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Honda Odyssey Snow Traction & Handling

30 messages,  Last post on Mar 04, 2009 at 10:05 PM

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#1 of 30 Snow traction/handling by liscol Feb 11, 2007 (10:18 pm)
Hi. I'm looking for any experience you might have with the odyssey in the snow.   I'm vehicle shopping and was set on a 02 (or so)Odyssey til we got dumped on with snow late December. My station wagon (volvo 940) was snowbound while my husband's isuzu trooper with big old tires and ground clearance was able to get out of our 100 ft driveway in RWD. I am curious how the Odyssey handles with good snow tires in, say, 6 in to a foot of snow. We live at about 6600ft in central New Mexico and while we did get 2 feet dumped on us in a short time this winter, I think the usual is more like 4-8 inches per snowfall. Do you think an Odyssey with good snow tires (not metal studded, just rubber) would handle that OK? At most it would be a 1/2 mile of that kind of snow til we hit the paved rd, which gets plowed regularly. I need a 3rd row for an upcoming 4th child and I think the van would be the best way to go cost and performance wise, but don't want to get stuck. Replies to this message: cccompson (Feb 12, 2007 3:12 am) michaelok (Oct 10, 2007 7:51 pm) olehonda (Oct 11, 2007 11:40 am) gedjcba (Dec 09, 2007 6:42 pm) kave1 (Dec 22, 2008 10:08 am) bigdadi118 (Dec 22, 2008 6:08 pm)
#2 of 30 Re: Snow traction/handling [liscol] by cccompson Feb 12, 2007 (3:12 am)
Replying to: liscol (Feb 11, 2007 10:18 pm) As a relatively heavy front wheel drive vehicle, the Odyssey will do fine in moderate snow when equipped with good snow tires. However, I don't know that it has any more ground clearance than your Volvo and might be challenged by a 12 inch snowfall.   It seems to me that something like a Suburban would be more appropriate for your situation.
#3 of 30 Re: Snow traction/handling [liscol] by michaelok Oct 10, 2007 (7:51 pm)
Replying to: liscol (Feb 11, 2007 10:18 pm) It sounds like you're not really offroading, so something like a Suburban might be overkill. Maybe a Pilot would be a better choice, but the Oddyssey seems to do nicely in the snow, even without snows.   I think snows are always a good idea, they have better traction in slippery icy conditions, not just snow. I don't have snows on the Oddyssey (yet), but I've always bought Hakkapalitas (for a Saab 900 and Accord) and I've driven (carefully) past Suburbans that have slid off the road, in fairly deep stuff (over 1ft). These are high-performance Finnish snow tires that have very deep, aggressive treads.   I'm figuring the snow in Mexico (just kidding) is that soft, powdery stuff the western ski resorts is famous for, so with the Pilot clearance at 8" should get you home at least.   Anything any deeper, or hardpacked, and it's time to get the snowmobile or cross country skis out, I say. Or get your husband to buy a snowplow for the Trooper;)
#4 of 30 Re: Snow traction/handling [liscol] by olehonda Oct 11, 2007 (11:40 am)
Replying to: liscol (Feb 11, 2007 10:18 pm) I live in New England and have driven my 2000 Odyssey in up to 12" of snow without a problem. Put on the traction control and have a good set of all seasons. It's not a Suburban, so don't expect to be able to hit a wall of snow and go through it. I found anything over 12" was pretty impossible to drive in - but here they plow ( more or less) so the 24" storms will have 8 " left on the roads for a couple of days. We also get a lot of ice under the snow - and the Od can handle that if you use care and good techniques.
#5 of 30 Winter/Snow Tires '05 Odyssey by mstone2 Dec 03, 2007 (9:25 am)
I'm in Canada and want to buy new snow/winter tires for my 2005 Odyssey (the "new" model) I had the Honda dealer recommend Bridgestone Blizzaks and an independent tire dealer recommend Pirelli Scorpions Has anyone tried either of these winter tires on their new Odyssey and have a review? thanks, I want to purchase them this week...It's getting snowy up here! Replies to this message: hangaralf1 (Dec 04, 2007 7:07 pm) michaelok (Dec 05, 2007 6:52 pm)
#6 of 30 Re: Winter/Snow Tires '05 Odyssey [mstone2] by hangaralf1 Dec 04, 2007 (7:07 pm)
Replying to: mstone2 (Dec 03, 2007 9:25 am) go to tirerack.com.  plug in your model and what type of tires you want and they come up with a list of tires.  but what i really like is the customer reviews.  they haven't steered me wrong yet.  i did some looking for you.  tirerack customers liked:Dunlop SP Winter Sport,Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2, Pirelli Winter Carving  (my favorite - a worthless opinion since i have never driven snow tires). Blizzaks did not do well - relatively speaking.(according to customer reviews).none is cheap. take a look see. get your prices from sam's club (if you have that up there) and price match locally.  i once saved $100/tire doing that. Replies to this message: michaelok (Dec 05, 2007 6:52 pm)
#7 of 30 Hakkapeliitta by michaelok Dec 05, 2007 (6:52 pm)
Replying to: hangaralf1 (Dec 04, 2007 7:07 pm) Discount Tire is another good site, good information, nice features like a "tire calculator"   I am familiar with the Blizzaks (although not on the Odyssey) and they do well. I call it my "BMW" test. If you can drive a BMW (not the 'x' of course) in _any_ kind of snow, without ending up in a ditch, then they do the job.   Some say the Blizzaks wear out fast, however, that's probably true of all snows given their composition. The "hakki's" I mentioned should be taken off as soon as it gets warm, for example.   Not sure if they have Nokian tires for Odyssey, but check the site for a dealer:   Here's a review from CanadianDriver (might be a good resource) - different tire, but should give an idea about the respect for this company. They test these tires on ice tracks in Finland.   Oh, the correct spelling is actually "Hakkapeliitta", pardon the misspelling..
#8 of 30 TPMS MAJOR DANGEROUS PROBLEM with SNOW TIRES by ehren Dec 07, 2007 (1:39 pm)
If you are dumb enough to buy a Honda Odyssey in Canada, you will probably want a separate set of snow tires on separate rims.When you put the new snow tires cw new rims the TPMS warning light goes on...when the TPMS light is on Honda advises that the Electronic Stability Control is no longer functional.So the Honda dealer has to recalibrate the TPMS system for the new snow tires...cost is about $150 each time you want to change from winter to summer tires.What a rip-off. TPMS is just a way to increase dealer service profit. BEWARE, you cannot change snow tires on your own.I used to buy Honda , but NEVER again.Also they will not sell cars to Canadians in the USA and charge $10,000us more for the same car in Canada( eg.Honda CRV) Replies to this message: michaelok (Dec 07, 2007 11:00 pm)
#9 of 30 Re: TPMS by michaelok Dec 07, 2007 (11:00 pm)
Replying to: ehren (Dec 07, 2007 1:39 pm) But that's only an issue if you want the TPMS to work with the snow tires, I don't believe it has anything to do with the stability control other than you can no longer shut it off. And Honda doesn't recommend driving with VSA off anyway, it should only be turned off temporarily.   Here's a good thread at Honda SUV with more info(Honda SUV list, but same issues):   There is definitely an issue with the PAX (run flat) however.   As to the price, isn't everything more expensive in Canada? I recall reading articles about Canadians making shopping trips to the US for cheaper goods. Except your generic drugs of course, where the reverse is true.
#10 of 30 Re: Snow traction/handling [liscol] by gedjcba Dec 09, 2007 (6:42 pm)
Replying to: liscol (Feb 11, 2007 10:18 pm) I just returned from a road trip in my 2007 Odyssey with four Blizzak (WS-60) tires. I live in NE and we had two snow storms in the last few days (total about 8-10 inches). We drove mostly in 2-lane rural highways in a variety of road conditions, and the Odyssey did great. I always felt like I was in control of the van.   BTW, I have driven that same trip in the snow several times in a 4WD Suburban (without snow tires), and I prefer the Odyssey because of its lower center of gravity and better handling.   I have the snow tires mounted on OEM rims (can be purchased online). The TPMS light stays on, but I just ignore it. I will decide later whether to install TPMS sensors in the snow tire wheels.

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