December 19, 2008. First significant snowstorm in the NY/NJ NYC Metro area for the 2008/2009 winter season. We got about 10-12 inches in Northern NJ. Today would be a good test of the Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow Tires on the MDX.

I had to drive down to Newark Airport to pick up my daughter at 11:30 AM, just as the roads started accumulating snow/packed snow and the snow plows were getting out spreading salt. The drive up and down the NJ Turnpike was at about 45 mph.

Once in the airport circle the traffic thinned out because the snow accumulated quicker with less traffic to grind it down and everyone with all season or regular tires had to stick to the well worn lane which was usually a single lane, or risk sliding/skidding around. Some of the turns at Newark are banked and on a snowy day and summer tires, grip is a chancy thing.

Anyway, on the whole trip, when any chance came up to scoot around anyone, I did with little difficulty. I was able to cause the VSA to engage while under power and while turning. I would also see the VSA flash when under power and occasionally feel the anti-lock braking pulse when braking. When making sharp turns I had to make sure that I slowed down enough just in case I didn't have enough front end traction, I didn't want to plow through and hit the curb.

So what do I think of the Pirellis? I think they're fine. I didn't go with minus sizing, because I mostly drive on dry roads and didn't want to give up dry/wet grip for better deep snow performance. So at 255/55 R18 these probably float at bit more than a narrower size might, and a narrower size might perform a bit better in the deep snow and especially in the corners. At small steering wheel angles the tires seem to work very well. The MDX accelerates well and stops well. The MDX drive systems work very seamlessly.

One note. I passed numerous vehicles that were all wheel drive or 4WD or some variant. It doesn't matter what they had. If you don't have the proper rubber for the season, you are not going to get traction. Just because you have a MDX with SH-AWD doesn't mean diddly. It just means you have the greater ability to spin 4 wheels under power than others. It's the tires that grip the road.

If you think otherwise, you are deluding yourself.

There used to be an old saying, "Where the rubber meets the road."

 

I just put 235/65/17 Toyo Open Country A/T's on my 04 and they did amazing. I couldn't get stuck, and believe me i tried. Welcome to the forums.

 

55- I had those on a company truck that I used to have (4wd F-150 XLT) and loved the tread pattern on those. I was living in the Chicago burbs at the time and they saw alot of snow. They were pretty loud however on the roads, but it kind of fit with the F-150. Have you found them to be loud? I like the tire, but was shying away because of the tire noise and the bold lettering on the tire. Definitely more aggressive than the Goodyear Integritys that are on our MDX now.

 

Actually the road noise isnt that bad at all. The MDX cabin is pretty well sound proofed so it really isnt that bad at all. However it is a little louder than the stock tires, but then again i love the versatility of them so the slightly louder hum doesn't bother me at all. You can also get them without the bold lettering on the tires. Mine are all black.

 

What is a good all-season tire for a 2004 mdx?

I think there are two different stock tires?

 

I've got the OEM Integritys on my '05 and they really aren't that bad. We got 6" of snow on Wednesday here in Columbus with temperatures at 14 below so I thought what a good time to determine how effective a winter tire the Integrity really is. On snow-packed roads it really did fine. I tried to get them to slip, but had to floor it to lose traction. I can drive around in 2wd and not worry at all. The only time I've had to use the VTM is when we had a storm that dropped 21" last March.

I did have to re-inflate the tires last night as the extreme cold dropped the air pressure in all four tires. At least I know the TPMS works!

All in all, for a price of a little over $100 a tire, I would recommend them.

 

Thank you, $100 is much less than I expected

 

Is anyone running the Kumho Solus KR21 tires on their MDX? Tire rack seems to like them and for the price I'd say it's hard to beat. We are nearing the end of life for the OEM Goodyears and are looking to replace them soon.

 

My other choice is a tire called the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max. The price isn't much more than the Kumho's and they have a $20 mail in rebate. The only thing that concerns me is why does the tire weigh at least 3lbs less than most of the competition. :/ Weaker sidewalls? The potential for slightly better fuel mileage, price, all weather capability and the Goodyear name are some good positives, but Tirerack has no reviews at the moment because it's new.

 

New owner of MDX 09 in Ontario. Appreciate recommendations if snow tires would be recommended and brand. Thx,

 

I put Blizzak LM-25 4X4 XL (255/55R-18) on my '08 last winter and they worked out very well. I was amazed at the handling improvement in light/heavy snow. Got them from Tire Rack and had them installed locally.

 

MDX09 - you might want to look at Bridgestone's new DMV1 winter tires. They are meant for snow and ice, are available in size 245/65-17.

I also live in Ontario. I ordered my tires last December form the Tirerack.com, and would highly recommend this company to anyone.

Note the Bridgestones mentioned in an earlier thread are "performance" winter tires I believe. Generally speaking, performance winter tires handle better on dry, cold roads, but "regular" winter tires like the DMV1s handle snow and ice better. Both types are materially better in winter conditions than regular all-season tires; you just have to choose what is more important to you when deciding between the 2 types of winters.