09TSXMN

Have not seen any threads on impressions of winter driving, so for you unlucky souls that never see below freezing in the sothern states, here are the impressions from Minnesota. In heavy snow, the car handles quite well, realitively good traction in take off, tracks well going through the snow and excellent stopping power (there is a case of not having low profile tire/wheel package, even it the low profiles are winter tires). I seemed to only get the VSC to kick in while turning hard into intentional sliding if I had my foot on the brake. Perhaps I was not going fast enough as the system has low speed limitations? The ABS works excellently, in fact best I have been in.

At 10 below F, the car starts right up, quick heater response, and with the exception of the rear parcel shelf crackling (that I have posted before, waiting a month to see if Acura gets a better technical bulliten on it), the car was tight with no rattles. Hit the defrost button and I watched a thermal crack start at the bottom of the windsheild, go up a couple of inches, travel a foot, and go back down. I had not witnessed any type of rock chip which could have started this. I suspect the edge of the glass had a knick in it at installation which would induce this problem.

One element to note, the 6 speed manual gear shift knob feels like it is a leather wrapped piece of dry ice, I mean COLD (no jokes about shrinkage please!) and stays that way even after 30 minutes of driving.

Sand/salt/ice does get kinked up in the lower trailing edge of the rear doors. If you look close at these points, you will see there is a clear laminate piece covering the paint. Thank you Acura for this as this will keep the paint intact as previous vehicles I had would get sandblasted and show surface rust in this same area.

The all season mats work great, you may want to put a stretched hand towel behind the pedals and tunnel side as it does not cover the carpet in these area's. I also have the mud guards which also seem to help, but the bottom of the guards have a slight "cupping" that holds extra snow/slush/sand to be left in your garage at a later time.

Be sure when washing your car to hose under the rocker panel with the hose nozzle pointing up under the car toward you. There is a great collection point here and you will see lots of sand coming out.

HeavyDuty

Not winter, but cold & rainy night in B'ham, AL during Thanksgiving I had to traverse a 45 degree leaf covered driveway for 50 feet damn near straight up. The TCS engaged briefly and we trudged right through.

thunderbt3

I agree the TSX handles pretty well in snow/ice but I'm considering getting a set of snow tires. Not a big fan of the OEM Michelins in the snow.

chibianh

I've been pleasantly surprised by the way it handles and drives in the snow here in Colorado. When the first big storm blew in, I was a bit nervous as I had a 30 mile drive to make in a small blizzard. The VSC kicked in quite a few times, especially when taking off from a stop on an incline. I'm still getting snow tires next year, though, but for this winter, I'll be riding out the stock michelins.

LukeaTron

The TSX with snow tires is surprisingly awesome in the white stuff. I just put my Blizzaks on last sunday during an unusually nice gap in the weather. Looks like I timed it just right.

Last winter I had 4 people in the car and it chugged right on up this super steep hill that was littered with stuck SUVs. The TSX hangs with the best of them in the snow.

TheGoodGuy

I dont know about snow since I live in sunny so.cal but I shall be hitting the slopes this weekend so i'll know how the stock tires do in non salted roads. It snowed locally but i was too busy and couldnt drive 100 miles to go play in the snow.

In wet weather i've had teh VSC kick in a few times.

LukeaTron

^^^ Here's a spoiler: not all that fantastically.

x09 TsXx

i found using the 5 speed sport setting very useful in the snow today, i downshifted instead of breaking and it worked awsome

Draconis77

I'm glad this thread was started. I'm heading up to Utah this weekend for the holidays. Everyone is all worried that we're driving up there, but I figured the new TSX should be able to handle it.

levistar

I too, find the TSX is very nice in COLD weather. Today is -29c. Roads are VERY icy. Together with a set of Michelin X-Ice,trac control and VSA the TSX is very capable car. Great heater.

Side1021

Today @ -17 degree. The car's engine started up a bit sluggish. However that only happend once in the morning. For the rest of the day, it feels normal.

Yes, that COLD shift knob! I may need to put something to cover it up (a baby sock?).

09TSXMN

It is funny you mentioned a baby sock as that is exactly what I did! It does help.

I_Like_Scotch

Frankly, I find the stock Michelins to be quite terrible in the snow. From the very first snow fall I seem to constantly engage the traction control no matter how light a foot I have. Winter tires are definitely on my must-buy list.

Some further comments to 09TSXMN's observations:

Why does Honda/Acura insist on that variation between the lower rear door and the fender? Snow, slush, gravel and any other road borne crap accumulates there and inside the door jamb. That piece of plastic protecting it from chips is an afterthought.

The windshield wipers are placed too low on the glass. The defroster does nothing to warm that area and when it is snowing a nice ridge of ice builds up where the wipers park. Not a good design.

Does the cowl need to be so deep under the hood? Lots and lots of snow gets packed in there.

Okay, that's my rant. By the way, I love the car!!! After six months, no creaks, groans or rattles of any kind.

levistar

I beleive the wipers have to be mounted that low because of the europeon law that came into effect a couple of years ago.{and this is a europeon Honda} Basically states that when a new car is indroduced or redesignedthat in order to protect a pedestrian in the event of a collision, the bumper has to be a certain height,the hood must collapse and the wipers cannot catch the pedestrian as they hit the W/S.
The W/S could use a heated grid to aid in clearing the wiper blades.

HeavyDuty

Wow, no-$hit? I didn't know that and, I do know a kid whose forearm was "sleeved" of the meat & skin from wrist to elbow when he was struck by a car.

LukeaTron

^^ GAH! That is freaking nasty man.

wackura

Does anyone now if the new TSX's roll off the lot with anti-freeze or water for coolant?

LukeaTron

It's surely anti-freeze.

09TSXMN

I thought for all season, they do the job pretty good compared to other front drivers I have had, that said, my game plan is to use the stock tires this year and next suumer, but snow tires for next winter, and then buy 19 inch rims/summer tires for the following summer. That way I just have to change the wheels for the winter tires.

Regarding the accumulation of crud on the trailing edge, yes, it does seem to be worse with the TSX, but previous 4 doors I have had demonstrated the same problem. The laminate will help as I did get surface rust on the other vehicles (and I washed it at least twice per week by hand).

rag21

i have a 6 speed navi car and was driving during the last snow storm we had in the NJ/NY area a few weeks ago.

This car was pretty good in the snow. did not get stuck at all. there is wheelspin, but nothing crazy.

my previous car was a subaru. the tsx is not as good at the subie, but its good enough as long as you dont screw around too much.

MEGADETH9mm

it drives very good in the winter. i have my winter wheels/tires on. also to get out of my driveway i have to go up a hill, i put the gear to S and it is able to go up the hill when it's icy and snowy. car handles just as good as my 05 TL did.

jnc2000

I wanted to add to this thread as I have a 09 TSX as a loaner car because my 3G TL is having its 4th transmission put in it this week.

I live in north east Ohio, and where I live mother nature can be quite unforgiving during the winter. Tonight I had the pleasure of driving through a nice ice storm. Surface temps were ~28*-30* though most of the evening, during which we had some torrential rain. This caused a nice build up ice over all untreated surfaces (which in Ohio means all roadways). In these conditions tires make or break how you make out.

Unfortunately, this car still had the MMX4 tires. This led to unplesent travels. However, with the assistance of ABS, traction control and the ability to modulate engine speed/gear via the paddle shifters I was able to control the car fairly well. There were some occasions that I needed to use the e-brake to swing the back end around to help maintain my intended path.

All and all, with correct driver input, the car responded the way it should. Put on a proper set of winter tires and I have no doubt this would be capable car in just about any condition. Thing is in this type of weather its often not the fault of the automobile that causes the problems we hear/see. It's the driver behind the wheel making poor decisions that causes the accidents and problems on the roadways during inclement weather.

TSXDriver23

Good thing that the 09 TSX handles well in winter driving. Have any of you decided to put snow tires in yet?

Summer

Any updates, after the big storms the East Coast has had over the last few weeks?

Would the TSX be an okay choice for someone who is not an experienced snow driver, or do you think I might get myself into trouble too easily on the poorly-plowed roads of New England? (I currently drive a Subaru)

LukeaTron

The car is extremely well mannered in the snow if it's got the right tires on it. If it does break away, it does so in a very smooth and predictable manner. I would say the only step down from the Subaru will be your ability to get out of deeper snow. As long as you don't bury the TSX, it does fine though.

If you can't handle the TSX in the snow, you shouldn't be driving in the snow.

samwlee

My impressions are not as positive - I don't feel that it's stable in the snow, as I've had it slip or drift quite a bit on side roads. Coming from an SUV, I've driven rather carefully this winter and wish I went with an AWD sedan. I've also gotten in stuck at a couple of lights, where the snow was present and literally had to rock my way out of it.

I think the tires are definitely a culprit - snow tires would help immensely... I also think that lots of snow get caught in the wheel wells and throws off the steering/stability.

Overall, if the roads been plowed, it's fine. In Boston, it's been a rough winter...

ttk5

wats VSC, isnt it VSA?

cmasterchoe

Vehicle Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Assist, same difference

tsxcisa

where I live we had a ton of snow this year. am still driving on the michelin xice2 winter tires I had the dealer put on the day I picked up the car (215/60-16s on steel wheels from the Tirerack; also included pre-installed TPM sensors). No complaints, concerns, or problems at all. Am looking forward to putting the michelins and alloys that came with the car as soon as possible though!

ivica5683

Has anyone purchased these 215/60-16S from Tire Track with the TPMS sensors? Do you need to revisit the dealer every time you change from summer to winter tires?

Is it a better option to purchase the 17" rims and spend more on the tires or is it better to downsize one size to the 16's ?

Just picked up my new TSX and am already thinking of the upcoming Canadian Winter. I'm also willing to purchase a set of OEM rims with sensors for the 2009 if anyone is selling.