RSX and snow

[commissioner]

Don't get me wrong, I love my '06 Type S. It's just that we had our first winter storm of the season here in Chicago. The fact is the weather has been pretty mild over the past few years, so I hope this isn't a preview of the coming winter. At any rate, I think I discovered this morning that the RSX probably isn't the best set of wheels for ice and snow.
I've had a Triumph TR3, an MGB, an Austin Healey Sprite, an MR2 and three Vettes. And except for the '94 Vette that I garaged in the winter, I drove all these vehicles year round. With the possible exception of the MR2 I don't think any of them got hung up on the snow as quick as my RSX did this morning.
I hear everybody complain about the stock tires. I'll take their word for it that better tires may help. But I don't care what kind of tires you're running...if the frame gets hung up on as little as six or seven inches of snow the best tires in the world aren't going to make a hill of beans.
I had read on the RSX message boards about winter traction problems. So it wasn't as if I wasn't warned. I guess this is something I'm going to have to live with, because I ain't about to give up on the car.

[mmont0]

Yeah. A front wheel drive car without traction control isn't going to be your best bet for winter driving. The stock tire size but a winter tire might be better for you driving in the snow.

For the cars that I've driven - '79 Ford Fairmont, '85 Chevy Nova, '96 Dodge Neon, '95 Chevy Cavalier, '01 Dodge Grand Caravan and the RSX - I feel the safest in the RSX. The best winter drivability was with the Crapolier since it had traction control. That was about the best thing I can say about that car. The Caravan is nice since it weighs a lot and feels like a truck when driving it. In the Caravan, since it's so high off the ground, it seemed like it can push through way much more snow without any problem compared to any car.

I've driven the RSX in two winters with the stock and aftermarket rims/tires and it seems to handle very well considering it doesn't have traction control. You just can't step on the gas and expect to have traction in the icy/snowy roads. After driving my manual Neon in the snow for 6 years the RSX is definitely much, much, better.

[commissioner]

I had to drive to work that first snow storm, and actually I was fairly impressed with how the RSX did. The big problem was getting over the mound of snow at the foot of the driveway. Hey, the car is low to the ground for a reason. I know there ain't much you can do about the frame getting hung up on packed down snow.

[paulkramer]

You've got me scared now.....I've had my RSX for two Winters now, but this will be the first since I lowered it.

So far, so good. We got far less snow last week than was predicted, and my new Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S performed reasonably well in what we did receive. Glad I ditched those nice but worn Falkens......and definitely glad I don't have the stockies anymore - I got stuck in a few inches of snow once with those crappy threads.

I wish to hell I had an LSD......but at $850 just for the part.....

[emserl]

Tractions problems with an RSX??? Try a 1989 Nissan 240SX. I drove one for 10 years. I too am from the Chicago area. I think the RSX gets great traction compared to that. I've found that Goodyear Eagles and currently have Yokohama tires help a lot. I hated Firestone tires. I drive a lot. I get tires every other year.

[tenguzero]

Yeah, we here in New England were BLASTED last month (set records for December snow counts.) I had just purchased my '02 Base RSX around Dec. 8th or so (about a week before the first hard snow -- we never even got a proper honeymoon before Mother Nature bitch-slapped the area, followed by freezing cold, ice, and the road salt ) At any rate, I've found the RSX performs reasonably well -- even with the Kumho tires that I have mounted. The part about it tending to get hung up on deeper snow mounds and whatnot is definitely true, but then again it's not an SUV I imagine this is even more of a concern for Type S owners with their slightly lower ride height. Actually, I find my RSX handles snow BETTER than my '94 Accord did -- especially on uphills. The only part that takes more finesse is the accelerator -- easier to break traction!

[wiseguy01]

is it me or do you guys notice that this thread is two years old

[paulkramer]

Originally Posted by wiseguy01

is it me or do you guys notice that this thread is two years old

No, you're right - it is two years old!

LOL - I haven't been to this site in ~ 2 years, and first thread I see is a bump of my last post here!

BTW, I installed a Civic LSD this Fall and a set of Yokohama IG20s. No problems this season - and we've had more snow than we've had in years!

Without the snow tires and differential, I'd likely have gotten stuck several times this year. I've watched my neighbors have a lot of troubles....