Tips on renting a 4wd to drive to tahoe

Hi everyone. Looking to.fly into Sacramento from Hawaii in march then drive to tahoe..any tips on renting a 4wd from Sacramento international airport?

I just use all my usual search engines and find the cheapest. We found a good deal on a full sized SUV through Fox at SFO. I have also rented good priced cars through Orbitz. SUV does not always equal 4 wheel drive, so make sure it is specified as a 4 wd.

That's my problem I can't really find a company but hertz that says 4wd

Chains?

In the mountains in Ca., under some condition chains are required. In fact, under the more severe conditions 4 WD vehicles are required to either carry them or are required to have them installed. But I have no idea how likely Caltrans is to issue a level 2 or level 3 chain requirement. Perhaps others can comment.

So, that adds another potential issue. Sorry.

Here is a Caltrans link
http://dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/chcontrl.htm

We make this trip several times a month, and we have never had an occasion where they required us to put chains on a 4WD - if the conditions are that bad, they will close the road.

However, the vast majority of the time, they just check that your SUV has 4WD and they wave you through, while everyone else is putting on chains.

Also - most rental car companies do not permit you to use chains, due to the potential for damage.

If you find a rental company you think you'd want to use, look up the number and call their local rental office in the city you're flying to, then ask them about it. I've done this a couple of times when flying to Montana in less-than-great weather seasons. (I was assured in both Missoula and Bozeman that they had 4WD vehicles, and when I arrived, that was what I received.) I'm sure Sacramento area has the same kind of thing, since renters are likely to drive up to Reno from there.

Dave

DeniseM said:

We make this trip several times a month, and we have never had an occasion where they required us to put chains on a 4WD - if the conditions are that bad, they will close the road.

However, the vast majority of the time, they just check that your SUV has 4WD and they wave you through, while everyone else is putting on chains.

Also - most rental car companies do not permit you to use chains, due to the potential for damage.

Click to expand...

All of the signs I've seen state Chains "or" 4WD.

I don't think you'll have problems with an AWD SUV, my wife never has with her Lexus RX330.