Put on 4 good snow tires beforehand. At least here in Michigan youll be glad you did. Having some weight in the front of the trunk helps too, to resist fishtailing. But your hybrid might already have a huge load of heavy batteries right there. Around here we are used to driving through anything Mother Nature dishes out, so quite often roads are not cleared very well. Also the lake effect can make the weather go from one extreme to the other, regardless of forecast. Also if you have a GSM cell phone, coverage is spotty but reasonable in the lower peninsula, and is nonexistent in the upper peninsula. Dont worry about all the hot shot pickup trucks that will blow past you like it is summer out. They just want to get to the bar. And a big thing in Michigan - watch for deer, theyre very abundant, and a collision with one could end your road trip right there. Youll be fine.
If you haven’t had a coolant change recently as part of the scheduled maintenance, then do that. I’d recommend going a little rich on the coolant, up to 70% instead of the usual 50%. Don’t go over 70% though unless your using propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol.
Go with winter tires and take a cell phone with an in car charger and a winter rated sleeping bag. Both could save your life. Don’t risk driving in extreme weather, but have those two items in case it catches you off guard. Most winter days are really pretty nice, just sit out the storms.
Dont forget the tow rope in case those nice folks in the east will actually stop and pull him out if he lands in a ditch for some reason. Presuming of course they know how to do so!!!
There are times when it seems like it’s the cars that should be the ones doing the pulling, instead of the other way around.
When it comes to bad weather/crappy road conditions, just keep asking yourself this; “Do I have more time or money?”. If you have more money than time, by all means, keep on truckin’. If you have more time than money, take it and let the other people behind you worry about going around you.
Hey, why though the northern states, go south and across you will be better off as far as weather, Car will make it as long as you do not exceed speed limits or do wild driving.
Do Carry a cell phone and a Credit card, this is a must. You never know. Good luck.
Personally, I would fly and avoid the hassle. The money you’ll spend on hotels, gas, snow tires and missed work won’t justify the few hundred you’ll spend on a round-trip flight and a cheapo rental at your destination. And during the Winter? I live in the Poconos and last Winter I-78 was closed for over 24 hours . . thousands of motorists stranded, accidents all over the place, a state investigation into the lousy road clear-up we have here in Pennsylvania. Not worth my aggravation, certainly not worth an accident or my life. Rocketman
Think of the scenery he would miss flying instead of driving through MI to the northeast to SC. Lots of scenery in the middle of winter!!!
HA HA HA
Yeah, no kidding . . black snow and bare trees. 6 hours a day X 50 mph is only 300 miles a day, or almost two weeks on the road. Too much on your body (and nerves). Fly, sleep on the plane, get a cheap car when you get there, enjoy the extra time you’ve saved. Rocketman
Personally, I would fly and avoid the hassle.
I have to assume you haven’t flown recently, talk about hassle. I used to fly about 100K miles per year on business, now I chose to drive instead (about 40K per year, all over the U.S., year around). I’ll take driving anytime, anyplace. Winter driving can be a PITA, so if you hit a major storm just stop a wait it out, you might lose one day, not a big deal (sure beats sleeping in an airport).
No, a small shovel, blanket, flashlight, cell phone and a candle. Forget snow tires. Get all season and if still concerned, tire strips.
Instead of snow tires try common sense. Don’t drive if a storm is pending. Otherwise, you will find the roads plowed. I have not had snow tires since I traded in my 73 Ford LTD.
But at least he would be warm at the airport instead of possibly stranded in his car; waiting for help!!!
January is the middle of winter so why would anyone want to take a road trip from MI to ME to SC when most of the states are going to be getting alot of snow this time of year? Why not put it off until the summer? or at least the Spring? This way its lighter longer and he would see alot more things. Even the fall is a better idea than January!!!
LOL, it sure sounds like YOU should fly, not drive. A bad road trip is still better than a good flight for some of us. I would probably prefer the trip in summer too, then I could take my motorcycle instead of a car.
I agree Craig . . driving is fun . . but this is 15 separate daily road trips through bad weather with little to see, in a Civic! I fly two or three times a year and can appreciate your comments. Nonetheless, MY preference is to get there in one day and relax for the other 14 days. I was even crazy enough to do “66” a few years ago on a motorcycle. But that was Summer, lots to see and do, no (or little) traffic, funky roadside food and cheap motels, and the only weather I had to worry about was rain. But I only offer my comments to the OP as requested . . . Happy Motoring! Rocketman
CHECK THAT BATTERY… IF IT’S OLD IT SHOULD BE REPLACED… THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN GETTING STUCK WITH A DEAD BATTERY WHEN IT’S COLDER THAN A WITCH’S T*T …
I understand your comments, but the OP was planning a road trip and only planning on covering about 400 miles per day, hardly strenuous. One could easily do 5000 miles in less than a week if they wanted to put in some driving time. Doing that distance in 15 days seems very relaxed (almost boring because it will only requiring driving half a day). To me, 14 days is about 13 days too long to be “relaxing” anyplace, I would rather be on the road than stuck in one place.
Its still January and 400 miles a day is pretty easy until you get to bad weather. Even a little snow can slow you down so that you dont get your 400 miles done.
400 miles is about 7 hours or so of driving based on the east coast’s 55 to 60 mph speed limit. If he gets stuck in traffic / due to weather etc then he is already behind schedule and not likely to make it up since it gets dark pretty early in January.
There is nothing worse then getting lost as well when its colder then heck , pitch dark and you dont know where the motel is for the night or was OP just going to wing that part too?
January is still not the time to take a 5000 mile road trip in the northern states and New England. Why doesnt OP consider a road trip from IA to the southern states as someone already suggested?
OK . . . :o) Happy Motoring!
It might be a good investment to get one of those portable GPS devices like a Garmin or TomTom to supplement your cellphone. Basic ones start around $2~300 with higher end models with built in MP3 players. One of those could mean the difference between “turn left on Central Ave. then a right on N. Main st.” and “take this road till you get to the Ol’ Carter farm then hang a left till you get to McMurray’s house, hang a right and 'bout halfway down the road you’ll get there”.
Met a AAA tow driver with one of those. Says they are great except for the rural areas. They tell you exactly where to go too with large screens to see them as you drive.
FYI…I live in SC and more often than not around Feb 14th we have either some snow (and no one knows how to drive in it) or an ice storm. Come in the spring when it’s nice and you don’t have to worry about breaking down in the cold.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned getting your battery checked. Also wouldn’t hurt to have a set of jumper cables just in case. I agree with others that all season tires should be fine.