crwmlw

Hello all. Im looking at a 2012 FWD TL for a super great price. AWD are hard to get and not many out there. I live in Chicago and would like to here from people that live in areas with snow and how the FWD TL drove in snow? Thanks all

NBP04TL4ME

What you are going to find is it is completely dependent on the tires. If you throw on some dedicated snows you will be fine. Other than dedicated snows, the TL will be fine - dependent on the tires.
I know there are many Chicagoland members on AZ and they can provide their feedback.

skabei

Wow you really can't find an SH-AWD? Over here in Toronto there are tons and tons of used SH-AWD but hardly any FWD.

I actually bought a FWD because of my budget and also for the slightly better mileage. I only had my 2012 TL FWD since late March so I haven't had the chance to drive it in the snow so I'd like to know as well.

My 2013 Accord FWD was just fine on the snow without winter tires even with the terrible winter we just had and the TSX that I testdrove during a snowstorm was surprisingly good. I don't expect the TL to be particularly bad in the snow.

LNJ

Most if not almost all CPO TLs in Ontario are FWD even though the same dealerships have SH-AWDs in stock as well.
As for winter driving, no one FWD is better than another unless it can torque vector the front differential!
So it all comes down to the tires and road condition. It is bullpoop when someone says their FWD TL is better in snow then a Lexus ES for example!

wmahmud

I use my FWD in the snow with all-season tires (never used winters) and I have done just fine, very rarely you could get slow starts in deeper snow and traction control kicks in as it slips making it harder to start moving, but you will eventually start rolling

sometimes in deeper snow i'll just turn traction control off and i have no issues at all

never been stuck yet!

crwmlw

It is hard to come across an SH-AWD, if you do they are way more expensive than FWD. The 2012 TL FWD Im looking at is a tech model with 23,430 miles and im getting for $25,800. Same dealer has a 2012 TL AWD tech with 54,000 miles and they want $29,000. Same car, same color etc. Really hard to spend almost $4000 on an AWD.

crwmlw

Since I do live in Chicago and will most likely get the FWD model due to cost and your feedback is there a tire I should be focusing in on? I know Michelins are good but way expensive and over rated?

Pearson4G

I'm from Toronto and have an 09 FWD. Picked it up last September with All seasons and used em right through the winter(which was pretty bad) and I was pretty shocked that it handled as well as it did. The TC on these vehicles are one of the best ones that I've experience.

skabei

Does having a heavier FWD help in snow? My mom's Corolla was noticeably worse than my Accord.

LNJ

Its not really snow that you have to worry about, it is ice and slush that is the pain.
In metro areas, you can survive with all-season tires because roads are cleaned more often and the pavement heats up more with the amount of traffic so you don't really have to worry about much treacherous driving conditions as opposed to non metro areas.

morgan1819

A couple of things can make a certain FWD car 'seem' better in snow:

Tire size. Whichever car has the narrower tires, will typically get better forward traction in deep snow, all other things being equal.

Forward weight bias. Certain older FWD cars with big V8's, or the old heavy V6's, were really, really good in snow. A lighter weight, better balanced 4 cylinder car will likely not charge through heavy snow as well. There are exceptions.

Throttle roll-in. Any car that has a touchy gas pedal, and puts out some good torque, will be more difficult to drive in snow than one that has less torque, and a less touchy gas pedal.

As for the TL, you will be fine with a high quality all season tire, that has at least 'some' siping. (the really small grooves used for grip in cold temps).

If you want to drive it up to the ski slopes, dedicated snow tires are your friend! Good driving skills don't hurt either.

erdoc48

Absolutely agree- I run winter tires in the snow and even though my TL is FWD, I have no issues getting through snow, plus, you won't be driving at high speed in the snow anyway.

carz0159

Please remind me, what FWD car has a V8?

morgan1819

Pretty much every Cadillac my parents ever owned when I was a kid.

Not familiar with American cars?

Yumcha

While I do have AWD on both my cars, IMO, it's all about the tires. In winter, get snow tires...period.

You'll be fine. The winters where I'm at is arguably worse than most people and I know individuals here who have RWD cars and are perfectly safe/fine once they get good, quality winter tires on the cars.

NBP04TL4ME

Spend a little time on tirerack.com - there is tons of info there. This link is for the Grand Touring All Season tire category:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=GTAS

Edward'TLS

Agree.

Whatever wheel drive, the most important part in snow driving is to install a full set of good snow tires.