Just moved to Upstate NY; never driven in snow before

Donstar · November 17, 2016

Perhaps less useless (nobody's mind is going to be changed) bickering and back to the op's question...

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I think the op has a lot of information to start with and will learn much more from experience.

Sean Neilan · November 17, 2016

Manuals are a thing of the past, like it or not. Even the big rigs are going away from manuals. Oh sure you can still get a Vette with a manual, but even the automatics are posting better times and fuel economy vs the manuals on the tracks now.

Automatics have long been faster than a manual in straight line acceleration. It's no great revelation that an automatic shifts faster than a manual. Manuals are much more fun though. Any idiot can mash a gas pedal.

Knightfall · November 17, 2016

Alot of friends of mine who've lived in the North also recommended I get the underbody of my vehicle sprayed to protect from salt, etc. The local Chevrolet dealership here seems to offer a bunch of winterization services and seemed helpful when talking on the phone. Do you guys recommend the underbody spraying on a newer vehicle/any other services they may be trying to sell? What would be a good price for these things?

Silverado Steve · November 17, 2016

Seen way too many people get themselves into a pickle driving a manual in snow storms. People emergency braking, wheels lock up, car stalls while still sliding forward, now power is not going to the wheels which makes it harder for you to pull out of a slide and the person driving now can't stop, can't power into a turn and their steering is harder because power the steering quit with the engine stalled. Most drivers, regardless of what we think of our own skills arent thinking of downshifting to keep the engine from stalling when they're more focused on stopping their car and hitting what's in front of them. Of course everyone on this site is a self proclaimed driving professional, but there are a lot of terrible drivers out there too. You can control what your response is, but you cannot necessarily control what others around you do. In adverse conditions, most people arent factoring the other guy...all this talk of manuals being better may true in regards to towing, but overall in a situation that takes the guessing out of controlling your car and enhances safety for the vast majority of average drivers on the road in a dire situation, saying a manual is better is just 20 year old braggadocio.

Havvkeye · November 17, 2016

Manuals are a thing of the past, like it or not. Even the big rigs are going away from manuals. Oh sure you can still get a Vette with a manual, but even the automatics are posting better times and fuel economy vs the manuals on the tracks now.

Again - this only pertains to the US. Almost every other country is still dominated by manuals. It is our lazy behavior and the EPA (being able to make a car shift super early and stay in the RPM range best suited for MPG rather than power helps show higher EPA estimates). Auto is not better by any means.

As for the underbody spray, I have never had it in the past but opted to get it on this truck as there is a ton of salt on the roads and unless you get under there and spray off every week or two it will add up to rust after a while. My Titan had underbody rusting after 6 or 7 years... so it may depend on how long you plan on keeping it as well.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · November 17, 2016

Seen way too many people get themselves into a pickle driving a manual in snow storms. People emergency braking, wheels lock up, car stalls while still sliding forward, now power is not going to the wheels which makes it harder for you to pull out of a slide and the person driving now can't stop, can't power into a turn and their steering is harder because power the steering quit with the engine stalled. Most drivers, regardless of what we think of our own skills arent thinking of downshifting to keep the engine from stalling when they're more focused on stopping their car and hitting what's in front of them. Of course everyone on this site is a self proclaimed driving professional, but there are a lot of terrible drivers out there too. You can control what your response is, but you cannot necessarily control what others around you do. In adverse conditions, most people arent factoring the other guy...all this talk of manuals being better may true in regards to towing, but overall in a situation that takes the guessing out of controlling your car and enhances safety for the vast majority of average drivers on the road in a dire situation, saying a manual is better is just 20 year old braggadocio.

I must be one of the few that think about others and assuming others can't drive. I used to drive offensively and like a jackass too be honest and still drive a bit aggressive at times. I do drive defensive in bad weather since some people seem to forget how to drive in the rain or snow. I wouldn't say I'm a great driver because nobody is perfect, but I would think I'm well above normal. Plus having a CDL A actually means I'm a professional driver even though some with CDLs shouldn't have gotten it. It wasn't much, but I did take my driving test for my CDL A while it was snowing and the school I went to was in the mountains.

I would say a manual is even better in snow since you can downshift to slow instead of having to use the brakes no matter what. Skidding and sliding is from braking with low traction, not engine braking. I know you can do manual mode and downshift, but not all vehicles can do it easily like these trucks by a push of a button.

Havvkeye · November 17, 2016

Seen way too many people get themselves into a pickle driving a manual in snow storms. People emergency braking, wheels lock up, car stalls while still sliding forward, now power is not going to the wheels which makes it harder for you to pull out of a slide and the person driving now can't stop, can't power into a turn and their steering is harder because power the steering quit with the engine stalled. Most drivers, regardless of what we think of our own skills arent thinking of downshifting to keep the engine from stalling when they're more focused on stopping their car and hitting what's in front of them. Of course everyone on this site is a self proclaimed driving professional, but there are a lot of terrible drivers out there too. You can control what your response is, but you cannot necessarily control what others around you do. In adverse conditions, most people arent factoring the other guy...all this talk of manuals being better may true in regards to towing, but overall in a situation that takes the guessing out of controlling your car and enhances safety for the vast majority of average drivers on the road in a dire situation, saying a manual is better is just 20 year old braggadocio.

So you are talking about someone that doesn't know how to drive a manual. If you are slowing down you are either downshifting or have the clutch in. Your engine doesn't die because you forgot one of the most basic things about driving a manual.

Oh and all of the same stuff happens in an automatic just as well as a manual... except when I press the gas on a manual I know what gear I am in and how much power I can give... I don't have to rely on the computer guessing for me and changing gears mid turn or something like that. Saying an Automatic is better is just lazy American braggadocio.

Mark Diedrich · November 17, 2016

Probly the best advice on here. With 2wd, you will spend alot of time sideways, you better know how to keep it out of the ditch. I would seriously tell you to go to the back corner of the walmart parking lot the first time it snows and try steering out of a skid. You'd rather have some practice in before it happens on a road with cars around you.

Mark Diedrich · November 17, 2016

Yep, great advice!

When you know how to drive the truck,(rather than just being along for the ride) the extra weight and the better tires will be a huge help, but if you can't control it, your an accident waiting to happen..... Practice, practice in an isolated parking lot.

Silverado Steve · November 18, 2016

So you are talking about someone that doesn't know how to drive a manual. If you are slowing down you are either downshifting or have the clutch in. Your engine doesn't die because you forgot one of the most basic things about driving a manual.

Oh and all of the same stuff happens in an automatic just as well as a manual... except when I press the gas on a manual I know what gear I am in and how much power I can give... I don't have to rely on the computer guessing for me and changing gears mid turn or something like that. Saying an Automatic is better is just lazy American braggadocio.

No I'm not specifically talking about people who don't know how to drive manuals. I've seen people who have been driving manuals 20+ years and I have seen people with CDLs have mishaps as I explained previously. Not everyone behind the wheel driving a manual is going to be as proficient as you claim you are. Let's be honest, there are many teen drivers who are learning on their own in a manual because a lot of driver ed courses don't have those in their fleets to teach new drivers. Also, older econobox cars that these new drivers tend to be driving have manuals in them. With that in mind, that's where the argument of driving an auto is better....for the average driver. Having one less thing to worry about is far and away better for everyone on the road for the novice, scared ,inexperienced and timid of drivers. You call it lazy, I call it preventive. As I mentioned earlier, I can control my situation, but I can't control the guy behind me who panics in a manual and can't stop his car skidding on black ice. I don't want to be his victim....to me that's an obvious win in the argument of an auto vs a manual. You perhaps are taking this approach as an attack on your own driving skills, which it is not.

Now to address your comparisons of a manual vs an auto....yes, when you are stopping in a manual you can either, brake, while downshifting, applying the clutch appropriately, which yes most people understand and can do in the right conditions. However, as I mentioned earlier, in a panic situation, someone not to the skill of yours can apply the brakes and when the vehicle fails to slow down as needed, people tend to floor the clutch, it's a physical reaction. Applying the clutch is akin to putting the vehicle in neutral. The other scenario, is for the person to brake, fail to downshift in that split moment and while the vehicle continues to slide, the wheels can lock....and in that circumstance, the engine dies if the clutch is not depressed or in neutral as I explained previously. The engine will die if not in neutral or the clutch depressed and it has nothing to do with the vehicle moving forward, rather the wheels not moving. If you disagree with this, then I have to truly question your understanding and ability driving a manual. If this were true, the anyone stopped at a stop sign or traffic light could sit there in gear and foot off the clutch and the engine would run fine in a manual which we know is not the case. I'm not going to continue to debate the semantics of the issue, but I will end with these two thoughts, any winter driving safety course will validate what I am saying in spades. Second, this conversation makes me laugh. Thinking back to my younger years, I remember having this same conversation with the older guys I worked with and with my dad, and what sticks out is I made the same comments you are making, so I have to wonder how old are you? It really doesn't matter, but the older guys all had the same resounding comment which was "you say that now, wait until you get older and a little more wiser" Now that I am in my 40s, I can appreciate what they were trying to tell me 20 years ago. If you rather drive a manual, have at it, I can't fault you....however if you ever get into an accident where someone hits you because they applied the incorrect steps slowing down in adverse weather conditions, whether they be a novice new driver, or a seasoned driver, perhaps a commercial semi truck where the driver holds a CDL and hours behind the wheel, because semi truck drivers never hit anyone driving on a snowy road right?, you might be thinking back to this thread wishing that that person had been driving an automatic instead of the manual, or you may stick to your a great driver because you prefer a manual.

Silverado Steve · November 18, 2016

Key is you are one of the few. Second, no a manual is not necessarily better slowing down an icy hill because applying clutch releasing clutch can lead to wheel skip on icy roads as the enigne power is reapplied with the transmission upon release of the clutch. I know it is being debated here, but an automatic will downshift more seamless In this circumstance than a manual....driving on snow for the first time is one thing, driving on the snow for the first time in a manual is adding tomthe harrowing experience.....anyways, back on topic.

I must be one of the few that think about others and assuming others can't drive. I used to drive offensively and like a jackass too be honest and still drive a bit aggressive at times. I do drive defensive in bad weather since some people seem to forget how to drive in the rain or snow. I wouldn't say I'm a great driver because nobody is perfect, but I would think I'm well above normal. Plus having a CDL A actually means I'm a professional driver even though some with CDLs shouldn't have gotten it. It wasn't much, but I did take my driving test for my CDL A while it was snowing and the school I went to was in the mountains.

I would say a manual is even better in snow since you can downshift to slow instead of having to use the brakes no matter what. Skidding and sliding is from braking with low traction, not engine braking. I know you can do manual mode and downshift, but not all vehicles can do it easily like these trucks by a push of a button.

SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · November 18, 2016

Key is you are one of the few. Second, no a manual is not necessarily better slowing down an icy hill because applying clutch releasing clutch can lead to wheel skip on icy roads as the enigne power is reapplied with the transmission upon release of the clutch. I know it is being debated here, but an automatic will downshift more seamless In this circumstance than a manual....driving on snow for the first time is one thing, driving on the snow for the first time in a manual is adding tomthe harrowing experience.....anyways, back on topic.

Don't have to worry about the clutch if you know how to upshift and downshift without using the clutch by rev matching. I've only done it in a commercial truck and I'm certain you can do it in a passenger car also.

sdeeter19555 · November 18, 2016

I must be one of the few that think about others and assuming others can't drive. I used to drive offensively and like a jackass too be honest and still drive a bit aggressive at times. I do drive defensive in bad weather since some people seem to forget how to drive in the rain or snow. I wouldn't say I'm a great driver because nobody is perfect, but I would think I'm well above normal. Plus having a CDL A actually means I'm a professional driver even though some with CDLs shouldn't have gotten it. It wasn't much, but I did take my driving test for my CDL A while it was snowing and the school I went to was in the mountains.

I would say a manual is even better in snow since you can downshift to slow instead of having to use the brakes no matter what. Skidding and sliding is from braking with low traction, not engine braking. I know you can do manual mode and downshift, but not all vehicles can do it easily like these trucks by a push of a button.

They must give CDL A's out in cereal boxes, I got one too...but I don't know anything about manuals and automatics...

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sdeeter19555 · November 18, 2016

Don't have to worry about the clutch if you know how to upshift and downshift without using the clutch by rev matching. I've only done it in a commercial truck and I'm certain you can do it in a passenger car also.

Not as easy because of the synchronizers, but it can be done...

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SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · November 18, 2016

They must give CDL A's out in cereal boxes, I got one too...but I don't know anything about manuals and automatics...

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I actually went to a school for a month actually, and it was in the mountains since I figured if I can drive in the mountains I can drive anywhere. I wasn't saying I'm special for having a CDL A. But, since my first pickup was a manual and I've driven 18 wheeler and straight trucks I know enough about manuals when it comes to using them.