driving a car into Canada from USA---under different registration

[SQflyer]

Hi I might be taking a road trip aroudn the east coast of the US in march and I'm planning to visit Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. I'll be driving up from NYC where I plan on borrowing a relative's car. I just wanted to see if there were any difficulties driving a car into Canada that is not owned by you or is not a rental car???? I've known ppl who have driven cars not registered by them into Malaysis and have encountered problems??? Any other tips for someone whose mainly used to driving in Singapore and warm weather places like California???

[up and away]

Well... if you are going there while it's winter time and you never experienced iced roads before you should care for certain things:
a) Car should have ESP
b) Car should have snow tires (that's really important)
c) Before long distance drives put a blanket in your car. If your car breakes down in the middle of nowhere or is stuck in a traffic jam it gets pretty cold!

Also you probably shouldn't drive long distances or "difficult" (=small, unpaved) roads on your very first day of driving on snow or on a frozen road. Try to find out what the car does when you slam the brakes.

(These tips are for middle Europe- for specific road rules about spikes etc. you better ask someone from Canada)

[hofo_mofo]

Hi there SQflyer

First off, stay out of my cities...YOU'RE NOT WELCOME THERE...naw I'm kidding (wait this is not a good start to my first post)

Okay so tips and tricks...well you lucked out, I live in both cities (just smile and nod )

Well, over the past years, Spring seems to come earlier and earlier...and the amount of snow that comes, again is much less. Chances are, when you are coming up in March, the spring thaw will already be in full swing..so what that means, a lot of slush (wet snow) on the road, which will cause you to use your windshield wash fluid a lot...so make sure you have a spare full 4L container in the trunk...you'd be surprised how quickly you can go through that stuff.

Winter tires, should be on your car; you could pass with All seasons, in fact you should be fine, but keep an eye on the weather..chains/spikes are not needed UNLESS you are planning on heading up to the "Cantons de l'Est" (Eastern Townships) or "Les Laurentides" (the Laurentians)...those are two moutian ranges that surround Montreal, which is home to a lot of skiers. If you want to go up to the mountains, again you will be fine with All Seasons, but this is where Winter Tires may help more...of course pay attention to the weather.

I don't know what kind of car you are getting, but make sure it is either Front Wheel drive, or All Wheel Drive (4 wheel drive) car. Rear wheel car + Winter = Comedy Relief!! (for a bystander that is, a nightmare moreso for you). Diesel cars, although they do exist and such, you may have a tough time at the pumps frinding a Diesel pump..well in Montreal, in Ottawa not really...too many rednecks up here lol As for the blanket...yes...but I mean, its important you have changes of clothes, and such (which you will have)...liquids may help, food...i mean this is all in the event that you become stranded, but shouldnt happen at all. Do not be afraid if you are on the highway, and need to use the "can" to pull off on the side of the road (THE RIGHT SIDE) and run into the bushes...just make sure you know which way the wind is blowing lol..our cell network is mapped quite well...CDMA has Telus and Bell, so i guess Verizon and Sprint will roam onto Bell, and with T-Mobile And Cingular/ATT or whatever they are called now!! you will roam onto Rogers/Fido..911 is emergency services...you will see sometimes a sign on the highway for a tow truck (its a *wxyz number)

Now, I don't know if you are going to come straight to Montreal from NYC, but you must keep in mind a lot of equations..1. Where are you going to cross the border; now if you are coming up New York State, chances are you will be crossing at the Lacolle point...It is the busiest border crossing in quebec, as it feeds directly into Autoroute 15 (i will explain in a second)..Border wait times sometimes can be as little as 10 mins, and we have seen situations of 3 hour wait times...it does happen!! You should consult this link http://www.inforoutiere.qc.ca/en/cam...iers/index.asp and this one as well http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/index.asp for whats going down at the borders...

Now back to Autoroute 15...AUTOROUTES are main highways..they can be identified with a blue shield (and a red top)...very similar to an Interstate sign...Single and Double Digit highways are principle routes (ex 30 10 40 20 15 5)..while 3 digit autoroutes (ex 720 520 540) are feeder highways, ie they will merge you back with a main autoroute (most likely) or end in a town...

GREEN SHIELDED highway signs are ROUTES...example RTE-138 (or Route 138)..it is classified as a secondary highway, but can be a normal road...

Now when you cross the border into Quebec (on the assumption that you are going to Montreal first)..you are going to have to get on the island, (psst Montreal is an island lol). There are only so many bridges in Montreal, and well the one that will feed you the easiest will be the Champlain Bridge (PONT CHAMPLAIN)....you along with everyone else will want on that thing...and then once you cross over it, you are in the fun part...TURCOT YARDS/TURCOT INTERCHANGE...

Just like everyone in Montreal...we're drunk about 26 hours of day (work that one out will ya)...naw we arent......the Turcot Interchange, is a marvel of Cement, Steel, and rebarb...which is crumbling all over (and regrettably will be destroyed shortly, so you may be caught in its demolition phase)...When you cross over the champlain bridge you will be on a very narrow highway surface for a while...for the next few minutes you will see signs up the yin yang which cause your brain to perform a divide by zero error and explode...just breathe...you'll be fine

In Montreal, the best way to get around will be the Metro to be honest, its a great experience IMO (but then again I love trains)...but you can do all the planning you want with that..

Okay, I almost forgot a very important thing about driving on the highway.....look although our highways are well maintained, with salt sand, and sometimes pebbles (watch out for 16 wheelers)...BLACK ICE...sigh...is bad!!!! Its hard to find where black ice is, but it could be bad...just dont speed to badly...not only could the SQ (Surete du Quebec) (provincal police) will nail you but you may have a short vacation...look I dont want to scare you or anything...be on guard..

Okay I am tired...there is more I can write, but I will save that story for tomorrow night (no wait, Thursday afternoon)..i will tell you all about Montreal, and how to come to Ottawa (where I am at present)..

OH YEAH...if your car is a moddified (ie crunched/lowered to the ground) or has a lower clearance...dont drive it in Montreal...we dont have Potholes...we have Craters...your undercarriage, your suspension, your tires, your teeth (hehehe) can all be wrecked...

NO RIGHT ON RED ON THE ISLAND OF MONTREAL!!

Okay I am going now, this of course did not make any sense I will explain more later...NIGHT!

[up and away]

what is the top speed allowed in Canada?

[hofo_mofo]

what is the top speed allowed in Canada?

On Quebec main highways...Max 100 kph, Min 60 kph...secondary highways, vary, but usually 80 kph

On the autoroutes you can push safely 10 kph above the limit, borderline 20kph..

In Ontario, no minimum speed limit, but again you can push 120 kph (on 400 series highways), and 80ish on secondary routes, but look out of course for speed traps

In some provinces the max speed is 110kph, but Ontario and Quebec arent them

[impresta]

Speed limit on a double lane high way is 110kph and 100kph on some roads you can go 10kph above the speed limit without getting a ticket. 80kph on single lane highways. City roads are usually 60kph unless otherwise stated its 50kph. School zones during school time from 8am to 3pm is 30kph and 30kph in residential neighborhoods. If you see bus stops then the speed limit is 50kph.

Winter tyres are a MUST! All-season tyres are not tyres they are just pieces of rubber with treading that is not good for winter and summer. Extra blanket is good, also make sure you have a car repair kit in the trunk incase of flats, and make sure your cellphone is charged incase your car breaksdown in the middle of a highway. ALSO keep some chocolate bars in the car.

Do not drive a car that you are not registered under, cuz if you ever get pulled over or get questioned by the customs, you will give them reason to detain you. I think you can buy temporary insurance for the car.

[SQflyer]

thanks everyone thats been really helpful!!!

as of now i dont know what car my cousin will be lending me but i agree GPS, winter tires, water and blanket .....should prolly come standard as she lives in CT.......

[Rejuvenated]

In Ontario, no minimum speed limit, but again you can push 120 kph (on 400 series highways), and 80ish on secondary routes, but look out of course for speed traps

In some provinces the max speed is 110kph, but Ontario and Quebec arent them

Another note if you are planning on driving in Ontario. Few months ago, the province passed a regulation stating that if you drive 50 km/hr over the posted speed limit, your license can automatically be suspended and veichle seized/impounded. This according to them is an effort to curb street racing.

[hofo_mofo]

thanks everyone thats been really helpful!!!

as of now i dont know what car my cousin will be lending me but i agree GPS, winter tires, water and blanket .....should prolly come standard as she lives in CT.......

need to know anything about Ottawa?

[Rejuvenated]

Well... if you are going there while it's winter time and you never experienced iced roads before you should care for certain things:

It snowed throughout the morning with whiteout conditions at times as well as last night here in YYZ while temperatures are still below freezing. So there are plenty of snow and icy roads right now at the moment. Good luck!