My CR-V and snow traction

Hello all,

I was reading and doing some research with my friend about what kind
of tires Honda puts on their CRV's for 2010. It seems that the two
tire types are Bridgestone Dueler HL 400 and Continental 4X4 Contact.
My friend had gone to a site called the Tire Rack. We were both
puzzled by the comments. Some people in northern areas with snow had
rated the Bridgestone's as great in the snow, and great in dry
weather, but not water. Others said they were good in the dry
conditions only and others said they were good in everything. Most of
the complaints seem to be coming from tread wear, but also traction in
snow saying that they hit ice and snow covered roads at 25 mph and
then crashed into things.

Now seriously, if you know how to drive in snow and ice you know that
you don't drive 25 mph when you can clearly see that the road is icy
and snowy before stopping. You better be going about 10 mph. I've
lived in the North East long enough to know this.

Then we were reading about continental, there were only 3 reviews. One
didn't really apply and the others said they were not good
particularly on dry pavement of all surfaces! Also there was a
statement somewhere that said they were bad in snow also. I really
cannot imagine Honda marketing an SUV with tires that are all out bad
in the snow and wet weather.

So far I've only had dry weather since I got mine last weekend. It
handles great with the Duelers on city, highway and twisty country
roads in dry conditions. I'll have to post the other conditions as I
see them. I'll give an accurate review. I'm aware that 4WD doesn't
make you stop or steer any better than FWD it only helps you get out
of deep snow and get up a snowy hill. No car or truck is good on ice
with any tire.

Jill

 

But some tires make a car better than other tires.

 

Do you get a lot of ice (freezing rain, thaws and freezes etc.)? If so, look
for tires that are specific to performing on ice. Those tires make a
noticeable difference on ice, and work better in snow than all-season tires.

 

Well I agree that some are better than others.

In my area the city roads are well plowed and clear after a day
following a storm. The side streets are plowed but not that well.
There might be a lot of slush and slippery areas. The posted speed
limits on the side roads is 25-15 mph in sunny dry weather, so in snow
and ice I'd be going about 10 mph anyway depending. We rarely get
freezing rain. Its either dry and cold ( daytime winter about 35
degrees and night about 0-10), or we have snowfall ranging from 3-6
inches for small storms to 8-12 inches for moderate to larger storms.
The really bad stuff can be 18-24 inches, but I wouldn't even think of
venturing out in that especially when its combined with whiteout
conditions and 40-50 mph gale winds. So that being said, what can I
expect from my Duelers if I drive slow and take it easy? I just spent
almost 29k on this car, I don't want to spend another 600.00 on
upgraded tires that are not really needed.

As a side note, my friends Accord has Michelin tires which are
supposed to be very good, but the car is horrible in the snow. I've
driven it in the snow and it was very scary. If there's more than a
couple of inches of snow in the Accord you're really in trouble.

Thanks so much,

Jill

 

Even the best all-season tires are no substitute for winter tires in snow.

 

Well today I called a local tire chain near my house. The man on the
phone seemed pretty knowledgeable about tires. He was saying that
Blizzak is good for snow driving only, but a more balanced one with
great reviews is the Yokohama Parada Spec X. I guess its good for
snow, ice, water and dry conditions. I asked him about the Bridgestone
Duelers and he said they were an average tire, not great but not bad
and would do just fine with a 4WD, but the one he mentioned was the
best choice. Maybe those would be a good replacement tire.

Today we had light rain this morning and the street was a little wet
but not heavily. My CR-V was fine in that. I'll have to see how it is
in more rainy or later snowy conditions.

Jill

 

The absolute best all-around tire is the Nokian WR:

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11884&group=1.01&name=Nokian+WR

The only "all-season" tire with the snowflake emblem that indicates true
winter use.

Quiet, efficient, incredible in the slush and snow and easy for driving
in the heat of summer. I don't know how they do it, but they do.

 

Thank you they look like a good tire also.

 

Hello all,

Today I took my CRV to an outdoor camp and rifle range with a friend
of mine who's into the outdoor scene. It handled quite good on the
dirt and gravel trails, some with small hills. I couldn't even tell it
was a dirt road. So now we know that its pretty good on grass, dirt
roads and gravel trails etc, and the Bridgestone Dueler's that
everyone is scaring me about did fine with that. I hope to report rain
soon when it comes. I'm starting to wonder if a lot of the reviews in
the tire rack site that we saw are just negative advertisements.

Jill

 

Jill,

I just use ordinary road tires. I live in a part of the country that has
6 months of winter. We generally have between 200 and 300 inches of snow
during the winter.

My 98 CRV has handled all this very well. The only time I have a problem
is when it is spring or fall. You can get a ice layer on the road and
then a melt.

My CRV does not have good traction on ice covered with water. If I had
studded tyres that would probably solve the problem, but I don't want to
drive around with those noisy things.

Michael