hey guys i have been waiting for the 05 to come out and just had a quick question. I never owned a car before especially a 270hp one, but was wondering how it handles in bad weather (snow), living in Canada it is a big issue. My friends have been pressuring me to buy the g35 because it is awd, but i have fallen in love with the gadgets that come with the tl and m not willing to give them up if it has good road manners in bad weather. So anyone who owns a tl and experiences harsh winters please respond.

thanks

 

Generally speaking, AWD is the best. Then FWD and finally RWD is the worst for snow.

However, from my personal experience, the biggest factor is the tires.

If you put performance tires you cannot use the car in the snow. If you use good snow tires then you will be find when the snow comes.

Hell, if you put racing "z" rated tires on a 4x4 it would slip all over the place and still get stuck.

 

A fwd car with Alpins or Blizzaks will do way better than an awd car with all seasons on it. As far as summer or performance tires go-don't even think about it.

 

i drove the car in the snow with the stock tires and they handled fine. this was about 3-4 inches of snow. i am sure you get alot more up in canada. like argoldst said it also depends on what type of tires you put on it. if you invest in a set of blizzaks for the winter the car will handle just fine.

 

I've owned the Acura RSX-S during last winter and also the WRX. Even though the handling might be different from the TL, the FWD RSX handled pretty well. Honestly, I couldn't feel the difference between an AWD and a FWD (both all-weather tires).
Once you lose control of the car, it doesn't matter whether it's AWD or FWD.
Drive safe!

 

Why? The LSD channels power to the non-spinning front wheel. With the open differential on the auto, you can spin one wheel all day. Just a detail? Not for my friend who sold a silver auto after one winter. He literally couldn't get up his driveway (even with Bridgestone Blizzak tires).

For most driving, this doesn't matter, and the car should be safe and stable in the snow.

But if you're stuck on a hill...

 

I drove my 5AT through the fifth snowiest winter in Cleveland history last year. On the original POS BS Turanzas. (Gasp! Aaaah!) The car did fantastically with these tires. Of course, they were brand new and I've switched to better tires since. The car will do better with the Falken ZIEX ZE512 tires I've put on since.

Don't worry, this car is a fabulous winter car.

 

I agree with Neuronbob. I live in Toronto and got mine near the end of the winter and really only drove through one storm with the OEM Bridgstones. They were OK in th snow (about 5 to 7 cm) but they were awful in the rain. I have since bought the Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss and I am sure they will be fine for a Toronto winter. Depending on your driving you may well wish to put a real snow or ice tire on the car.

I found that car's VSC is very forgiving of minor driving errors in snow or on rainy days. I don't know about serious driving errors and, frankly, I do not want to find out.

Incidentally, I test drove the G35 coupe (RWD) with snows on a snowy parking lot and it handled very well.

 

thanks for the input guys, it reasuring to know that when i get the tl and winter is around the corner, that there wont be any big surprises.

 

Good point. I forgot to mention: The stability control works. Very well.

 

Well let me add my 2 cents since I live in Canada. As a matter of fact, I live 450 km's north of Edmonton. I have an SSM 6MT Dynamic Package. My car came with the high performance summer tyres when I bought it November 2004. I purchased Blizzak's and had them installed when I drove it off the lot - in snow.

Well let me tell you about my summer driving with the high performance tyres.... fantastic! Love this car.

Now - back to the winter driving. All I can say is FANTASTIC! This car handles beautifully with the winter tyres on. I drove my friend's brand new G35 sedan with AWD on snow and it handled fantastic too but to be honest I didn't find any difference between the AWD and my FWD. But I do admit I was driving regular on street driving - nothing too harsh. I'm not saying one is better than the other but I am saying the TL with FWD and winter tyres was a problem free drive. ( I did have some friends trying to convince me that I wasted money on a FWD. Then they drove my car and changed their minds. )

Anyway - I would say I enjoyed driving with winter tyres on my 04TL and had no worries.

Cheers!
Charles

 

My experience with the TL 6MT with the Turanza All-Seasons was less than ideal. I drove in a few snowstorms last year (most only a few inches, one a bit more). Anyway, I found the EL-42s to be somewhat aweful - I had some trouble on a few occasions just getting going. On the other hand, my wife's RWD Lexus with Blizzaks performs awesome in the snow (it gets through even the deepest unplowed streets).

In general, I discount RWD vs. FWD vs. AWD when driving in winter (actually even in most conditions, but we're talking about snow here). To me, the most critical elements with driving in snow is stopping and maintaining traction in turns. While FWD and AWD may help somewhat in the latter (or at least for the average driver), they won't do anything for the former. For this reason, to me, tires are THE most critical consideration when driving in the winter. Put the right tires for the conditions on most any car, and you will be much safer. In fact, the only time I would consider paying the extra $$ for AWD would be if I lived in *extreme* conditions (e.g. on a steep hill in Canada in a town where they haven't heard of snowplows). AWD will help you in cases where wheelspin during acceleration is a problem. Even in this case, I would invest in dedicated winter tires since AWD still won't help me out a bit when I try to stop somewhat quickly in snow/ice.

 

its all about tires

 

I've bought Blizzaks for last last two cars (both FWD) and had no problems in the snow.
In fact, I was able to go up hills where SUV's were getting stuck!

Spend the US$1k and get a second set of rims and Blizzaks and you'll be able to go just about anywhere.

 

There is a new blizzak LM25 that has a higher speed rating than the LM22 give those a try. The WS50 is a poor choice, it has better ice traction but the handling characteristics are sub par for the TL.

 

I thought TL was for winter?

 

TL is for all seasons...




Whatever your car is (AWD, FWD, RWD), tires are the main factor.

 

Try the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3, it's V speed rated. Or the Dunlop Winter Sport M3, it's also V rated. Either of these tires will be great in the snow, yet also give you the high speed handling necessary when the roads are dry or just wet. These tires will make an enormous difference when it comes time to stop, turn, or accelerate in the snow and ice.

 

Oh ya my rims will come off and the stock wheels are getting blizacks. i drove my car home in jan with the peformance tires and slid all the way home from the previous storm we had. tires are key in the winter but FWD is kick ass in the snow as lons as you have the tires todo do so

 

What is this "snow" of which you speak?

Is it like sand?

XP
Ft. Lauderdale