So I'm not sure if anyone else has run into this issue. We have 18" wheels on our 2019 PacHy Limited, and while it is somewhat admirable in the snow once you get going, it's atrocious when faced with a hill and starting from a stop. We've now had two inconsequential snowfalls, one that was 1-3" of slushy snow and one that was 4-6" which we didn't do a lot of driving around on.
For the first snow, I was out of town but wife said she was sliding a lot out of the roads which have minimal hills. She could not get up our driveway which is, to be fair, quite steep. The next snow we got about 2" in a short amount of time, I was at my parents house and reversed out onto the street, and from a standstill going up a hill the wheels just spun, there was no amount of rocking or turning or spinning wheels or burning rubber smell that would get me up that relatively unremarkable hill. The exits out of my parents house to the main arteries included a somewhat steep hill and more rolling hills as the second, I took the second option and was terrified that I'd be one of those stranded motorist stuck on a hill.
I had to first shovel my parents street, then instead of reversing out of the driveway I had the car facing forward so I could get some momentum. I was able to get enough traction to get up the hill, then we got to the first main road I had just enough momentum to get me over the first rolling hill, then with speed I was able to manage from there without any additional slip/slidding traction issues. I was also not faced with going up a hill from a standstill.
My other vehicle is an outback, it has had absolutely zero issues getting up our driveway or anything else, the PacHy can't even get the rear wheels off the street before it's spinning the front wheels. So the outback is probably a gold standard, but my ford fusion seemed to perform better as well, that was a car with FWD and tires that had 60k miles on them. Obviously from a dead stop, the PacHy has 5000lbs to overcome but this just seems extreme.
We're going up to the UP of Michigan for two weeks, and after some debate we're replacing the tires. With 3 little kids in tow it just seems like too much of a risk. So my question to the community is:
1) Am I crazy, has anyone else had a similar experience, is it possible I got garbage tires?
2) Is there any recourse, I'm guessing not but I am pretty pissed that Chrysler stopped supplying Michelin OEM tires on what is supposed to be a family safe minivan, certainly doesn't feel that way in the snow! I would've gladly paid the $200 difference for 4 tires to get a better performing all season
3) Has anyone ever sold used tires, at 7500mi it just feels like a waste getting rid of them, but just wasn't worth taking the chance on our trip.
Car has been great, I know I read on these forums various horror stories that gave me pause, and obviously I'm reporting a relatively minor one here, but overall we've been extremely happy with everything else (other than the engine turning on in the cold, booo!!)
Appreciate any feedback!
For the first snow, I was out of town but wife said she was sliding a lot out of the roads which have minimal hills. She could not get up our driveway which is, to be fair, quite steep. The next snow we got about 2" in a short amount of time, I was at my parents house and reversed out onto the street, and from a standstill going up a hill the wheels just spun, there was no amount of rocking or turning or spinning wheels or burning rubber smell that would get me up that relatively unremarkable hill. The exits out of my parents house to the main arteries included a somewhat steep hill and more rolling hills as the second, I took the second option and was terrified that I'd be one of those stranded motorist stuck on a hill.
I had to first shovel my parents street, then instead of reversing out of the driveway I had the car facing forward so I could get some momentum. I was able to get enough traction to get up the hill, then we got to the first main road I had just enough momentum to get me over the first rolling hill, then with speed I was able to manage from there without any additional slip/slidding traction issues. I was also not faced with going up a hill from a standstill.
My other vehicle is an outback, it has had absolutely zero issues getting up our driveway or anything else, the PacHy can't even get the rear wheels off the street before it's spinning the front wheels. So the outback is probably a gold standard, but my ford fusion seemed to perform better as well, that was a car with FWD and tires that had 60k miles on them. Obviously from a dead stop, the PacHy has 5000lbs to overcome but this just seems extreme.
We're going up to the UP of Michigan for two weeks, and after some debate we're replacing the tires. With 3 little kids in tow it just seems like too much of a risk. So my question to the community is:
1) Am I crazy, has anyone else had a similar experience, is it possible I got garbage tires?
2) Is there any recourse, I'm guessing not but I am pretty pissed that Chrysler stopped supplying Michelin OEM tires on what is supposed to be a family safe minivan, certainly doesn't feel that way in the snow! I would've gladly paid the $200 difference for 4 tires to get a better performing all season
3) Has anyone ever sold used tires, at 7500mi it just feels like a waste getting rid of them, but just wasn't worth taking the chance on our trip.
Car has been great, I know I read on these forums various horror stories that gave me pause, and obviously I'm reporting a relatively minor one here, but overall we've been extremely happy with everything else (other than the engine turning on in the cold, booo!!)
Appreciate any feedback!