Winter driving CA/NV
#1
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Winter driving CA/NV
I will go to California in December and drive to/in Nevada, probably at some point at high altitudes with snow. I've never been to US in the winter before, and when I've been driving in mountains during the summer, the roads have always been cleared from snow. Being from a cold country in northern Europe, I'm used to putting on studded or non-studded winter tires on my car in November, and keeping them on until March, and rental cars in my part of the world usually have winter tires on during the cold season.
Is it possible to book a car with winter tires and do I need to do it or are all non-tiny roads kept snow-free? Are tire chains allowed on rental cars?
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
Is it possible to book a car with winter tires and do I need to do it or are all non-tiny roads kept snow-free? Are tire chains allowed on rental cars?
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
#2
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Originally Posted by tourist
I will go to California in December and drive to/in Nevada, probably at some point at high altitudes with snow. I've never been to US in the winter before, and when I've been driving in mountains during the summer, the roads have always been cleared from snow. Being from a cold country in northern Europe, I'm used to putting on studded or non-studded winter tires on my car in November, and keeping them on until March, and rental cars in my part of the world usually have winter tires on during the cold season.
Is it possible to book a car with winter tires and do I need to do it or are all non-tiny roads kept snow-free? Are tire chains allowed on rental cars?
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
Is it possible to book a car with winter tires and do I need to do it or are all non-tiny roads kept snow-free? Are tire chains allowed on rental cars?
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
On the other hand, if you are driving between Southern CA and Southern NV (Los Angeles and Las Vegas) then you don't have to worry about it. It doesn't snow along the 15 at all. It's cold and dry in vegas, but it doesn't snow. Btw, Los Angeles and San Francisco are 400 miles apart (6 hours of driving) many out of staters don't realize how far apart they are from one another.
#3
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Originally Posted by tourist
...Is it possible to book a car with winter tires and do I need to do it or are all non-tiny roads kept snow-free? Are tire chains allowed on rental cars?
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
Thanks for any advice,
tourist (climate confused )
If you expect to be driving in the mountains during winter out here, I strongly recommend that you book a 4WD of some kind. Then you don't need to worry about chains. Still, you'll want to keep an eye on road conditions, since it is common for Caltrans (the state government transportation agency) to close highways during periods of heavy snowfall.
You can check highway conditions online at:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/
...or by calling:
1-800-427-ROAD
#4
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Thank you!
Originally Posted by BlissWorld
On the other hand, if you are driving between Southern CA and Southern NV (Los Angeles and Las Vegas) then you don't have to worry about it. It doesn't snow along the 15 at all. It's cold and dry in vegas, but it doesn't snow.
But the advice on chains and 4WD is much appreciated for future trips.
#5
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The only part of your itinerary mentioned so far that would be worrysome is your trip to the Grand Canyon & Flagstaff AZ area.... While the AZ Department of Transportation is usually pretty good about getting snow off the major highways, I've been caught in some pretty ugly snowstorms on I-40 in that area... Make sure you keep up with the weather reports in the area and check with http://www.az511.com/hcrsweb/hcrsweb.jsp to find current conditions and road closures.
A 4-wheel drive vehicle would be a good idea... Especially as many (all?) of the major US car rental chains forbid the use of tire chains on their rental cars (Alamo, National, Hertz). Some will rent "ski equipted" cars with outside racks for the skis and snow tires....but only in the area of major ski resorts. Finding one in San Diego would be *very* unlikely, as the ANY sking is more than 100 miles away.
A 4-wheel drive vehicle would be a good idea... Especially as many (all?) of the major US car rental chains forbid the use of tire chains on their rental cars (Alamo, National, Hertz). Some will rent "ski equipted" cars with outside racks for the skis and snow tires....but only in the area of major ski resorts. Finding one in San Diego would be *very* unlikely, as the ANY sking is more than 100 miles away.
#6
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The key distinction is cars with four-wheel drive and those without.
The rental companies don't have a lot of AWD's. so it's best to rent from a larger location, such as a major airport or the main location of a major city. An advance request helps. Usually just reserving a certain car class (like SUV) isn't sufficient to guarantee 4WD or AWD.
But, as noted, only for future reference since you will be in the south.
#7
Join Date: May 2005
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one tip for winter visitors
Here's something I learned when we rented an SUV for a Tahoe ski trip a while back:
The WalMart in Vacaville - en route from SFO/SJC/OAK to Tahoe - sells a huge selection of tire chains. If you don't use them, you can return them without a problem. We paid about $32 for ours (mid-size SUV) and returned them 5 days later, no problem. If you get stuck in the mountains without chains and have to buy them from the guys who patrol the mountain roads, the prices I saw started at about $100.
Twice on other trips we (and all traffic) were stopped by CalTrans and required to show that we did have chains with us before being allowed to proceed on certain routes.
The WalMart in Vacaville - en route from SFO/SJC/OAK to Tahoe - sells a huge selection of tire chains. If you don't use them, you can return them without a problem. We paid about $32 for ours (mid-size SUV) and returned them 5 days later, no problem. If you get stuck in the mountains without chains and have to buy them from the guys who patrol the mountain roads, the prices I saw started at about $100.
Twice on other trips we (and all traffic) were stopped by CalTrans and required to show that we did have chains with us before being allowed to proceed on certain routes.
#8
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Originally Posted by mlshanks
Originally Posted by CDTraveler
The WalMart in Vacaville - en route from SFO/SJC/OAK to Tahoe - sells a huge selection of tire chains. If you don't use them, you can return them without a problem.
tourist
#9
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That's the ticket
Originally Posted by CDTraveler
Here's something I learned when we rented an SUV for a Tahoe ski trip a while back:
The WalMart in Vacaville - en route from SFO/SJC/OAK to Tahoe - sells a huge selection of tire chains. If you don't use them, you can return them without a problem. We paid about $32 for ours (mid-size SUV) and returned them 5 days later, no problem. If you get stuck in the mountains without chains and have to buy them from the guys who patrol the mountain roads, the prices I saw started at about $100.
Twice on other trips we (and all traffic) were stopped by CalTrans and required to show that we did have chains with us before being allowed to proceed on certain routes.
The WalMart in Vacaville - en route from SFO/SJC/OAK to Tahoe - sells a huge selection of tire chains. If you don't use them, you can return them without a problem. We paid about $32 for ours (mid-size SUV) and returned them 5 days later, no problem. If you get stuck in the mountains without chains and have to buy them from the guys who patrol the mountain roads, the prices I saw started at about $100.
Twice on other trips we (and all traffic) were stopped by CalTrans and required to show that we did have chains with us before being allowed to proceed on certain routes.
You could also request when renting the car that they toss in some chains, but there's no guarantee that they will "remember" when you get there, or have enough to honor your request. That's why the DIY option is the best.
From what I've seen on other forums over the years, the CHP doesn't always apply these winter laws the same. Sometimes they look at your sidewalls to see if they as labelled all-season, sometimes they look at the car's badging to see if it says AWD or quattro, and sometimes they take your word.
#10
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Originally Posted by norse_aztec
Actually, as I've learned the hard way, the difference is usually AWD (All Wheel Drive) or not. Sometimes they will let you through with 4WD, especially if the snow is relatively light and your distnace is short. But usually they require AWD to avoid chains. And sometimes it's only AWD with snow tires....