I drive Honda Civic and moved into area that snows alot. Car drives terrible on snow will snow tires help?

Question

I drive Honda Civic and moved into area that snows alot. Car drives terrible on snow will snow tires help?

Answer 1

Some, chains are an option. Those cars are very light.

Answer 2

Hey, senormar....I'm from Canada.....all cars drive terrible in snow.  My wife drives a little Saturn 50 miles to work every day, and I have an F150 pickup,.....both not 4 wheel drive or known for being very  good in snow.  Driving in snow is a different type of driving altogether. Snow tires will help some. However, most of us here just use all season tires and rarely get snow tires. Driving in snow requires of course, a different type of driving skill, that must be learned. It is much harder to learn (as you already know) than perfect weather driving.  It just takes a bit of time, patience, and experience and practice to get  your confidence, and the hang of it.  All of us living in heavy snow areas have had to learn the art or skill of driving in snow. We had no choice.

In time, and with more experiece and practice....you too will drive like a PRO,....just hang in there, senormar....you can do it!

It all just takes TIME and EXPERIENCE to gain CONFIDENCE and SKILL.

P.S.> chains and steel tire studs are only allowed off-road and not allowed to run on streets.....they chew-up and dammage pavement.

Adding extra weight can help,....but hauling all  that extra  weight will lower your fuel economy too!

Answer 3

Winter tires are not like All-Season tires. Winter tires have special rubber compounds designed to improve traction, handling and braking in all cold weather conditions, not just ice and snow.

Winter Tires are designed to deliver safety and control in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions. Many people think that all-season tires can deliver this same performance, but this is not true. The superior traction that winter tires deliver, as much as a 25 to 50 percent increase over all-season tires, can very well be the margin you need to stop in time or turn to avoid trouble.

Answer 4

I have the same problem with my scion tc. But alteast us front wheel drive drivers have it better then the rear-wheel drive drivers. Snow tires help, but they are almost impossible to get this time of year. If you want em, you'll most likely have to get them in October/November. Snow driving takes pratice. Drive slower than normal, accelerate slower, if you feel your wheels spinning, let off the gas and gently reapply the gas. also, when making a stop, plan on braking about twice as early as you normally would. good luck!

Answer 5

No the snow tires wont help because the Honda Civic sits low so i think you should try to get an SUV or maybe a Truck because that might help the Honda Civic doesnt have AWD or maybe you will might want to move to a place thats snows very seldom.

Answer 6

As a professional driving instructor for 36 years, with over a million miles experience in S. Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, I can tell you a few things about winter driving.

After driving for years with "all season radial" tires, I did a comparison drive with another car equipped with winter tires (we used Michelin X-Ice tires for this trial 4 years ago)

I drove my 01 Honda Civic equipped with the all season radials. The other vehicle was the same except that it had the winter tires.

We drove through pilons placed approximately 15 paces apart, on a snow/ice covered surface, at speeds from 10 to 25 k.p.h..............truly, there was no comparison!

I had been previously using all season radials on all my teaching vehicles until this exercise. When I began teaching driving back in the 70's, radial tires became very popular.  I was amazed, however, at the difference in control when using the winter tires.

I was sold on this idea.......and......your tires (both summer and winter) will last you twice as long also!.

A few tips on winter driving.....

1. Make an appointment during this winter sometime with a professional driving instructor who can show  you a few skills which you can then put into practice to maintain your safety on winter roads.

2. Drive at a reduced rate of speed on snow covered roads.

3. Increase your following distance.

4. Come off the accelerator earlier and brake early and very gently.

5. Whenever using the brake, check your rear view mirror to ensure no one is sliding into the back of your vehicle.

6. Stop at least a car length back from the vehicle ahead of you to allow room for you to move forward if the need arises.

7. Look several vehicles ahead for signs of any trouble so you can maintain your "margin of safety".

8. Accelerate very gently (just coming off the brake in "Drive" will allow your vehicle to move forward. This allows you to continually cover your brake in heavy stop and go traffic.)

9. Don't oversteer. Keep your steering to a minimum on lane changes and turns. Look where you want to go when you steer, because your hands follow your eyes. That's the way the human brain works.

Time and experience will build your skill level if you pay attention to the details and drive in a proactive manner.

Every winter, everyone driving on winter roads has to remember to adjust his/her driving habits again, so, if you drive like it's winter all year long, your habits will remain safe.

I wish you well in building your skills! Oh yes, and on a final note..........you won't be the only one making errors, so watch out for your fellow man/woman behind the wheel of all the other vehicles on the roadways........no one of us is entitled to be self-righteous because we are all human and we all make mistakes.........99.9% of the time we get away with it......scan those intersections.....it takes 2  seconds to check, but possibly months of rehab or grieving to recover from a crash.....

Answer 7

Check and make sure if you have front wheel drive on your Civic...The chains must be mounted on the drive wheels - front or rear...For maximum traction, put chains on all 4 tires...Max speed with chains is about 15 mph.

Add 4-5 sand bags to the interior of the vehicle for extra weight...Carry an extra bag of sand (about 5 lbs) inside vehicle that you can use for extra traction on icy roads.

Try not to go out in the stuff unless you absolutely have to...And if you do, keep it slow.

All the best.