snow mode button

I have only tried it once when we had about 3" overnight. I was surprised, it dug right in and took off like a rocket with no tire spin or other hysterics. That is all the snow we have had so far and it was gone quickly. Waiting for more to do some better comparisons.

pushing the snow mode button isn't instantly going to give you more traction. If you want more traction, you need snow tires.
Snow mode just adjust pedal input and traction control.

Fast Ed said:

Did anybody notice any difference in traction when pushing the select button to put the vehicle in snow mode. I do not notice any difference between snow and normal,

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I noticed no difference whatsoever when I used snow mode for just a few miles. Returning from Toronto to New Jersey on Nov 20th, we drove almost 8 hours in heavy snow. I turned on snow mode briefly when the snow was coming down at it's heaviest.

I've gained a tremendous appreciation for this truck since that trip. I'm running aftermarket Goodyear all-season tires, and it performed flawlessly.

The AWD system is amazing!!

Snow mode is there for people who do not know how to drive in the snow. As mentioned, it basically cuts the throttle response and probably starts you off in 2nd gear. Not sure how it affects the AWD system though. My experience on other vehicles with AWD and snow mode was not all that good. I actually had to deselect snow mode if I was deep snow and partially stuck as there was no way I was getting out without a little wheel spin and the darn nanny kicking in all the time. Something like sand mode on the RL would have worked much better than snow mode. Need to get some decent snow to see what works well and what does not on the RL before anyone can give hands on advice including myself.

I'd be curious to see how ECON mode does in comparison to both regular and SNOW mode. The ECON mode holds back on the power, but it's not changing which wheels are getting the power...just waiting for the snow.

I used it last night. We got close to a foot at our house. There is a decent little hill going up towards my cul-de-sac that you turn into that my G1 would always spin out a bit before the AWD kicked in. I put it in snow mode as I approached the turn and the truck cruised from a near stop right up the hill with no noticeable wheel spin. It was awesome. We're supposed to get nailed again pretty soon so I'll do a few laps on this hill with the snow mode off and on to see if I notice any difference.

Trying not to preach, but I think this is important:

AWD/4WD is great to get you going in the snow, and it will help somewhat with control, too, but does not help at all when you are trying to stop.

When I lived in NH, every year during the first couple snow storms I would see some person go flying by me in their new 4WD on the snow-covered interstate, only to find them in the ditch or upside-down in the median a couple miles further down the road. (for those in NH, the worst place for this was the Everett Turnpike, Southbound, in Nashua, where the road makes a sweeping right turn on an uphill about 1-2 miles before Exit 1.)

Slow down in snow. Arrive alive.

otterson said:

Trying not to preach, but I think this is important:

AWD/4WD is great to get you going in the snow, and it will help somewhat with control, too, but does not help at all when you are trying to stop.

When I lived in NH, every year during the first couple snow storms I would see some person go flying by me in their new 4WD on the snow-covered interstate, only to find them in the ditch or upside-down in the median a couple miles further down the road. (for those in NH, the worst place for this was the Everett Turnpike, Southbound, in Nashua, where the road makes a sweeping right turn on an uphill about 1-2 miles before Exit 1.)

Slow down in snow. Arrive alive.

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It also tends to be bad on I93 around Salem. A few years ago I was coming home from Boston and the temperature changed just to the point where the rain turned to black ice. I felt myself slide a bit and instantly started to slow down. The last mile to my exit traffic slowed to a crawl because it was like a skating rink.
Only 1 car off the road though.

otterson said:

When I lived in NH, every year during the first couple snow storms I would see some person go flying by me in their new 4WD on the snow-covered interstate, only to find them in the ditch or upside-down in the median a couple miles further down the road. (for those in NH, the worst place for this was the Everett Turnpike, Southbound, in Nashua, where the road makes a sweeping right turn on an uphill about 1-2 miles before Exit 1.)

Slow down in snow. Arrive alive.

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I know it well. I live in Hudson just off Exit 2.
Same with 93 but that road should be much better now that the widening is close to done. The stretch from Exit 2 to 5 is notorious for pileups. I think they found that the issue was the crown in the road in wet conditions.
I drove 35k-50k a year until I retired early last month. People in this area drive like idiots no matter the weather.

Midnightsun said:

As mentioned, it basically cuts the throttle response and probably starts you off in 2nd gear. Not sure how it affects the AWD system though. My experience on other vehicles with AWD and snow mode was not all that good. I actually had to deselect snow mode if I was deep snow and partially stuck as there was no way I was getting out without a little wheel spin and the darn nanny kicking in all the time. Something like sand mode on the RL would have worked much better than snow mode. Need to get some decent snow to see what works well and what does not on the RL before anyone can give hands on advice including myself.

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Here is a little link regarding the differences, if it helps. Looks as if "Snow" mode does as you say, dampens the throttle response (for slow start to avoid slip). But it appears to give a tad more ratio bias to the rear wheels (and it leaves Torque Vectoring engaged so the rear outer wheel has more torque on a turn). "Mud" mode appears to disable Torque Vectoring and increase the throttle response while also applying a even more rear wheel bias. "Sand" mode appears to be the same as "Mud", but rear bias and throttle response is exaggerated even more.

Link:
https://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/heres-how-the-2017-honda-ridgelines-trick-off-roading-m-1775651261

I've used it when there is heavy snow - not much of a difference that I can tell except going through corners where it tends to get slippery it appeared to work a lot better.

Agreed with folks here talking about how to drive in the snow. I grew up in central MA and had plenty of snow practice, including night driving in a blizzard. Down here in Maryland (near the bay) we don't get much snow, and so everyone loses their mind when we get some. It's not much better in the winter near Seattle in the times I've been up there.

Pete

So what does snow mode do on the fwd trucks?

BolivarS said:

So what does snow mode do on the fwd trucks?

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I'd imagine they don't even have a "mode" button.

BolivarS said:

So what does snow mode do on the fwd trucks?

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If you have programmed your Homelink button, the first thing the snow mode does is prevent your garage door from even opening. If you have not setup the Homelink feature, then it will disable the Start button.. You best just stay home. LOL!

Totally kidding - I am sure it dampens throttle response and flattens out acceleration, etc. In all seriousness - I bet the front wheel drive model is still pretty decent in the snow. FWD vehicles are all pretty decent snow warriors - I had a 2005 Civic VP, and when I put on the snow tires it was basically a 4x4...

BolivarS said:

So what does snow mode do on the fwd trucks?

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Main thing would be to dampen throttle, maybe start out in 2nd gear.

If it is smart enough, it would vector torque to the wheel with traction, or at least brake the wheel that is spinning. An old trick to gain traction with an open differential is to lightly apply the e-brake...that tends to send some power to the wheel with traction.

This iVTM-4 may be the best AWD system period for snow but as has been mentioned above, it doesn't help you stop and in the real world, there is simply no substitute for modern winter (don't call them 'snow') tires...I'd take a FWD car or CUV/SUV with decent winter tires over an advanced AWD system with all season tires for truly slippery roads.

I went ALL OUT a couple years ago and put Yokohama IG51 winters on my wife's 2011 VW Tiguan with 4Motion - in a slightly narrower 225 width - and it is simply a snowmobile now. It is the go to vehicle anytime we need to travel somewhere in really bad conditions.

Got 20cm of snow over the past couple of days and snow mode works like a charm. Although throttle response is boring and since I have winters on, I am using normal mode. I suspect I would use snow mode lots when driving through harsh prairie blizzards. I still give enough time and space for breaking though.

I have yet to engage snow mode, but I did drive about 4-5 hours on the OH and PA turnpike a few weeks back in a snowstorm. Cars were all over the place in ditches, but the ridge never slipped.