Honda Civic Winter Driving

cindylou1

Considering buying a '09 Civic LX. How do they do in the snow.

droman

I have an 2006 EX coupe. Overall it does fine as long as the snow doesn't get too deep (because the car sits so low to the ground). I live in Omaha, so we get a fair amount of snow in the winter and I have yet to experiece a situation where I wasn't able to get through (and we have horrible road maintainence). However, I drive a 2008 Subaru Forester with AWD at work. This car is awesome in the snow. I will definately be looking at AWD options when it comes time to buy a new car.

beerbaronhomer

I just bought a 2009 EX-L last Saturday, and drove it in the snow for the first time on Wednesday when we had 6 inches dump on us here in NH while I was at work. I had no problems whatsoever driving home, about 15 miles away. Yes, I know the EX-L has ESC, but from what I could tell, it never kicked in. However, driving conditions in the snow, I think, are more dependent on the tires and the driver than the car. The tires seem semi-decent so far, but I may end up getting a ultimate high performance all-season like the Continental ContiExtreme Contacts since I was very happy with their snow performance in my old car. If you think you are a good snow driver (don't speed in the snow, can keep your cool when you start sliding, brake before a turn rather than in it), then you should be fine.

glideslopes

If you have the Continental ContiPro's as OEM you will be fine. All the Bridgestone Muranuza's as absolutely dangerous on any snow/wet surface after 10,000 miles.

I replaced the Bridgestones on my 07 EX at 18,000 miles. I almost totaled several times.

There a lots of good Premium All Season M&S's out there. IMO, the Yokohama TRZ is the best value. I've lost about 1mpg with them. However its worth it too me. The car is soo low you need to be able pull the undercarriage over the snow.

The TRZ's are better than the Goodyear Triple Treads IMO.

nsteevo

The service bulletin number for the alignment problem is 08-011.
I went to the dealer as a result of a discussion in another blog about handling problems on slippery pavement. Mine was so bad I had started looking at buying a new//different car.
The dealer will replace the rear upper control arms which (originally) were designed to "tilt" the wheels allowing for better handling. Only problem with this great idea is that it causes uneven tire wear (a prerequisite to having the dealer replace the parts and to do an alignment on Honda) and lack of control on slippery pavement.
Mine was fixed yesterday. My fingers and toes are crossed cause I love this little car and want to keep it.

MB_in_MN

I've been driving Civics in Minnesota for years. As with all vehicles, the biggest difference is the quality of the brain, or lack thereof, behind the wheel. I see far more SUV's and 4WD cars in the ditch than I do Civics. :surprise:

That said, as others have indicated, the car sits low to the ground, so if the snow gets too deep, it could be a problem. And it is a light car, relatively speaking, so it can't bully its way through. Also, good tire tread is critical. You don't need expensive or special tire, just make sure you have enough tread on them.

Make sure you know how to respond to a skid. And if you don't have ABS, learn how to pump the brakes.

Over the years I've learned one of those maxims about winter driving: "If the weather is so bad that you need 4WD, then STAY HOME! If you aren't already home, stay where you are, because it is almost always safer in the long run."

afveit

Hi,

I'm considering making a 3 hour drive this weekend to the Tahoe, CA ski area, but it is scheduled to snow/rain. Anyone know if my Honda Civic EX from 1999 will be okay? I have prior experience driving in the snow.

Thanks!