Is Honday Odyssey safe in heavy snow areas?

[moonsky]

We will be in CA but plan to go to ski resorts several times in winter. We need a minvan/an SUV. I am leaning toward an SUV because I thought a Honday Odyssey may not be safe to drive to ski resorts due to the snow. Am I wrong?

[codex57]

It's fine if you're willing to put on chains.

There are basically two levels of snow for the Tahoe resorts. Well, 3 if you count the chains recommended but not required to be on. 1) is chains required for 2WD vehicles, but not for 4WD. 2) is chains required for even 4WD.

1 is pretty normal and not a big deal. If you only go a few times a season, it might be worth it to just put chains on and skip the lower mileage and extra maintenance a 4WD vehicle requires over a 2WD one.

If you hit scenario 2, you're not gonna want to be going to the resorts anyways.

We have AWD right now, but we only go a couple times a season. Don't think it's worth the hit we take in gas mileage, maintenance, and insurance for having a 4WD vehicle over a 2WD one.

[kmak]

We live in Denver and drive into the mountians for skiing. We put snow tires on our Honda van in the winter and it goes like a champ. I drive it to and from work on snow days and pass SUV's in the ditch. I had a Jeep Wrangler before the minivan, and I think the van with snow tires does better on snowy paved roads that the Jeep did with all terrain tires.

[cckwmh]

We live in Denver and drive into the mountians for skiing. We put snow tires on our Honda van in the winter and it goes like a champ. I drive it to and from work on snow days and pass SUV's in the ditch. I had a Jeep Wrangler before the minivan, and I think the van with snow tires does better on snowy paved roads that the Jeep did with all terrain tires.

We were just discussing this. We decided to get snow tires for this winter. what brand do you have and do you like them?

[swissair81]

I'm glad to see this thread. I got stuck with my Ody on 2 separate occasions last winter. I think I'm going to have to get snow tires too. Is it different if I have a Touring with those run flats? Can I still get snow tires?

[wendibird22]

I live in snow country NY. My Ody drives great in the snow and ice. Now granted, we get our roads salted when it snows, but still, like PP, I pass plenty of SUVs off in the ditch.

[StantonHyde]

Another snow dweller here. But we need AWD to go up the ski canyons--and often just to get up our hill!! We got the Sienna for that reason.

But if I was going skiing only a couple of times a year, I would not get an AWD vehicle. Not worth the gas mileage etc costs.

[bubbaray]

I had an Ody until recently (last month) and would not willingly drive it in the snow and definitely NOT to the ski hills. We only take 4WD vehicles to the ski hill.

I *have* driven my former Ody in the snow on many occasions (with snow tires) and was not happy or confident while doing so. I'm an experienced snow driver and the vehicle was just a big sled in the snow. I much prefer a 4WD vehicle with snow tires.

JMHO.

[codex57]

I *have* driven my former Ody in the snow on many occasions (with snow tires) and was not happy or confident while doing so. I'm an experienced snow driver and the vehicle was just a big sled in the snow. I much prefer a 4WD vehicle with snow tires.

JMHO.

It really depends on location. Unless things have changed, she's moving near me. 4WD with snow tires is massive overkill for the resorts in this area. They either clear the roads or there's enough traffic that cars wear the snow down with their tires. Beyond that, traffic is either closed or the weather is so bad you're not gonna want to go out anyways. We're talking about a place where 10 degrees F is really, really cold. That's practically balmy weather for a lot of you guys.

And yes, if you have run flats, you can still have snow tires. You replace your regular tires with snow tires. However, it generally means you need a full set of snow tires PLUS the rims (steel or otherwise) to mount the tires on. Then, you just swap the run flat set with the snow set when it gets snowy enough. That's generally something to consider if you have a season where it's bad enough. Way too much money and effort if it's just a few days a year, particularly if they're spread out.

[swissair81]

I live in the Midwest. Thanks to the Lake Effect, we get lots of snow from November to March.

[bubbaray]

I think it depends not only on your climate (ours is like Seattle -- very mild and rainy in winter, rare snow days), but the type of snow you are likely to drive in. Yeah, the Ody with snow tires will do OK in dry, packed snow. In our wet, gross, icy snow here in coastal BC and WA -- not so much. ETA: I don't leave the house when its 10F/-12C. Seriously, its almost never that cold here. It hovers around 32F/0C when its cold in winter here.

Here is a picture of my van in a blizzard on Stevens Pass in WA in 2007. It is a well-maintained highway, but they get blizzards and the highway has a "must carry chains" rule even for 4WDs. This pic was after the summit at a rest area. Frankly, I could have used a large drink at this point because it was one of the worst driving experiences -- very harrowing (and I was only the passenger). Chains were not required yet at this point (we had them with us), but DH was pretty stressed. He is an extremely experienced snow driver -- is licensed to drive commercial vehicles and airbrakes, has driven up to every ski hill in BC, AB, WA and OR and most in ID. Not easily scared. He didn't pull over until the rest area to chain up because he was sure we would not get going again, the roads were so horrible. He didn't want to stop on the highway and let the maintenance crew catch up on plowing because he thought it was less safe than continuing to the rest area. By the time we left the rest area, the plows had gotten ahead of us and the roads were in better shape.

But, things like this happen a LOT if you are going to ski hills. The only reason we didn't take his former SUV on that trip was because we weren't going skiing and the forecast had been for no snow. I had, at that point, been telling DH that my van sucked in snow and he didn't really believe me. Well, after that he sure did.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4841294616_7bc8db2fc1.jpg

[elektra]

If you are going to CA ski resorts a few times a year, I think chains on an Odyssey will be fine. It's what we do for my somewhat of a poser SUV (Volvo XC90, non-4WD).
Yes, a 4WD vehicle is preferred. But our 4Wd Tundra does not accomodate our whole family plus gear, so we use the Volvo.
It's really only snowy right up near the resorts usually. And for Mammoth, there is really no windy mountain driving, unlike the local SoCal spots like Big Bear.

I haven't been to Tahoe in awhile but I think it's similar to Mammoth with the driving conditions.

[codex57]

I think it depends not only on your climate (ours is like Seattle -- very mild and rainy in winter, rare snow days), but the type of snow you are likely to drive in. Yeah, the Ody with snow tires will do OK in dry, packed snow. In our wet, gross, icy snow here in coastal BC and WA -- not so much. ETA: I don't leave the house when its 10F/-12C. Seriously, its almost never that cold here. It hovers around 32F/0C when its cold in winter here.

Here is a picture of my van in a blizzard on Stevens Pass in WA in 2007. It is a well-maintained highway, but they get blizzards and the highway has a "must carry chains" rule even for 4WDs. This pic was after the summit at a rest area. Frankly, I could have used a large drink at this point because it was one of the worst driving experiences -- very harrowing (and I was only the passenger). Chains were not required yet at this point (we had them with us), but DH was pretty stressed. He is an extremely experienced snow driver -- is licensed to drive commercial vehicles and airbrakes, has driven up to every ski hill in BC, AB, WA and OR and most in ID. Not easily scared. He didn't pull over until the rest area to chain up because he was sure we would not get going again, the roads were so horrible. He didn't want to stop on the highway and let the maintenance crew catch up on plowing because he thought it was less safe than continuing to the rest area. By the time we left the rest area, the plows had gotten ahead of us and the roads were in better shape.

But, things like this happen a LOT if you are going to ski hills. The only reason we didn't take his former SUV on that trip was because we weren't going skiing and the forecast had been for no snow. I had, at that point, been telling DH that my van sucked in snow and he didn't really believe me. Well, after that he sure did.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4841294616_7bc8db2fc1.jpg

Whoah!

In CA, we're wussy drivers. CALTRANS will likely just shut down the road before it gets that bad. You'd only see roads that covered in the parking lots of the resorts. It can get that high on the freeways, but you'll see deep grooves from all the traffic that's going by. Totally drivable, but a huge pain if you need to switch lanes.

And yeah, Mammoth is pretty much the same as Tahoe. We had a cabin in Lake Arrowhead and now I live near Tahoe. Basically the same weather/road conditions.

[Roni]

A lot of people around here do drive them, but for our road we are more comfortable w/ the 4-wheel drive of the Honda Pilot (Subaru Outback before that). We also have really good studdend snow tires, which may be even more helpful than AWD. I'm not sure of the spelling of the tires we have--something like "Hakapolito" (that's what the name sounds like, anyway).

[MontrealMum]

We have had Blizzak, Nokian, and IIRC Yokohama snow tires on our various vehicles over the years. Snow tires are (now) legally required in the winter where we live and make an amazing difference in the handling of any vehicle. As to which type to buy, it depends on your vehicle, and the type of conditions you'll be driving in (different levels of grippiness, groove patterns etc). We always buy our entire set on rims. It's very easy for DH to put them on himself, but garages up here run specials in the fall for winter tire installation. They're stored in the basement in the off season. We no longer have chains, and one of our cars is AWD. Studded tires aren't allowed in many parts of the city, but are common in the mountainous areas north and south of us.

ETA: Swissair, snow tires are amazing and I've really enjoyed having them on my wintertime visits back to MI. I never get stuck ;) In fact, when I was growing up everyone had them but that changed as AW tires got better I've heard. Anyway, the only problem with having snow tires in MI is that you'll be able to stop, but many people around you will not. So you stand a good chance of being rearended if you don't leave enough room behind you (by taking longer than you actually *need* to stop your vehicle) when stopping at lights and such for following cars who won't know that you've got snow tires on (Ok, some geeks like my DH will, but most won't). Hard to remember for someone like me who's used to everyone having an equal chance of being able to stop in the same distance. My dad has them, but he lives way up north.

[kboyle]

living in cleveland being in a suburb that doesn't get plowed well my ody does quite well. i can say w/o snow tires i've never gotten stuck or slid off the road...but i'm also used to driving in snow.