MobileEV said:
For those of you who have lived through a KC winter with your LEAF, is it worth getting winter tires for daily commuting when the snow hits? My street has a significant hill up to my driveway and I'm wondering if I'll be backsliding and/or parking my car at the bottom of the hill.
Tire Rack seems to have some decent packages with wheels and tires.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Karl
Your winter driving needs in KC can be HIGHLY variable. Some years, a bicycle would be fine. Last year, I was picking up colleagues with my back up (Ford Expedition 4x4) with regularity. Their subdivisions were not adequately plowed. You live on the MO side. Missouri is south of the Mason-Dixon line. Its policy makers and management think its a "southern state". That means a lot of snow management is best described as "wait till spring -- it will melt".... Kansas has a different view, interestingly.....
Your need for a winter driving solution also depends on your need to go to work. I am a physician, if that is not already known. And I work in a hospital that functions 24x7x365. So I need to go to work. But if you can call in late on snow days, or skip them altogether, then you have a lesser need.
But winter driving in a Leaf has a bunch of other challenges too. Under 10 degrees (yes, that happens here) and your range starts to plummet. Heat (actually not an issue, if you have heated seats and steering) and defroster (this is the issue!), can be over come with driving gloves and ear muffs. But the battery just dies when its really cold.... Muffs and gloves and you then have to crack the windows and, basta, your windows are clear. But the battery just craps out when its zero F. Of course a really short commute and/or charging station at work will mitigate those issues.
My honest appraisal: If you have a mission critical job, find a back-up vehicle that is at least an ICE, and either 4x4 or fitted with winter tires. If you can call in once in a while and no one will make a big deal, then your Leaf might be fine. In fact, even with the stock tires. Snow lasts only hours here, before they finally push it to the side on the freeways. But if you live in a part of town (realizing that you may not yet know this) where the streets are bad for days, you have other considerations... The long hill you describe would worry me. Seems we will be making a personal acquaintance next Saturday. You might want to have me, perhaps Kathy too, take our cars to your hill and tell you how our years of Missouri experience make us feel about that hill in winter. Ask your neighbors too -- if they roll their eye about people getting stuck on the street, then you have a problem....
As for that driveway.... Invest in snow-melt and a shovel!!!!
ticket last weekend (I believe Sunday), going southbound on I29, pulled over just south of 64th Street (I saw a woman driver - was that cdherman's wife?). It's 65 MPH through there...we have a speed demon amongst us! :lol:
