MilanoRedDashR

I mean completely worthless. I've only got all seasons, but they were the highest rated all season winter tires on tire rack. It's not driveable.

So I make it to my parents, hop in the old 99 monte Carlo with awful old all seasons, and it's like I'm driving on dry pavement.

Am I the only one? Combo of manual transmission, too much torque, not that heavy? What is it?

mtiaz

I think its the combo of manual transmission and lots of torque for the front wheels, I feel my LSD always doing work when the roads are iffy

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

how deep was the snow?

MilanoRedDashR

6 inches maybe?

I dunno, my Integra did much better with all seasons, and great with snow tires.

I felt that the LSD, heavier car, and great set of all seasons would do just fine, but it couldn't be worse! Zero traction, even on compact snow and ice

foxriderar77

needs a driver mod...I've always done fine in the snow

MilanoRedDashR

What's your set up?

I barely made it to my parents house this morning so I switched out to my moms old 99 Monte Carlo with bald all seasons, and made it to work like I was in a 4WD.. So no, it's not me, it's my car/tires.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

what tires do you have on the TL? and hows the tread left?

MilanoRedDashR

Continental DWS extreme contact blah blah the top rated all seasons on TR

brand new this fall

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

hm thats weird. even my auto TL-S did okay in light snow. Perhaps you were letting go of the clutch too quickly? I'm sure its tricky driving a stick in snow

nfnsquared

Are you slammed? My DWS' did great in snow.

MilanoRedDashR

It's pretty low, so I understand it not doing well in deep stuff....But even on the compact stuff, it's awful.

TOO MUCH POWER/TORQUE BABY

nismotypeS

With my 5AT 08 Type s with continental DWS they perform good in snow. The only time I would have trouble is at dead stop, taking off, however I would just start in 2nd. Probaly would be different since you have a 6 speed and lsd.

OsK

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, judging from your posts on this thread, especially TOO MUCH POWER/TORQUE BABY, I'd say it's just shitty driver mod.

Keep in mind there isn't an all season tire that does well in snow >3 inches. Might as well go winter tires.

I had Pilot Sports A/S 3 in Chicago this past winter. It was fine.

Just accelerate lightly to gain traction and once you're going faster than 20mph, everything is cake. Brake from a far distance, etc. Basically, common sense.

I'm thinking you just mash the throttle 1/3 of the way when accelerating like you do in normal driving conditions. In that case, you'll just keep spinning tires and VSA will come on cutting off power in and out while you don't let off throttle.

A FWD car does not do bad in snow and will always outperform RWD. Think pulling vs pushing. AWD is preferred.

Yeah.

Have a good weekend.

QuickTL07

When I bought my TL last year, i got some cheep tires. I just bought Continental DWS6 bad ass tires

I need them in IL,

When I had my Audi Quattro 6 speed, that shit was fun in the winter time

TacoBello

It is a combination of a number of things.

1. Wheel/tire width. For optimal snow driving, a narrower tire will result in better grip because the vehicle weight is distributed over a smaller surface area, causing the car to sink into the snow more and gripping better.

2. Tires. All season tires should not be used in the winter. I mean, you can, but you shouldn't. You can also use high performance summer tires in the winter, but shouldn't. All season tires are a compromise on all levels.

3. Proper tire pressure. Make sure your tire pressure is right.

4. Driver error. The car isn't too torquey and the clutch isn't too touchy. It comes down to the driver. You can also start from second gear if you are having issues with traction in first, but you have a higher chance of stalling.

5. Finally, overall, you're running the wrong tires for deep snow. While the Contis may have a good rating, they still are not nearly as good as a dedicated set of summer tires and a dedicated set of winter tires. If anything, I would use your all seasons for three seasons, but get winter tires for the winter.

MilanoRedDashR

It's amazing how much I improved driving wise this morning from the time I got out of my TL and got in the POS Monte Carlo! I mean, since it was all driver error, I'm just so fortunate to have learned so much and improved so much in those 2 minutes from swapping cars.

I don't "mash the throttle" like I would in dry driving conditions, you fool. I've been driving in snow for over 10 years, and I've had 3 FWD cars. This one has been by far, the least impressive...

It's bad. The tires are bad too. I am very disappointed considering the reviews. If the Monte Carlo didn't handle significantly better with worse tires, I wouldn't be complaining.

candrews

I ran stock all seasons for 2 winters in Minneapolis before I got smart and bought a set of snow tires (Bridgestone blizzaks). Huge difference! Got rid of the stockers and now I have a nice set of performance wheels for the summer.

TypeSZilla

Glad I'm reading this post. Off topic and on topic at the same time as I'm currently shopping tires. So far I'm leaning towards Continental's DWS06 and it seems like a lot of TL'ers are opting for them in respect to all season tires. On a side note, I just picked up my TLS this fall AND EFFING LOVE IT!!! For those that have been on the forums for a while, are there any that store them for the winter? I will for only this season then putting her to use as a daily.

Happy Holidays!

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

My first season with the TL I was on original Michelins without a ton of tread, and I remember being impressed with how it handled snow.

Now I'm in the winter tire crowd and never looking back.

mlody

I have 06 TL 6 speed and DWS's on my car and when they were newer, I had no problem dealing with snow in Chicago.
Now, the tires have about 34k miles on them and both W and S letters are gone and I am praying that we get light winter as I am not sure how I will manage on those tires if I have to deal with snow.

OsK

iTrader: (2)

??????????

All season winter tires? pls link

TL-GIXXER

I've been driving for 26 years. I didn't drive with ABS, traction control or any other mechanical aide... And they were all performance cars with RWD and high HP (autos and manuals alike)

I never had any issues in my 03 Type-S, 04 Maxima SE or my current 04 TL with stock tires last winter.... And we were dumped on with the snow

I don't think there is anything wrong with the vehicle, or the driver.... A little more finesse and patience will get you moving as good as, if not better than the Monte Carlo

WDPanda

I don't know what you were doing, but the 6MT with the LSD is GREAT in snow. The best FWD I've driven in snow. You must have some chinese tires. Or you don't know how to drive a manual.

NBP04TL4ME

I have been driving the 3G TLs with MT for coming up on 12 years and live outside of Boston. I had an 04 for almost 6 years and now an 08 TL-S. driving in the snow is as many members have said is the driver, but it's also the tires (type and condition) and road conditions. There is definitely a certain amount of extra finesse needed while driving a 6 speed in the snow but it shouldn't take long to adjust to doing so. Yes tires are a big piece and I can personally vouch for the DWS as we have them on my daughter's Accord. They are great in the snow. I cant say i have had the experience of the combination of the two, but individually they are great. Years ago I made the decision to go with dedicated summer and winter tires. I have Michelin Pilot Super Sports and Bridgestone Blizzaks and haven't looked back. I'm just having a really hard time seeing how a RWD Monte Carlo is out performing a FWD TL.
I would suggest spending more time behind the wheel in the snow and making those adjustments/learning the finesse.

TacoBello

Yes, please come in here and tell us we are stupid even though you're the one unable to drive a straight forward vehicle. There's nothing special or bad about the TL. It's either the tires, or it's you.

Please sell your TL-S and drive your Monte Carlo off a steep cliff into a pile of trees, 1000 feet below.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

No issues driving my fwd 6 speed in the snow or my Ford focus ST that doesn't even have lsd. Drove to Colorado in a snow storm and drove up Pikes peak with snow and ice on the road. I was driving aggressive too.

I would recommend snow tires, only people that use all seasons are lazy and poor ppl.

Sounds like you could use some driving experience. 4 years of autocross, some track days, and racing school helped me. There are even winter autocross events. Driving on the street isn't really much experience and just leads to bad driving habits and not knowing how to react instinctively.

No difference for me whether I drive an auto or manual in snow, but I know what I am doing.

Like others have stated fwd drives better in rain and snow than rwd. The fact that it is easy to spin a rwd car and a fwd car just needs to apply power to straighten back out is proof of that. You need better tires.

Reminds me of reading threads about ppl buying performance cars with tires with under 200 rating stock complaining about driving in rain and snow when all they need is a different set of tires.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

'99 Monte Carlo is FWD.

That said, I have Conti DWS in 245/45-17 that I run in the Winter, and I have moar "TOO MUCH POWER/TORQUE BABY", less weight than a stock Type S 6 MT and my car is fine in the snow. It's not Subaru on snow tires good, but it's not silly thread worthy at either end of the spectrum.

Aman

How many times have you driven an manual in the snow before your TL?

In some situations, I find an MT a little more annoying to launch in the snow than an AT. It takes more patience to launch smoothly in low-traction situations.

Presumably your parents' Monte Carlo is an automatic, which some drivers might find easier to accelerate in the snow with.

Jackass

You do realize traction is a function of the tire and not the car? The car itself is not actually touching the road surface.

Hey now...not all of us live in an area that justifies both sets. I have had snow tires before and while they f'ing awesome when there was snow/ice...they just were not nearly as nice to drive on the dry pavement. Our winters are cold, but our usual winters only have 3-4 snow events that last more than 1 day. So 95% of the winter season is spent on dry pavement.


I chuckle when I see people say that a specific car sucks in the snow. If the car is FWD, then it will probably drive just about the same in the snow as almost any other FWD. If it is RWD, it will drive just about the same in the snow as almost any other FWD. Yes, there will be minor differences related certain features (ABS, Traction Control, LSD, etc) but I will for sure state that the bulk of actual snow driving characteristics comes from the tires.....not the car.

I am on my 4th (ProbeGT, Z24, tC, TL) manual transmission FWD car over the past 20 years. My wife is on her 3rd (GrandAm, Equinox, Terrain) auto transmission car over the past 15 years. Which do I prefer to drive in the winter? I have always preferred the manual since I like the level of control I have over the drive axle. However her latest is AWD which is quite a bit more fun to take out when it snows.

How does the TL do in snow? Pretty good. Does it stop as well as my Cavalier did? No, it weighs another 1000LBS. Does it accelerate as well as my Cavalier did? Yes...it actually does since the LSD helps out greatly. My Cavalier and my tC both had trouble getting up my driveway without a running start. My TL could stop and start again half way up without much issue.

I had a Probe GT and it was an absolute nightmare in the snow....because of the tires (UHP...not A/S). I had two sets of wheels for my Cavalier since I lived in the city at the time and they didn't know how to plow the streets. Huge difference between the two sets of tires.

If your Monte did so much better in the snow...it is one of two possible reasons:

1.) Better tires for the snow

2.) You don't know how to drive the TL in the snow

That is all. The TL is not a torque monster. Take it easy launching in 2nd, don't really need press the gas, just let it spin a tad and then basically roll off of of idle and it goes fine. It is heavy so stopping won't be as good...but that is life with a heavy car.

Jackass

And to add.... over the past 8 years of my ownership my TL has been on the Bridgestone EL42, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, and now Michelin MXM4. None of these are great tires for driving in the snow by any means...but they work quite well (for me) for the rest of the season and get me by the couple of times we do have snow here. Out of these three...the EL42 was the best in the snow (only when brand new..they went downhill very quickly) and the MXM4 do ok in the snow. The Pilot Sports were not very good in the snow at all even when brand new.

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

myron

iTrader: (4)

I have had no problems in my manual TL in winter. Winter tires weren't the best either, but I knew how to drive well. It's easier for me to drive manual than automatic in winter and slowing down is so much easier in manual as well.

N1h1l1ty

BR00TAL

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

+1

I had the Pilot Sport A/S Plus when I lived in Wisconsin (brutal winters). In the context of snow > 6" - they weren't that great. Now I have the A/S 3's (Chicago), and they're just a tad worse than the Plus in the same heavy conditions. In most other conditions (light snow, cold, wet, etc) they do just fine, given common sense is exercised such as appropriate following distance and corner entry speeds.

An all season tire isn't meant to be driven on ice. It's also not meant to be driven in such deep snow. Take a look at this, tires are absolutely crucial:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=116


I'd be a liar if I tried saying that I don't have any issues whatsoever driving in the snow (6MT TLS also), but it's all about controlling that wheel spin. And that takes some finesse like the others are saying. Turn off VSA to have complete control of the axles and take her nice and easy. Setting off in 2nd gear isn't the worst idea either. If you feel like you aren't in control, then quite simply, you're just going too fast. Just takes practice. Comparing it to the MC is pretty silly - you can't drive both cars the same exact way and expect the same results.

BlueAc

iTrader: (2)

Never had any problems in the snow with my DWS'...

sopmodm14

i've just gotten DWS06 in sept on my 06 base/nav TL

with teh first snow fall, just gotta re-learn and adapt driving habits

the vast majority of us have no problem

double check pressure, tread and change habits, and i think the drive will be more smoother

NBP04TL4ME

My bad

But still doesn't change my opinion.

TacoBello

I think he took the advice

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I've never had a problem with my TL in the snow.

N1h1l1ty

"Location: Florida"

Hmmm, something you ain't telling us?