Snow Tires, do we need them?

[deepdrop]

Hi,
I just bought a 2007 Ridgeline RTL this week. It came with Michelin LTX tires (P24565R17) and I was wondering if these are adequate for winter use. I live in NH so we get a lot of snow and ice, but the tread looks pretty aggressive and I was hoping to hear opinions from other Ridgeline owners on this topic. I couldn't find any threads in the forum by searching this topic. Thanks.

Dan

[Pug]

It's in the mid-90's right now as I'm typing this...
... seems kinda surreal even just talking about snow and ice.

My RL handles snow here in PA just fine with the OEM Mich's. Ice is tricky with any tire... haven't had the need for chains here, though.

Use your savings from not having to buy winter tires and turn-up(down) the AC!

[brich]

Welcome to the ROC Dan. Congrats on your new truck... I don't know of any New Englanders using snow tires. I had good luck this past winter with the stock Michelins. Not a ton of snow last season but enough to realize this truck was made for New England winters...

[deepdrop]

Great! Thanks. Now I can use my snow tire money for a USA Spec ipod adaptor, roof rack, and Retrax bed cover!

I agree, snow is hard to imagine right now, but I was hoping that I'd hear that the Michelins would handle the snow so I could buy the other stuff!

So far I love the truck! I've only had it a few days but I think it's great. I'm almost kind of looking forward to winter now.

[PerryLynch]

My Durango had Goodrich tires when I bought it, and they were horrible - it didn't matter how much tread they had on them, the only thing that held them to the road was the weight of the truck. So I got online and did the research and came up with two choices: Pirelli Scorpion AT and the Michelin LTX series. One of the things that impressed me about this truck is that Honda dropped the cash into such a good OE tire.

You can compare the ratings of these tires to other manufacturers here: Note, the only other brand I included in this list is the Pirelli, which held my Durango to the road like a nice thick patch of epoxy.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...startInd ex=0

[xridgelinex]

Welcome to the ROC... The stock tires are more then sufficient for snow... Not an issue over here in NY with all the snow we had this year....

[Ridge Man]

Yes you can get by with All Season Tires in the winter but IMHO they pale in comparison to the winter tire that has the snow flake symbol on the sidewall, All season tires should be called Three season Tires Spring,summer and fall.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/winter/061004.htm

[bobpres]

Hi deepdrop,

Welcome to the ROC!!

We didn't get a ton of snow this past winter in NH, but I did manage to push the Ridgeline up my 350 foot long driveway when it was covered by 12". It did a fantastic job in the deep snow, even uphill. On any main roads, with just a few inches, the Ridge handles flawlessly (unless you FORGET you're on snow and take a normally 35mph corner at 35mph ). Thankfully, no one was coming, I let off the throttle and it straightened right out.

I think, as long as you are sticking to a road that gets plowed, the stock tires are going to be just fine.

Enjoy your ride!!

[Joanne]

My Ridgeline with all season radials does better on ice and snow than my Subaru with snows. Get the Retrax instead of snowtires.

[Ridge Man]

No matter the conditions adverse or other wise "Vehicle Control is the game"

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...id=120#wont_as