Toyota Nation Forum banner

How well Camry and Avalon in the snow or ice?

18K views 9 replies 1 participant last post by  amerikim 
G
#1 ·
Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further commented
that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.

Do I get a cozy drive with the sacrifice of lousy handling on slippery road?
Would like to hear/share your experiences.
I live in DC area which does not get serious snow or ice normally but the
road I use to commute sometimes get pretty messy. They are definitely not
on the top priority list to get cleaned after snow...
 
G
#2 ·
harry wrote:
> Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
> coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well.

snip
My wife's Camry does great in average depth snow and/or ice. It, like most
front-wheel drive cars, won't go in deep snow though, like when it's getting
above the bumper. Most of the equation is in the tires and how you drive. A
slow, steady throttle and etc. with a good set of all-season or snow tires
will get you anywhere you need to go except in deep snow.
HTH, davidj92
 
G
#3 ·
Oh BS that the honda is better, its FWD just like toys. but it is all in
the tires, If you get alot of snow, Snows are best, change in summer.
Tires oxidise and after 4+ years they can be dangerous since they get
hard and slippery. My Michelin roadforce are junk hard after 4-5 years,
I just replaced the fronts and can feel with my fingernail the new ones
are soft. The other day in snow because of old rear tires I slid, so
time for new rears. With new dedicated snows you will go fine.
 
G
#4 ·
When my 2001 4cyl LE was new it was OK in the snow but as the cheesy
tires wore it became almost dangerous in the heavy rain & snow. My 2005 4cyl
LE is OK in snow but also has cheesy tires. It's all in the tires from what
I can tell. If I keep this one 3 years I will replace the original tires
with some decent quality all season before they get dangerous.

REb


"harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@lcc.com> wrote in message
news:00htf.1751$CV.887@dukeread03...
> Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
> coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further
> commented that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.
>
> Do I get a cozy drive with the sacrifice of lousy handling on slippery
> road? Would like to hear/share your experiences.
> I live in DC area which does not get serious snow or ice normally but the
> road I use to commute sometimes get pretty messy. They are definitely not
> on the top priority list to get cleaned after snow...
>
 
G
#5 ·
m Ransley wrote:
> Oh BS that the honda is better, its FWD just like toys. but it is all in
> the tires, If you get alot of snow, Snows are best, change in summer.
> Tires oxidise and after 4+ years they can be dangerous since they get
> hard and slippery. My Michelin roadforce are junk hard after 4-5 years,
> I just replaced the fronts and can feel with my fingernail the new ones
> are soft. The other day in snow because of old rear tires I slid, so
> time for new rears. With new dedicated snows you will go fine.
>

It's not the car, it's the nut behind the wheel.
 
G
#6 ·
Get a set of 4 Blizzacks. They work great in upstate NY.

"harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@lcc.com> wrote in message
news:00htf.1751$CV.887@dukeread03...
> Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
> coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further

commented
> that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.
>
> Do I get a cozy drive with the sacrifice of lousy handling on slippery

road?
> Would like to hear/share your experiences.
> I live in DC area which does not get serious snow or ice normally but the
> road I use to commute sometimes get pretty messy. They are definitely not
> on the top priority list to get cleaned after snow...
>
>
 
G
#7 ·
Mike R wrote:
> Get a set of 4 Blizzacks. They work great in upstate NY.
>
> "harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@lcc.com> wrote in message
> news:00htf.1751$CV.887@dukeread03...
>
>>Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
>>coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further

>
> commented
>
>>that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.
>>
>>Do I get a cozy drive with the sacrifice of lousy handling on slippery

>
> road?
>
>>Would like to hear/share your experiences.
>>I live in DC area which does not get serious snow or ice normally but the
>>road I use to commute sometimes get pretty messy. They are definitely not
>>on the top priority list to get cleaned after snow...
>>
>>

>


I have a set of 4 Nokian Hakkapeliita snow tires for my 99 Camry LE 4
cyl auto. While I have also heard positive comments and nothing
negative about Blizzaks, I must say that I have been quite pleased with
the Nokian tires and would gladly purchase another set when these are
worn out. So you may want to definitely check them out at your friendly
local tire retailer or online tire distributor :)

We actually have 2 Camry's (95 LE and 99 LE, both 4 cyl auto) and the 99
replaced a 90 DX.....I've never had any particular complaints with any
of them in the wintertime, with or without snow tires....and that
includes some December trips back to the Chicago area, central Ohio, and
NW PA.

By way of geographical reference, we live in Central NJ which is
probably similar to Washington DC area in terms of winter weather.


Finally, here is a webpage URL

http://www.snowtire.info/

which looks interesting and which you may find useful .....


Hope this helps !
 
G
#8 ·
"harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@lcc.com> wrote in message
news:00htf.1751$CV.887@dukeread03...
> Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
> coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further

commented
> that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.


I think a lot of this question is dependent on one's individual driving
skill. I think a lot of people would be more competent in snow and ice if
they would take the time to find a large, empty parking lot (like a church)
and practice driving in snowy and icy conditions. Knowing the limits of your
car's handling increases one's ability to drive competently.

It is also conceivable that a car's power to weight ratio and weight
distribution affect the handling. When I had a VW Rabbit in the late 70's in
Minnesota, NOTHING could stop it. The Camrys I have had are not as
sure-footed, but better than most, IMHO.
 
G
#9 ·
I'm on my 6th Toyota since 1980 -- never had a problem with any of em.

"harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@lcc.com> wrote in message
news:00htf.1751$CV.887@dukeread03...
> Thinking of getting either one of the model but I aslo heard from a
> coworker, his Camry does not handle snow or ice well. He further
> commented that his other Civic does a much better job in that situation.
>
> Do I get a cozy drive with the sacrifice of lousy handling on slippery
> road? Would like to hear/share your experiences.
> I live in DC area which does not get serious snow or ice normally but the
> road I use to commute sometimes get pretty messy. They are definitely not
> on the top priority list to get cleaned after snow...
>
 
#10 ·
I noticed the comparison of a Civic to the Camry.
The Civic is a much lighter/smaller car. Of course the Camry is going to carry a little more inertia.
Sorry, but I like studs compared to anything else in ice.

Here's one for you - The Camry does a better job with noise than the Civic when I am running studs.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top