Choosing Snowy Weather Vehicles
Choosing the Right Vehicle for Your Snowy Destination
Wintertime travel offers unique challenges and exhilarating opportunities for drivers and adventurers across northern New Mexico. Whether you need a road vehicle that can handle snowy conditions or an off-roader capable of climbing over snowbanks, you have plenty of options to choose from.
In this guide to wintertime travel, we’ll take a look at the different kinds of vehicles- from automobiles and snowmobiles to other off-road options.
What to Look for in a Winter-Friendly Automobile
Modern cars have many options to consider when looking for a vehicle that can get you safely through the winter. Some of these options can help you stay on the road during snowy and slippery conditions, others can make your ride just a bit more comfortable when it’s cold outside.
All-Wheel Drive/Four-Wheel-Drive
Either four-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive can have a dramatic impact on your ability to drive on snowy roads.
With four-wheel-drive, also written as 4WD and 4×4, power is split evenly between the front and rear wheels making them ideal for off-road driving. Vehicles that offer part-time four-wheel-drive are intended to use four-wheel-drive off-road and two-wheel drive on paved roads, so they’re not as useful for regular road driving.
Most all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicles automatically send power to all four wheels during regular driving conditions. If one or more wheels are slipping on snow, ice or mud, the AWD system automatically transfers power to the wheels that are getting better grip.
For many drivers this offers a balance of fuel economy, with extra traction when needed. These vehicles are intended for use on paved roads, but can handle some off-road driving.
Anti-Lock Brakes
More vehicles are being made with anti-lock brakes as standard equipment these days, and they can help keep the vehicle under control in slippery conditions. Vehicles with traditional braking systems tend to lock up and can send a vehicle into a skid when it’s slippery outside. Anti-lock brakes rapidly pump your brakes instead of locking them, which allows for safer driving and stopping.
Winter Tires
Whatever kind of tires your vehicle had when you bought it, chances are they weren’t winter tires and might not be all-season tires. Winter tires are made of a type of rubber that remains pliable in cold conditions, with a tread design that’s made for slippery roadways in the winter.
All-season tires are standard on some new vehicles. While not as effective on snow and ice as snow tires are, they do offer more traction during slippery conditions than standard tires.
Windshield Deicers and Washer Jets
Vehicles with these features have electric heating elements attached to the windshield washer jets, where the wiper blades rest against the windshield when not in use. This can help reduce the buildup of ice and slush that blocks your washer jets and keep your wiper blades from working effectively.
Winter Wiper Blades
More robust and sturdier than regular wiper blades, these have thicker blades and steel springs that provide more pressure against the windshield. They’re more effective at clearing snow than standard wiper blades.
Engine Block Heater
Freezing temperatures can sap a car battery’s power and turn your engine oil into a thick sludge. Both of these make it hard for a vehicle to start after it’s been sitting overnight. An engine block heater is like an electric blanket for your car’s engine that you plug in to your house’s electrical system to keep the engine warm when not in use. This makes a vehicle much easier to start on a cold winter morning.
Remote Start
A convenient feature that lets you start your vehicle from a distance, such as inside your house.
Heated Seats and Steering Wheels
Useful for when you and your passengers have different ideas on what your vehicle’s interior temperature should be. Some vehicles also include heated steering wheels, so you can set your gloves or mittens aside when driving.
Heated Side Mirrors
Just like your rear windshield defroster, electric heat can help keep your side mirrors free of snow and ice.
Snowmobiles? Snowmachines? Sleds?
Snowmobiles are perhaps the most ubiquitous type of wintertime off-road vehicle. While most of our customers call them snowmobiles, many people simply call them sleds. Folks in Alaska and some northerly parts of the country call them snowmachines.
Whatever you call them, there are many different types of snowmobiles available, with designs suited for amateurs and leisurely trail riders to backwoods adventurers who enjoy rough terrain and snowy mountainsides. Here’s a look at the different types of snowmobile models available:
Trail Snowmobiles
These are considered the entry-level model of snowmobiles. They’re lighter than other snowmobiles, which allows them to glide across deep snow. They also get better gas mileage than larger machines. They’re often recommended for beginners because they’re less expensive and easier to handle than other models. On the other hand, they usually don’t come with the kind of suspension that makes trail riding more comfortable with other machines.
Sport Trail Snowmobiles
Sport trail snowmobiles are considered the next level up from regular trail snowmobiles. As an intermediate model, a sport trail sled offers suspension that makes them more comfortable to ride on rough terrain. They’re also faster, with larger engines than trail snowmobiles.
Performance Snowmobiles
A performance snowmobile offers an increase in power with heavy-duty suspension. They’re intended for more experienced riders who can handle a larger, heavier machine and tend to ride more aggressively on trails. They offer perks such as electric start and reverse. Some performance machines can reach speeds of up to 100 mph.
Touring Snowmobiles
Larger engines and longer, heavier bodies set touring snowmobiles apart from other models. They offer heavy-duty suspension, heated seats, backrests, and other perks. They’re less maneuverable than smaller models, so they can take a while to get used to. They can also carry more people or gear in case you want to bring some friends along or do some wintertime hunting or camping.
Mountain Snowmobiles
The aptly named mountain snowmobile offers narrower, lightweight bodies with more horsepower than other models and is designed for climbing steep mountain terrain and thick blankets of snow at high altitudes. They’re known to be less comfortable than other models and are harder to control in regular conditions.
Crossover Snowmobiles
A crossover snowmobile offers some of the rugged abilities of a mountain snowmobile, but with shock absorbers that offer a more comfortable ride. Their tracks can handle groomed trails, rough terrain, and deep powder. Crossovers are designed for experienced riders who want an aggressive and versatile machine for all kinds of terrain.
Utility Snowmobiles
Also known as sport-utility snowmobiles, these offer extra-wide tracks for stability, large engines, longer bodies, and considerable towing capacity. They’re like the snowmobile version of a large pickup truck. They’re solid enough to tow all kinds of gear, including another snowmobile if a friend’s machine breaks down or gets stuck. While not as efficient on trails as other models, they can still handle them well. Their features include an electric reverse.
All-Terrain Vehicles, Etc.
All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are also known as quad vehicles, although they’re not exactly the same. A quad vehicle, also known as a quadricycle, has four wheels and is primarily used for recreational trail riding.
ATVs include quads and other types of off-road vehicles. When people refer to ATVs, they typically mean a vehicle that has more power and versatility than a quad. ATVs often look like miniature pickup trucks and are frequently used for work-related purposes such as plowing and agriculture work, although many people also use ATVs for recreational trail riding and exploration. ATVs may have four or six wheels.
ATVs in the Winter
While not explicitly designed for snow, ATVs don’t handle mountain trails the way a snowmobile can, yet ATVs do offer some advantages over snowmobiles. Many people in rural areas may already have an ATV that they use for getting around and managing their properties, so it makes economic sense for them to keep using them in the winter.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of an ATV in the wintertime is they can be equipped with a snow plow. They don’t have as much plowing ability as a large truck, yet most ATVs ought to be able to handle around six to eight inches of light snow. While they might struggle with deep, heavy snow and snow drifts, they’re also more maneuverable than a truck and can handle tighter spaces, such as sidewalks.
If you intend to use an ATV in the snow, make sure it has four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, as not all ATVs have this ability. You might also opt for one that has a fully enclosed and heated cabin.
You’ll also need a set of snow tires in the winter, and keep in mind that getting the widest tires as possible will make it less likely for you to get stuck in the snow. Other options include tire chains, ice spikes, and tracks.
Adding tracks to an ATV gives it the ability to handle rougher terrain and snowy trails, while also improving its plowing and towing abilities. The downside is tracks will reduce the vehicle’s maximum speed by about a third.
Snowdogs
Snowdogs get their name from the fact that they sort of look like a sled dog team where the dogs have been replaced by a motor, with a large track similar to a snowmobile. The operator stands behind the snowdog, holding onto handlebars that control the speed and brakes, similar to the way a dog musher stands at the end of a sled.
While not as fast as other off-road vehicles, snowdogs are typically less expensive, more economical, smaller, and lighter weight than snowmobiles and ATVs. They’re also known for better performance on bare ice. They’re popular among ice fishermen, hunters, and trappers.
Many snowdog models are light and small enough to fit into the back of an SUV or pickup truck, and some models come with an optional seat for the operator.
Ready to Finance Your Snow or All-Terrain Vehicle? Get a Powersport or Auto Loan from DNCU Today!
At Del Norte Credit Union, we offer vehicle loans in New Mexico for all kinds of purposes. These include powersport loans, such as ATV financing, and snowmobile loans. Additionally, we offer some of the most competitive auto loan rates in New Mexico, for all types of vehicles.
For more information, or to apply for a loan, please visit our powersports loan page, our auto and motorcycle loan page or stop by one of our eight locations in Los Alamos Espanola, Rio Rancho, and Albuquerque.
