I forgot how poorly my Genesis is in the Snow...

[Cut-Throat]

The first big snowfall yesterday and I ventured out of the house with my Genesis. I could not even make it up a snow covered hill. It was snowpacked. I tried 1st gear, ESC off,on etc. I just could not get going. The car was pretty much unmanageable with any slight curve going more than 20 mph.

I have lived in Minnesota all my life and only drove rear wheel drive cars until the Mid 80s.

I don't want snow tires as I'll be leaving for Florida soon. I have all season tires on now, so I am thinking some weight (sand Bags)in trunk might get me through. How much weight do you think would help?

 

[NSXNEXT]

What brand/model tires do you have?
How much tread is left/how many miles on them?

 

[Cut-Throat]

What brand/model tires do you have?
How much tread is left/how many miles on them?

I just put on a set of Bridgestone Turnanza Serenity, about 3 months ago. Which is the same tire I owned before, which also handled just as poorly in the snow. This tire is also on my Lexus GS350 with 25,000 miles on them, but the Lexus has AWD and can pretty much go anywhere in the snow.

What I really wanted to know was how much weight would help me out in the trunk?

 

[EXBMWGUY]

What I really wanted to know was how much weight would help me out in the trunk?

I'd not bother with less than 200 lbs. Even with winter tires, sand bags are necessary for inclines. I've been very frustrated the last two days.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I'd not bother with less than 200 lbs. Even with winter tires, sand bags are necessary for inclines. I've been very frustrated the last two days.

Yes, me too. In your opinion is the Genesis worse than average in snow? I had plenty of rear wheel drive cars in my day, and this just seems to be the worst.

I cannot get going on packed snow with an incline, no matter what I do. (Trunk empty now, but will get your recommended 200 lbs.)

 

[Mark_888]

Yes, me too. In your opinion is the Genesis worse than average in snow? I had plenty of rear wheel drive cars in my day, and this just seems to be the worst.

I cannot get going on packed snow with an incline, no matter what I do. (Trunk empty now, but will get your recommended 200 lbs.)

Given that you have a 2011 Genesis, it is not surprising that it is worse than average in snow, because the rear suspension is quite firm. My guess is that 2012+ is somewhat better. You could get probably get noticeable benefit by replacing your 2011 rear stabilizer bar with 2012+ version, which should only cost about $125 for the part (plus installation).

 

[ImInPA]

Traction in the snow is all about tires. Suspension firmness has little to do with tire grip. I had Tranzzas on my E class (RWD) and they just sucked in snow. I mounted four Michelin X-Ice and never had an issue. If you are slipping your tires aren't gripping. Period. I would start with about 200 lbs of sand in the trunk.

 

[scottdk]

This might be wishful thinking, but did you try manually using 2nd gear instead of 1st? This helped me out a number of times the only winter I drove the Genesis in the snow. The 1994 Grand Prix I used to own many years ago had a switch under the dash called "2nd gear start" which was used to reduce the amount of torque to the drive wheels so the tires would spin less and grip more.

 

[homeofstone]

For snow the Continental extreme contact DWS us much better according to tirerack.

 

[EXBMWGUY]

Yes, me too. In your opinion is the Genesis worse than average in snow? I had plenty of rear wheel drive cars in my day, and this just seems to be the worst.

I cannot get going on packed snow with an incline, no matter what I do. (Trunk empty now, but will get your recommended 200 lbs.)

I'm going to add even more weight than 200 lbs. within the next couple of days. I think the Genesis is probably no worse than any other rwd car with similar weight distribution. My car's snow behavior is probably nearly identical to yours (my winter tires are mounted on stock 19s instead of the recommended higher-profile 18s I should have invested in). Wider tires of any type tend to sit on top of snow, rather than dig into it.

I understand Scott's suggestion about starting in 2nd gear, although I don't know if the 8 speed will allow it in manual mode. Worth a try though.

In the southwest metro, this morning's drive was like driving on ice with grease sitting on top of it. The only thing worse is some of the soccer-mom-types driving their SUVs 10 miles over the speed limit!

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[Cut-Throat]

I'm going to add even more weight than 200 lbs. within the next couple of days. I think the Genesis is probably no worse than any other rwd car with similar weight distribution. My car's snow behavior is probably nearly identical to yours (my winter tires are mounted on stock 19s instead of the recommended higher-profile 18s I should have invested in). Wider tires of any type tend to sit on top of snow, rather than dig into it.

I understand Scott's suggestion about starting in 2nd gear, although I don't know if the 8 speed will allow it in manual mode. Worth a try though.

In the southwest metro, this morning's drive was like driving on ice with grease sitting on top of it. The only thing worse is some of the soccer-mom-types driving their SUVs 10 miles over the speed limit!

Just got back from Menards and added 210 lbs. of sand in my trunk....It helped, but as you say I could use more. I still could not get up the hill at my house. Maybe I could use some better all season tires also.

I think this snowfall was worse because we had no salt on the roads, because it was the first of the season. Then the single digit temperatures today made the new salt mostly ineffective. The conditions you describe are exactly what I experienced. I did try the 2nd gear, maybe it helped, still could not get up my hill though. I'll have to wait until the salt does it job in a day or two.

Heading to Florida in a few weeks will fix the problem for sure!

 

[scottdk]

^don't forget to mention that you 429hp is not helping things

I was doing ok with my H6 Outback with winter tires My wifes Optima did "ok" in snow with the DWS, but this year I bought a winter tire/wheel setup. She went up my driveway without issue and the snow was being eaten by her grill since the SX optima sits pretty low, especially the front end.

 

[Fast55]

I firmly believe if you're going to try to get by with a RWD car in an area that gets much snow, you should bite the bullet and buy a winter set up. A set of Blizzaks would make you believe the car became AWD. 200+ lbs. of anything in the trunk to try and make your summer or AS tires do something they were not deigned to do is a bad idea. More mass = longer stopping distances especially when that extra weight isn't over the front tires.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I firmly believe if you're going to try to get by with a RWD car in an area that gets much snow, you should bite the bullet and buy a winter set up. A set of Blizzaks would make you believe the car became AWD. 200+ lbs. of anything in the trunk to try and make your summer or AS tires do something they were not deigned to do is a bad idea. More mass = longer stopping distances especially when that extra weight isn't over the front tires.

Just be aware that you are talking to 3 people on this thread that have lived in Minnesota all their lives.

When you carry a couple passengers in your backseat that weigh 500 pounds, you just have to know how to drive. And that includes stopping. In the 1960s when almost every car was RWD, we managed with 2 dedicated snow tires most of the time, but sometimes adding weight was the only thing that could get you going.

All Season tires are just that. All Season. The biggest problems we have in the Minneapolis area are people that are driving too fast. For some it is their first winter, and they have 4 wheel drives, get going to fast, tailgate and then have an accident and create a traffic jam for everyone else. You have to know how to drive in winter and we make the best of it with a lot of different solutions.

 

[Fast55]

I agree completely. Kind of like people in So. Cal. who speed up when it rains (no I'm not kidding). I stand by my statement. It's far better to have a fresh set of Blizzaks all around than to add a few hundred pounds to the trunk and hope for the best with a set of AS tires.

And I do know about driving in snow, my daughter still lives in Wisconsin.

 

[Eric Gustavson]

I'm also a Minnesotan and drive a 4.6 sedan. I do run Blizzacks on all four wheels in the winter and put two 40 pound bags of softener salt over the rear wheels in the trunk. This sure helps. The new Michelin Pilot AS 3 year-round tire has gotten great reviews about winter traction. I'm putting them on my summer wheels in the Spring. Florida sounds real good to me!

 

[Cut-Throat]

I'm also a Minnesotan and drive a 4.6 sedan. I do run Blizzacks on all four wheels in the winter and put two 40 pound bags of softener salt over the rear wheels in the trunk. This sure helps. The new Michelin Pilot AS 3 year-round tire has gotten great reviews about winter traction. I'm putting them on my summer wheels in the Spring. Florida sounds real good to me!

I'm also in Plymouth. I have only seen about 4 Genesis here in the last 4 years. What color is yours?

 

[Mark_888]

Traction in the snow is all about tires. Suspension firmness has little to do with tire grip. I had Tranzzas on my E class (RWD) and they just sucked in snow. I mounted four Michelin X-Ice and never had an issue. If you are slipping your tires aren't gripping. Period. I would start with about 200 lbs of sand in the trunk.

First of all, you have never owned a Genesis. I feel quite confident in my assessment of the 2009-2011 suspension, in that it makes the Genesis perform worse in snow that the average RWD car.

 

[nb_mike]

Raised in Milwaukee. Never had snow tires or chains with rear drive cars. Good all season tires and about 40-60 bag of salt etc over each rear tire will take care of most snow. Blizzards with high amount of snow is another matter. Stay home then.
Slow acceleration and stopping slowly .....not spinning tires or jamming on brakes works.

 

[ComputerBudda]

Lived in Milwaukee in the 70s. Had a Toronado. What snow? Gotta have the right tool for the job.