Hey all. I just bought my first TL and with winter coming up, I am curious to know what to expect. I know a lot depends on the tires, road conditions, driving habits... but what is the general consensus as far as TL's handling the snow? I have a set of the Michelin HX MXM4 (came with the car).

I need to know if I should save my vacation days and use them as snow days for work...

Thanks!

 

well, this being the first winter with my TL...i don't have any real world experience with this particular car.

but, basically it's all about the tires you have. If you have the stock michelins, you should be ok, but don't expect to get out easily in certain situations. just use caution, and obviously don't drive if its real shitty outside...i know i wont.

if you have the means, put on a set of winter tires. FWD and winter tires is the best you can do here.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I am looking at getting a set of winter tires... especially if we have a winter like last year. Do you or would you recommend just getting wheels and tires or just tires and having them mounted on the existing wheels?

 

Well my experience with those same tires (which i believe are summer tires) was completly horrible!!! With weight in the back the car should fishtale here and there. I had 1 270lb adult in the back and a sub in the back and it was petty bad.

TLs always have had complaints with being unstable with a full load but add the snow and summer tires and forget about it.

My trip to PA in Dec 05

 

just get some winter tires and put them on your stockies...that's about all i'm doing with my chirstmas bonus check lol. it's shitty, but it's peace of mind at the end of the day.

*ronjon, i believe they are all season tires but i could be wrong...*

 

I'm in Jersey and 2006 was the first winter I was in my TL. Back then it had the crappy H rated BF Traction TA's on it and it handled fine. My commute to work was about 30 miles one way at that point, and we had a lot of snow and ice that year. Just don't get over confident and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

Usual story, with snow tires, it handles great!
My wife's CTS has all weather tires that are supposed to be good in light snow, but they suck (Excsta LX Platinums- great in the wet and dry, terrible in snow). Both the TL and CTS have a winter set of tires when the season changes (get a dedicated set of winter wheels as well). All weather tires are a compromise at best- don't risk your car and your safety for a few hundred $$$.

 

It handles excellent in the snow... All season tires do just fine. The guys that are having difficulties: your tire thread is gone or you are just spinning tires. In winter, patience and control wins.

 

The stock Michelins are CRAP in the snow..... I know first hand after owning 4 different Acuras that all came with the same tires (if you dont believe me you can check the reviews on tirerack.com). For a few winters I used Continental Conti Extreme's.... they were one of the best "all season" tires around but there is absolutely no substitute for a dedicated winter/snow tire..... anyone here that tells you different has never driven through a winter on a true winter/snow tire.

Find yourself a used set of wheels on the black market section here, craigslist or ebay and buy yourself a set of winter tires (be sure to buy all 4 and not just 2 for the front as this will adversely affect handling). Tirerack also has full packages for winter tires including wheels. I suggest shopping around for the best deals.

I run the General Arctic Altimax in stock sizes on my car and its absolutely amazing in the snow, so good in fact that I find myself leaving my H2 in the garage for all but the very worst snow storms

 

I'm glad I dont live in the snow.



Everyone be safe this winter.

 

I've had my TL for one Iowa winter and made it through some hellish conditions (blizzard/icey) with no problems. I had my 5 year old turanza EL42s and was still able to pass more timid drivers in some cases. I wouldn't recommend trying that unless you are confident in your vehicle/tires and have experience driving in those conditions. Overall, I was very impressed and think the TL can def handle it's own in winter driving. Since then I've changed to Conti DWS tires and moved to Kansas (more mild winters) so I'm feeling good about the winter months.

Note: I have a 5AT...cannot vouch for the differences in the 6MT configuration

 

If you don't mind swapping wheels/tires every winter/summer, then there's no question: winter tires. I used the General Altimax Arctic for one winter and they were great, but I quickly tired of the hassle of swapping tires with a change of seasons, plus all winter tires are noticeably loose at highway speeds.

I just switched to the #1 rated (tirerack.com) UHP All Season Continental Extreme Contact DWS and they handle extremely well in the snow, as well as in the rain. I highly recommend them! There is a whole thread on these tires over in the tires/wheels section:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/new-continental-extreme-contact-dws-mich-pilot-s-plus-745576/

 

it handles fine up here in the great white north haha winter tires and you are set. Some people do all season but I drive alot and didn't wanna risk it.

 

ANY car can Go In The Snow with snowtires. My 2010 Camaro SS/RS was a TANK with 18" Blizzaks.

 

Ditto, we just put Blizzaks on our '08 TL and WHAT A DIFFERENCE from stock. Handles like a totally different car in the Minnesota snow - excellent tires. Cost ~$1150 delivered to my door (tirerack.com) mounted + tire sensors, etc. Went with stock rims and rubber. Wish I had done this 2 years ago...

 

After 2 winter seasons of driving the TL with all season tires and also the stock OEM Michelin tires, I can tell you the car needs winter tires badly. This year, I am looking forward to a much easier drive all around. I put on the Hankook W409 iPike tires, so far very little snow here in Toronto, but the car is good so far. Last year, I had a 360 spin on the Highway 401 when I pushed the brake real hard to avoid the car in front of me.

On Winter, most drivers are careful but you have to be lucky to avoid accidents. At the end of the day, patience and good control of the car helps a lot more. You will laugh at RWD BMW and Benz owners struggling with their 60-80k cars on the snow while you cruise. I recommend you buy winter tires just to be safe.

 

dont' expect to have the winter we had last year in NOVA. i've lived in the area a while and had a BAD snowy winter every...7 yrs. so you coud get a dedicated winter tires if cost isn't an issue and switching wheels and tires isn't an issue. all seasons for our area typically are fine for the 4-6 inches we get at a time. plus the infrastructure for snow removal around here sucks, which doesn't really make driving safe nor conducive for most people in this area. hated my stock tires (bridgestones), had toyos...they were ok. had good years (ok), now i have the conti DWS...will find out. granted i dont' drive around much with all the idiots loose on the roads with ice and snow (i value my life and my car too much). so...its up to you in terms of cost and hassle for another set of tires and wheels. now if we lived in NE or a northern state...then yes snow tires and wheels (snow is a guarantee).

 

I'm afraid to go out and spend the money on snow tires for this winter. With the exception of last year I think any car and just about any tire would handle our usual winters. I just know with my luck I'll go out and spend like $600 on tires with mounting and we end up with dustings all winter.

But the A/S Goodyears that came on the car are brand new and seem as though they would handle the snow pretty well. Dont know the exact model number and stuff because my wife has the car right now so I cant do any research on them at the moment.

 

I just bought a set of Continental Extreme Winter Contacts and I can only report that they're great on dry pave since it hasn't snowed here yet, but it's coming. Very little road noise, and very nice ride. Bought them from tirerack, and got here 2 two days which is pretty impressive. It got the best overall review from tirerack when rated against tires in the same price range. They're 235/45/17, same size as my stock tires. Those Micheline Pilot MXM4 were at 40% tread and were already crap in rain so I wouldn't imagine it being any good in snow.

Instead of buying a set of winter rims, I'd say mount the winters on your stock rims and save some money to get a set of nice rims and tires for summer. Just my .

 

better safe than sorry! this winter has alrdy taken 2 TLs!

 

your missing out on all the fun.

I love the winter. I get to take my S4 out to the forest and just go crazy in a parking lot full of snow.
wish I could do that with the TL. = (

honestly, im originally from miami and there's nothing better than having 4 seasons. Gets boring having all that heat year round.

 

On the OEM Michelins terrible. I had 2wd Ford trucks going up a hill no problem that I had to get a running start on and then it looked like a drift contest.

 

Did you win?

 

This will be by 3rd winter with the car, 2nd winter with snow tires, that 1st winter sucked with out them.

Getting out of my neighborhood is the worst part of my drive, it is last to get plowed and the way some of the house are and the way the wind blows we get some nice drifts. The low ground clearance is the only worry i have, i've had to turn off the TCS and pushed through some snow with the frame dragging. I have gotten stuck cause the snow is too deep and i left the TCS on, car cuts powers after your wheels spin a little and you lose momentum. It also sucks coming into a corner, going slow of course, and you have to push some snow, the stability control kicks in and slows you down when you first slid a little, darn near got me stuck the other day. So if you have bog through some snow drifts turn the TCS off.

On the highways with lite snow or packed snow i am comfortable with how the car feels.

 

I didn't hit anything so I guess it's a win lol.

 

Yeah, no snow tires here. The handling is horrible with snow, ice, or anythign where the front tires lose traction. cant even make it up small inclines with light snow on it! Maybe I have a heavy foot??

Anyways, love the car otherwise. It stays tucked away in the garage when it snows, or even rains for that matter

 

I gotta admit.. I really don't want to drive this in the snow... I may take $1600 and get me a POS Subaru or something for those snow days....

 

This ^ +1

 

Last winter I had Toyo Versados (all season) and they were average at best in snow. Seemed to take way too much distance to stop with those tires with snow on the ground. The TL's Handling was rather hairy as well. I have Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds on my car for the winter this year and they were great in our first snow yesterday. It was a pretty light dusting of snow, but I intentionally was attempting to lose traction on my street as I left my house, and couldn't. My sister had the same tires on her old 3G TL and loved them. So, paired with the right tires, the TL does great.

FWIW, Dunlop Wintersports are a little bit better than Bridgestone Blizzacks if you're going to get snow tires. Not much of a price difference either.

 

Just had my general altimax arctic's mounted yesterday. Did great in the wet compared to my bald Pilots. I did last winter when I had my CL with all season cooper CS4's, horrible snow performance for the most part, but with patience I survived. Looking forward to our first snow here so I can try out these bad boys. They have gotten great reviews, but only time will tell. They seem very stable on the highway for snow tires and they are still quiet, but noise will only come after some mileage is put on them.

 

Yeah, they're great in the snow and they seemed to wear very well. Relatively quiet at highway speeds, but they (as all snow tires will) felt a little loose at highway speeds. Not dangerous at all, just takes a little getting used to. Great winter tire. Hope you enjoy them!

 

I'm about to find out =)

Recently put my winter tires on.

Stockies with brand new Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60s.

 

The stock Michelin MXM4 tires are the worst tires I have ever driven on in the snow. Horrible is an under statment, they have ZERO traction in as little as a 1/2 inch of snow, it's pathetic.

 

I put Blizzak LM-60s on mine. Do wonders compared to the pos all-seasons I was running.

 

that^ +1

 

Good tires is always a great improvement...

Replacing your motor mounts to innovative or similar, h u g e improvement...yes, the down side you'll get cabin vibration, but you car will handle in all weather like a dream and it is almost impossible to spin your tires as they will be firmly planted on the ground. Win? Win? I think so

 

You'll be fine. The TL handles like most other cars in the snow. Just don't drive it like it's summer. I had summer tires plus SNOWY ICY roads and on 20's. This was this past Easter in our mountain cabin. I do snow a month out of every year & never had an issue. FYI If its very slippery, shift into sport mode & select 2nd gear. It helps you launch without spinning tires as much. Also use the sport shift to downshift to help you stop without engaging the ABS. Don't wana end up like the lady in front of me on the last pic.

 

Me too. Caribbean for me.

Be safe in the winter

 

Part of the complaints about the "stock" tires for these cars in the winter is they are usually UHP All-Seasons which without a doubt give up snow/ice traction. I had my TL through 2 seasons of snow now and the first year with brand new EL42s the car was rock solid. The 2nd season was quite scary with the tires being more than 50% worn. It really depends on where you live, how much you drive, and how well the roads are cleared if you need dedicated winter tires. I had dedicated winter tires on a previous car when I lived in the KC city limits. They were awesome when there was snow or ice, but scary as can be when it was dry out. Those lasted one season and I sold them. I ended up buying a set of standard all-season tires to use as winter tires and was very happy. Since I now live in the burbs, it is not worth the money, time, and hassle to have dedicated winter tires. We normally only have about 4-5 snow/ice events per season here and the rest of the time it is dry.

One thing I did notice about the TL in the snow is that it is a heavy car. It does not stop as well as previous cars did, especially considering it is 900lbs heavier. It without a doubt accelerates better in the snow which I attribute to the limited-slip diff.

TL 3570lbs
tC 2905lbs
Z24 2617lbs

 

I have had snow tires on my vehicles since 2003. Mind you my previous two cars came with with strictly "Summer Only" tires. On my last car, the Altima SE-R i ran Snow Tires.......but being the first winter with my SH-AWD, i opted to try it out witht he stock wheels for this year. I figured, being all season, and AWD, that i should do ok.......but after reading some of your comments on these Michelins, i'm a little scared. I just wish it never snowed in Canada. lol.