Euro-R

iTrader: (1)

Hi guys, I got my RDX back in spring of 2009.
I would like to know if anyone experences any trouble on snow with the stock oem tire? As I'm going to drive mine up to whistler this weekend.
Do I really need to get a set of snow tire or snow chain?

YVRTSX

I picked my up my '09 on December 31st last year, in the middle of all the snowy weather we had. I had to drive up Heritage Mountain in Coquitlam during one of the snow storms in January and had no problems, while other cars were spinning tires or parked.

That said, the tires were brand new at that point. I've often found various Michelin all season tires to be less than fantastic in the snow. If we get the snow they're forecasting for the weekend, this will be the first "test" now that there is some mileage on the tires (16K km).

Carbon2008RDX

I bought my '08 RDX in June 2008 so last winter was my first with the RDX on OEM tires. They seemed to perform well and not once did I feel threatened in the snow. Now a year later I wait patiently for some winter weather to test them again, with some wear and miles on them. They still have decent tread and I think they'll be fine in everything except a major blizzard or ice. The SH-AWD performs very well IMO. Better tires are icing on the cake but I can't justify replacing them this coming winter when they're still pretty new.

MMike1981

all depends on the miles on the stocks....closer to new ok, closer to used, not good, wet traction is terrible around 20k+ so watch out

Euro-R

iTrader: (1)

up to now I guess I have put around 12,000km on the tires

DJS1

I feel the OE tires on our ‘07 RDX are possibly the worst tire I have ever driven on. They are excessively load for an all season tire and have very poor grip in the cold, wet and snow. As an around-town vehicle the RDX is great and the OE tire should do fine. It did for my wife last year during the Seattle winter. We had accumulation but the worst part is it all froze over into one sheet of ice. Still they were slippy and she drive really slow so the OE’s worked for her. I will also mention my best friend drives a 2005 TSX and he also felt the OE tires were garbage.

This year I decided to go full Bridgestone Blizzaks on her 18’s and I am sure these are a million times better for her and will give me peace of mind.

VanRDX

I don't think the stock tires are any good beyond a couple of inches of snow. Decided this winter to provide better grip so recently bought Nokian Hakkapeliitta R SUV tires in stock size, to provide better grip. After last year's vancouver area wintry weather and terrible snow services in vancouver area, decided this year to change both TL and RDX to winter tires to improve grip on bad slippery roads specially in the very early morning where roads have black ice. I still have the original stock so will swap em back in the spring.

cwepruk

I thought they were decent for the first two winters, but they wear quickly and won't be decent for long.

cordx

I live in Colorado and it's been below freezing for a week now, my development is an ice rink. The 09 rdx with 2700 miles does amazingly well, even stopping. I don't go flying around, and the only time I slip is when I go around corners too fast and the car understeers (understandably so). Just went up to the ski resorts today, highway driving was mostly dry, but some icy spots. The RDX didn't miss a beat, and the turbo is awesome in the mountains. The car is mostly used by my wife and I was convinced we needed snow tires, but after driving in the snow for a couple of days the car is rock solid. I used to have an a4 with snows (dunlop m3s), which did very well, but I feel just as comfortable in the snow in the RDX without snows as I did the a4 with snows. The tires are still brand new though, so I might be singing a different tune next year.

The stability control is neat too, can't do donuts in my cul-de-sac with it on. ;p

mav238

Yes, the SH-AWD is pretty cool for a AWD system, works well for traction, but if you hit an icy road, with stock tires, you are going to do doughnuts without any control.

We all love to praise the prowess of our RDX, but there is always the reality of the limitation of the AWD system with stocks... even if the tires a brand new, it is not for ice traction...light snow yes, heavy snow and ice - NO...

Euro-R

iTrader: (1)

thanks everyone for quick responses, I guess I will stay with the stock tires and try it for the weekend.
After reading all the posts that you guys made, I'm all excited to test out the beast's performance on the snow

cordx

While I don't think the oems are going to perform as well as snow tires, I believe they are sufficient (at least when new). And any driving that is too aggressive on the ice is going to cause issues, even with snow tires. Maybe if you're getting studded tires, but for Colorado that is overkill.

MMike1981

Put it in S, leave it in 2nd, ull be fine either way.

Even with the shit OEM tires, i dont think ive ever been stuck or close to stuck in the RDX, which is great.

Carbon2008RDX

Yep, I used the "S" mode with paddle shifters last winter when driving in the snow and it helped quite a bit with control (both accellerating and engine braking down down snow covered hills) versus just leaving it in "D".

ucsmfu

first day of snow in Vancouver, RDX= no problems, some cars were sliding like crazy going up the hill in arbutus, i just zoomed by, full control

Carbon2008RDX

"How well does the oem tire on RDX perform on snow?"

I'll find out tomorrow!! They did well last winter but were super new. They still have good tread (low miles) and just rotated/balanced so here comes winter #2 with my RDX! :-)