Snow Driving Tips

[Barbanasos]

Winter tyres or chains (blanket type for large diameter wheels). Going up in snow is not that big a problem as you just can go, downhill is where its all tricky, lowest gear and hope that you dont have to steer or brake otherwise the whole car will go.

Was driving downhill from parnassos skiresort in greece with my father's e36 318 with chains on the back and due to some 4x4s obviously not on chains that skided everyone had to brake and even my car at the touch of the brake was sliding on a slope, I had to drop it in reverse and wheelspin it and then drop it back into 1st a couple of times and finaly stoped with the handbrake as the chains on the back helped.

It is scary, but fun on empty flat roads. It is just unfortunate that due to the weather here people are just not used to it.

 

[hygt2]

How many bodies are you carrying round in the boot for it to weight 2460kg? The kerb weight is about 1945kg.

LWB Gross Weight fully optioned up to the roof

 

[Dieselman]

LWB Gross Weight fully optioned up to the roof

So not what it actually weighed on the day then..

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

As much as I love my Merc, I didnt realise until tonight just how utterly useless they are on packed snow and ice.
I couldnt even get out my drive without skidding and going sideways.
Changed my mind and eventually got it back in. And there it will stay until its all gone.

I share exactly the same thought...

Decided tonight I should let Mrs D have the ML back tomorrow - so she doesn't become a hermit slash compulsive online shopper.

Spent ages clearing off the 5 inches of snow that's been on it for days, and tried to move it into a position from which I'll be able to get it off the drive easily in the morning with minimum fuss.

The more I looked at it the less convinced I was that with an overnight freeze and more snow, I'd get off without slipping slightly towards some trees, even in it's new position. Played it safe and decided to put it back where it came from.

I inched forward with creep (auto) and the blasted thing started to slide towards the trees at an alarming rate, with barely any incline. Managed to get it back to where it started the evening sans neige with nerves frayed.

Hopped in the ML and it had zero difficulty. A world apart.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The more I looked at it the less convinced I was that with an overnight freeze and more snow, I'd get off without slipping slightly towards some trees, even in it's new position. Played it safe and decided to put it back where it came from.

I made the right decision. With the overnight snow, I'd have been stuck, and would have blocked the ML in behind it!!

 

[whitenemesis]

Fair bit of snow our way last night but ventured out and made steady progress. OK only 15mph but I did stop and in control when some numpty exploded out from his driveway in a flurry of snow and spinning wheels!

 

[CE230]

Took SWMBO to school after she had a phone call asking if she was going in only to find it closed when we got there.

Some people have no idea of how to drive in slush let alone snow, a very frustrating journey in. Saw a few just looking through letter box slits in the snow on the screens.

Used the Rover rather than the Merc as I didn't have time to clear the snow off it, there's a lot of acreage on an MB.

 

[gbjeppm]

I share exactly the same thought...

Decided tonight I should let Mrs D have the ML back tomorrow - so she doesn't become a hermit slash compulsive online shopper.

Spent ages clearing off the 5 inches of snow that's been on it for days, and tried to move it into a position from which I'll be able to get it off the drive easily in the morning with minimum fuss.

The more I looked at it the less convinced I was that with an overnight freeze and more snow, I'd get off without slipping slightly towards some trees, even in it's new position. Played it safe and decided to put it back where it came from.

I inched forward with creep (auto) and the blasted thing started to slide towards the trees at an alarming rate, with barely any incline. Managed to get it back to where it started the evening sans neige with nerves frayed.

Hopped in the ML and it had zero difficulty. A world apart.

Exactly the same for me, have been using the ML with no difficuly this week so far.

This morning decided to get the CLK out, and promptly got stuck in the snow in our cul de sac. I could not even get it back on the drive.

I have left it abandoned/parked ish on the side of the road.

The GSD3's were rubbish, backwards and forwards. ESP on/off nothing worked.

In the end I went to work in my son's polo with its little skinny tyres, and had no problems.

Oh well at least I gave the neighbours a laugh.

GRRRRRR.

 

[Apial]

I was loaned a BMW120D yesterday. I don't know why I accepted it as it couldn't drive its way out of a bowl of porridge. Rear wheel drive on sporty low profile tyres. I would think that the steepest hill it could cope with would be about 1:100! Now I'm stuck at home .

It is much much worse than the L200 in 2Wd mode. The difference is of course the L200 has A/T tyres and that car has been pinched by my wife who is out trying to find where the school bus has abandoned my son on the aborted bus journey to school 30 miles away.

PS And before some smart *** says I should find the traction control button, I have.

 

[popuptoaster]

Buy an old car with lots of ground clearnace and skinny tyres, my coupe has been fine, have at no time been worried about getting stuck, towed a freelander out of a snow drift and sailed up the steep and twisty hill near my house past the discovery in the ditch and the cars abanadoned at various points, i been using it as a short cut as the lanes it connects to are still quite snowy so no one else is using them.

Mine has a basic auto box with no trickery, no LSD, 180bhp so it changes gear at random on the slippy stuff and no electronics to help, not even ABS, its all down to the tyres, mine are old style fairly narrow high profile ones with a reasonable open tread so they push down into the snow and dont turn into ice skates, Mercs are not "bad in the snow" they just fit rubbish wheels and tyres to them for these conditions these days.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

We haven't taken our W203 out since the snow first came our way on Monday.

Was interesting to watch our neighbour try to take out his M3 this morning...

 

[NewMB]

I helped push a Volvo up the hill this morning

He offered to give me a push after, but I said there really isn't any point, I'll try again in the morning but not holding much luck.

..... obviously I mean the newer FWD ones.....

 

[br0ke]

There had been no snow in Belfast until this morning.

Left my house at usual time. It was snowing but not lying. 1 mile from the house up a steep hill it was like a different country. First problem to overcome was a brand new 1 series (probably with low profile tyres) parked nicely in a steep ditch with a large van gently pressing against the back of it.

Got to the top of the hill and the snow had been compacted to ice. Am I ever so glad I put the 18" AMG's in the garage in November and got some Hankook 16" Icebears (which are not the best but no comparsion to the alternative).

Quick lesson in driving down steep icy hill. Don't brake. I swear the ABS was on holiday. Every time I braked the car slowed down and went sideways. Foot off the brake and it straightened up but picked up speed. My trail down the hill was perfect S's.

Later on a gentle slope downwards just crawling in 1st (D) I picked up enough speed for the auto to go into 2nd. I'll not make that mistake again - big drift sideways on a straight road.

We live and we learn.

 

[coupe deville]

day off today, ventured out to asda wakefield on the A61, which was deemed to be one of the most dangerous roads in uk. single carriageway recently restricted to 50mph. quiet, little traffic, light snow and a bit misty, dipped headlamp weather. wife kept score for my unscientific poll.
oncoming traffic
7 hgv's, all male drivers, 5 dipped headlamps , 1 sidelamps , 1 none

6 vans, all male, 3 dipped headlamps , 2 sidelamps , 1 none .

18 cars, 8 dipped headlamps, 7 male, 1 female
2 sidelamps, both male
8 none, 1 male, 7 female.

not knocking anyone in particular but "LETS BE SEEN OUT THERE "

 

[NewMB]

"LETS BE SEEN OUT THERE "

.... DRL's are in the air.....


Seriously..... it seems so difficult to turn that knob over to the 2nd step?

 

[jaymanek]

buy an ML... have been using ours today and the difference is huge.. I was in a C32 AMG this afternoon and that was just funny in the snow.. wouldnt move for anything but made a nice v6 noise...

 

[talltimtam]

Perhaps its time that MB offer an option similar to Audis Quattro 4x4 system for some of its cars ??

 

[popuptoaster]

ABS is worse on a loose surface than no brakes at all sometimes, locked wheels build up a wedge in front and slow you down, you still cant steer though, on ice or standing water i've seen wheels stopped by the brakes and then not start revolving again even when the brakes are released. If your having trouble with one drive wheel spinning you can apply the handbrake a bit, it will put some resistance into the wheel with no traction and allow the diff to send some torque to the other wheel that may have some grip, dont drive far or fast like it though or you'll knacker the brakes.

 

[flango]

Perhaps its time that MB offer an option similar to Audis Quattro 4x4 system for some of its cars ??

Thought they already did they are just not available in the UK

 

[coupe deville]

Thought they already did they are just not available in the UK

20% of s classes sold worldwide are 4wd, MB think it not viable to re-engineer to RHD