dejavu

Has anyone driven in winter snow/ice conditions with the factory tires? Are they adequate or is a dedicated set of snow tires required?

HondaOnly

Go to tirerack.com and look at the ratings on the EL42s. I personally have never driven them in the snow. After seeing how scary they were on wet pavement, I decided not to wait to how bad they'd be in snow. I got Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires and they were excellent in the snow.

lindros2

The EL-42's perform like crap in snow/ice.

I would go with a winter or hybrid tire.

rets

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103690


https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102432

geminis2

THEY SUCK had no traction in snow and ice. I upgraded to TOYO Proxes4s but for ice and snow go Blizzacks

Pro Stock John

I have driven in heavy snow with them in my 6MT and the tires were average. I attribute that to them being (a) 17's and (b) being just average tires in general.

I think some of the folks who are down talking the stock tires for winter are not taking into account that 17's in general are worth than the 15's or 16's folks may have had on past cars.

gregory28_RENAMED

They are terrible in snow and ice. Get some Winter tires or all-seasons. I'm using Nokian WR's.

DarkWraith33

My stock Michelins did just fine the other day... Bear in mind they are basically brandy new however... Come NEXT fall, I think I'll be switching over to some PZero Nero M+S tires....

PoochaKannInc

We had snow in NY this week. The EL-42s, performed just fine. Not GREAT tires, but definitely not death on wheels as some have been mentioning.

As long as you aren't trying to break your 1/4 mile record, and lower your lap times...it worked ok for me.

jgatortl

I just drove thru the Kentucky / Illinois snow / sleet / ice storm in them.

On ice, they are absolutely horrible, thank god for patience and VSA. Everyone was passing me - I could not keep up as the tires were to squirrelly. In the snow, they were marginal. I would highly recommend snow tires or another all season, because these are not all season tires.

caball88

drove the TL to go snowboarding in VT and there was a mild amount of snow. didn't have a problem at all. the resort had a bunch of hills covered with snow and i had no problems getting up and down. i don't know why there are so many negative comments about the el42 in snow but they performed ok. i didn't try to push them to its limits which i am sure is not that great but there is nothing to fear. the flat spotting issue is still there which does annoy the hell out of me.

Michael A

No problems at all with the EL's on my TL. If you think the TL with EL's is bad in the snow you havent driven a RWD performace car in the snow. Try driving a S2000 or C5 Vette in the snow and you will really see what poor traction is in the winter.

oppnyc

Yesterday winter hit NY.
I was driving 30-40 mph on city street covered with mix water/snow and hit breaks in order to stop for red light and car did not stop when it has to. (just talking from Maxima experience. TL on EL 42 went extra 12-15 feet before it stoped)
There were no car(s) in front of me and only this fact saved my TL.
Today I already visited several tire shop to get Toyo Proxy 4 (may be I `ll get Pirrelli ???)

Pro Stock John

Stock tires are 17's, and all 17's are crap in snow, the treads fill up with ice and snow. Just have to be more careful

oppnyc

what makes you say that 17 are crap?
will 18 make any difference?

PoochaKannInc

No. 18's will be worse. The bigger and wider the tire is, the less useful they are in the snow. The skinnier the tire is, the better it is for traction.

JMan

Stock EL-42's are terrible in the snow!!!

SpecialFX

I didn't have major problems last week in the ice/snow we had here on Long Island. Just have to take it easy. I don't care if anyone passes me as long as they're in control and not just flying by me out of control. I drive at the speed I feel I can comfortably control my vehicle based on the conditions. I'm sure other tires would have been better but some would have been worse. The Kumho's on my last car almost killed me a few times. I really should have put on other tires for the winter.

I don't need to take the TL out if the weather is bad. I drive another (older) car that does just fine in the snow and won't break my heart if there's a problem.

04TLMan

Check the wear. I noticed that after 9000 miles, I was worn down to 1/8 in. So they basically sucked!

geminis2

They Suck I have TOYO PROXES4s

rets

IMHO, those EL42s on my car ain't that bad. I did try PVC and TU2 versions. But, their wide/low-profile design may be one of the main factors causing issues on snowy roads.

jbtcole

I haven't had any problems in snowy Indianapolis this winter with my OEM EL42s. I wouldn't say they have been great, but they are getting the job done. However, I do plan to replace them with Michelins (or another brand based on recommendations on this site) before next winter. Good luck!