Santa Rosa CA to Minneapolis MN

In my opinion, halfway decent all season tires should be fine for the Interstate most of the time. If the weather looks dicey, wait it out, like others have said. Front wheel drive cars do pretty well, and the DOT works to keep the Interstates pretty well clear since that's the way all the trucks etc. get through with food and fuel and whatnot.

I would take the most direct reasonable route, presumably I-80, unless conditions at the time dictated otherwise...and even then compare waiting things out with going well out of the way.