Snow driving

[W1ghty]

I’m another winter tyre fan , got them in both cars , if I’m on a hill going up I turn off the esp and put it on again for the flat parts .
Downhill I use a low gear hold .

 

[Deleted member 150136]

Just not so keen on having them on a 500+ Monster, and unsure how the car will react and handle the snow, icey weather we get here rarely. But they can only be a positive surely.

The resort I'm staying in is very affluent, loads of AMGs, Porsche etc, very nice ones too! I think the majority are 4x4 versions but I have seen quite few 911s that I don't think are 4x4 flying around with no problems

 

[Darrell]

The resort I'm staying in is very affluent, loads of AMGs, Porsche etc, very nice ones too! I think the majority are 4x4 versions but I have seen quite few 911s that I don't think are 4x4 flying around with no problems

I think a 911 is technically AWD rather than 4x4 although I’m ready to be proved wrong.

 

[350cls]

It's the non 4x4 cars that get about that intrigues me. Especially the big coaches and they don't hang about either. But yes I remember the small vehicles when in Finland and Italy they just seem to climb and climb with ease.

It's the stupid type of driver with no winter aids that is a worry too. With ones pride and joy being hit or damaged.

Maybe a second vehicle with a less value is the way to go over here when we get this type of weather. This new ULEZ rule isn't helping though . I would have my second car bought by now

 

[Darrell]

Maybe a second vehicle with a less value is the way to go over here when we get this type of weather. This new ULEZ rule isn't helping though . I would have my second car bought by now

I recall loads of old Panda 4x4s in Italy. Stick some winter tyres on them and they’re unstoppable.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Having winter tyres on a 4x4 doesn’t mean the car can be driven as normal. The problem is that too many people think that it can.

The drivers we’ve seen shooting around on ice and snow in Finland, Northern Italy or wherever have been raised in those conditions and have a far better idea of how to drive when the road is slippery. We don’t.

I‘ve never had winter tyres and the only 4 wheel drive car I ever had was an Audi Quattro that didn’t meet severe conditions whilst in my ownership. In over 50 years of driving I’ve only had one incident on snow/ice when a cyclist fell off his bike in front of me. It was early on in my car ownership and I swerved too wide to avoid him and drove into a snow filled ditch. No damage, just a lesson learnt.

The rest of the time I’ve been able to drive in all conditions with Summer tyres on FWD or RWD cars. Featherlight use of throttle and brake with fingertip control of the steering and even more anticipation/planning than usual have worked their magic. I wouldn’t win the Monte Carlo Rally, but still pass lots of stranded cars.

But of course, if I lived in an area where severe winters were more usual and there were lots of hills to cope with, I would fit Winter tyres. I can’t see the need here in East Anglia.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Just not so keen on having them on a 500+ Monster, and unsure how the car will react and handle the snow, icey weather we get here rarely. But they can only be a positive surely.

I think you’ll find that the transformative effect will be even greater on your E 63 than on you 5-Series. More powerful, more sporting cars benefit most.

The reason being that the wider, stiffer, lower profile, more performance-orientated that a summer tyres is, then the more it will be compromised in cold conditions.

To answer your question on how MBs perform on winter tyres, I’ve run all sorts of AMG models on winter tyres, and all have been transformed as you found with your BMW.

The first car I had with winter tyres - a C 32 AMG - was a nightmare in the snow and got well and truly stuck right outside my workplace to the amusement of colleagues.

That was the last straw - it was a very urban area, and the last of several difficult journeys in the snow. Each time I was concerned about using it in the snow.

After fitting winter tyres that car would go anywhere, and I would drive through the Peak District in heavy driving snow without thinking twice. A complete turnaround.

I now have them on all of our every day cars, including my GT C which has been the car which has benefited most, as the tyres are very stiff, wide, low profile, etc.

We have had lots and lots of snow in the last two months and I drive my GT C happily anywhere and everywhere in the snow, with the roof down too.

Contrast that with caution when driving it in summer in the rain, because the very stiff, wide, low profile tyres just can’t stay warm enough to work in the wet even in summer.

I suspect that your E 63 AMG will be somewhere between my C 32 and GT C in terms of transformative effect, so between completely transformed and mind blowing.

 

[350cls]

I think you’ll find that the transformative effect will be even greater on your E 63 than on you 5-Series. More powerful, more sporting cars benefit most.

The reason being that the wider, stiffer, lower profile, more performance-orientated that a summer tyres is, then the more it will be compromised in cold conditions.

To answer your question on how MBs perform on winter tyres, I’ve run all sorts of AMG models on winter tyres, and all have been transformed as you found with your BMW.

The first car I had with winter tyres - a C 32 AMG - was a nightmare in the snow and got well and truly stuck right outside my workplace to the amusement of colleagues.

That was the last straw - it was a very urban area, and the last of several difficult journeys in the snow. Each time I was concerned about using it in the snow.

After fitting winter tyres that car would go anywhere, and I would drive through the Peak District in heavy driving snow without thinking twice. A complete turnaround.

I now have them on all of our every day cars, including my GT C which has been the car which has benefited most, as the tyres are very stiff, wide, low profile, etc.

We have had lots and lots of snow in the last two months and I drive my GT C happily anywhere and everywhere in the snow, with the roof down too.

Contrast that with caution when driving it in summer in the rain, because the very stiff, wide, low profile tyres just can’t stay warm enough to work in the wet even in summer.

I suspect that your E 63 AMG will be somewhere between my C 32 and GT C in terms of transformative effect, so between completely transformed and mind blowing.

Really helpful and informative advice BD

I think I will definitely invest in a set of winter tyres. More so, for next season.

On my second set of wheels. Ill try and keep the twin 5 spoked forged AMG alloys out of the grubby winter weather.

 

[grober]

If buying a complete replacement set of wheels and tyres for winter motoring it's a good idea to go up in tyre profile and select a slightly narrower rim width all round [brake discs and calipers permitting] this gives the tyres more bite and less float*----see your MB owners manual for details.
*This may also yield a wider choice of tyre model/manufacturer as there are certain favoured winter tyre sizes.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I recall loads of old Panda 4x4s in Italy. Stick some winter tyres on them and they’re unstoppable.

Same , on one of my jobs in Italy some years ago (sun burning down , great weather) I noticed loads of 4x4 pandas in the area and just thought the local dealer must have got a job lot of them. One weekend I took a drive in the sunny hills and noticed 'snow/ice' warning signs and snow depth posts along the beautifully sunny dry lanes. The penny dropped , they get REAL weather out there in that region, not like where I live in the UK where one season pretty much becomes the next and I have never needed winter tyres.

 

[Petrol Pete]

We had this on here some years ago . The results are astonishing on what are fairly unsophisticated AWD systems from 2013. The shocker is a set of 4 cost £700 8 years ago ! prices might have dropped since then . But obviously money well spent if you need them.

Winter tyres: 4x4 grip test video | Auto Express

Are winter tyres needed on a 4x4 car? We find out in this exclusive video

www.autoexpress.co.uk

 

[Merc220cls]

In my youth I found it quite exiting to drive in snow but there was a lot less traffic on the road back then.
Nowadays as I’m retired I prefer to just stay clear of the roads when it’s snowing.
Last December I had no option as I had to take the missus to hospital (in Clydebank) for an angiogram. It was a 7.30 am appointment (really) and with the hospital almost 40 miles from home I set off early. It started snowing heavily just 10 minutes before we left the house and we travelled less than two miles before we decided to turn around.
The CLS with its wide rear tyres were more like skate boards so rather than risk injury, not to mention damage to the car I turned back. The missus had her test almost a month later but had to have yet another Covid test prior to the angiogram.
4 separate 70 mile round trips with two major hospitals within 10 miles from home, now that really makes sense.

 

[Deleted member 159894]

In my youth I found it quite exiting to drive in snow but there was a lot less traffic on the road back then.
Nowadays as I’m retired I prefer to just stay clear of the roads when it’s snowing.
Last December I had no option as I had to take the missus to hospital (in Clydebank) for an angiogram. It was a 7.30 am appointment (really) and with the hospital almost 40 miles from home I set off early. It started snowing heavily just 10 minutes before we left the house and we travelled less than two miles before we decided to turn around.
The CLS with its wide rear tyres were more like skate boards so rather than risk injury, not to mention damage to the car I turned back. The missus had her test almost a month later but had to have yet another Covid test prior to the angiogram.
4 separate 70 mile round trips with two major hospitals within 10 miles from home, now that really makes sense.

As a teenager I learnt a lot about car control in the Winter of 1982, I loved it.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Some of us volunteer to buy winter tyres, meanwhile others are like:

Man caught driving with 'practically zero-visibility' in Dundee

The driver was caught with both windscreens almost completely covered with snow as he drove in Dundee.

www.bbc.co.uk