mushroom

We took our MDX out for the first time in some light snow and found it to handle very poorly going up a slight incline. It still has the stock tires with under 3000 miles.
We even tried the VTM and it made no difference. Our main decision for this vehicle was its safety features and supposed handling and tracking capabilities. We replaced a 99 Tahoe with this vehicle which handled far better with less aggressive tires. I am beginning to regret our decision. Any chance upgrading to studded snow tires will help? My 05 Civic has them and I feel does a far superior job driving in snow than the MDX.

shedges

Ice is a real problem for most tires ... snow is a little easier to negotiate for "all season" tires. Some of the manufacturers are coming up with ice gripping compounds and have been getting good reviews. I am considering them myself for next purchase. Think I'll need 4, which will be expensive. One thing to remember is to buy a studdable snow tire with a speed rating and load rating equal or greater than your existing tire, and use the proper tire pressure, otherwise they will feel sloppy and can be unsafe. The speed rating is a letter and the load is a number usually appearing after the tire size on your sidewalls (e.g. "H98) See this link for more info http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=35. I put studded snows on the front of my '01 MDX three years ago and have had no problems, except more road noise, but not bad. For some reason, I think the studs are absolutely the best in ice. The snow tire function also works better than all season tires. Studded snow tires do suffer some reduced traction on dry and wet pavement. But when you need it most, like on a dry interstate at night, going 65 mph and hitting a black ice patch on a bridge on a curve ... I just waive bye bye to the other 6 cars in the ditch. Since most drivers don't push the limit on cornering, the reduced traction has never been an issue. Stopping with studs doesn't seem to be a problem, except you leave little skid marks in the pavement - the rubber of the tire seems to grip and I don't notice any increased stopping distance on dry or wet roads. But on ice, WOW .... want to stop? Go with studs. One final point. The studs must be installed before the tires are driven on. Also, try to keep the tires under 45 or 50 mph for the first 60 miles so that the lubricant used to install the studs can evaporate, rather than flinging new studs out the first few miles. You'll want to visually inspect the studded tires after they have been studded to be sure all the holes have studs in them. I had one set that was incomplete. I guess the guy went to lunch and forgot to finish my tire. Finally, some states and Canada prohibit studs. There are more than one kind of stud (material and length), too, one of which might be legal in an otherwise illegal jurisdiction. Some say they tear up the roads, but I don't buy into that, except when you slam on the breaks...and ABS all but eliminates lock-up. Having them on the front is best because 70% of your breaking is done with the front brakes (the pads are much bigger for a reason) and because steering is maintained with more traction in ice.

mason rocket

the tahoe weighed a lot more than your MDX and likely had a lot more torque.