my car is hopeless in snow :(

[Hudsonhicks]

please help me get my car up the hill where i live lol CLK220 Sport

its really terrible in the snow, infact its just slush now on the road where i live most cars dont seem to struggle ive seen corsas etc getting up there

both rear tyres are pretty new with loads of tred in them, they're pilot sport 3 michelin

will reducing the tyre psi help?

 

[LTD]

Try putting it into 'C' mode if you have it. This will force the box to pull away in 2nd gear.

If you have the facility to put the box into 2nd yourself (selector or tiptronic) then try that.

Once the car holds itself, try to just tickle the throttle to get it moving and keep it at that point.

Most FWD cars will piss all over RWD cars in this weather. My Golfs are like little race cars against my S500 despite having engines nearly 1/4 of the size.

Dare I say it but most tyres are rubbish unless winter type at these current temperatures ...............

 

[A140driver]

Reducing the PSI might help, but the easiest way to get up is to adapt your driving, by being particularly gentle on the throttle, and perhaps using 'W' mode on the auto 'box. It might be worthwhile investing in these liquid snow chains which people use, where you spray a substance onto your tyres which makes them grippier on snow and ice for a very short amount of time, but enough to get you out of trouble.
Hope this helps.

 

[renault12ts]

All good advice and I hope it works. But I guess the best thing would be to have the correct tyres in the first place. Do you imagine German drivers of your car feel the same way?

 

[mercalot]

please help me get my car up the hill where i live lol CLK220 Sport

its really terrible in the snow, infact its just slush now on the road where i live most cars dont seem to struggle ive seen corsas etc getting up there

both rear tyres are pretty new with loads of tred in them, they're pilot sport 3 michelin

will reducing the tyre psi help?

Winter tyres are fantastic. They will give you total confidence in the car. Put them on and you will get up that hill with the Corsa's. I just hope that you can get some as they are difficult to get hold of. There are lots of threads on the subject and anyone who has changed to winters have seen the difference straight away. Good luck with the choice that you make. (i could not drive out of my estate with snow on the ground, now no problem).

 

[Hudsonhicks]

cheers everyone!! ive tried it in comfort mode.. my car is always in comfort mode anyway.. i think my only hope is going down the hill, gaiing momentum and making it upto the top of the hill lol, then getting into my drive might be an issue! also on a slope lol

might just wait till boxing day it might have all thawed out then

this liquid snow chains is very interesting ,, gonna go google it now.

 

[rf065]

Get a set of winter tyres and you will get up the hill without the traction control light even flashing, the Corsa's will not be able to keep up with you!

Russ

 

[jefrs]

Got a Corsa too, and whilst it is good on icy snow, so is the S210 on its wide PS3 tyres - if W-mode and ESP is used.

If the ESP is off then the E320 will try to spin but but the front end is well behaved. With it on and flashing, the car will drive off in a straight line. The lamp flashing means the ESP is working. It doesn't just apply a brake to a slipping wheel but controls the throttle too. It also controls the front end too - especially when braking, which means you are not going to stop in a hurry. Because the front wheels are not driven they seem to stay on track, nailed to the road, I've not had them slide sideways at all, which is something the Corsa will do if they get a bit of a spin on.

You do have to go easy on the throttle and cornering, and to allow plenty of extra stopping distance.

Happy Christmas Everyone.

 

[Spinal]

Anther vote for winter tyres...

 

[crockers]

Whilst it's good to have winter tyres - that advice isn't much use to the OP as I doubt he could get them fitted on Xmas eve.....

 

[rizlar]

Turn off the ESP, get as much of a run up as you can, keep the momentum up.

 

[kwakdonut]

And DON'T reduce the tyre pressures! Keep them at manufacturers stated rating

 

[clk208]

Turn off the ESP, get as much of a run up as you can, keep the momentum up.

+1

I have ESP off for low speed snow manouvering on steep hills etc. I find with ESP off and gentle throttle allowing the wheels to spin slightly is much more effective than having it switched on which grinds each wheel to a halt whenever it feels like it.

 

[Big Dan]

A girl at work that live out in the sticks has just bought a set of snow socks.

At £50 a set they're cheaper than buying a complete set of winter tyres and she swears by them.

Have seen pictures of the roads round near her that are more akin to ice rinks than roads.

 

[HR17]

Get the wife to push it.

 

[rf065]

A girl at work that live out in the sticks has just bought a set of snow socks.

At £50 a set they're cheaper than buying a complete set of winter tyres and she swears by them.

Have seen pictures of the roads round near her that are more akin to ice rinks than roads.

They're OK if you don't mind getting out of the car at minus 10 degrees and taking them on & off everytime you come to a road that has been gritted & cleared and getting your hands dirty, same as snow chains, you cannot use them on cleared roads.

Winter tyres dont give you that problem, and also work better on cold cleared roads, wet or dry than any other option. I appreciate that the OP cannot get a set on Christmas Eve, but thats where a bit of forward planning gets you prepared for the coming winter, I forgot, this is the UK, we don't plan to have a winter do we? That is the real problem.

Russ

 

[Dryce]

They're OK if you don't mind getting out of the car at minus 10 degrees and taking them on & off everytime you come to a road that has been gritted & cleared and getting your hands dirty, same as snow chains, you cannot use them on cleared roads.

I rather thought that's effectively what they say on the box - and that's what they do.

Winter tyres dont give you that problem, and also work better on cold cleared roads, wet or dry than any other option. I appreciate that the OP cannot get a set on Christmas Eve, but thats where a bit of forward planning gets you prepared for the coming winter, I forgot, this is the UK, we don't plan to have a winter do we? That is the real problem.

To date I can't recall a single winter up till last winter where I'd have thought about winter tyres. So that's two winters in my life time.

And that's the real problem with the UK.

I can recall many more mild winters than fierce cold ones.

So I'm happy for you on your winter tyre evangelism - but you've made your decision and commitment in that direction.

Many of the rest of us may be rather more guarded on the matter - and socks and chains offer a cheaper solution which may be more suited to the UK's weather normal patterns.

Anybody predicting summer or winter weather for next year based on this year are no better than the smart alec 'barbecue summer' and 'mild winter' predictions we've had previously.

 

[st4]

Wintet tyres offer more grip than normal tyres below 7c. How much you want that extra grip is entirely a matter of choice and opinion, but there is an undisputed fact that they offer better grip in the snow (which we do get some of here in Blighty) and below 7c, which only a fool would not say is a certainty for a winter here.

I too have managed fine without them, but would not discount the merits of them either. Remember, when your winter tyres are on, your summer tyres are not wearing down....

 

[Dryce]

I too have managed fine without them, but would not discount the merits of them either. Remember, when your winter tyres are on, your summer tyres are not wearing down....

To be fair different owners have different requirements.

Most of my long distance travel is either discretionary, or by plane and hire car, and my mileage in my own car was only 8400 last year.

Others will apply different values and parameters to their decision making.

However if we were regularly experiencing two or three months of the year like the last 4 weeks then I'd be thinking not just about winter tyres but replacing one of our cars with a 4WD of some sort.

 

[RandS]

A girl at work that live out in the sticks has just bought a set of snow socks.

At £50 a set they're cheaper than buying a complete set of winter tyres and she swears by them.

Have seen pictures of the roads round near her that are more akin to ice rinks than roads.

Has anybody who uses these had problems with their insurance companies, one of the guys I work with contacted his insurer and was told he wouldn't be insured if he used them.

If this is common there could be a lot of people driving illegally without knowing it.

Steve