[DogBitez]

Really appreciate anyone's time on this...

Although I've live in a rural mountain area that gets frequent black ice and occasional snow in the winter, I work at home and have had the luxury of just ignoring the snow until it melts. It's never on the ground for more than one or two days, and we usually get 4"-6" when it does snow. I should add that I live on a winding mountain road that only gets plowed by the good graces of a neighbor -- so it's iffy when/if it gets plowed. Once we're off our 3-mile mountain road, we're on town roads that rarely see snow. The problem is now that my son is taking courses at the local college, we're going to have to get him to classes come hell or high water... or snow (we're a one-car family right now). Right now we have good all-season tires, not snow tires.

My questions are: what tires would anyone recommend for modest snow that only falls about 6-8 times a year (this isn't the Yukon -- we otherwise have just rainy days), and how much snow (how many inches) can a Cruiser drive through with AND without snow tires? And any other tips for ice and snow driving in my Cruiser? I'm a total newbie to snow driving on any level... I'm transplanted from Los Angeles where there is NO weather, as you all know.