DayLight324

I was driving on 287, last night and this car was just driving horrible during the snow storm. I mean cars were flying past me at like 50 and I had to stay at about 30 to 35 because I was just losing control. Does anybody know why? and should i drive with the vsa on or off I had it on the whole time. Did anybody change the tires and felt the driving in snow better.

neuronbob

You need the VSA on as this will help you if you skid. Which tires are you running? If you've got the EL42s, and they've got some miles on them, that's the problem and you may need to switch to better all-weathers or to snow tires.

JDM5lugHatch

Personally I think the car does fine in the snow. Also, I find driving without VSA gives me more control of the car. I feel more at ease knowing that I am in full control of the car and that vsa isn't going to kick in and brake when I don't want it too.

Also depending on how much snow is on the ground why would you want be going 50 mph in the first place? Speed limits are exactly that. Sometimes slower is better/safer.

rets

I bet you have read this thread.

This topic has been discussed dozens of times since 2003 Winter. Some feel TL+EL42s are horrible combination, some think TL is the worst (no matter whatever tyres it has), some believe TL has no difference to other vehicles, and rest of TL'rs say this vehicle is great.

IMHO, well, this powerful FWD plus low-profile wide tyres seem to make it a little hard to handle during the snow. But the snow shoes would be very very helpful...

Your geographical locations, roads' conditions, drivers' experiences, weather conditions, snow depth, etc. would be the factors to all of your questions...


We should have the POLL with detailed options to cast our votes...

nikko

It's funny.....we got a pretty bad snow dump about three weeks ago and I was going on Hwy 401, Toronto at a bit over 50 mph , the car was solid and steady like a rock, my old Audi A4 quattro wouldn't have done better.
My VSA was on and I have Michelin tyres.

ericajackhannahjamie?

Hi!
I live in New Brunswick, I know where 287 is, I was travelling on that road yesterday when it started to snow pretty bad... then I hopped on NJTP going down south then 295S... .I was actually driving 75mph.....and my car with VSA on.. was perfect...

I like my car

TBone2004

Did 287 this morning 'bout 6am and had no problems - despite the road being a TOTAL mess. Sure, if you didn't drive carefully you would end up in trouble - like all the invincible SUVs I saw crashed to the side.

My VSA was flashing away from time to time and kept me aware that traction was not 100% and it was doing its thing. I too have been VERY pleased with the snow performance.

soljc

I've got 4 snows on my TL and have been pleasantly surprised with the snow traction of the TL.

caball88

you can't blame all poor bad weather control on the car, the driver's experience will also play a bog role in how well a car performs in bad weather. i went snowboarding with a group of friends and we spun out in a RX330. the driver was inexperienced and when he felt the car shift a bit he hit the brakes(big no no). i have yet to even get the TL to slide the slightest to the left of right. the el42's are not the greatest but with careful driving you can control it. i still wouldn't advise driving in bad weather if it can be avoided.

KJSmitty

Maybe you should have your alignment checked.. Few are having control issues due to out of speck rear alignments etc. Did it feel like the rear of the car would just inadvertantly slide out/in etc.?

Just a thought.

GUMP

my abs and vsa saved me this morning. on ridge pike in limerick when a jackass in a ford explorer tried to pass me on the right. i was in the left because the right lane wasn't plowed yet and was slushy and icy. he came up quick from behind, got to my right and started to spin as he passed me. he came within 6 inches of my nose, spun sideways in front of me, crossed the highway (no one thankfully coming at him), than hit a yield sign. i hit the brakes, abs and vsa kicked in. i had total control of the car and kept going. i would have stopped to help, but he was a total tool! people just need to slow the hell down.

apwalsh

Sounds like the "My SUV is Invincible Syndrome."

bluenoise

It's just as well you didn't stop for him. He's probably ask you to help clean the fresh poop from his driver's seat.

DayLight324

I was wondering on buying new tires, ones for the winter only, because I just bought some new rims for the spring and summer. Which snow tires are good out there? Oh yea I have about 8500 on the el42's. Thanks for the replies

Nitrotiger

Get some snow tires and the tl rules. I have the Nokian wr on and i feel lik e i am on dry road

A-TLvic882

What???


I have been VERY pleased with the snow performance on my TL, with new TU2 tires.

mickey3c

As previously illuded to by several people here. The car does not suck in snow the tires suck in snow.

obrienklm

I agree with the Nokian recomendation, good handling tire and they are fantastic on wet, ice and snow - get the all season, no need for their various snow ties.

markjrenna

We just had a small snow/ice storm here in North Jersey. I'm on all back roads but do get up to 50 or so on some. I was passing most everyone on the road. They were doing, say 25 and I was doing 35 or more with total control.

All I know is I had the '01 TL and that was terrible in the snow. The '04 TL is night and day compared to it.

My opinions are definitely biased since I've only driven Honda/Acura for the past 20 years

BTW, stock tires too. I can't imagine this thing with even better tires!

mickey3c

I am actually surprised since the TLs performed worse for me than the michelin MXV4s if that is what you had on your 01.

markjrenna

I had stocks on the '01 too. Something is definitely better in the '04 TL (at least for me anyway).

TLNJ

I've only driven AWD cars (Subaru Legacy, WRX and Audi A4) my entire life prior to getting the TL. It was a difficult but consious decision to forgo the AWD for a TL (especially here in NJ and especially with how the past few storms have been around here). In comparison, the AWD cars handled 10x better than my TL in the snow. For people to say the TL is "great" well all I can say is drive an AWD or a 4x4 for a few winters in NJ and you will not say the TL handles great in comparison.

Yes, AWD does not make you stop better. But for me I drive slow/well enough that stopping usually isn't an issue. More often than not it's getting going whether it be on a snow/ice covered road or up a hill. Many of times I would drive by a fish tailing BMW with a smile on my face driving straight as an arrow or once a car completely stuck (the driver abandoned the car) in snow up to the doors and I drove by it no problem (made me nervous, but I got through it no problem). This winter I've encountered going fwd. issues that I never had with my AWD cars. I mean go over to audiworld.com and you'll see all the Audi people saying they wish everyday snowed because driving around in this is not an issue. You will never see a debate as to whether their car sucks in the snow.

So comparitavely speaking the TL is horrible at least IMO compared to Subaru's and Audi's. It just has too much going against it like it was mentioned above low profile tires, powerful FWD, etc. But these are some of the things that drew me to the TL...afterall spring is right around the corner...isn't it?!?!!

SmokeTL

I will take this over my previous car any day (in the snow that is), I had summer tires on that one too. I had to leave it at my job a few times. A month ago I got the Falken Zeixs....its like a snow ferret. I tested it out in a snow covered complex in West Orange...I was very happy with the control. Tires make a big difference....like you guys didn't know this already.

04TLMan

I agree, the ELs were bad....but the new Mich Pilot Snows are amazing. Last night, riding around in fresh ice/snow, I was in complete control....

And VSA is really good. With the drive by wire, it cuts power if you are spinning. You can stomp on the gas in middle of a snow covered turn, and it limits the trouble you can get into. You can get into trouble (kids, do not try this at home) but it is one more level of protection.

1995hoo

I have the stock EL42s on mine and didn't have any problem at all on an unplowed Interstate with maybe 3 to 4 inches of snow last Monday. Didn't go much above 45 mph or so because the road wasn't plowed and I didn't know whether there might be ice underneath, of course, but the car handled fine. Snow tyres might do better, but they're not worth it in this part of the country, IMO.

NoSpeedLmt

I got some Michelin Pilots A/S on my TL. Wet and Snow traction is great.

schrefftl

I had the EL42s and they sucked in the snow. I replaced with Bridgestone Blizaak LM 22's with new rims from Tirerack.com. My TL Drives much better in the snow now. A world of difference.

missmyprelude

Reminds me of an article I read in C&D on their long term TT Quattro. One of the editors got stuck in small snow storm and couldn't get the thing going. Of course, the problem was the tires - if the tires can't grip, it doesn't matter if you have 2 or 4 wheels driving, they'll all be spinning. I don't think being a powerful FWD plays that much into it (unless the driver is overzealous).

I won't dispute the fact that AWD will give better traction getting going (all other things being equal), but tires are still more important to me. I can spend $400 on a set of winter tires that will help me under all snow/ice conditions (not just getting the thing moving). If I had AWD, I would get a set of snow tires.

That being said, the problem with the TL is most definitely the tires - width, tread, compound. If I planned to keep my TL for another winter, I would definitely have a set for this car. One of the biggest problems that I have with the TL (other than starting traction) is understeering when taking sharp turns. This is something that I wouldn't expect AWD to take care of since it's typically happening when braking slightly or coasting. Sure I could "rally" my way into the corner with my tail hanging out with AWD, but that's not really what I want to do on the street. A good set of snow tires would keep my track as desired. And, no, I'm typically not going too fast in these cases (5-10 mph). The tires just suck in the snow. Period.

Nitrotiger

MY Nokia wr peformed flowess in that crazy snow and ice storm yesterday

Tecciztecatl

Yeah dude, you need some snow tires if you want to have any kind of performance in the snow. I just took my Dunlop M3s off yesterday and put the PZeros on for the spring-fall. The el42 blow anyway ... I took mine off the first week I owned the car.

With my M3s I was passing people at around 60mph no problem, very stable and in control. snow + worn all season tires = traffic jam

Wax On

I live in Park City, Utah where we have had over 383" of snow this year. I have a '04 5AT with the stock tires. I made a decision to leave them on until I got stuck, only then would I upgrade to snow tires. While I am not in love with the stock tires, I have not been stuck once. However, my wife slid off our street into a snow bank and popped off the corner of the front bumper. This was not a result of bad tires or FWD, but rather her going too fast around a declining corner. But, if you are an experienced driver in the snow, this car does just fine. By the way, turn the VSA off at low speeds and inclines. I did a series of tests and found that I could get up 10% grades with snow and ice no problem when I turned off the VSA. As far as highway driving is concerned, there is nothing wrong with staying at a safe speed. Didn't we all buy a TL because it is the best car to be in regardless of the traffic situation?

nypb

I'm sure when he tells the story to his wife/friends he'll say "I don't know what happened, I was just driving along minding my business and I spun out."

Either that or he'll blame "this guy in a TL..."

idiots

Harkov

I drove down 287 on tuesday, during that snow storm...about 2:30pm. I've had my TL since Feb 04. Have the same EL42's it came with when i bought it. I had no problems in the snow & ice storm there...

Sure, I didn't expect the car to stop if I slammed on the brakes, or be able to rapidly change lanes...but for winter handling...on 'performance' (i say that very lightly) tires...with 270hp....this car is pretty solid in the snow.

Move up to Buffalo or Syracuse for a month in the winter sometime. You'll learn how to REALLY drive in the snow pretty quickly