lazynay

Is the TSX a good car in the snow w/ moderately hilly terrain? Equivalent of Massachusetts-like weather.

Input from the up north folk would be nice. Also any tire requests I should make at purchase or buy after purchase?

Thanks.
LN.

Whiskers

The saying around here is if it's good enough for the Canadians, then it's good enough here...

GIBSON6594

VSA rocks. i have no problems driving in the snow. I have the stock tires on so I can't really judge other tires. In my opinion its better than most cars out there, other than AWD cars. I'm in a NYC suburb, so it's not too far from your climate. ITs much better than my 93' prelude

DCyamaha

Haven't driven it in snow yet. Thats what the JEEP IS FOR!

but i hear its good with traction control.

jcg878

It is nothing wonderful, but not bad. VSA helps when you f-up.

cruzingsilver

I had a 99 subaru legacy before. The only thing the subi was better for was getting out of piles of snow. ( Note that i'm talking about an older subaru). Handling-wise the TSX is better and the VSA keeps it from spinning out. Thumbs up to the winter driving. You should have no problem with small hills. I haven't and I'm in quebec city most of the time (hilly terrain).
I have michelin pilot alpin. I find them good. Got these cause I do lots of highway. I would also consider the michelin X-ice if you get lots of snow and ice (made of softer compound and therefore stick more to the snow/ice).

dom

No problems, but snow tires are reccomended.

Belzebutt

I use snow tires, Toyo Garit HT, and if these are decent tires than I'd hate to drive the car with all-seasons. The car is good on snow, haven't had any problems other than adjusting to more neutral handling. If I take corners fast the tail tends to slide out, wheras on previous Hondas if I pushed it only the front tires would ever lose grip. This is not a gipe by the way, I like it.

moda_way

Just drove in 14" of snow here in Cincinnati, Ohio under a Level 3 Snow emergency (basically meaning road crews aren't able to keep up with the snow fall, so only emergency crews are allowed on the road or else you could get ticketed and taken to jail).

I did just fine until I decided to goof around and 180 the car for fun. I ended up packing snow under the front of the car. After a quickly digging myself out, I was back up and running just fine. This was with OEM tires.

Sometime I had the VSA on, sometime I had it off. Turned it off in situations where there was very very little traction and I wanted to slow spin the tires to keep momentum.

Basically, it was no problem to drive in snow unless I decided to make it one.

Whiskers

Wheeeee!!!!

I did the same with my Pontiac Lemans (89, not the cool old ones) and ended up hitting a wheel parallel with the curb...Not good. Lesson learned.

uworich

i agree.. solid car in the snow...loses some traction, but VSA kicks in quickly.
i have stock tires.

TSX Hokie

I got stuck in the ice like four times last winter with the stock tires. In fact, turning VSA off after putting some gravel under the front tires was the only way to get out. The experiences were annoying enough that I invested in winter tires this season (Dunlop Winter Sport M3). Of course, we haven't had hardly any snow yet and it has been 65 degrees+ for over a week.

GT60

I live north of Boston, we got 13" the day after Xmas and it's snowing today. The car is fine as long as you drive sensibly. The VSA was working this morning, and so were the ALB, but no major drama. I have the OEM tires on it now because the car is only 3 months old, the all-season treads are fine for now, but having had the same tires on my last car, I know the snow grip, what little there is, degrades quickly after a years use. I will definitely put winter tires on next season. Just my .02 cents worth!

shaun132

I have an M3 and its horrible in the snow, so I use my TSX in the winter and its pretty good.

ClutchPerformer

It's pretty good in the snow traction-wise, even with stock tires. Snows should be even better. It's nice and heavy and the traction control works pretty well (and you can always turn it off when you need to). If you're just worried about getting up a mild hill, it's probably as good as any other FWD car.

If you have the body kit (and especially if you're lowered), you become a snowplow if there's a lot of it piled up in front of you. I found that one out this morning. Being able to induce oversteer at slow speeds is a lot of fun.

Oh, and if you ever have to drive on ice the short 1st gear (MT) is a lifesaver.

I live in Wisconsin, in case you were wondering.

brian913

I had tirerack send me a complete set of 16" winter wheels(steel) and tires (Blizaks) for under $600 including mouting and balancing. Today we got our first real taste of winter and the did very well. I found putting the auto in 2nd gear for starts seemed to help too. This is the first car I have had with 4-wheel snows and am surprised at the stability.

fourpt5

Definitely go for the snows, but don't be surprised by the significant loss of handling if you opt for the 16 inch rims.

tony4311

I have no problem on shitty stock wheels and I have to go up a steep as hill.

TSX 'R' US

no problems for me either... some areas are hilly...and still no problems...

Fibonacci

Just got back from vaca and Motown got its first serious dose of snow last night and this morning. Was thinking about getting steelies w/Blizzaks, but had no problems in 6 inches of snow on stock tires. The tcs/VSA is definitely better in the TSX than my old Millenia which would simply shut down engine power and I would go nowhere unless I turned the TCS off.

lazynay

Thanks guys, this is great to hear!

mlabrie

I have a 6-speed manual with 16" Michelin Artic Alpin and a body kit. Coming from a 96 Accord EX-R I find the TSX winter handling kind of middle of the road. i.e. front heavy with a lot of under steer and a few pounds too many when trying to brake on slippery surfaces.

Still, I believe that winter driving has more to do with our own attitude than the vehicle itself...

I was out last week in a storm that dumped 40cm (16 inches) of fluffy snow with no major issue. Don't get me wrong, I won't try going where I can't go (this is not a 4X4!) but if you can feel the feedback your car is providing you and are at ease using the hand brake to initiate a turn, then you'll find that winter driving can be fun with a TSX or any other car!

Benz_05_TSX

iTrader: (1)

It just snowed here today, and when I was driving to school..... the car was as smooth as ever. It handle the snow like it was nothing. When I got to school, all my friends said their cars were slipping when they turn and shit.. but my 05 TSX was fine.... so nice.

JOZMAN

Hmm I got stuck in the between the intersection of my alley and the side street.
I was stuck for like a minute since did not realized there was a snow gap of about 6 inches. I'm been planning to replace my OEM but wished I replaced them sooner -just have no cash to replace it. Anyone know if Nokian tires or Bilzzaks any good?

alex16882

My TSX handles very well in the snow. You can feel the ABS and VSC kick it when it senses slippiness. However, I was unable to to get up a 40 degree(ISH) hill due to unplowed road. The tire refused to spin and the VSC warning light was flashing everytime I tried to move the car forward.

So I slowly back up and ... back to the house