Acura MDX in the snow?

Treeskier · Feb 24, 2010

I have 2004 MDX and love it. Do run Dunlap snow tires in the winter. It's a great car. For the first 148000 had all but not problems. Got 139000 out of the breaks! Un-heard of! At 155000 I did have to replace the transition.

Common problem at that mileage. Something to take into account. Really comfortable to drive. Love the extras. My only complaint is that it has to small a gas tank. Great visibility. Had a Volvo Cross Country wagon before it. While it was really fun to drive it was a night mare on repairs. Was into the shop every other month. Would I buy another MDX probably! But my plan now is to run this one into the ground. Guess I have a good 100k left or 4 years.

DLE · Jan 18, 2012

2011 mdxin the snow

We bought our Acura mdx in May, replacing a Ford Explorer 4 wheel drive that handled well in the snow.. I was concerned how the Acura all wheel drive would handle in the snow but had read reviews indicating good preformance. We had our first VANCOUVER ISLAND SNOW FALL this week (Jan 2012) about 1 foot where we are, and I finally got to test it out. We live in a hilly, switchback area and I was very happy with the vehicle. It has the tires it came with and I have had no trouble on the hills, up our long windy driveway and backing up to the carport. Every bit as good as the Ford Explorer and my husbands Toyota 4 wheel drive truck. I am very happy with it.

Chinalfr · Jan 19, 2012

Wow, A 2 yrs old topics resurrected. I'll chimed in as I own a 2003 Honda pilot too. I'm also a gearhead.

Pilot & MDX essentially the same. Acura is a luxury brand of Honda. They have the same engine and run on the same drivetrain. Depend on the manufacturer year, you will get different technology. Newer car get more improved technology.

I bought my pilot brand new in 2003. It was a decision between MDX or Pilot. It was a no brainier decision as I save about 10k. My pilot runs very well on snow. To make it run well in snow, first let loose the crappy OEM Goodyear tires and got a set of Michelin. Then, enjoyed the snowy day. My pilot has seen many nor'easter and ski trips. I'm currently on my 2nd set of Michelin LTX. 140k on the odo and still run strong.

Early pilot/MDX has transmission problem. It's well known and if you sloppy on car maintenance, the transmission will wear out due to lack of lubricant. Honda recalled the transmission and had a fix to the problem by adding additional pump to help circulate more tranny fluid. if you owned an older model of Honda/MDX, please try to change the tranny fluid more often than the recommended timetable.

Sent from my iPhone 5.

o3jeff · Jan 19, 2012

Chinalfr said:
Wow, A 2 yrs old topics resurrected. I'll chimed in as I own a 2003 Honda pilot too. I'm also a gearhead.

Pilot & MDX essentially the same. Acura is a luxury brand of Honda. They have the same engine and run on the same drivetrain. Depend on the manufacturer year, you will get different technology. Newer car get more improved technology.

I didn't look it up but I'm pretty sure the Pilot and the MDX have two different all wheel drive systems(sh-awd for the Acura and VTM for the Pilot)

o3jeff · Jan 19, 2012

Yea they are quite different, found this on the Pilot forum explaining the two

There are quite a few difference actually...
VTM-4:
-Front wheel drive under normal driving
-Can transfer power to rear differential when needed, but power distribution is limited to front to rear and not side to side.
-Sends power to rear when needed (ie limited traction)
-Sends power to rear when accelerating at low speeds up to 18mph.
-Sends power to rear when in reverse
-Sends power to rear when diff lock is on and tranny is in D1 or D2 up to 18mph.

In short, the VTM-4 system is basically a traction enhancement system.

SH-AWD: Based on VTM-4
-Full time all wheel drive with front drive bias
-Can send up to 70% of torque to rear diff
-Can distribute up to 100% of the rear torque to one axle; to the outside rear to help rotate the vehicle when cornering and to the inside rear to offset an overstear situation.

Unlike VTM-4, SH-AWD is more than just a traction enhancement, it is capable of enhancing handling/cornering in addition to improving traction in low grip situations. Additionally, it acts as a traction control system by actively controlling the torque distribution to counteract undesirable vehicle dynamics/movement without the intrusiveness and power sapping of ABS based VSA/traction control.

marcski · Jan 19, 2012

Chinalfr said:
Wow, A 2 yrs old topics resurrected. I'll chimed in as I own a 2003 Honda pilot too. I'm also a gearhead.

Pilot & MDX essentially the same. Acura is a luxury brand of Honda. They have the same engine and run on the same drivetrain.

While they may be based on the same chasis, they have a very different road feel in my opinion. They also have 2 completely different engines. The MDX offers 50 more hp. (300 v. 250). The AWD is I believe different as well as mentioned above.

I can't speak for a Pilot, but the MDX does well in the snow, provided as people have said you have good rubber on it for winter. However, our older MDX, 2008, got awful gas mileage. Someone mentioned good mileage with an MDX, above??? I think not. Our old 2000 Grand Cherokee got better mileage. However, the wife got a new MDX last month, and the 2012 has a 6 spd tranny...which IMHO, offers a much smoother ride with improved mileage. (its still an suv). I like the car...and it makes my wife happy, which is all the more reason to get one for me! Oh, the new one offers a powered tailgait, too.

SkiFanE · Jan 19, 2012

Yeah..late to the party, realized this is a 2yo thread lol. But a plug for the Toyota Sienna AWD van. We have 3 kids and wanted an SUV, but also need 7/8 seats (drive 3hrs up/back to ski every weekend, with a small dog). Looked at the SUVs with 3rd row, and they all take effort or something to get to the 3rd row. We'd be using it all the time, and didn't want the hassle. I swore I would never ever ever get a minivan, like hell on earth. But when push came to shove, and we realized we needed a people and junk mover, we went to the dealer and checked out Sienna. Once the salesman opened the hatchback, and I saw the cargo space (with the 3rd row up), we were sold. We usually have 6 seats up, with 1/3 of the back row flat for skis. We don't have or need a cargo box (but have a locker on mt. which saves some ski travel back/forth, but 95% of the time we have at least pair of skis in van). It's a family room on wheels. Didn't even consider the Honda, since we need AWD.

My first, and probably last Toyota ever, haven't been very impressed with the brand, but we'll run it into the ground and the kids will start flying the coop and we can go back to SUV. BUT...it is the best purchase ever, we can stuff that thing with people and junk and dog comfortably. And it handles awesome in snow, but we don't go 4 wheeling or anything, just on road. Gas mileage is not bad. If you can suck up your pride (lol) consider one.

hammer · Jan 19, 2012

SkiFanE said:
I swore I would never ever ever get a minivan, like hell on earth.

Sounds just like my spouse...and with 2 kids we never had to consider a minivan. 8)

Chinalfr · Jan 19, 2012

o3jeff said:
Yea they are quite different, found this on the Pilot forum explaining the two

There are quite a few difference actually...
VTM-4:
-Front wheel drive under normal driving
-Can transfer power to rear differential when needed, but power distribution is limited to front to rear and not side to side.
-Sends power to rear when needed (ie limited traction)
-Sends power to rear when accelerating at low speeds up to 18mph.
-Sends power to rear when in reverse
-Sends power to rear when diff lock is on and tranny is in D1 or D2 up to 18mph.

In short, the VTM-4 system is basically a traction enhancement system.

SH-AWD: Based on VTM-4
-Full time all wheel drive with front drive bias
-Can send up to 70% of torque to rear diff
-Can distribute up to 100% of the rear torque to one axle; to the outside rear to help rotate the vehicle when cornering and to the inside rear to offset an overstear situation.

Unlike VTM-4, SH-AWD is more than just a traction enhancement, it is capable of enhancing handling/cornering in addition to improving traction in low grip situations. Additionally, it acts as a traction control system by actively controlling the torque distribution to counteract undesirable vehicle dynamics/movement without the intrusiveness and power sapping of ABS based VSA/traction control.

I agreed that SH-AWD is difference than VTM-4. But earlier (aka first gen) MDX use VTM-4 drivetrain too. Later, Acura start to adopt SH-AWD to the 2nd gen MDX. As I mention, newer car got newer technology. I'm not surprised that newer pilot will be totally different than newer MDX. There always a reason for paying 10-20k more. You get quiet interior, more comfortable ride, more engine power and more technologies. That's the reason, I'm choosing luxury car too.

Chinalfr · Jan 19, 2012

o3jeff said:
I didn't look it up but I'm pretty sure the Pilot and the MDX have two different all wheel drive systems(sh-awd for the Acura and VTM for the Pilot)

see my post above.

SkiFanE · Jan 19, 2012

hammer said:
Sounds just like my spouse...and with 2 kids we never had to consider a minivan. 8)

3rd kid pushed us over limit, could not have a friend in car w/o more seats. Had a Cherokee before that, but got too tight in backseat, and before you know it, kids are as big as adults and the car feels cramped.

dartmouth01 · Jan 19, 2012

I'd say Highlander, but thats not just because I actually have a 2005 Highlander for sale right now ($13k OBO!). I love it, its a great people mover that does amazingly in snow. I bought it in 2008, and drove it through every snow storm we got that year to get first tracks. Drove like a dream, the AWD system works great, has plenty of ground clearance, and room to seat 7 (the backseat is a bit tight for two adults, but its manageable). And being a Toyota, maintenance has been a breeze. Once I put on General Grabber tires on it at the end of last year, i was unstoppable in the snow. The only reason I'm selling it now is I got a camper and needed a truck to pull it. I dont have a family, was just hauling my friends around with the highlander, so I dont need to keep it....

SkiFanE · Jan 19, 2012

dartmouth01 said:
I'd say Highlander, but thats not just because I actually have a 2005 Highlander for sale right now ($13k OBO!). I love it, its a great people mover that does amazingly in snow. I bought it in 2008, and drove it through every snow storm we got that year to get first tracks. Drove like a dream, the AWD system works great, has plenty of ground clearance, and room to seat 7 (the backseat is a bit tight for two adults, but its manageable). And being a Toyota, maintenance has been a breeze. Once I put on General Grabber tires on it at the end of last year, i was unstoppable in the snow. The only reason I'm selling it now is I got a camper and needed a truck to pull it. I dont have a family, was just hauling my friends around with the highlander, so I dont need to keep it....

Our toyota - had to replace all run flat tires by 20k mi ($250/each). Brakes/roters went on rear by 28k. Power sliding door is broken, at least $1k to fix, don't even open it anymore, but as soon as we can will just switch it to manual so at least it will open. And the fricking bumper didn't like being used as a snow plow to get into our driveway, finally got that replaced lol...the bungee cord holding it on was starting to rattle haha. But yeah...I guess besides that it hasn't been bad, just eveyrthing that has failed has never been covered by warranty.

Chinalfr · Jan 19, 2012

SkiFanE said:
3rd kid pushed us over limit, could not have a friend in car w/o more seats. Had a Cherokee before that, but got too tight in backseat, and before you know it, kids are as big as adults and the car feels cramped.

You need an Escalade. ;-)

I have 3 kids too. Wifey and I both will not drive a van, period. That's the reason we still kept the old, reliable Honda Pilot for this specific reason. I only drive the pilot for trip and snowy weather only.

hammer · Jan 19, 2012

SkiFanE said:
3rd kid pushed us over limit, could not have a friend in car w/o more seats. Had a Cherokee before that, but got too tight in backseat, and before you know it, kids are as big as adults and the car feels cramped.

One thing I really like about our new Grand Cherokee is that the back seat's really big enough for 2 adults, which helps now that the kids are in their teens. Just came back from a trip to NJ and no complaints about back seat space.

dartmouth01 said:
I'd say Highlander, but thats not just because I actually have a 2005 Highlander for sale right now ($13k OBO!). I love it, its a great people mover that does amazingly in snow. I bought it in 2008, and drove it through every snow storm we got that year to get first tracks. Drove like a dream, the AWD system works great, has plenty of ground clearance, and room to seat 7 (the backseat is a bit tight for two adults, but its manageable). And being a Toyota, maintenance has been a breeze. Once I put on General Grabber tires on it at the end of last year, i was unstoppable in the snow. The only reason I'm selling it now is I got a camper and needed a truck to pull it. I dont have a family, was just hauling my friends around with the highlander, so I dont need to keep it....

We still have our 11YO Highlander...up to over 195K miles and it still runs OK, although it's been using more oil lately, the parking brake is sticking, and it needs a new set of tires. Still usable as a beater car but considering what options we have at this point.

SkiFanE said:
Our toyota - had to replace all run flat tires by 20k mi ($250/each). Brakes/roters went on rear by 28k. Power sliding door is broken, at least $1k to fix, don't even open it anymore, but as soon as we can will just switch it to manual so at least it will open. And the fricking bumper didn't like being used as a snow plow to get into our driveway, finally got that replaced lol...the bungee cord holding it on was starting to rattle haha. But yeah...I guess besides that it hasn't been bad, just everything that has failed has never been covered by warranty.

Our Highlander was pretty solid for over 150K miles but had a few more expensive repairs outside of warranty. Still beat having a car payment.

Bumpsis · Jan 19, 2012

If I had the need for a solid people (with cargo) mover for ski trips and keep an eye on the budget, my first choice would definitely be a gently used minivan. With good snow tires you don't even need AWD and if it's of recent vintage, it will probably have traction control. There is plenty of used minivans out there. I had very good luck with the Caravans and a Ford Windstar. I liked the Dodges much better.

To get the comparable internal volume, you'd probably need to go with a big SUV and that's always a terrible choice: lousy handling, very poor active safety, dreadful milage and let's face, a real insult to the environment.
Yes, you'll gain some margin of extra mobilty in snow if the SUV is actualy an AWD (not all are), but for the majority of the year, you'll still be stuck with all the serious negatives of a big SUV.

And if you're worried about the "stigma" ( guy driving a minivan), trust me, only spineless weenies would worry about such an artificial construct that was created by car companies to push SUVs.

marcski · Jan 19, 2012

Bumpsis said:
And if you're worried about the "stigma" ( guy driving a minivan), trust me, only spineless weenies would worry about such an artificial construct that was created by car companies to push SUVs.

It's not just guys....I think my wife is more worried about the stigma than I am!

Chinalfr · Jan 19, 2012

marcski said:
It's not just guys....I think my wife is more worried about the stigma than I am!

+1 My wife too. LOL

ALLSKIING · Jan 19, 2012

Bumpsis said:
And if you're worried about the "stigma" ( guy driving a minivan), trust me, only spineless weenies would worry about such an artificial construct that was created by car companies to push SUVs.

Then call me a spineless weenie because I would never drive a minivan

uke:

HowieT2 · Jan 19, 2012

my 2 cents. we are on our 2nd Mazda CX-9 which we absolutely love. Have 2 friends who got rid of their MDX's for the CX-9 after driving it. zoom zoom

Acura MDX in the snow?

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