Munts

Hello.

I live in Minnesota and I have a 2009 Nissan 370z. Obviously, this car isn't ideal for winter driving conditions, so I am looking for something relatively cheap to get me through the harsh winter months.

I was originally looking at getting a Jeep Cherokee, but then I stumbled upon the Acura CL. I was astonished to find that for under 6K this car has so many standard features. It really is a good bang for you buck.

How does this car perform in cold/harsh conditions? In MN last winter we had a few days straight that were almost -20 degrees. The only issue I have read about this car is the transmission issues, but I am planning on going with the six speed manual which would eliminate that problem.

Another question I have is that this car comes stock with HID headlamps? This confuses me because when I look at pictures of the car it doesn't look like the headlamps have projector housings? Idk was just curious how that worked.

Cheers.

Ken1997TL

Welcome!

Front-wheel drive, some common sense and snow tires will get you through any winter where they actually bother to plow the roads

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Acura first used HID bulbs without projectors.

Also, ANY car is great in winter with the correct tires on, even your Z. but, yes FWD and a pair of winters and you'll be set to go.

Munts

Does anyone have any pictures of what the lights look like in the day/night?

fsttyms1

Tires make more of a difference than the car or what wheels drive it. A good set of snow tires and anything will drive good. I have never had an issue with my TL (a 4 door CL) thru any amount of snow and im lowered.

Headlights DONT have to have projectors to have HID.

YeuEmMaiMai

I got tired of driving the CL-S in the snow and I bought a Subaru. you live in MN and therefore know how inept MNDOT is at clearing the roads... I paid $2990 for the Subaru and then $2.8K to get the motor redone at 69K. The Acura now sits in the garage for the Winter and will not see the road again until spring time. a CL will reasonably get you through about 9-10 inches of snow on better all season tires. the Subaru will easily handle a foot or more. my commute is from St Paul to Shakopee

Munts

Hmm yeah that's something to think about, but i've driven real wheel drive trucks before in the winter so I have a bit of experience. The CL is a front wheel drive car and with all seasons it should do just fine. My main question was how this car runs in the winter. Hopefully I will be able to find a manual transmission one somewhere, I heard that they're quite rare.

YeuEmMaiMai

the car runs just fine mechanically, has good visibility and throws massive heat. But, that is not the issue. The low end grunt + open differential is....it is super easy in a CLS to break traction on dry pavement so just imagine how much easier it will be on snow and ice...

VSA will save you from some of the smaller stuff but once you get past a point, it's done

TheWeez

HIDs are standard.

I don't have any issues with the CL-S6 in Minnesota in the winter. I rock winter tires though which really helps. Past years have been Dunlop SP Winter Sport M3 which I wasn't a big fan of but they lasted around 5 years. I'll be going with Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice Tires which are made of the same material as Blizzaks but instead of 50% of the tire being that compound as in the Blizzaks, they're 100% made of that.

Just have to do 2nd gear starts often but not a big problem. That's the case in any FWD manual in the winter. The limited-slip really helps to keep you from spinning the tire that's slipping. Lack of traction control on the manual (automatic has it) isn't a problem.

Find a 6-speed to avoid the automatic issues and you should be good.

Only time I've ever had issue was that the power steering pump froze up last January when I left it outside at the airport for 4 days when I went to Vegas when it was more than -20 degrees outside for several days. Once it sat in the garage for the night, it was fine and haven't had any other issues.

gurot1

The six speed has been fine for me in Southern Ontario. Only one time where I got stuck, but there was just too much snow on an uphill that hadn't been plowed. I took another way around. It was last year when we had crazy amounts of snow in the winter. Generally, 2nd gear and snow tires make a huge difference.

RedDragon93

I do change to a winter set up for Chicago winters.

I love my nokians.

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

In auto u can start in 2nd gear iirc if u put it in 2. That will help a lil. But it's all about the tires. IMHO u need lots of tread. I gotta shitty winters for 450 new Canadian prices. And they increase the drivability by tenfold I shit u not. I will never again drive a car without winters, period. I think people with all season aka noseason tires are insane. Get summers and get winters. I have had the same winters for 4 seasons now. It's probably saved me money too. For all u know I might have hit a bit of ice and bumped a curb with no winters and I'd be out a wheel bearing and God knows what.
Once u get winters the car is more than adequate for winter driving

Accord316

Front wheel drive in rain or snow makes a huge positive difference as well...just don't lower or modify the springs because of snow or flooded areas. Overall car runs great in winter with no problems

Gibbelstein

For what it is worth if you're still curious, I had my '03 CL-S (auto) in NE for a few years with no problem. Even though it was never garaged, always started immediately and heated up quickly. The lowest temps were probably comparable to yours, but not for such long stretches. I never had a problem with snow and ran the same tires all year. (When it was inches, I had no problem driving and when it was feet, I just waited for plows.) The HIDs seem pretty great to me (although, I did recently use one of those refurbishing kits to clear them back up). I've put on about 60-70k of its 130,000 and the only work it has needed has been timing belt (w/ water pump), tie rod ends, 2 motor mounts, battery, brakes, plugs, tires. All doable in a driveway, if that's your thing. No tranny (at least on my watch).

Chris

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

The only time my car did not really wanna start was -32 I believe it was Celsius.

Car started but oil was frozen so it sounded like nuts and bolts banging away. I instantly turned it off. Plugged in the block heater and threw a space heater with a blanket over the engine. The lcd displays barely even worked it was insane.

15 mins later I started it with no issues.

That was the only starting issue the cl has ever had under any conditions

Acura32CLSRocketShip

Hello,

The CL 3.2 Type S is excellent in the winter. It will get you through most of the snow (it can handle up to 3/4ft of snow. It does not get phased by extreme cold. It does not necessarily need winter tires (Yokohamas all-season are excellent). I have driven in the cold 30 below with ice on the road and the CL handled it great. It was so cold that max. heat in the car was barely detectable. You cannot go faster than 20mph over ice because VSA can't keep up. I have driven in snow conditions (Canada and the US) where other cars ended up in the ditch (incl. SUVs) and the CL kept on cruising.

I drove it twice through flash flooding (water flowing up to third of the height of the rim) and it kept on going without any damage.

Key to great performance in the winter is a slow start - go easy on it until it warms up a little (first 1-2 miles).

I have many winters and over 300,000 miles on my CL and it still runs like new (seriously - it does run like new). No transmission issues. I had to replace the starter and rotors at 270,000 and 275,000 miles. Only full synthetic oil.

In my book, the CL is one of the best production cars ever made. It is a rocketship.

Somebodysgottadoit

Let me know if u want a better picture. Keep in mine that it only 3200 lumens and each hid bulb costs 100 at autozone and pepboys(let me know if someone knows somewhere cheaper) and if u want 5000 lumens they go for 200 a bulb

fsttyms1

Thats why SYN is recommended, especially for those in cold climates. Ive never had that issue when temps drop that low.

TheWeez

I had Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires. They were the highest rated winter performance tires on TireRack and they sucked. They were shit on ice. 2nd gear starts everywhere. They were good in snow and still night and day from normal summer tires.

Just had Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRTs on. They're amazing. Can stop much shorter. Don't have to 2nd gear start everywhere. They use special rubber like Blizzaks but unlike Blizzaks they're the special rubber through the entire tire. Blizzaks are only the first 50% and the rest is just normal tire rubber.

All set for MN winter now.

Allout

This question is a bit off topic but I'm going to throw it out here. I've always wondered this when I read guys in the east talk about parking their cars for the winter. For you guys that do park your cars for the winter, what do you do with your auto insurance? Do you pay it for the full 12 months a year or do you cancel it during the winter when you have it parked?

TheWeez

Generally you drop your coverage down but don't get rid of it. You can also get storage insurance. Covers you should your garage burn down with the car inside.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

I store mine and you have to keep fire/theft insurance on. It's pretty cheap.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

Fire/theft which is dirt cheap..

As for the CL as a winter vehicle. We just got a dabble of winter weather & the J35 w/ some blizzaks are stable as can be with moderate driving habits of course. Anything over 2500 rpm is a different story

JDM CLS6

I've been through two winters with my CL with no problems. I use Continental Extreme Contact tires and they are great! Good tires + good driving and you should be fine. Only problem i had so far was that I was driving through unplowed snow for like 40 miles and I messed up the plastic thingy for my under carriage. (My car is slammed). Traction wise, it does pretty well.

YeuEmMaiMai

I did that this year after getting the Subaru. All I can say is the Subaru completely owns the CL during the winter time in terms of handling and ability to go through really deep snow.

the CL is good in the snow but a Subaru is just sooooo much better.

Allout

Sounds like the insurance companies work with you guys in the east.

I tried putting my CL on a reduced insurance plan for this winter so I could do some work on it. They still said I had to keep Liability on it since I'm in Kalifornia - still around $450. This is with a clean record and multiple cars. They don't have a provision to trust that I'm not going to drive the car. I cancelled the insurance for now and I'm curious now to see if the DMV sends me a notice.

YeuEmMaiMai

^different rules for different states.... most likely due to people getting "reduced" insurance and STILL driving the car...

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

My old cl was great in the winter the few seasons I drove it. Had winter tires. It's all about good winters.

How is your CL holding up? Still got a whine?

Allout

Still running strong. I work out of town quite a bit so I don't get to drive it much. I probably only drove it 4K miles last year but it still puts a smile on my face. Gotta love the whine!

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Glad you've kept it! My also has a whine now. Itching for the HBP tho.

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

If you have a business and the car is registered as a company vehicle, you can store it and take the insurance off it completely. At least that's what my bro is able to do with his 08 tls.

So it may be possible to get the insurance off Completely when the vehicle is stored. Mind you we have a 3 other cars also on the same plan so maybe it's the insurance company that really working with us as opposed to they have to.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

Allout

Nice! Definitely do the HBP and listen for any pinging.