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this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2024
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No Stupid Questions
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I lived in the Minneapolis area for many years, so I can provide a little insight. First off, you will be fine through September. Early November is when snow that lasts for more than a day or two starts to become a real possibility.
-Tires: Your best bet, even with 4WD/AWD is to have a second set of snow tires mounted on cheap steel wheels. (4WD/AWD doesn't do a damn thing for steering or stopping distance!!!) Swap those over around early November and back to your "regular" tires around late April. If you live in a suburban area, roads will get plowed and sanded quickly, so you are probably fine with GOOD all season tires. But if you're considering an exurban/rural area I would certainly recommend snow tires. Studded tires and chains are not allowed on highways in MN as far as I remember, but the laws in rural areas could be different.
-Oil: Check your owners manual. At worst you may be recommended to swap from 10W-30 to 5W-30 or something, but it doesn't get cold enough for long enough to be a strict need.
-Block heaters: With modern vehicles, it's more of a luxury than a requirement unless you are living in the northern part of the state. If you have an attached garage, it should be a non-issue.
-Other: Always keep a bit of warm weather gear in your car. This goes triply if you live in a rural area. Imagine what you'd want if you were stranded for 4 hours at -20F. Gloves, a hat, some handwarmers, a small blanket at minimum. A small shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter can help you out if you are mildly stuck in snow. Get the good windshield washer fluid, the stuff that's rated to -40F. You'll go through a ton driving on the freeway after salt has been laid down, and it is MISERABLE if it starts to freeze up on your windshield.
Thanks for the detailed response! Much appreciated. My wallet does not appreciate it though lol
No problem! If it's any consolation, once you're past the initial investment of a second set of tires, the costs average out over time to be about the same as using all seasons.
Just don't drive on the winter tires too far into the spring because once it gets above 40F or so, they wear pretty quickly.
Snow tires are great, but I had to replace mine every two years. My area only has bad snow a few times year, they were fantastic for that, but the road were clear enough most of the time that I wore them down entirely too fast to justify the investment when high quality all-season tires did well enough in the poorly plowed times, combined with my driving ability, to make snow tires not worthwhile.
Absolutely a YMMV purchase and everybody in the snow belt should give them a try to know if they are right for them. Buying them with cheap dedicated wheels is absolutely a pro move; you only pay for a tire rotation instead of mount and balance and you save the risk to tire pressure sensors if your car has them.