Sherlock

Ok.. so we poor southerners finally got iced/snowed/slushed and I got to try out good ole Maxwell in the snow (yes I name my cars). So I back out of the driveway, floor it in the street, and it merrily chugs along straight down the road, uneventful, but SCHWEET. Get to the first stop sign, right turn, floor it, it just creeps right around the turn and goes merrily along. Little bit of a straightaway so I floor it in the mostly frozen slush, pedal to the floor, about 1500 rpm max, full VSA blinking and not one direction change.

So I trudge down the road to the next stop sign, make a left turn but this time with some forward inertia first, then turn, it slid a bit forward in the middle lane where there was snow that hadn't been cleared, but then corrected and I was fine.

Hit some slush at 45, it blinked the triangle and the car never missed a beat.

All the way up the I75/I85 connector, of course everyone else was crawling, trucks were passing because we all know 4x4's ARE invincible. . I actually did some passing once I felt that Maxwell was going to be fine, and it was.

Interestingly when I went to hit the wipers the first time, they didn't even move, almost as if they knew there was snow. In my Accord they would at least try to move and then jam in the snow. In my CRX I did that and stripped the splines off the post the wiper arms were on, so technology has come up a little bit at least. So I got out and wiped off the windshield, then hit the wipers and they went happily.

So for EL42's they did pretty damn nice in a little bit of snow/ice/sleet. I know they're not snow tires, I used to live in Wisconsin so I know what real snow driving is, but they're not bad for stock for southerners and our once a year 6 hours of foul weather. I don't consider rain foul weather even tho it seems to be like fire from heaven watching the rest of these people drive.

The traction control is definately pretty advanced and worth its weight in gold.

daikon38

Nice to know that the VSA works doesn't it? Otherwise we'd be in a whole world of trouble driving like that

So how's Maxwell??? heheheheh
I named mine Emily

It just didn't feel right having the navigation voice set as a male, so I use the female setting. Logic, then, follows that since the navigation voice is a female, the car's name HAS to be a female (at least for me). Plus, I don't like the idea of driving a guy.

Sherlock

Maxwell followed a series of names of Watson, and Sherlock, so it was a theme.

And I had to (ok, not going to type what I really wanted to) ditch the female voice cuz I'm not gunna drive with a woman telling me what to do. Turn left, turn right, you missed the turn, turn here, turn around, slow down.

But yeah.. the VSA was neat, thinks for ya.

Lore

Are you sure the wipers didn't just freeze to the window? I didn't think there was a feature to prevent it from going if it knew there was something on the window.

rets

Well done, Maxwell...

IMO, I think EL42s are doing the ok job in slight snow condition.

I still remembered some ppl ever complained hardly how bad EL42s were in the snow, and it's the worst tires they ever knew. Mabye.

My complaint to this tires is hydroplaning in water-full conditions. Otherwise, except the vibration and flatspot issues, I don't think EL42s are as bad as other low-end tires.

lsbuffs

I appreciate your take on the capability of the EL42s on snow. I must say, however, that after driving the TL on snow five or six times since delivery last October, in my opinion these tires perform very poorly. I'm a very experienced driver when it comes to snow, and have previously driven many front-wheel drive cars with their standard tire package. The TL on the E42s feels to me just one step above racing slicks. My primary complaint is the initial take-off from a stop. Even with the engine power greatly reduced, I'm often spinning my tires. I also do not feel confident in turning, as the rear wheels will frequently slide. The VSA does what it can, but it can't compensate for lousy tire traction.

I am just biding my time until I can afford some Michelin A/S.

Yaaro Dhana

I concur with lsbuffs. I have done a lot of winter driving with many different tires and the EL42's are definitely not very high up on the list. The VSC does help, but the "feel" on non-trivial amounts of snow/ice is not confidence inspiring. Also, VSC does nothing to enhance stopping, which is also critical. Ultimately, if you see a lot of snow, you may be better served by dedicated winter tires. I put some Pirelli Snowsports on my TL '04 and I am very happy with their snow performance.

berzerker

Hey Sherlock - I too live in Georgia, and used to live in Wisconsin. Where you from in Wisconsin?


and yeah - isn't it funny when Georgia gets an inch or two of snow?? Like the end of the world! Don't forget to get yourself to a Publix to clear out the water, milk, bread, and eggs - you wanna be prepared to make emergency french toast should the Winter Storm 2004 last more than six hours

Sherlock

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying they were competent snow tires, but for our one day a year, they weren't miserable. And for a wide/low tire, at least I didn't die and spin in circles like my roomie's IROC-Z would have on 245's.

Sure if I was up north I would definately have snow tires.

As for hydroplaning, I have yet to hydroplane in Maxwell, and i'm stupid enough to travel that fast w/o a brain, even hit some big puddles and it just sprayed the puddle and the car barely flinched.

Berzerker: I'm in atlanta now, but am originally from Burlington WI, extreme southeast corner.

rets

Too stupid to drive slowly... so I got lots of hydroplaning..