Does your TL do good in the snow?
12-29-2012, 08:14 PM
#42
Racer
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests
Not a be-all-end-all test, but certainly food for thought. Here in Colorado, we can use studded snow tires in the winter. For a car, this is indeed the best you can do short of chains. Can a TL be overwhelmed in snow? Of course. Bottom line: practice in safe snowy conditions and learn your personal limitations...
Not a be-all-end-all test, but certainly food for thought. Here in Colorado, we can use studded snow tires in the winter. For a car, this is indeed the best you can do short of chains. Can a TL be overwhelmed in snow? Of course. Bottom line: practice in safe snowy conditions and learn your personal limitations...
I kid lol!
12-31-2012, 07:01 PM
#45
2005TL(6MT)
My TL does well in the snow with the A-SPEC suspension and the Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S (245/45ZR17) tires.
It's not as good as my precious car. A 2001 CL-S with the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4 (215/50VR17). I think the higher ride height and narrower tires helped the CL-S a lot in the snow. It was noticeably better than the TL.
It's not as good as my precious car. A 2001 CL-S with the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4 (215/50VR17). I think the higher ride height and narrower tires helped the CL-S a lot in the snow. It was noticeably better than the TL.
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4drviper (01-23-2013)
01-01-2013, 10:11 AM
#47
Burning Brakes
I run Michelin Primary Alpins in the winter which is a performance winter tire, and I have yet to find snow I can't get through. I have driven on the 401 in very heavy snow and other cars have to slow down to a crawl and I just go by them easily and my car feels confident. Tires make all the difference, a Corvette with winter tires will do better on a slippery road than a 4x4 with all seasons (well if the low clearance doesn't stop it). It also has to do with driver skill, there are certain things you can't do on slippery roads but some drivers just don't learn it.
01-01-2013, 06:07 PM
#48
Instructor
I'm running Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S with about 30k on them and have had some issues this year already that I didn't last year (more snow already here in OH than last year) causing an early trip to the body shop for a bumper vs marker post repair. I've driven in snow for many years and the wider profile of these wheels makes the handling a little trickier than a 'normal' family sedan. Agree that the right tires make all the difference in the world so I'll be looking at something different next time around.
01-01-2013, 09:20 PM
#49
Drifting
The most snow I have seen in Dallas in 8 or 9 years is about 2" and it did not last very long. Like a day. Usually we only get a dusting or 1" of snow every year. If we have had 3+ inches I don't remember it. But I know for sure I have not driven my car in that much snow on the road in Dallas. Within a day, whatever we get, it's usually gone. And I can just work from home on bad days if I have to. But actually, now I am in walking distance to work so I don't have to drive anyway. 
01-01-2013, 09:32 PM
#51
My TL does well in the snow with the A-SPEC suspension and the Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S (245/45ZR17) tires.
It's not as good as my precious car. A 2001 CL-S with the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4 (215/50VR17). I think the higher ride height and narrower tires helped the CL-S a lot in the snow. It was noticeably better than the TL.
It's not as good as my precious car. A 2001 CL-S with the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4 (215/50VR17). I think the higher ride height and narrower tires helped the CL-S a lot in the snow. It was noticeably better than the TL.
It's not all that uncommon to get a lot of snow here, but GENERALLY the roads are cleared well enough that its not in the way too much. My Accord was lowered at least 4" and it wasn't an issue, even on the bad days...
I cleared the driveway late that night since it was about this height, and it continued to snow through the night.
I don't really have a lot of pictures of the Accord in snow, but this is the typical winter ride height.
And yes, I preferred driving that in the winter over the TL.
01-01-2013, 10:14 PM
#53
Drifting
it sure is nice to see snow. I never get to see this much snow
01-01-2013, 10:19 PM
#54
Suzuka Master
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Never said I need AWD
01-02-2013, 07:20 AM
#57
Former Sponsor
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I was always under the impression that a good set of all seasons tires would be sufficient enough for harsh winter months here in NE; I know, silly me.
Safe to say that all the previous years of me driving in the snow, I survived, a few hairy moments when I use to drive at night from Boston to the Cape after school during the day but I managed.
A few years back I was browsing the CG and came across a set of steel wheels with some gislaved nordfrost 4s on them for dirt cheap, btw the NF4s are General Altimax Arctics' twins. I am not going to say that I felt like I had "Feet of God" after putting the snows on but it did may a night and days worth of difference and made a believer out of me.
Here is what has been on my TL over the past 5 winters
1) Gislaved NordFrost 4s
Light snow traction: 9/10
Ice Traction: 5/10
Deep snow traction: 8/10
2) Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
Light snow traction : 7/10
Ice traction: 4/10
Deep snow traction: 4/10
3) Studded General Altimax Arctic
Light snow traction : 9/10
Ice traction : 8/10
Deep snow traction : 8/10
Sorry for the long post, but if you are on the fence about getting snow tires then do not wait as it is well worth the investment.
By the way, as others have said so far, even if you have tank tracks installed on your car its not going to do you any good if drivers do not practice safe driving and use common sense.
01-02-2013, 07:26 AM
#58
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (12)
I installed the DWS on my GS back when they first came out, first winter they saw they performed very very good even with the RWD, mediocre in the second winter and down right unsafe this year. I think I have put about 30K miles on them over the past few years.
01-02-2013, 08:34 AM
#60
Intermediate
Found out yesterday that VSA and ice are not compatable...otherwise Ive had no issues in the Utah snow so far. Better then my Trans Am was back in NJ. Seems like a few people here from my area here too.
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Paul05TL (01-23-2013)
01-02-2013, 09:55 AM
#61
Team Owner
iTrader: (4)
The last 2 winters have been very mild on snow in Central PA. I'm running Michelin MXM4 and they have been fine.
What I have learned with winter driving is that you need to take it slow regardless of the type of tires. I usually drive slower, leave more space between cars and if I really have too....I take the Pathfinder.
What I have learned with winter driving is that you need to take it slow regardless of the type of tires. I usually drive slower, leave more space between cars and if I really have too....I take the Pathfinder.
01-02-2013, 03:30 PM
#62
Here in MD got hit with a little. I have the michelin super sport A/S month old. Handles very well. However, I catch the metro or drive the hooptie. I'm more concerned about the idiots who 'think' they can drive hitting my baby.
01-02-2013, 04:28 PM
#63
CARBON FIBER WDP TL
I do not have snow tires or A/S tires on my car at all, so the car drives terrible. Slip and sliding with just a few inches on the ground. Luckily I drive my girlfriends CR-V so dont have to deal with it so much.
01-02-2013, 04:46 PM
#64
Senior Moderator
Snow tires FTW.
01-02-2013, 05:03 PM
#65
Keep Right Except to Pass
This sentence is a link to a post I made in December 2010 commenting about the TL in the snow.
I find that the bigger problem in the snow is not how the TL might do but rather the risk posed by other drivers who either have no sense at all or who are out of control. Put differently, you can be doing just fine only to have your car destroyed when some shit-for-brains in an SUV brakes too late, goes into a skid, and slams into you.
BTW, the post I linked above contains a picture from the Interstate on the way to a hockey game. Here's a picture of our street the night before. Our driveway is to the right in the extreme foreground (see the small patch of bare pavement near the bottom right of the photo). My TL did fine getting out in these conditions, although the drivable part of the street was so narrow that I had to back out of my driveway and back across the street into a neighbor's driveway, then turn left, then back all the way down the street to get out. But I did fine. Meantime, the guy with the Camry shown here is from Baghdad and he tries to do the minimum possible amount of shovelling before driving (his wife was trying to shovel snow using a CAT LITTER SCOOP). He was stuck when I took this picture. Another neighbor and I pushed him back into his driveway. He tried again two hours later and got stuck again. That time I did not help him.
I've had my TL since August 2004 and my overall feeling about driving it in the snow has remained constant: If you live in an area where snow tyres are the norm, then the TL will do fine IF you put snow tyres on it. If you live in an area like DC where we get the occasional big snow dump every couple of years but otherwise generally get mild dustings (that nonetheless fuck up the traffic for hours due to the idiots on the road), all-season tyres are fine as long as you (1) know how to drive in the snow and (2) are prepared to recognize the car's limitations in heavier snow and know how to work around them. (I should also note that the snow we get here tends to be wetter and therefore heavier than the stuff they get out in the Rockies.) The TL did great with all-season tyres (Pirellis for a while, Michelin Pilot Sports since 2007...on my second set of those now) on PACKED snow, but if I were encountering deeper stuff on a regular basis I'd want snow tyres.
I find that the bigger problem in the snow is not how the TL might do but rather the risk posed by other drivers who either have no sense at all or who are out of control. Put differently, you can be doing just fine only to have your car destroyed when some shit-for-brains in an SUV brakes too late, goes into a skid, and slams into you.
BTW, the post I linked above contains a picture from the Interstate on the way to a hockey game. Here's a picture of our street the night before. Our driveway is to the right in the extreme foreground (see the small patch of bare pavement near the bottom right of the photo). My TL did fine getting out in these conditions, although the drivable part of the street was so narrow that I had to back out of my driveway and back across the street into a neighbor's driveway, then turn left, then back all the way down the street to get out. But I did fine. Meantime, the guy with the Camry shown here is from Baghdad and he tries to do the minimum possible amount of shovelling before driving (his wife was trying to shovel snow using a CAT LITTER SCOOP). He was stuck when I took this picture. Another neighbor and I pushed him back into his driveway. He tried again two hours later and got stuck again. That time I did not help him.
I've had my TL since August 2004 and my overall feeling about driving it in the snow has remained constant: If you live in an area where snow tyres are the norm, then the TL will do fine IF you put snow tyres on it. If you live in an area like DC where we get the occasional big snow dump every couple of years but otherwise generally get mild dustings (that nonetheless fuck up the traffic for hours due to the idiots on the road), all-season tyres are fine as long as you (1) know how to drive in the snow and (2) are prepared to recognize the car's limitations in heavier snow and know how to work around them. (I should also note that the snow we get here tends to be wetter and therefore heavier than the stuff they get out in the Rockies.) The TL did great with all-season tyres (Pirellis for a while, Michelin Pilot Sports since 2007...on my second set of those now) on PACKED snow, but if I were encountering deeper stuff on a regular basis I'd want snow tyres.
01-03-2013, 09:29 AM
#67
Drifting
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Drove in the snow for the first time today with the TL, did well like I figured it would since it is a FWD.
Only problem I had is where not many cars have gone and the snow was higher then the TL....still pulled through like a boss, Though I agree VSA sometimes makes it worse.
Only problem I had is where not many cars have gone and the snow was higher then the TL....still pulled through like a boss, Though I agree VSA sometimes makes it worse.
Been running all weathers just fine... But it is Salt Lake. Its not really the worst winters but certain roads can be bad. I find that careful driving and close observation of the road surface can do wonders. To be fair I used to drive around in Logan Utah and the weather there was bad but I still did just fine...
I do just fine with my Conti DWS's. I've had some pretty crazy runs up to the U. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for the manual though. It's gotten me out of some pretty nasty situations.
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Paul05TL (01-23-2013)
01-03-2013, 10:08 AM
#68
07 WDP TL Type S
I run Conti DWS all seasons on my tl-s and they did fine the first two winters. This year, after almost 40k on them they're not great, but still manage to do a decent job through the snow. Im probably going to have them last through this winter as Ill be living at school again and not driving much, and will end up getting some nice summer tires in the spring and winters for next winter.
If you are looking for a great all season tire, I highly recommend the Conti DWS, as they do GREAT in the on wet or snowy roads.
If you are looking for a great all season tire, I highly recommend the Conti DWS, as they do GREAT in the on wet or snowy roads.
01-03-2013, 03:15 PM
#69
Drifting
1) Gislaved NordFrost 4s
Light snow traction: 9/10
Ice Traction: 5/10
Deep snow traction: 8/10
2) Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
Light snow traction : 7/10
Ice traction: 4/10
Deep snow traction: 4/10
3) Studded General Altimax Arctic
Light snow traction : 9/10
Ice traction : 8/10
Deep snow traction : 8/10
Light snow traction: 9/10
Ice Traction: 5/10
Deep snow traction: 8/10
2) Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
Light snow traction : 7/10
Ice traction: 4/10
Deep snow traction: 4/10
3) Studded General Altimax Arctic
Light snow traction : 9/10
Ice traction : 8/10
Deep snow traction : 8/10
01-03-2013, 04:11 PM
#70
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (12)
What about stability and traction on dry pavement? That is one of the main reasons I don't run dedicated snow/ice tires anymore. The last set I had on a prior car were f'ing amazing in the snow and ice, but so scary on dry roads. For the most part you were in much better control than normal when on bad roads, but on good roads it was just like you were on bad roads.
This is more of a mental note rather than something from a bad experience but with the studded tires you are always uneasy if you ever have to slam on your brakes whilst driving at highway speeds. I have had to do that a few times already this season but the studded tires have performed almost as good as my DWS A/S tires.
01-03-2013, 04:13 PM
#71
takin care of Business in
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I have owned the TL for almost 6 years now and I have lived all the 6 years in STL/KC....my car is my daily driver and she has seen snow/ice/rain/hail, pretty much all types of climatic conditions....
IMO the TL does good (not great and not bad) in the snow...
the tires that I have had on her are:
Falken ZEIX912's. All season tires....the tires did good in the snow but never will i get those tires again
Fuzion Hri's...I was on a budget and the tires again did good in the snow (not great and not bad either)....
I keep VSA off while driving in the snow....with VSA off, the ECU does not cut off fuel/throttle at ~2000 rpm under slippage....so when am in snow/ice and I want to go up a hill or some like that, i dont mind some slippage but I do not want the ECU to cut off fuel....hence VSA stays off....
I wish i had an AWD for winter but the TL is not bad at all...
IMO the TL does good (not great and not bad) in the snow...
the tires that I have had on her are:
Falken ZEIX912's. All season tires....the tires did good in the snow but never will i get those tires again
Fuzion Hri's...I was on a budget and the tires again did good in the snow (not great and not bad either)....
I keep VSA off while driving in the snow....with VSA off, the ECU does not cut off fuel/throttle at ~2000 rpm under slippage....so when am in snow/ice and I want to go up a hill or some like that, i dont mind some slippage but I do not want the ECU to cut off fuel....hence VSA stays off....
I wish i had an AWD for winter but the TL is not bad at all...
01-03-2013, 09:52 PM
#72
This my first winter with my tl-s. Mine does horrible. (Lowered, nitto nt555 tires). i hate the vsa and abs on this car. Luckily i got a beater 98 civic four door that i can drive.
01-04-2013, 08:15 AM
#74
Three Wheelin'
I have Goodyear Eagle GT for 3 years now and about 30k plus mile. It was very good in the snow for the first year but then became crappy on the 2nd snow season.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes
Last edited by coykiam; 01-04-2013 at 08:18 AM.
01-24-2013, 01:29 PM
#78
