I’m not sure where that is, but I lived for a year in Topeka and thought the weather was fair, discounting tornados.

 

The Chilada part yes. The getting so old you have to take a break, not so much. It’s part of getting old. Like having people you care for passing away. That part really sucks.

 

Yes, I understand that, I’m going thru that now with my wife. She has a fatal disease. I’m 84 now and really believe that death is generally not unpleasant. I do think we go on to greater experiences. The fun part will be when I see all my relatives and friends again. All of my relatives and most of my peers have predeceased me. So, in some ways I look forward to death. You also will see your friends and relatives again, I truly believe this
We go on to something better, brighter, enlightening even thrilling. It must be, otherwise there would be no point in living. So I have rambled on enough, Goodnight.

 

If you would like to talk about it we can talk about it in private message. My wife passed away last year at 55 years old and I’m still trying to make sense of it.

 

TY

 

I live in Placer county. I could drive up to your place and we could have a beer, or a soda, or Tea. Your choice

I’ll even buy. They got a good spot in Cool?

 

Would you say snow tires aren't "beneficial" because I disagree....
My sentence was " It always brings out a contingent that says snow tires aren't needed".
I would never say it always brings out a contingent that says snow tires aren't "beneficial"...because who would say they aren't? Needed was my term of choice. Because....


On a Prius- my opinion is with snow or ice, they are "needed".- More than just beneficial. But again, I loved my Prius, but felt it was NOT a good snow and ice vehicle.

 

That's a contradictory statement. Opinion is a factor of want. To need something, it is a requirement upon which the task being considered is not possible. Clearly, there is no necessity to have snow tires. Semantics won't change the reality that a large portion of the population here in the metro of Minnesota simply drive with all-season tires year-round.

None of that is to belittle opinion. It's just to point out the fundamental difference between want & need.

 

I think your being way too anal about semantics.
I know the difference between want and need.

The OP is looking for opinions. Whether one in a moving to a colder climate should look at getting snow (winter) tires MUST be an opinion. It's not a manufacturers recommendation. Nobody can present it as fact.

And my opinion is that with a Prius, having good winter tires...I think actual "Snow Tires" is NEEDED, not just beneficial.
But as I forewarned in my own post, that always brings out the "other side" that wants to define them as "not needed" or just "beneficial".

I say needed, because of the Prius's aggressive traction control system, coupled with the regenerative brake system, which I think makes maintaining as much grip and traction as possible very important.

I suppose I could make the minutia embracing change and say, I recommend getting snow tires I feel they are beneficial in snow and ice. But excuse me if I feel more strongly about the situation.
For safety's sake- I think with a Prius, snow tires in a environment that has a lot of snow and ice, are NEEDED. And yes, this is my opinion, not presentable fact.