Do I need snow tires? Chains?

[hamsterpower]

Originally Posted by fbov

Go with traffic... drive a wet road like you would in the rain and a dry road...

I can expand on this...
Go with the average car traffic. Don't follow an over confident SUV into a ditch. I have driven across New England in snow storms many times with out any problems and lost count of all the SUVs spun out in the ditches along the way.

[Sven7]

Be sure to get a carwash or two when you get home to wash all the rot-causing salt off your car. It would be a shame to start some rust on a Southern car just because the salt had a few months to marinate.

[basjoos]

Another thing to keep in mind when snow/ice driving is, the colder it is, the less slippery the frozen stuff gets. When temps get well below zero F, driving on ice or packed snow becomes more like driving on concrete. The slickest conditions are when the temps are just below freezing.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by fbov

Go with traffic... drive a wet road like you would in the rain and a dry road...

The thing Southerners don't appreciate is the effectiveness of snow plows and salt in regions that get significant snowfall. The 4" snowfall that paralyzes Atlanta is a weekly occurance, so we plow and treat and go about our business.

The one exception is a winter storm or snow squall. Respect the weather forecast! Winter can be dangerous, but rarely without warning.

That said, I've had snows the majority of my 40 Rochester winters, but then, I really enjoy driving in the snow!

HAve fun,
Frank

Slightly off topic: I remember my first Rochester winter, 04-05, when we had 18" overnight one weekend in January. I headed down to my church job in Henrietta as usual, only to find no one there--the priest had cancelled church because she didn't want anyone trying to drive through the snowstorm. I like driving in the snow too.

OP: My Idahoan father taught me to drive in the snow; just keep your front wheels pointed the direction you want to go. It sounds overly simplistic, but that's really all there is to it. Someone else suggested finding an empty snow-covered parking lot, and this is a good idea. You'll most likely be surprised at how hard it is to get a light FWD car on all-seasons to lose traction. Don't be abrupt with the throttle; lifting off it suddenly will be more likely to break the rear loose in a turn.

[Fat Charlie]

You've got skinny tires. They work like pizza cutters in the snow- not the most traction to begin with, but you're the last car that's going to lose contact with the pavement.