Pilot in the Snow

[john150]

Can anyone advise how the pilot does in 6-12 inches of snow? I'm coming from an Explorer which did pretty well.

[ThePilotster]

You'll be amazed.. the VSA works rather well... I came from Ford and Chevy... Honda has all wheel drive down to a science! You'll be passing people wondering why they can't move so well... be advised, still cant stop on ice worth a crap.... Drive safe

[mthomas]

If you have the GY, I'd suggest changing the tires. AWD is not worth much with those tires.

[jl_ss]

If you were happy with the Explorer, then you will be more than happy with the Pilot. Out Pilot performs better and feels more stable than my parents Explorer in the snow. We have the OEM Bridgestones.

[rocky]

Originally posted by mthomas
If you have the GY, I'd suggest changing the tires. AWD is not worth much with those tires.

I have to agree with that sentiment

[john150]

Is there any rhyme or reason as to which new pilots come with the Bridgestones as opposed to the Goodyears?

[whizmo]

Originally posted by john150
Is there any rhyme or reason as to which new pilots come with the Bridgestones as opposed to the Goodyears?

There was a theory that one plant that builds Pilots used one mfg, the other used a different one. But I think that was debunked. It appears to be luck of the draw.

When you're driving in serious snow (6"-12"), tires become critical and the Pilot's AWD system can be compromised pretty quickly if you get certain tires stuck. If I were visiting these sorts of conditions with any regularity, I'd mount full-blown snow tires every winter. All-seasons are going to let you down at some point.

- Mark

[lwschnell]

Have a 2005 Pilot EX with Bridgestones. Did not need use snow tires in Anchorage, AK during the winter of 2005. The roads were usually covered with compact snow & ice much of the time.

Overall performance was almost as good as Subaru Outback with studs.

[thomasj2]

I run dedicated snows, anything much more than 8" of snow and you're hosed, (we don't have the ground clearance for much more than that). Over 8" you start to push a big pile of snow and you'll run out of traction.

I have an 800' driveway and 10" of snow is the max for even that short of a run. If the paved road has more than 8" wait for a plow truck.

[TR4Runner]

Originally posted by thomasj2
I run dedicated snows, anything much more than 8" of snow and you're hosed, (we don't have the ground clearance for much more than that). Over 8" you start to push a big pile of snow and you'll run out of traction.

I have an 800' driveway and 10" of snow is the max for even that short of a run. If the paved road has more than 8" wait for a plow

Wow, that's quite a long driveway. I'm surprised that 10" of snow is the limit for your Pilot. I understand the ground clearance is less than that, but if your tires still bite, you should be able to push through it.

Before I bought my 4Runner, I had a 4wd Ford Escape. I drove it through across a very large parking lot (empty factory lot near my house) with about 18 inches of untouched snow. I actually stopped a few times and was able to start moving again without any problems. The ground clearance of the Escape (and the tire size) is similar to the Pilot.

Also, I've easily been through even deeper snow with my 4Runner, but it also has bigger tires and higher ground clearance. Anyway, I would think the Pilot should be able to handle more than 10 inches of snow!

[gryphon75]

I've had no trouble in snows of about 14-16 inches with the stock goodyears. Yeah they suck but they did the job. Now with the x-terrains I would expect even better. Don't worry about ground clearance, Just because you have 8 inches of ground clearance doesn't mean you start pushing at 8.5 inches. The snow compresses under your tires and you gain back some of that height. By the way the Pilot does better in snow than my 4wd F-150. I for one was very impressed with it.

[jl_ss]

Originally posted by gryphon75
I've had no trouble in snows of about 14-16 inches with the stock goodyears. Yeah they suck but they did the job. Now with the x-terrains I would expect even better. Don't worry about ground clearance, Just because you have 8 inches of ground clearance doesn't mean you start pushing at 8.5 inches. The snow compresses under your tires and you gain back some of that height. By the way the Pilot does better in snow than my 4wd F-150. I for one was very impressed with it.

Wow, that's the second time I've read that a Honda/Acura AWD SUV does better than Ford's F150 in the snow. I'll have to stay away from Ford Trucks. My Chevy Silverado CC with 4WD and a locking diff. does a lot better in snow than our Pilot. Plus it has an AWD mode for those days when it is slippery in spots but too dry for 4wd. It'll definately go places our Pilot won't.

[door3]

Originally posted by jl_ss

My Chevy Silverado CC with 4WD and a locking diff. does a lot better in snow than our Pilot.

I hope you don't hit the snow with your diff locked! WOHOOO! look out for trouble!

[door3]

Hah! one of our members trying to see how much snow they can get around in?

[waynerd]

One thing to remember when going from the Explorer is it was REAR WHEEL DRIVE, and the Pilot is FRONT WHEEL DRIVE! I almost plowed into my neighbor's house a couple of times before I realized I had to change my snow driving style a bit. You don't accelerate through corners for starters. Oh yeah, you can't do donuts as well either (you can do it, they're just bigger)

My Explorer with Michelin LTX M/S's seemed to have a BIT more snow traction, but it's kinda subjective. My Pilot had Cross Terrains. It'll be interesting this winter in my Ody with all-season tires.