MDX 2007 sliding in ice

[TheJimbo]

Originally Posted by MnMDXDave

As a long-time Minnesotan, another tip. When you buy a new vehicle, take it out in an empty parking lot or even neighborhood road and test it during the first snow of the year.

Agree, I do the same

[flnycus]

Originally Posted by gotMDX

+1. just got here and the steep driveway has about 3" of untouched snow and of course ice underneath! the general grabbers snow tires worked its wonder!!! imho these snow shoes are well worth the investment.

I have yet to test mine out on any decent snow... looks like its coming around Christmas in the N East though

Just a quick note, im sure you guys know this but anyway i have a 4runner which is my winter beast, mud tires definitely dont work in snow and especially ice! The reason i got the grabbers for my yota was the siping - the more the better it can grip the ice. Mud tires have huge gaps, great for mud, not too bad for snow as it compacts in there but not good at all for ice - no grip. Thats why i walked away from the bf goodrichs!

[leaffan]

Originally Posted by TheJimbo

Agree, I do the same

Better yet take your SO and driving-age kids with you for a try... A few minutes on a icy parking lot ( stadium parking lots are the best since they are usually empty and very large ) lets them feel the ABS system kick in.

[flnycus]

Originally Posted by leaffan

Better yet take your SO and driving-age kids with you for a try... A few minutes on a icy parking lot ( stadium parking lots are the best since they are usually empty and very large ) lets them feel the ABS system kick in.

Excellent advice.

I just did the same with our first decent snow fall here in NJ. Took out my other suv after it slid with new snow tires right out the driveway ?! (go figure), tested it out all seems fine; couldnt get a slide in the parking lot. Probably me being over enthusiastic thinking i can take on the snow with my new tires by flooring it smh lol.

[boston]

OP also needs to learn how the stability control works.
Sometimes it really does pay to trust the Car to know what it's doing.


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[itsjohn07]

Originally Posted by bryan123

Hi All,

First time poster here I have a 2007 MDX with Yokohama Geolandar HTS (I think G051) tires with less than 10k miles on them.

Last weekend I took my X up to the snow at Lake Tahoe for the first time. I was heading back to the hotel from a friends at night when temp was maybe 25 or 30 degrees outside and was already expecting the hill to be very icey. It was maybe 30 degree downhill slope and was trying to keep it in first gear going 5-10mph. When I got towards the bottom of the hill the car started sliding and I think ABS eventually kicked in, so I couldn't do anything other than turn, which luckily I didn't have to do because I was going so slowly. Letting off the breaks for a couple seconds and reapplying didn't help at all. Of course the slide happened to be down the last part of the road coming up to the highway, but I was going slow enough that I didn't make it to the highway

Anything I should have done differently to avoid the sliding, or did mother nature and physics leave me helpless?

Also when going downhill is there anything to do to keep an X in 1st gear other than breaking to keep the mph low?

Thanks!

I have a 2008 MDX. I've been up to Tahoe so far, every weekend in December and my car has been done so far, minus last weekend. I typically drive in Manual Mode, and going in Gear 1 or 2, mostly 2, sometimes 3 depending on the road conditions and traffic. I find it safer to drive in Manual Mode than Drive Mode as the manual mode pretty much holds you back from going faster than what you should. Just keep your foot on the brakes but most of the time, in lower gear, because of your speed, you wont' even have to use your brakes, even going downhill, just let it coast and use your brakes (gently) if necessary.

This past weekend, I was going on a little uphill on 267 (heading towards Northstar) and there was traffic so it was stop and go. At one point, my car wouldn't budge after pressing the gas pedal. Wheels starting spinning as there was no traction. There was ice on that spot my car stopped on. Eventually had to put on emergency lights on. Tried to get out of the spot, no luck. Reversing and then trying to turn and get out didn't work either and car eventually started sliding backwards (just a little). At that point, there was no cars around the area so tried to get out of the spot but eventually didn't work so had to put on chains lol, which thankfully, I had. If not, would have been stuck.

[lion9mdx]

I'm a bit concerned about the attempt to stay in a low gear. Too much engine braking can cause you to slide, just like regular braking. However, there is no ABS function for engine braking, so you can lose control when that happens.

[itsjohn07]

Originally Posted by lion9mdx

I'm a bit concerned about the attempt to stay in a low gear. Too much engine braking can cause you to slide, just like regular braking. However, there is no ABS function for engine braking, so you can lose control when that happens.

That was my concern at first too when I decided to go in a lower gear rather than driving it in D. The MDX felt more stable/secure when I drive in lower gear in the snow though. Not sure why this is so. I had a bad experience driving in snow using D as ABS kicked in a lot from braking too hard (my fault though). I guess you can still drive D but have to really watch your speed so you don't over-speed to the point where you had to really use your brakes as ABS will eventually kick in. But you're right though, there's no ABS in engine braking from using lower gears.