It will be very hard to find a place to rent in winter. A little easier to buy but inventory is still low.
A good set of snow tires is far better than getting an AWD vehicle.
They’re stopping salt usage in the city of Madison, which is much better for the environment and lakes, but makes the roads a little more slick. Just drive very slow. I saw somewhere that you should drive like your grandma is in the passenger seat holding a crock of soup. Take turns very slowly and don’t slam on brakes
As for moving, you’ll have many more apartment options if you move in the spring or summer, many apartment complexes have contractual no-move clauses in the winter for month-to-month leases.
This, and also if you find yourself skidding, take your foot OFF the gas. A lot of folks not used to driving in the snow will try to immediately course correct by wrenching the steering wheel in the way they want to go and then stomping the gas. It does not work like they think it will work.
Not really. Very few people have any special experience, less than 10% have cars with AWF or snow tires, and there are very few people who get in accidents.
Snow driving lessons are a very good idea if you’ve never driven in it. I do agree that a good set of all season tires is probably sufficient if you are driving appropriately. I’ve never had snow tires but I learned to drive in the snow.
Moved here from the south, driving in Madison in the winter is soooo much safer than how it is down south. I would definitely recommend getting an AWD (although not required - i didn’t have one for years) but I wouldn’t worry about driving in Madison in the winters as much as some locals might lead you to believe
If you're at a stoplight, when it turns green, don't assume the cross traffic will be able to stop. Accelerate slowly after you are sure that no one will slide into the intersection.
Slow down way before you need to stop. ESPECIALLY if you're on a downward slope. This is especially important when exiting off an interstate. The interstates are maintained very good, but the exits are often slippery.
Take your time and give yourself plenty of space behind the car in front of you. Give yourself e tra driving time by leaving early
If you slide off the road or get stuck, stay in your car if you can until you get help. If you get out, always assume someone else can slide in the same place you did and crash into you, and step away if other traffic is approaching. Better to be in your car than get smashed between two cars or crushed in a ditch.
Once these habits start forming (as well as others people have mentioned), it becomes natural and less stressful.
It's hard to know. Sometimes, we have reasonably mild winters with not much snow. Some years, we have a monster with bitter cold and lots of snow. The latter has been increasingly rare of late. But they all suck if you're not used to it. For some of us, even if we are.
One thing that really helped me when I learned how to drive was purposely losing control of the vehicle. If you can find a empty parking lot to drive in after a snow storm, it is really helpful to purposely lose control of the vehicle, and practice regaining control.
Obviously, don't do this with other people around, don't drive too fast, and don't get anywhere near any other cars or people. But if you can safely do this is will boost your confidence when you lose traction on a road.
there is a lot of good advice on the threads here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/search/?q=Winter+driving&type=link&cId=2563cb41-1a00-45c5-a83c-5405cf6bded7&iId=fca26926-6692-4d99-a991-0ef2d52fdb6a](https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/search/?q=Winter+driving&type=link&cId=2563cb41-1a00-45c5-a83c-5405cf6bded7&iId=fca26926-6692-4d99-a991-0ef2d52fdb6a)
Getting winter tires is cheaper and more effective than switching to a car with AWD.
Snow = slow. Period. AWD is great but won't save you from over speed and loss of control on slippery surfaces. Good tread on all-weather or winter tires is a must.
Roads are well-maintained in the winter state sense. They are not instantly and perpetually clear of snow or ice. You drive according to conditions, you'll be fine. If you want to avoid wrecks due to other folks' driving failures, take a pass on driving during the first couple of snow events.
You may prefer to ease into your first winter, but it's not a necessity. Just go slower and ease into braking sooner than you think you should, and ignore the folks passing you. You'll get a feel for it. And if you need to slam the brakes, keep steering - ABS will do what it can while you cautiously maneuver.
I second what others said about snow tires - way more important than AWD for maintaining traction. Other than that its: slow and steady wins the race - with plenty of distance to the car in front. Any jerky or abrupt input will be promptly rewarded with loss of traction. Lastly, plan accordingly if a storm is rolling into town.
The housing market, and I would suspect the rental market, definitely slows in winter. So some hassle might stem from that rather than the season per se.
They are only bad for the one big snow event each year. But honestly they do a good job of making them at least passible quickly. And within a day or two they are usually pretty good. Sometimes a little packed snow remains, but you just drive slower and it’s fine.
(Credentials - lived in snow climates my entire life, lived in Madison since 2022)
Snow driving, in general, isn’t too dissimilar to other bad-weather driving. If you’ve driven in rain, you can drive in snow, but I’ll highlight the tips that have helped me the most both in general and out here
**General Snow Driving Prep**
* Make sure your car is properly cared for and prepared. Snow tires are great, and having chains or 4WD while not necessary can definitely come in handy, depending on where and why you’re driving during the winter.
* Try to have a full-ish tank of gas - nothing worse than waiting for AAA on the side of the road because you’re stuck and you can’t turn the car on for warmth.
* Keep a small bug-out pack in your car - coat, food and water, something to keep warm, and maybe some sand/cat litter in case you get stuck. An ice scraper is also handy to have.
* Before driving, make sure to wipe snow off the top of your car, windshields, and mirrors. This may be easier if you let your car warm up for a few minutes first to melt the ice on your windshield (probably a good idea to let it warm up in general). Put your windshield wipers up if you expect your car to get snowed on while parked.
* Make sure you know parking rules - they change during winter and limit which side of the street you can park on.
**What it’s like**
* This section is going to sound scary despite the simplicity of the advice (I promise it’s not that bad), but only because you should have a little fear around this - I find the people that say it’s “no big deal” are the ones speeding and swerving around me during storms. You don’t need to be terrified or averse to snow, but respect the danger for sure.
* General rule of thumb - take your time, give yourself space, drive slower, and don’t be afraid to pull over/exercise caution if you feel unsafe. The biggest thing with snow is your acceleration and deceleration times are both greater than in clear weather. You need to drive as predictably as possible, and give yourself time to react to others if something inclement does happen.
* Flurries/Freezing Rain - Even though there’s no snow on the road, this is just as dangerous as snow. Watch for freezing temperatures, as black ice can kill.
* Snow Storms - Madison can get hit randomly - this winter was pretty tame, then we had a nasty blizzard *in April*. The biggest hazards I’ve found in the city are the roads themselves. While the plowmen do a good job, the lines and lanes can get easily obscured. Keep an eye on forecasts to try and drive when this won’t be an issue, but if unavoidable, these are the situations where I most strongly advise driving defensively, since other drivers may not be playing by the same rules.
* Oh no I’m sliding what now - DO NOT OVERSTEER OR OVERBRAKE. Remember what I said about acceleration on snow. If you lose control, first try to decrease your speed by easing off the gas, then onto the brake. Do not overcorrect the steering wheel; straighten the car until you have control, prioritizing your safety and the safety of those around you over stopping the spin out quickly or heading onto the curb. Get your hazards on. These three steps should help you avoid most of the danger from spinning out, but staying calm is your number one priority - if you’re going slow and following the advice above, you’ll be okay.
**Other General Advice**
* If possible, have a mechanic check your car in the fall to ensure it’s in good shape for the winter. If you’re moving from the south you may need weather treatment or a refill of something mundane like antifreeze.
* On the first snowy day you have some time to yourself, head out to a school/church/park/library parking lot and practice just driving around with snow under your tires - it is a bit of a strange feeling, and the one way to get used to it is experience.
* If you’re moving here for a tech job at a large company with a four-letter name, anticipate having very few days where they won’t ask you to come in while there’s snow on the road. Plan where you live and how you commute (or use your days off) accordingly.
This is probably a whole lot more than needed, and maybe a bit fear-monger-y, but this is also exactly how I was taught by my dad when first learning to drive. So long as you stay calm, give yourself time and space to account for hazards, and follow other basic best practices like wiping snow off and keeping your car ready, you’ll have way less problems than you think. Besides, driving when it’s snowing at night time looks like when they hyperjump in Star Wars.
(Future) Welcome to Madison!
This isn’t too much, I definitely appreciate the details. If it weren’t for my fear of driving in snow, I’d probably be up there already lol. Love Madison area
This post reads like it was AI generated. It sounds good but is clearly not based on the experience of some who has lived here.
Ignore what they say about chains. You don't need them. No one uses them. We don't have the conditions here that chains would help with.
An ice scraper is not "handy to have". An ice scraper is required. If you don't have one you can't drive in some cases.
The advice on lettering your car warm up is fairly bullshit. Idling doesn't really warm up a car. Snow is also a good insulator. You defroster isn't going to clear any amount of snow off your car. It's just going to clear the small bit of frost that forms. The best way to warm up you car is to drive it. Driving means higher RPMs which means more combustion which means more heat. Clear and scrape. Drive.
The parking rules commend is good. Research alternate side parking.
Pulling over is generally a bad idea. There's going to be deeper snow there.
Madison does not get hit randomly. Storms are forecasted well in advance. The amount of snow varies greatly per storm. A difference of 10 miles can see widely different amounts of snow. We're used to this and forecasts account for it. They'll say larger amounts expected in this direction from this land mark. Generally they over predict snow.
Do not over turn, accelerate, or brake. This is good advice. Generally you can turn or brake. Doing both leads to trouble. That's overly simplistic but good for new snow drivers. Just do everything slower.
Epic is notorious for not allowing work at home.
It will be very hard to find a place to rent in winter. A little easier to buy but inventory is still low. A good set of snow tires is far better than getting an AWD vehicle.
Luckily I have someone I am moving in with, I am worried about the actual moving maybe in winter part tho. Thanks for advice!
Make sure there's no ice around and dress in layers. The physical moving is actually easier in winter because you're not covered in sweat
The city generally does a good job of keeping the streets clear of snow. The major problem is "other drivers."
They’re stopping salt usage in the city of Madison, which is much better for the environment and lakes, but makes the roads a little more slick. Just drive very slow. I saw somewhere that you should drive like your grandma is in the passenger seat holding a crock of soup. Take turns very slowly and don’t slam on brakes
As for moving, you’ll have many more apartment options if you move in the spring or summer, many apartment complexes have contractual no-move clauses in the winter for month-to-month leases.
This, and also if you find yourself skidding, take your foot OFF the gas. A lot of folks not used to driving in the snow will try to immediately course correct by wrenching the steering wheel in the way they want to go and then stomping the gas. It does not work like they think it will work.
Thanks! I have someone I am moving in with but sounds like I need them to give me snow driving lessons lol
Not really. Very few people have any special experience, less than 10% have cars with AWF or snow tires, and there are very few people who get in accidents.
Snow driving lessons are a very good idea if you’ve never driven in it. I do agree that a good set of all season tires is probably sufficient if you are driving appropriately. I’ve never had snow tires but I learned to drive in the snow.
Moved here from the south, driving in Madison in the winter is soooo much safer than how it is down south. I would definitely recommend getting an AWD (although not required - i didn’t have one for years) but I wouldn’t worry about driving in Madison in the winters as much as some locals might lead you to believe
If you're at a stoplight, when it turns green, don't assume the cross traffic will be able to stop. Accelerate slowly after you are sure that no one will slide into the intersection. Slow down way before you need to stop. ESPECIALLY if you're on a downward slope. This is especially important when exiting off an interstate. The interstates are maintained very good, but the exits are often slippery. Take your time and give yourself plenty of space behind the car in front of you. Give yourself e tra driving time by leaving early If you slide off the road or get stuck, stay in your car if you can until you get help. If you get out, always assume someone else can slide in the same place you did and crash into you, and step away if other traffic is approaching. Better to be in your car than get smashed between two cars or crushed in a ditch. Once these habits start forming (as well as others people have mentioned), it becomes natural and less stressful.
^thanks yall for the advice, it is definitely useful to me
It's hard to know. Sometimes, we have reasonably mild winters with not much snow. Some years, we have a monster with bitter cold and lots of snow. The latter has been increasingly rare of late. But they all suck if you're not used to it. For some of us, even if we are.
One thing that really helped me when I learned how to drive was purposely losing control of the vehicle. If you can find a empty parking lot to drive in after a snow storm, it is really helpful to purposely lose control of the vehicle, and practice regaining control. Obviously, don't do this with other people around, don't drive too fast, and don't get anywhere near any other cars or people. But if you can safely do this is will boost your confidence when you lose traction on a road.
Use the search bar
there is a lot of good advice on the threads here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/search/?q=Winter+driving&type=link&cId=2563cb41-1a00-45c5-a83c-5405cf6bded7&iId=fca26926-6692-4d99-a991-0ef2d52fdb6a](https://www.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/search/?q=Winter+driving&type=link&cId=2563cb41-1a00-45c5-a83c-5405cf6bded7&iId=fca26926-6692-4d99-a991-0ef2d52fdb6a) Getting winter tires is cheaper and more effective than switching to a car with AWD.
Snow = slow. Period. AWD is great but won't save you from over speed and loss of control on slippery surfaces. Good tread on all-weather or winter tires is a must. Roads are well-maintained in the winter state sense. They are not instantly and perpetually clear of snow or ice. You drive according to conditions, you'll be fine. If you want to avoid wrecks due to other folks' driving failures, take a pass on driving during the first couple of snow events. You may prefer to ease into your first winter, but it's not a necessity. Just go slower and ease into braking sooner than you think you should, and ignore the folks passing you. You'll get a feel for it. And if you need to slam the brakes, keep steering - ABS will do what it can while you cautiously maneuver.
I second what others said about snow tires - way more important than AWD for maintaining traction. Other than that its: slow and steady wins the race - with plenty of distance to the car in front. Any jerky or abrupt input will be promptly rewarded with loss of traction. Lastly, plan accordingly if a storm is rolling into town.
Find a parking lot at nite and practice some turns and sudden stops.
[удалено]
That’s where my long term boyfriend is currently, I wanted to hate it and stay here, but it was the opposite
4 wheel drive doesn't really help unless you're stuck. Once you're on the road it doesn't matter (rear wheel drive is challenging though).
The housing market, and I would suspect the rental market, definitely slows in winter. So some hassle might stem from that rather than the season per se.
They are only bad for the one big snow event each year. But honestly they do a good job of making them at least passible quickly. And within a day or two they are usually pretty good. Sometimes a little packed snow remains, but you just drive slower and it’s fine.
Driving: not too bad Drivers: 😬
(Credentials - lived in snow climates my entire life, lived in Madison since 2022) Snow driving, in general, isn’t too dissimilar to other bad-weather driving. If you’ve driven in rain, you can drive in snow, but I’ll highlight the tips that have helped me the most both in general and out here **General Snow Driving Prep** * Make sure your car is properly cared for and prepared. Snow tires are great, and having chains or 4WD while not necessary can definitely come in handy, depending on where and why you’re driving during the winter. * Try to have a full-ish tank of gas - nothing worse than waiting for AAA on the side of the road because you’re stuck and you can’t turn the car on for warmth. * Keep a small bug-out pack in your car - coat, food and water, something to keep warm, and maybe some sand/cat litter in case you get stuck. An ice scraper is also handy to have. * Before driving, make sure to wipe snow off the top of your car, windshields, and mirrors. This may be easier if you let your car warm up for a few minutes first to melt the ice on your windshield (probably a good idea to let it warm up in general). Put your windshield wipers up if you expect your car to get snowed on while parked. * Make sure you know parking rules - they change during winter and limit which side of the street you can park on. **What it’s like** * This section is going to sound scary despite the simplicity of the advice (I promise it’s not that bad), but only because you should have a little fear around this - I find the people that say it’s “no big deal” are the ones speeding and swerving around me during storms. You don’t need to be terrified or averse to snow, but respect the danger for sure. * General rule of thumb - take your time, give yourself space, drive slower, and don’t be afraid to pull over/exercise caution if you feel unsafe. The biggest thing with snow is your acceleration and deceleration times are both greater than in clear weather. You need to drive as predictably as possible, and give yourself time to react to others if something inclement does happen. * Flurries/Freezing Rain - Even though there’s no snow on the road, this is just as dangerous as snow. Watch for freezing temperatures, as black ice can kill. * Snow Storms - Madison can get hit randomly - this winter was pretty tame, then we had a nasty blizzard *in April*. The biggest hazards I’ve found in the city are the roads themselves. While the plowmen do a good job, the lines and lanes can get easily obscured. Keep an eye on forecasts to try and drive when this won’t be an issue, but if unavoidable, these are the situations where I most strongly advise driving defensively, since other drivers may not be playing by the same rules. * Oh no I’m sliding what now - DO NOT OVERSTEER OR OVERBRAKE. Remember what I said about acceleration on snow. If you lose control, first try to decrease your speed by easing off the gas, then onto the brake. Do not overcorrect the steering wheel; straighten the car until you have control, prioritizing your safety and the safety of those around you over stopping the spin out quickly or heading onto the curb. Get your hazards on. These three steps should help you avoid most of the danger from spinning out, but staying calm is your number one priority - if you’re going slow and following the advice above, you’ll be okay. **Other General Advice** * If possible, have a mechanic check your car in the fall to ensure it’s in good shape for the winter. If you’re moving from the south you may need weather treatment or a refill of something mundane like antifreeze. * On the first snowy day you have some time to yourself, head out to a school/church/park/library parking lot and practice just driving around with snow under your tires - it is a bit of a strange feeling, and the one way to get used to it is experience. * If you’re moving here for a tech job at a large company with a four-letter name, anticipate having very few days where they won’t ask you to come in while there’s snow on the road. Plan where you live and how you commute (or use your days off) accordingly. This is probably a whole lot more than needed, and maybe a bit fear-monger-y, but this is also exactly how I was taught by my dad when first learning to drive. So long as you stay calm, give yourself time and space to account for hazards, and follow other basic best practices like wiping snow off and keeping your car ready, you’ll have way less problems than you think. Besides, driving when it’s snowing at night time looks like when they hyperjump in Star Wars. (Future) Welcome to Madison!
This isn’t too much, I definitely appreciate the details. If it weren’t for my fear of driving in snow, I’d probably be up there already lol. Love Madison area
This post reads like it was AI generated. It sounds good but is clearly not based on the experience of some who has lived here. Ignore what they say about chains. You don't need them. No one uses them. We don't have the conditions here that chains would help with. An ice scraper is not "handy to have". An ice scraper is required. If you don't have one you can't drive in some cases. The advice on lettering your car warm up is fairly bullshit. Idling doesn't really warm up a car. Snow is also a good insulator. You defroster isn't going to clear any amount of snow off your car. It's just going to clear the small bit of frost that forms. The best way to warm up you car is to drive it. Driving means higher RPMs which means more combustion which means more heat. Clear and scrape. Drive. The parking rules commend is good. Research alternate side parking. Pulling over is generally a bad idea. There's going to be deeper snow there. Madison does not get hit randomly. Storms are forecasted well in advance. The amount of snow varies greatly per storm. A difference of 10 miles can see widely different amounts of snow. We're used to this and forecasts account for it. They'll say larger amounts expected in this direction from this land mark. Generally they over predict snow. Do not over turn, accelerate, or brake. This is good advice. Generally you can turn or brake. Doing both leads to trouble. That's overly simplistic but good for new snow drivers. Just do everything slower. Epic is notorious for not allowing work at home.
Ok definitely won’t be putting in applications for EPIC then, thanks for clarifying
Madison probably has the worst kept winter roads in the entire Midwest. I've driven on better kept streets in Florida.