Satch
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2003
- Messages
- 3,508
- Location
- Surrey
- Car
- S211 E320Cdi Avantgarde Estate & Toyota Land Cruiser
there is one person who is very glad indeed they purchased two major items before going:
Decent winter tyres.
After a very fine, dry drive to Munich for a couple of days doing the Christmas Markets arrived in Kaprun Monday evening. Very cold (-13c at one point) & been driving around on varying amounts of snow/hardpack when off the main roads or in the lift station car parks.
But it was absolutely dumping snow all last night and most of this morning which was followed by sleety rain down in the valley this afternoon thus turning roads into packed ice covered in slush. Care required and the traction control flashed a few times on steeper bits but absolutely no trouble at all.
In the UK one tenth of this would have caused a national disaster. Here, people just have the right kit and just get on with it. Except of course the only other GB registered car I have seen here so far which was wholly stranded this afternoon. Summer tyres, no chains and no hope.
All I can say is that the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3's really do what it said on the tin. So anybody who wants to start a "My MB is no good in snow" thread can think again
Did very well on the Autobahn although the combination of a full load plus roofbox meant that 150kmh was my self imposed limit on the derestricted stretches.
Most of the time in 120/130 kmh limits it seemed but what struck me is how worn some of the Autobahn is. Stretch down from Munich to Salzburg is horrible: ruts, grooves & potholes. By contrast the E something that runs through France & Belgium towards Brussels is, oddly enough, about the best road I have ever driven on, (especially at 3.30 am when devoid of the French )
Tom Tom Go 700
Steering me from home via Channel Tunnel to street address in Munich with absolutely no problems other than idiot behind wheel geting confused twice. Both times steered back on track within 30 seconds. First time was best, when ended up navigating French country roads in thick fog at about 1.45am, at which point all my doubts about how useful a 3D display actually was vanished. Damn helpful to know what the road is about to do in very limited visibilty.
Then from Munich to Kaprun (again street address mapping) no trouble.
But the greatest advantage is the fact that she in the passenger seat remained wholly untroubled by any form of map and hence the dreaded Husband Induced Stress.
Here until next Thursday (try as I might could not get buy in to the concept of fleeing the UK for Christmas) so will be back in the UK just in time to do the traditional bits but hopefully this year will not be the grumpy git fresh from pre Crimbo work stress.
Fuel consumption so far is around 7.8L per 100km. Somebody else can turn that into mpg as after an early finish thanks to poor visibilty I am now off for some well deserved beers
Decent winter tyres.
After a very fine, dry drive to Munich for a couple of days doing the Christmas Markets arrived in Kaprun Monday evening. Very cold (-13c at one point) & been driving around on varying amounts of snow/hardpack when off the main roads or in the lift station car parks.
But it was absolutely dumping snow all last night and most of this morning which was followed by sleety rain down in the valley this afternoon thus turning roads into packed ice covered in slush. Care required and the traction control flashed a few times on steeper bits but absolutely no trouble at all.
In the UK one tenth of this would have caused a national disaster. Here, people just have the right kit and just get on with it. Except of course the only other GB registered car I have seen here so far which was wholly stranded this afternoon. Summer tyres, no chains and no hope.
All I can say is that the Goodyear Ultra Grip GW3's really do what it said on the tin. So anybody who wants to start a "My MB is no good in snow" thread can think again
Did very well on the Autobahn although the combination of a full load plus roofbox meant that 150kmh was my self imposed limit on the derestricted stretches.
Most of the time in 120/130 kmh limits it seemed but what struck me is how worn some of the Autobahn is. Stretch down from Munich to Salzburg is horrible: ruts, grooves & potholes. By contrast the E something that runs through France & Belgium towards Brussels is, oddly enough, about the best road I have ever driven on, (especially at 3.30 am when devoid of the French )
Tom Tom Go 700
Steering me from home via Channel Tunnel to street address in Munich with absolutely no problems other than idiot behind wheel geting confused twice. Both times steered back on track within 30 seconds. First time was best, when ended up navigating French country roads in thick fog at about 1.45am, at which point all my doubts about how useful a 3D display actually was vanished. Damn helpful to know what the road is about to do in very limited visibilty.
Then from Munich to Kaprun (again street address mapping) no trouble.
But the greatest advantage is the fact that she in the passenger seat remained wholly untroubled by any form of map and hence the dreaded Husband Induced Stress.
Here until next Thursday (try as I might could not get buy in to the concept of fleeing the UK for Christmas) so will be back in the UK just in time to do the traditional bits but hopefully this year will not be the grumpy git fresh from pre Crimbo work stress.
Fuel consumption so far is around 7.8L per 100km. Somebody else can turn that into mpg as after an early finish thanks to poor visibilty I am now off for some well deserved beers
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