hey guys,

I know the owner's manual says that chains are not allowed on CL-S, but is there any way to make it work? maybe cables, or are those also not allowed? What if I put on a set of 16" rims (CL-P??), will it work then?? How do you guys that have drive in snow deal with this issue?

I have to go to Lake Tahoe soon, and there are chain requirements enforced on all the highways going up there. Last time I took the CL-S up there in the snow, the chain requirements were lifted 10min before I hit the check-point. If it hadn't been lifted, I would have had to tow (flat-bed) down the mountain.

Any ideas or recommendation would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

i'm sure snug fitting cable chains on 16" wheels would work. just be careful and make sure they stay tight.


oh, you're lowered, maybe not.

 

I have the same problem. Although honestly I think the first problem you have would be the SO3s. I believe there are 2 stages of inspection when going up. If there is light snow, the first inspection that you must pass is that your tires MUST sport the M+S symbol on the sidewall. Only if the weather is really bad would they require chains.

So...if we can't put chains on, and buying a wheel/tire combo would be too expensive (especially if you're only a weekend skiier), then spider spikes may be for you. Do a search on google because there are many brands. Still a bit pricey, but I think they are the best solution without having a winter set.

 

personally I'd just get a good set of snow tires that are approved by highway people that let you through that route:P

 

How often do you go to the snow? It may be better for you to rent a car/SUV and chain that up.

 

When the CHP are enforcing chains, they don't give a shit what kind of tires you have. It's either chains, ticket, or turn around.

 

I have been considering that option too. The pain in the ass is that i am going up for about a week, and don't want to spend $300+ for an suv when I have a perfectly good car (ok, maybe its not perfect). I can't believe that acura would produce a vehicle that cannot handle driving in all conditions.

 

ummmm... they do. Everyone's CL-S and TL-S goes through snow. You don't really expect a car company to produce a car which adhears to special road rules like chains being required do you? I'm sure there are a lot of cars which cannot use chains.

BTW, the CL-P can use chains.... so if you get 16" rims and tires you should be OK. Your problem is that you're lowered... so you may be screwed either way.

 

this is the first time i've seen juniorbean make a post without the thread being closed . Back on topic you're better off renting an SUV, it'll make your life so much easier. Just think you're also gonna have to buy the Cl-P rims so either way you're spending money

 

I'm wondering if Acura doesn't recommend chains for the CL because it has traction control.

 

Don't forget --- you'll still need chains on the rental. I'd make sure with the rental company that it's OK to take the thing into foul weather. You also don't want a surprise bill for repairs on the rental.

This is the one case that I'd get their 'we cover it all' rape you in the ass daily insurance.

 

That's what I was going to say.

 

2001 - 2003 CL --> cables ok

2001-2003 CL Type S -> no cables, no chains (no traction "devices" of any type).

I've been watching this for years, and the CHP WILL turn you back if you don't have cables in certain conditions. You can have a 4-wheel drive vehicle (SUV, car, whatever) with snow tires, and if the conditions warrant, you have to have CHAINS OR CABLES on the vehicle if required. (We have experience in this area and with different vehicles and tires).

The "fit" is supposed to be "tight" with "some" cables. If someone wants to be a CA guinea pig, please let us know.

RE: Is the Problem a Result of the VSA/TCS?

(NO) I noticed the acura.com site has the 2003 CL (not Type-S) listed with VSA/traction control. I asked if the 2003 CL (not Type-S) could accept cables. "Yes," was the reply from the customer rep. I asked if the 2003 CL (with automatic) came with traction control and VSA. The CS rep. said yes again. I asked if a 2003 CL (not a Type-S) with VSA/TCS could accept cables again and got another confirmation.

YMMV

 

I was just thinking: since the CL-S is front wheel drive, i would only have to put chains/cables on the front two tires. Could I just swap my front rims with 16's (CL-P) and put chains on them and keep the back tires stock? would that work?

 

I don't see why you can't get 4 16" wheels (CL-P) or equivalent and just put on some half-decent all-season or snow tires.

The CLS has less movement in the steering rack, and should work. I don't know what Acura would say about this.

I'd sure try and stick with 205 width tires to keep down the cost of your "cable draggers" and get something that will work better on ice and in snow (width is NOT an asset in snow/ice). If you look at Tire Rack and other vendor sites, you will notice that the rubber gets cheaper as you move down from 19" to 18" to 17" to 16" and so on.

Why not call Tire Rack about their "winter specials." Pick their brains and see what they say. Could it hurt?

CA + NO CHAINS/CABLES == SUCKS …

 

I think just putting the 2 x 16s on the front is not the best idea from a safety perspective. Different tires on front and back is already one issue -- the contact patch might be "similar", but the coefficient of friction under sliding and rolling loads will differ and could cause some nasty problems if not sorted out.

Moving to tires with different contact patches is an experiment that would need to be "sorted out" to know how it would work. You could end up with understeer in some conditions, and oversteer in others (the chaotic mix of the two might not be welcome during evasive maneuvers). Remember, the FWD is using the front tires for steering and power delivery. The dynamics of narrow front/wide rear tires on some RWD cars is not replicated in reverse on FWD cars -- at least any I've seen (Rally, street, and/or factory).

Here's the CA chain link showing only cables on front for FWD, etc:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/ChainsWeb.pdf