Honda Odyssey Snow Traction & Handling

Comments

• sreiss Member Posts: 65

  January 2012

  Everything isn't always someone else's fault. If handling in those conditions is a critical purchasing decision for you, you should buy a different vehicle, or get snow tires.
  
  The reality is that Honda has made a set of tradeoffs regarding the design of their vehicle to appeal to their target market. That includes a set of tires that strike a balance between comfort and performance. They probably don't perform as well as some people would like in rain, or at high speeds, or at cornering, or at braking, or on very bumpy roads with 6 inch high boulders. Everyone needs to make a series of tradeoffs as to what is most important to them personally, for the price point, and determine if that is the correct decision for themselves. Failing to meet your criteria on a certain point does not translate to negligence on the part of the manufacturer.
  
  This logic taken far enough results in companies pulling products from the market, because it's far too much bother for them to deal with it. It's also why they have to spend all their time protecting themselves from litigation. For instance, I recently had to sign a liability waiver at my local furniture store, because I had purchased a set of pillows from them. But because I was taking them home myself instead of having them delivered (of course-- they're pillows after all) I had to clear them of delivery liability. OK - that's just stupid, but clearly they feel the need to protect themselves from being sued. It reduces us all to infantilism.
  
  If it's helpful to you, I can tell you that a set of snows is very effective on the Ody. I have had vehicles in my life that absolutely need snows, and others where I can get by without them. A lot of that has to do with the tires on the vehicle, and the engineering of the car itself. I use Blizzaks on my Ody and it performs quite well, and I have mentioned the same to friends and neighbors, who all experience the same result as I do.

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• hfarstad Member Posts: 1

  October 2012

  Thank you for your common sense. It is a rare commodity these days.

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• gtvfan Member Posts: 1

  December 2013

  From MN
  great van but very problematic in snow of any depth at any incline. invested in expensive all season tires but still not good in snow/hardpack (odysseys are also known for excessive road noise from the tires). our other cars and previous vans never had this issue. some design issue as our dealer was aware of this problem as well. I will try winter tires so thanks for all of comments regarding the same.

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• bobfandango Member Posts: 1

  December 2015

  ehren said:

  When you put the new snow tires cw new rims the TPMS warning light goes on...when the TPMS light is on Honda advises that the Electronic Stability Control is no longer functional.

  FYI all, perhaps that was true in the past (but I doubt it), but Honda actually advises the opposite today. That is, if the TPMS indicator light is on, vehicle stability assist *cannot* be turned off. VSA is always on by default but can be manually turned off (since some tire spin can be advantageous in certain situations). However, when tire pressure issues are detected by TPMS, you can no longer turn off VSA. That makes sense, actually, since mismatched tire pressure certainly can destabilize a vehicle in certain situations. See the 2014 Honda Odyssey Owners Manual, page 427. http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/AK81515OM/enu/AK81515OM.pdf
  
  I doubt very much this has changed for 2015 and 2016 model years.
  
  That said, when you have a very low traction situation, like glare ice, VSA will basically not let the tires spin at all, and it can be difficult or impossible to get moving. Turning off VSA allows the wheels to spin and you can actually get moving in situations where you otherwise wouldn't be able to do so...
  
  So, lack of TPMS sensors won't lead to a stability/safety issue, but you may get stuck in situations you otherwise might be able to get out of....

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• TFact Member Posts: 1

  January 2020

  Bobfandango, I have very much experienced what you describe with a 2016 Odyssey. No TPMS and you can't turn off VSA. With VSA locked on, I've gotten stuck driving up mild slushy slopes even with 4 winter tires. The accelerator continually decreases until the van comes to a stop, then it is impossible to get started again without a push. I sucked it up and paid to put pressure sensors in my winter rims (and to have Honda recal the computer when I switch from M+S to Winter wheels/tires) and can now turn off VSA, but I'm not impressed with this van in the snow on straight slopes or even starting from a stop. I'm constantly getting passed by 20 year old "dumb" cars. I may be showing my age, but all this "intelligent" electronic control is taking away driver control and making my car less reliable. My next car will be AWD.

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