I'm moving up to the Boston area from Florida and have never really experienced driving in the winter. Any tips or suggestions on tires, other cautions, etc.

Thanks

I forgot to add, a friend suggested I put sandbags in the back as a general suggestion for pick up trucks because of the heavy forward center of mass. A possible myth to be busted?

Thanks

I forgot to add, a friend suggested I put sandbags in the back as a general suggestion for pick up trucks because of the heavy forward center of mass. A possible myth to be busted?

Thanks

Your Ridgeline will out perform almost every other vehicle in the snow. Sure, there are some better, but not for the money or without some degree of modification. Drive as normal, use caution of course in heavy snow. Just watch out for everyone else driving wreckless around you.

As for the sandbags, forget about it. Your RL is heavy enough front and rear. Your AWD will handle the rest. If you want, you can add snow tires, but its not needed. I kept my OEM Mich's for 3 years, and 3 Chicago winters. There are lots of tires to choose from though. Search 'Tires' or view the tire and wheel threads here.

Good luck, safe driving.

Q

Somewhere on this forum is a long thread from a subscriber who got a temporary job in a winter area, after never having driven in snow before. I wasn't able to find it, so hopefully someone else will post a link. Among other things, that thread had many people's input on items to have with you in winter driving.

Sandbagging is used to give some weight to the comparatively light rear-ends of conventional pick-up trucks. It is suitable for unloaded trucks that are RWD only, or use part-time 4WD (where you can only use RWD most of the time). This is completely inapplicable to the Ridgeline, which uses FWD primarily and automatically engages RWD when needed. So, you can forget about sandbagging. The Ridgeline is one of the best winter-driving vehicles on the road without sandbagging.

You would do well do get winter tires (preferably on a separate set of Honda rims). I use Toyo Observe G02's, but that's only because I could not find local stock for Michelin X-Ice tires. Blizzaks also work as advertised, but don't last long (which is why dealers love selling them). All of the models that I listed are not just "winter" tires, but also "ice" tires -- they have specific chemical properties for extra traction at low temperatures, where all-season or "M+S" tires get hard and slippery.

That said, the OEM Michelin tires that come with the Ridgeline are surprisingly good -- far better than many other M+S tires in winter.

I'm originally from Florida as well. Several years ago I relocated to Columbus, Ohio and experienced my first winter/snow driving. Others have mentioned snow tires and whatnot. Not a bad idea but not necessary IMO. The stock tires do quite well in the snow, and if you find yourself in a situation where they wouldn't work chances are you shouldn't be out driving anyway. The key points are pay very close attention to the other drivers around you. There are asshats everywhere that think because they have an Explorer that they are ok to drive 10mph over the speed limit even in crummy road conditions. Second make sure you give other vehicles a wide berth especially when approaching any situation where you need to stop. Not all vehicles were created equal in their stopping power so what might take you 30 feet to stop could take the guy behind you 80. Just take it easy, be cautious and you should be fine.

One final thing I would suggest is the first time you encounter some snow on the ground find an empty parking lot or something along those lines get up to 10mph and slam on the breaks. Understanding what the vehicle feels like when it's sliding in the snow will go a long way in helping you avoid an accident. The first time I did that my a$$hole puckered up tighter than a snare drum!

Thanks for all of your advice. I'll definitely put it to good use.

Performs well in the winter months...
Traction is great but don't get over confident, you'll still stop like everyone else. Slipping and sliding.