[Mark_]

YES! I have the exact same problem. I've had two 2016 Trailhawks and they both suck in the snow. A lot of other TH owners will tell you "it's the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow". Don't listen to those fools. You know your car better than anyone because you're the one driving it! My other half won't drive my Trailhawk in the winter at all. Too dangerous. It's a piece of crap in the snow and on ice and any rainy pavement. It fishtails all over the road and especially when turning corners, you have to drive real slow around corners to keep the rear end from slipping. I don't feel safe in mine in the winter. I thought maybe it was just a problem with my first TH but now that I bought a second one I know it's a problem with these vehicles in general. I am thinking of getting snow tires for next season. I don't know though if it's the tires or just the nature of these vehicles. I am very disappointed in them and thought they were my dream car but once I'm done with it we are going to buy a Subaru Outback instead. We currently have a Hyundai Tuscon with Canadian Tire General tires on it and it's way better in the snow than my Trailhawk. It doesn't matter if it's in auto or snow mode, or traction control is on or not it just likes to slide around. I've had so many near misses. I drive it VERY defensively in the wet weather. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy this vehicle for what I thought it was. I'm glad to read your post. Finally, somebody else honest about how these things really drive in snowy and wet conditions.

Just curious : were those Cherokees or Grand Cherokees ?

Oh and which tires did you have on them in the winter ?

 

[Flybynightcru]

YES! I have the exact same problem. I've had two 2016 Trailhawks and they both suck in the snow. A lot of other TH owners will tell you "it's the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow". Don't listen to those fools. You know your car better than anyone because you're the one driving it! My other half won't drive my Trailhawk in the winter at all. Too dangerous. It's a piece of crap in the snow and on ice and any rainy pavement. It fishtails all over the road and especially when turning corners, you have to drive real slow around corners to keep the rear end from slipping. I don't feel safe in mine in the winter. I thought maybe it was just a problem with my first TH but now that I bought a second one I know it's a problem with these vehicles in general. I am thinking of getting snow tires for next season. I don't know though if it's the tires or just the nature of these vehicles. I am very disappointed in them and thought they were my dream car but once I'm done with it we are going to buy a Subaru Outback instead. We currently have a Hyundai Tuscon with Canadian Tire General tires on it and it's way better in the snow than my Trailhawk. It doesn't matter if it's in auto or snow mode, or traction control is on or not it just likes to slide around. I've had so many near misses. I drive it VERY defensively in the wet weather. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy this vehicle for what I thought it was. I'm glad to read your post. Finally, somebody else honest about how these things really drive in snowy and wet conditions.

If you think your Trailhawk sucks in the snow, 1) Something isn't working right, 2) You're doing it wrong!!! Snow is a "Non Issue" in my Trailhawk. I was pushing fresh powder up over the hood the other day up on a snowmobile trail, and if you tried it in an Outback, you would have been so stuck, you wouldn't have gotten out until summer...🤔

 

[Rand]

If you think your Trailhawk sucks in the snow, 1) Something isn't working right, 2) You're doing it wrong!!! Snow is a "Non Issue" in my Trailhawk. I was pushing fresh powder up over the hood the other day up on a snowmobile trail, and if you tried it in an Outback, you would have been so stuck, you wouldn't have gotten out until summer...🤔

All that and winter tires are cheaper than changing vehicles.

 

[Lindy]

YES! I have the exact same problem. I've had two 2016 Trailhawks and they both suck in the snow. A lot of other TH owners will tell you "it's the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow". Don't listen to those fools. You know your car better than anyone because you're the one driving it! My other half won't drive my Trailhawk in the winter at all. Too dangerous. It's a piece of crap in the snow and on ice and any rainy pavement. It fishtails all over the road and especially when turning corners, you have to drive real slow around corners to keep the rear end from slipping. I don't feel safe in mine in the winter. I thought maybe it was just a problem with my first TH but now that I bought a second one I know it's a problem with these vehicles in general. I am thinking of getting snow tires for next season. I don't know though if it's the tires or just the nature of these vehicles. I am very disappointed in them and thought they were my dream car but once I'm done with it we are going to buy a Subaru Outback instead. We currently have a Hyundai Tuscon with Canadian Tire General tires on it and it's way better in the snow than my Trailhawk. It doesn't matter if it's in auto or snow mode, or traction control is on or not it just likes to slide around. I've had so many near misses. I drive it VERY defensively in the wet weather. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy this vehicle for what I thought it was. I'm glad to read your post. Finally, somebody else honest about how these things really drive in snowy and wet conditions.

Meanwhile I had an hour and a half drive today on slick roads with the snow coming down and my only complaint was the other drivers on the road slowing me down. haha

I'm very curious as to the kind of tires you have on your Jeep. Tires can make a huge difference in how a vehicle handles whether it be on dry roads or slippery ones. I've had tires on my all wheel drive Infiniti which after 20k of miles and plenty of tread still on them, suddenly turn into an accident waiting to happen on just wet roads on a warm summer day.

Put a good set of snow tires on and if you still feel unsafe then you just may have an alignment issue like the OP of this thread.

 

[Mark_]

Meanwhile I had an hour and a half drive today on slick roads with the snow coming down and my only complaint was the other drivers on the road slowing me down. haha

I'm very curious as to the kind of tires you have on your Jeep. Tires can make a huge difference in how a vehicle handles whether it be on dry roads or slippery ones. I've had tires on my all wheel drive Infiniti which after 20k of miles and plenty of tread still on them, suddenly turn into an accident waiting to happen on just wet roads on a warm summer day.

Put a good set of snow tires on and if you still feel unsafe then you just may have an alignment issue like the OP of this thread.

Exactly. Maybe there's a lift involded here, with a bad alignment perhaps ?

 

[18Jeepers]

YES! I have the exact same problem. I've had two 2016 Trailhawks and they both suck in the snow. A lot of other TH owners will tell you "it's the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow". Don't listen to those fools. You know your car better than anyone because you're the one driving it! My other half won't drive my Trailhawk in the winter at all. Too dangerous. It's a piece of crap in the snow and on ice and any rainy pavement. It fishtails all over the road and especially when turning corners, you have to drive real slow around corners to keep the rear end from slipping. I don't feel safe in mine in the winter. I thought maybe it was just a problem with my first TH but now that I bought a second one I know it's a problem with these vehicles in general. I am thinking of getting snow tires for next season. I don't know though if it's the tires or just the nature of these vehicles. I am very disappointed in them and thought they were my dream car but once I'm done with it we are going to buy a Subaru Outback instead. We currently have a Hyundai Tuscon with Canadian Tire General tires on it and it's way better in the snow than my Trailhawk. It doesn't matter if it's in auto or snow mode, or traction control is on or not it just likes to slide around. I've had so many near misses. I drive it VERY defensively in the wet weather. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy this vehicle for what I thought it was. I'm glad to read your post. Finally, somebody else honest about how these things really drive in snowy and wet conditions.

Is anyone getting the impression that this is just a troll ~ with one post?

I'll be honest about how Jeeps drive in snowy and wet conditions ~ they really drive great, in the snow or the rain, just add a winter rated tire ~ I'm kinda surprised you don't have winter tires on it in Canada ~ I thought Canada had regulations for tires in the winter.

 

[AtlCade69]

Maybe a subaru salesman...

 

[19Trailhawk]

Maybe a subaru salesman...

lol ... kind of sounds like he is.

I've driven the new Outback and my SO has a Subaru Impreza (which I drive often) and I'll say they do handle very well in the snow, maybe even a smidge better than my Trailhawk on the city streets. It's when the conditions get tough the Trailhawk really shines and I routinely travel winter roads just outside the city that the Subaru would never make it through. This is with a stock Cherokee, on stock tires and no lift.

 

[Flybynightcru]

Jeeps are a lot of things, but terrible in the snow ain't one of them. In fact, I'm sure anyone else on here that owns, or has owned both a Wrangler and a Cherokee will agree, the Cherokees are WAY better in the snow and ice than even the best equipped Wrangler. 35+ X 12.5+ in the best of traction tires are not the greatest choice in the snow. One of the reasons I stick with 245's on the Trailhawk...😎

 

[AlbertaCherokee]

Totally agree as my wrangler gave me a few scares on black ice caught off guard by not manually shifting it in 4 high manually. I was at 90 deg on the highway way faster than anyone could make a shift.
On the Cherokee it is so easy to decide to go with dedicated winter tires just by experiencing the heavy pulsating of the brakes under slippery conditions and causing some white knuckle close calls. My winter tires dramatically changed the heavy pulsating into a very controlled smooth stop next to no pulsating. Heavy pulsating caused loss of control sliding instead of stopping kinda like a curling rock.


2019 Trailhawk Elite
Build date May 2019

 

[toofastgtp]

Hell my FWD Jeep had no issues plowing through our foot of snow.

 

[Mark_]

Is anyone getting the impression that this is just a troll ~ with one post?

I'll be honest about how Jeeps drive in snowy and wet conditions ~ they really drive great, in the snow or the rain, just add a winter rated tire ~ I'm kinda surprised you don't have winter tires on it in Canada ~ I thought Canada had regulations for tires in the winter.

Only a few provinces have mandatory snow tire laws.
Subaru AWD system is one of the best but... the KL's is not far off and is better than any korean AWD system for sure... even better than all other japanese systems. And with all the nannies, it's difficult to break them loose.

Subie salesman, or troll... most likely 😋

 

[Rand]

You wont find me bashing Subaru or their AWD system IMO it works better on the Road and in mild conditions vs the jeep system and returns excellent fuel economy and handling. However, their poor choice of oem tires that are treacherous in the winter shows poor vision. They could at least let you order optional all weather tires etc.

At least with the trailhawk I got firestone destination AT .. which is an above average tire.

Those yoko geolandar g95a and 91f were junk. poor wet traction, poor winter traction.

Round, Quiet, and MPG were obviously the design parameters that subaru wanted.

and yes I was feeling a troll earlier.

 

[Lindy]

There are a lot of people who think that if they have a Jeep or another other vehicle with an all wheel drive system, then they don't need snow tires. Of course that is ill advised thinking and many of them eventually find themselves in a ditch somewhere.

I can only speak for my part of the country, but there are a lot of people I've meet who truly believe they don't need snow tires, and they tell me their new all season tires are 'great' in the snow. Yet when some of these people eventually try out a set of snow tires, they suddently can't shut up about how much better they perform and how much safer they feel on the roads.

But I do get that it is a pain to switch tires twice a year and of course there is the added expense involved which some people simply don't have the budget for.....

 

[AtlCade69]

Down here in the south where snow/ice is very rare (but still happens) I just keep ATs on my vehicles, but they have to have the snowflake rating.
Nice thing is, most people stay off the roads when there is a big snow or lots of ice, so I have very little traffic to deal with. Haven't had any snow/ice drives on my KL (yet, but looking forward to trying it), but did in a friend's '16, and my former 4X4s (2000 Blazer and 2009 Explorer).

 

[Flybynightcru]

Down here in the south where snow/ice is very rare (but still happens) I just keep ATs on my vehicles, but they have to have the snowflake rating.
Nice thing is, most people stay off the roads when there is a big snow or lots of ice, so I have very little traffic to deal with. Haven't had any snow/ice drives on my KL (yet, but looking forward to trying it), but did in a friend's '16, and my former 4X4s (2000 Blazer and 2009 Explorer).

Oh, you haven't got to experience the "Watermelon 500" on 285 in an ice storm yet??? 😎

 

[AtlCade69]

Not in the Jeep, stick to 75/85, I think most of the folks on the Perimeter got on months ago, and only get off for gas... I do love flying over on Spaghetti Junction for a change of pace...