yomama

Haven't posted here in what seems forever.
Here's some observations I found driving tonight in HEAVY snow. I never had this trouble last year, but the snow today is over a foot.


-Getting unstuck and up hills is easier (for me) with VSA off. And you can't turn it off halfway through a hill climb if it's activated.

-The tires are terrible in the snow. I got stuck at a neighborhood intersection that was perfectly flat and level. Tried with and without VSA, and finally made it without VSA.

-I also got stuck trying to drive up my driveway, and again with some pushing assistance and no VSA, I made it up out of the street.

In summary, I love my TSX, even in wet weather.....but snow is definately it's enemy. Anyone else get hit today?

yomama

I should add that the VSA did it's job well on long stretches of road, keeping the car under control.

sauceman

Yeah well, if you're gonna drive in 1ft of snow, either A) Get yourself some snow tires, the stock tires are NOT winter tires, or B) stay home!!

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Heavy snow requires winter tires.

And in snow, you need the tires to slip so you can dig a well under the tires so that it can reach the pavement and gain traction. For this, you need VSA off. The VSA is intended to keep you from killing yourself while driving in slippery conditions, but not from a start.

biker

A car with maybe 6" of ground clearance is NOT meant to be driven in 12" of snow. Just like you should not drive it in 12" of water.

xizor

Traction control is not meant to be used to get unstuck in snow. driving out of snow requires some slippage which VSA prevents, so you're right in turning it off in that case. not be mad at it though, VSA is meant to prevent unwanted slippage, in this case you want to the tires to slip slightly to get some grip through the snow.

HondaGuy347

Yomama, I assume this has been posted before, and it is probably a joke, but you don't really own those cars in your sig do you? Sorry to ask such a noob question.

But if you really do, can I get a shot of the Justy, Stradale, Yugo, F40, Gremlin lined up together, in that order? Would be a sweet wallpaper.

Viking

and yomama it sounds like you also need snow tires.

dom

Great drive to work. I have snow tires and the streets were pretty much all clean. VSA can be annoying when it completely cuts power so the car barely moves but turn it off, floor it to get out, and then back on it goes.

TSXDude

Domn, i would like to know where you drive to work? The streets were like skating rinks!! especially 401, you are literally driving on a sheet of ice!!
The cleanest road i encountered driving to work today was my workplace's driveway

dom

Hwy 50 to Finch, Finch to the 427 South to the 401 west to Dixie. I guess clean was a bad word to use but the 10 inches of snow that fell are not on the roads, I mean the roads have all been plowed, at least one lane. I didn't find it slippery at all though

patrick_RENAMED

I just started using snow tires this year and I must say they make a huge difference. We got about 8" and I was doing better that most people out there, even 4x4 SUV's and trucks. These were conditions that last year (with the OEM tires) I would have just left it in the garage and taken my 4Runner.

MoFocker

call me unrealistic but cars are just NOT meant to be driven in the snow. NONE of them. they have all these traction features primarily if your driving in the rain, and maybe to help out a little if your last resort/emergency calls for you to drive in the snow. if you want to get around in the snow a little safer or more efficiently get an suv, thats what they are sold for. just dont be like some people who think an suv means its made for the snow and decide to drive them at normal speeds when theres a foot of snow on the ground and other cars on the road...

dom

You wouldn't beleive how many of these people I saw this morning.

yomama

You are the second person to comment on my car collection. No, the only car I own is the TSX, and once had the Starfire. It was purely made up for shits and giggles. The only other person to comment on it stated he wouldn't believe a word I said for making something like that up.

darth62

Well, they had the streets cleaned by the time I woke up this morning. Of course, that just required sweeping and sucking up leaves because it was 75 degree F here yesterday!

I'm in a somewhat different situation form the rest of you with regard to the TSX. I wish there was a low cost dealer upgrade for more aggressive summer tires. Now, I have to buy them aftermarket. I figure it will cost me between $600 - $800 for a good set of summer rubber, and I know that TL drivers only pay like $200 for the dealer upgrade.


Anyway, the whole discussion drives home the reason why Acura opted for all seasons. It is hard to specify tires that are optimized for everybody's situation.

TdotSSTSX

Hmm... I drive 400 to 407 to 427 to 401 to Dixie, well, most except today of course. North of TO got POUNDED! (My back still hurts from shovelling)

dom

I had at least 12 inches of snow all over my driveway and at least 15 inches in some areas. My snowblower is 12 inches high and it wasn't high enough on most of the driveway.

Axygos

Last night we got hit in Cleveland with some snow... my driveway requires me to go up a small hill... well the TSX just wouldn't do it. An old GM boat (probably rear wheel drive) just flew up the incline without a problem. The VSA kicked in (made some wierd mechanical sounds once in a while and couldn't get me out. So I turned it off and slowly with slippage, inched my way up the hill... I have the stock tires... so today I just said screw it and stayed home!

Anyone else heard those odd sounds from the VSA... note they are not constant just random when active... ?

pokerface

axygos - yup.. sounds like it's working as it should.

TSX Cman

i just got back from a road trip thru the moutnains of BC. i crashed into a snowbank while going 80km/h. the car has its stock tires on and they are worn out, so it was a scary drive the whole time, but at one point it got scary. its winter time and it rained the night before, so it was slick. going striaght, the car starteed spinning left slowly, i turned right by reflex, against the skid, then remembered what to do, i turned into the skid and striaght, and back and forth very fast while i kept the car on the highway, finally it was just a battle to avoid the ditch, so i kept it striahgt, and driove thru a snowbank parralel to the road for 30 meters, tillthe car had stopped from the snow, the last second the car whipped a 180 and i was in the ditch. my 2 friends were on the other side of the car, because i had the one seat down for bags. so i had to dig that half of the car out till they could jump out. the wheels were pushed all the way into the fender, but we dug, and reversed it onto the road, in which i kept driving. no damage, but lots of roads and snow stuck in the grill/ lower grill. and one panel popped off on a corner but its back on.
it was an intense life or death experience, im fortunate to have kept on the snowbank and not flown off the highway. i can very strongly thank Bondurants driving school that i took in the summer, it made me know to steer into the skid even tho it makes you want to shit yourself, and look where you want to go, and your body will get you there.

get snow tires if your doing any trips in the winter, i was very fortunate to not be injured or dead.

loulinjai

I live in Calgary, where theres craploads of snow every year. I live in the part of the city wheres its "top of the hill" vsa is a lifesaver, but i gotta admitt, it kicks in realli easily. I heard you guys talk about how it sucks in the snow, but i found that vsa helps me get out situations from being stuck.The snow got so deep a coupel times where i have to shovel just to get in the car. But one thing is...Snow tires make the most difference. I had a pathfinder before with all seasons, but i found tsx much better in snow, probaly because of the snow tires and lower center of gravity. Its no use getting 4x4 if all four tires dont grip the road. Rather get something not 4x4 and have at least two tires grip (of course a 4x4 with snow tires are the best way to go). So I agree, sometimes you dont need to spend a couple more g's for awd or 4x4 (although it has its advantages) some good snow tires may be the answer for much less.

gfxdave99

I live in chicago and i personally think that the TSX handles great in crappy weather / snow / rain etc...

As long as you dont drive like a loon its a very soild car even in an inch of snow and it gives you plenty of warning before its gonna get pissy.. just my

sauceman

If it won't go up on forward gears, do it in reverse. You just changed your TSX into a rear engined RWD car. It will want to go up. If not, try again with the tires at 25 PSI.

xizor

the problem driving up hills is not from VSA, its FWD. If you think about the physics, when you're going up a hill all the weight of the car is on the back wheels. Taking pressure off the front wheels makes it harder to grip.

gfxdave99

This also makes it possible to do donuts in the snow with the VSA off

calgary_tsx

i live in Calgary too, in the winter the stock tires aren't great, but all in all, the car isnt too bad. i mean every road is icy and full of snow, its just another winter. This car is better in winter than my old 1.7el. I find the VSA helpful when climbing icy hills, once your up to speed, it keeps you on the road, with the heater blaring, and no feeling in your hands, you sometimes cant even tell your slipping until the VSA light blinks. Just my 2 cents