A few weeks ago, I learned that most trucks get hopelessly stuck when they encounter snow, especially if they aren’t equipped with dedicated snow tires. As someone who has driven all kinds of cars, equipped with all kinds of tires in some pretty serious snow for decades, this came as something of a surprise. But, I am always open to learning from my betters in the automotive media business, and from the smartest people in history, guys who pay money to use X, The Everything App.
Before I go too far, I want to say that I always recommend real snow tires. They make driving in the colder months safer, and they’re worth it.
I didn’t always know this, though and spent most of my life driving total shitboxes on whatever tires they came with when I bought them. A Beetle, a conversion van, minivans, K cars, etc, etc. Now that I know about snow tires, I can drive in bad weather without having to worry about slowing down so much when it gets slick. But I have never not been able to say, go up a driveway for lack of snow tires.
So like I said, given my extensive experience driving everywhere I normally drive, in snow and on ice, without special tires for decades, I was really amazed to learn that you can’t do that. But, a quote I just found says:
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
I believe that. I really do. Henry Ford said it.
When a maroogundy 2024 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport showed up in my driveway recently, I immediately bopped over and looked at the tires. Regular General Grabber A/T Sports. All-seasons. Snow began to fall, accumulating on my shoulders and in my hair. I knew instantly that the Ridgeline would be stuck in my driveway until the spring because while 3-peak mountain snowflake rated tires are better than summer tires in the snow, most pickup trucks are incapable of moving up an incline under their own power in the snow without dedicated snow tires.
The snow continued to fall, mercilessly. But, I was overcome by my sacred duty as an automotive journalist to test what I had learned from X, The Everything App user and noted automotive/skull shape expert @Tesla1488S3XY.
The next day, with snow reaching well above the height of the Honda’s undercarriage, I situated myself in its cockpit. It was hopeless, but again for the sake of journalism, I nosed the Honda onto my snow covered driveway.
Whether it was a pinpoint microburst pushing me up the hill, or a momentary interruption in gravity I do not know. But the Ridgeline, somehow went up the driveway without losing traction. I was witnessing a miracle.
Intoxicated by my experience, I pressed on to the edge of the driveway where before me lay several acres of snow-covered hills. I pressed on, dragging the Honda’s undercarriage over the snow. I knew it was impossible. But it was happening. Knowing I that I had been set free from nature’s law, I pressed on through the snow, and up an hill where no road had been. I crested it. Looking over the valley, I saw another hill. I drove into the valley and crested that hill too. At this point, I was like the Grampa in the old Willy Wonka movie when he drinks the lifting soda — I was scared after doing a thing that was at first, pretty fun.
I drove the impossible Ridgeline back through the field and onto the driveway, parked it and sat in silence. In the days that followed, I drove through more snow in the Ridgeline, used it for school pick-up and drop off, ran some errands—more or less treated it as a daily driver.
As mentioned, the Grabber A/Ts you get with the Trailsport package were impressive in the snow and were successful as far as butching up the little truck. The Ridgeline will tow 5,000 LBS, seat 4 adults comfortably and it’s a hell of a lot easier to live with day to day than a full-size truck. It rides well, stays composed at speed even on rough roads, and it’s easy to park. I don’t have anything bad to say about it, but I’d bet updated styling that differentiates it a little more from Honda’s crossovers would help them find more homes. Best of all, it will get you safely into your driveway if it snows.