van questions

thrisha

New member
We currently have a 08 town and Country. We have 3 kids currently in it with #4 here in may. Looking at possibly getting something different. Have heard the odyssey is good. Anyone knoe hownit handles innthe snow, we have gotten stuck a few times in the t& c. Also what year oddysey is best? Not sure budget yet. Just wanting some infonto give hubby some insight. We have had our t&c just over a year.
 
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jennzee

Active member
We just got a 2011 Odyssey in July and I drove for the first time in snow a couple of days ago. It handled better than I thought it would, but snow tires would have made me feel more comfortable (I'm used to having AWD or 4WD, so that was my comparison). We had just had a big storm with about 10 new inches, and a couple of the roads I drove on hadn't been plowed at all. I didn't slide around at all, just had to go slow to keep traction.
 

Mags462

New member
I don't have an Ody - we own a 05 Sienna - and it handles very well in the snow actually. We don't get a TON of snow per year, but we also don't have any city infrastructure to plow anything but main roads so snowy roads is part of every winter. My friend has a 2012 ody and said she feels like it slips around a lot, but IMO she just doesn't know how to drive in the snow :p
 

Rm2000hg

New member
I think the tires make a big difference. I drive two different Odysseys (neither are mine) and one seems ok in the snow & the other feels slippery.
 

thepote

New member
I think the tires make a big difference. I drive two different Odysseys (neither are mine) and one seems ok in the snow & the other feels slippery.

Yes, it's the tires. We have all seasons on our 2005 Odyssey that are great in snow. They are really loud, but that's the trade-off. The last three sets we have ranged from "meh" to deadly ( the OEM tires). Other than that, a quirk of that generation Odyssey is you have to turn off the VSA for it to get unstuck or to get up a bad hill. The VSA just makes the tires without traction spin faster.
 

DawgDad

New member
I think the tires make a big difference. I drive two different Odysseys (neither are mine) and one seems ok in the snow & the other feels slippery.

This is true for all cars. If you live in an area with a lot of snow, buy tires. Different shops have different arrangements on doing switch outs. I know a lot of families that buy complete sets and just switch them out every year and keep them stored in their garage during the warm months.
 

Guest

New member
The Odyssey, on stock tires, sucks in the snow. Like, real bad. If you live in snowy climes, you need to invest in snow tires.

I live an hour from the mountains. The last time I went where it snowed a bit while I was up there (but still basically cleared roads with just a bit of slush at the parking areas), the only cars that got stuck were Odysseys. Current gen and previous gen. Including mine (current gen). It was really embarrassing. I even got stuck on railroad tracks. Luckily, I have a tiny bit of experience so I knew how to work myself free but it was hard. There's no way my wife would have known what to do along with a lot of tourists I imagine.
 

Jackie010307

New member
The odyssey with all seasons is completely horrible in snow. With snow tires it was marginally better but not great. I have never driven a sienna in the snow, however I know at least 2 people very well who have, both with awd. One totaled hers recently on all season tires when she couldn't get traction, was rear ended by the suv behind her who also couldn't get traction and slammed into a tree. The second has driven hers both with all season and snow tires. Again, awd, and says the all seasons come off as soon as there is a threat of snow and the snow tires make it not great but doable. Personally after having driven cars, suvs, and vans in the snow I will not go back to a van. I just don't like the way they handle in the snow.
 

katymyers

Active member
Our Odyssey has all seasons and I've not had any issues on the icy roads this year at all. Even my husband, who has always had issues with winter driving, hasn't had any major problems in it. I really like minivans in the snow compared to other vehicles I've driven.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

thepote

New member
Our Odyssey has all seasons and I've not had any issues on the icy roads this year at all. Even my husband, who has always had issues with winter driving, hasn't had any major problems in it. I really like minivans in the snow compared to other vehicles I've driven. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, I've had this Ody for ten years this year with four different sets of tires and it's all about the right tires and turning off the VSA in the snow. The OEM's are awful, as a pp said, and a lot of tires are a bad match. You can't just pick a tire randomly for vans, you have to go through the auto forums and see what works and what doesn't. Blanket statements like vans aren't good in the snow just aren't true.
 

Guest

New member
Yeah, I've noticed it in the rain too. The stock tires are just really slippery. Maybe to get better gas mileage?

After I replaced the OEM set, traction got a bit better. I haven't tried the snow again on the new tires yet. Maybe MLK day.

Vans typically get pretty good traction in snow. It's because they're front wheel drive and so heavy in the front. With a good set of tires, that's actually a good thing. Similar to throwing sand bags into the bed of a truck. ANd the Ody is especially heavy in the front compared to the other minivans on the market.
 

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