Brand new AWD CX-9, safe in snow with the Dueler tires?

L

LordJezo

Member
I have read all of the bad reviews about this car in the snow and do plan on changing out the tires to at least some Spec-Xs if I can get them shipped to me but today it's a blizzard and since I do not have them yet how will the 9 handle in the snow? The big storm has hit NJ as I write this, tomorrow it should be over but it will still be a pain to get to work in the morning.

It's a 2010 AWD, 300 miles total on the OEM tires so far. Will it handle worse than a Civic with no anti lock brakes (that's the car this is replacing) or as long as it's driven slowly and safely will it make it down the road in one piece?
 
Sure you are safe - at a safe speed. I tend to worry more about others hitting me when they drive too fast and it's always some idiot in a 4WD that thinks he's God and ends up in the ditch.

Can get there? Take a day off.....
 
I don't know where all the bad reviews come from myself. Drove my 2010 GT with stock tires today on snowy but plowed streets after 12 inches of snow and found the vehicle to be just as competent as other all season tire clad AWD SUV's I have been familiar with over the past twenty years. I'm quite sure snow tires would be an improvement but there is no safety issue. Maybe some of the negative reviewers forget that AWD does nothing for braking and that even with snows you need to be gentle with the gas in snow. I remain to be convinced that the OEM tires are so awful.
 
IslandTractor said:
I don't know where all the bad reviews come from myself. Drove my 2010 GT with stock tires today on snowy but plowed streets after 12 inches of snow and found the vehicle to be just as competent as other all season tire clad AWD SUV's I have been familiar with over the past twenty years. I'm quite sure snow tires would be an improvement but there is no safety issue. Maybe some of the negative reviewers forget that AWD does nothing for braking and that even with snows you need to be gentle with the gas in snow. I remain to be convinced that the OEM tires are so awful.
Click to expand...

Actually, the other thing people forget is that most snow tires deliver bad dry braking. I was driving my wife's Cx-9 the other day in the dry, and a X6 pulled out and almost hit me. Good thing he saw me, b/c I couldn't stop to avoid him. The anti-lock kicked in way too early, I was kind of shocked. That is my only complain about the snow tires so far.
 
IslandTractor said:
Maybe some of the negative reviewers forget that AWD does nothing for braking and that even with snows you need to be gentle with the gas in snow.
Click to expand...

Sadly there is probably a lot of truth to this statement. Doesn't matter how good the tires or vehicle is. Bad drivers are bad drivers.
 
LordJezo said:
I have read all of the bad reviews about this car in the snow and do plan on changing out the tires to at least some Spec-Xs if I can get them shipped to me but today it's a blizzard and since I do not have them yet how will the 9 handle in the snow? The big storm has hit NJ as I write this, tomorrow it should be over but it will still be a pain to get to work in the morning.

It's a 2010 AWD, 300 miles total on the OEM tires so far. Will it handle worse than a Civic with no anti lock brakes (that's the car this is replacing) or as long as it's driven slowly and safely will it make it down the road in one piece?
Click to expand...

I have had terrible experiences with the oem duelers in the snow. I go skiing in vermont every other weekend and the first year I took my 9 without snows the car slid every which way. Decided to put on Blizzak DM-Z3 on all 4 wheels and noticed much better traction. Keep in mind, you are comparing an "all season" tire vs dedicated snow tires. OEM duelers are otherwise fine in the rain and dry pavement.
 
I ended up dumping the Duelers and getting the Spec-X after 500 miles. I have no idea how the Duelers would have preformed but after getting a snow storm a week since Christmas the Parada's have done an awesome job handling the snow and the ice that we have had. I was also able to sell the OEM tires for a couple hundred bucks on Craigslist so that helped cheapen it up.
 
I have read all the complaints on here about the Duelers and I have to admit that I haven't had any problems with them regarding snow traction. Now, I've noticed that ride comfort and road niose has increased significantly and they only have 15k miles on them. But as for snow driving, they are fine. We live in the city and park our SUV in the garage with alley access, plus we are on a hill. So to get out of the alley, we have to drive up at about a 10 degree angle for 30-40 feet and I always drive drive straight up. Might slip just for a second when I start moving forward, but once the AWD kicks in it goes fine. So, everyone is going to have their own experience regarding tires. But, when I replace these tires, will I get OEM again? Nope.
 
Living in NY we had have plenty of snow and our last snow storm received 28 inches of snow and I had no trouble what so ever with the oem tires. I have about 8k miles on it at the moment and maybe when the miles tack on it will get worse but for the moment i handles very well in the snow. I have had many suv's and the cx9 handles very well.
 
We've all had our differing experiences with the stock Duelers, but there is no question that a set of winter tires will vastly out perform them.
 
I think they are fine...

Not sure if I built it up in my mind due to all of the reviews, but the stock Duelers have not caused any issues in the snow and sleet.

Now, I am sure there are better tires out there, but I personally don't think the OEM tires warrant a wholesale line change until they wear out.

But like T.Narley says, I am sure everyone's driving style will affect perception.
 
You are right that perception is everything. As I mentioned in another thread, my CX-9 with Duelers acts like it's on skates on snowy roads, but that's compared to my F150 4x4 w/Goodyear Wranglers and my (work) 2007 Crown Vic with Firestone Winterforce snow tires.

I've decided I'm not willing to take any chances with the wife and kids, so I'm going to get a set of wheels with snow tires on them for next winter. The 20 minutes it'll take me to put them on each fall will be well worth it.
 
For those running the dueler slicks er I mean tires, here may be a way to help you. Mine as all have said were just as miserable in the snow. I took them to the local tire shop and had them siped. The traction increase has been marvelous. They arent snow tires or anything, but far better. They will be usable enough to finish this winter season out. I will be running dedicated snow sneaks next year.
 
I live in Canada and we get snow storms pretty much everyday during winter. I've been driving with the stock Duelers on snow/ice for the past 5 months and I haven't had a problem. I drove through a snow storm on the highway a few days ago and there were a lot of cars in the ditch. I was doing about 80-100 km/h and never felt unsafe, the vehicle handled well. I have also gone through deep snow a few times and made it through easily.
 
I too have just finished (I hope) a New England winter with the stock Duellers. No complaints. They worked well in snow and did fine at very low temperatures. Most of my snow driving was suburban at less than 40mph but I did go skiing and drove along poorly plowed highways at 50mph without drama.
 
i have not had any problems with the stock bridgstones within the first 50% of the life of the tires in the snow, they performed just fine. the last 50% of the tires has shown a significant decrease of traction in all conditions as the tread blocks do not cut all the way into the tread in some areas. but i have also noticed this on many tires, not that i like it. either way, i am still on the original tires at 45,000 miles, and still plan to make it until next summer before having to buy new tires. at that point i'll be looking at some directional yokohamas, i've had very good results with them on other vehicles i've owned.

Al
 
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