chris2002

Hi, my 2000 Spa Yellow and I hail from northern NJ. and "we" maybe relocating to Central PA, the State College Area.

Does anyone have any insights about Penn State area? I would not be going there to attend but to teach?

Are there club members in the immediate area?

How bad are the winters? MY S2000 is my primary and only, for the past two winters I have gotten by on all-seasons. Will this work there?

Any insights about short-term housing?

Any and all help would be welcome. Much thanks.

Chris Ferretti
Montclair, NJ

SnowLotus

i just graduated about 1.5 years ago from Penn State, and here's my opinions:

- State College is awesome, if you're not a football fan, you soon will be
- there's always something going on, no matter what your age, so you'll never be bored
- the area is beautiful...nuff said....

Short term housing? im not sure but i've paid $$ to live in random people's apt. for a weekend so i could see a football game.....so im sure anything is possible.

S2000 work in the winter? Well i will say that they treat the snow completly different then they do down here. They dont plow nearly as often + there is wayyy more hilly roads.....you will be walking a lot more often than you do now...

chris2002

Thank you, what I thought and maybe feared.

Chris

paS2K

You would need Blizzaks x4; and some extra weight in the trunk. My AP1 was a daily driver all year around....

If you need an urban fix now and then, the nearest >100,000 city is a loooooong way I grew up in Harrisburg (a couple hours south) and there's not a lot of interest there. If you like the outdoors, rural areas, hiking, etc.....then it could be a great place to live/work.

chris2002

Thanks Pas2K. You're saying I really need dedicated snows?

Thanks. How much weight do you recommend?

Chris

paS2K

I would suggest dedicated snows. I always had them switched onto the OEM rims, but others have used separate wheels (DIY mounting saves $$ over the long haul).

For weight: I have used 2 cinder blocks (CMU) in the past.....they just barely fit into the well. A couple bags of sand (50# each?) would also do the trick.....and can also be USED in the event of getting stuck

You can search in the Tirerack Forum for other thoughts on the snow tire deal. The formerly esteemed Xviper (firefighter from Calgary) posted a lot of realtime info on driving in the snow....

chris2002

Better to be prepared! Thanks, going sideways in an S2000 is not always fun.

calvinf1

I grew up in State College, I've seen winters where its dry as a bone and other winters getting dumped on by 2 feet of snow... word of advice on where to live is to try to find an apartment or townhouse for rent on Blue Course Drive. There are some new development out there. Also you want to look for a place close to CATA (bus).... because if you can't drive, at least you can take the bus... and don't worry the bus is completely safe!

Good Luck!

kamui157

kill

thats what i did...had dunlop snow tires all the way around and 2 fitty pounders of sand in the trunk...

i drove around a lot of stuck suv's with the drivers givin me real dirty looks...

muahahahaha stupid ass' need to learn that bald all seasons arn't movin in the snow even if you have 4 wheel drive...

just go slow and you'll be fine...weight in the back IS KEY...just tires really doesn't help(it does but the combo is where its at)...i took the sand out and then it snowed like an inch or so...and that weight really really really really really does a lot lemme tell you...