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Grip in snow
- Thread starter stuarttunstall
- Start date
The torque is OK as long as you control it (i.e: don't nail it). It's the amount of grip from wide summer tyres that's the biggest issue.
Stupidly enough, winter tyres are better is it's cold and wet, not just snow, so I'm told. Normal high-performance tyres not so good as temperature drops.
the difference in seasonal tyres is more for on the limit as you say wet/rain etc, at the end of the day it won't matter how clever the tyres are if you don't drive accordingly to conditions you won't get anywhere
got to work this am no wheelspin no abs no mishaps but not from any superior skill at all i assure ya just luck and a lot of patience to be honest
didnt get out of 2nd and rarely over tickover, it's not what you got it's how you use it.
got to work this am no wheelspin no abs no mishaps but not from any superior skill at all i assure ya just luck and a lot of patience to be honest
didnt get out of 2nd and rarely over tickover, it's not what you got it's how you use it.
amen.....
fully agree, although there is an extent where the conditions are to much for the capability for our motors. i hardly ever touch the go faster pedal in these conditions, and constantly look for better lines to take on the roads. big hills require momentum to pass them, if you havent got that, and your on summer tyres, try to find another way to work
i re-routed this morning to avoid as many possible hazards as possible, must admit though if the roads stay like they are now and freeze tonight i'll be chickening out and walking if work stays open.
if it get's that bad then what's the point of risking it.
if it get's that bad then what's the point of risking it.
I agree with this completely. A little common sense in weather like this goes a long way.
My problem is that my commute is about 40 miles of country lanes, fast A roads and city stop-and-go... which means snow can get bad at work or at home without me noticing until I get there.
I also have a 2yr old who commutes with me (her nursery is next to my work). If I stayed at home, I could do all my work fine via VPN etc, but my daughter wouldn't let me get anything done!
So I've invested in winter tyres/wheels and drive carefully. And I have blankets and snow chains in the boot just-in-case.
With the winter tyres, I find the Leon only slips a bit if starting from stationary on an icy incline. This is mostly due to the way the DSG uses its clutch I reckon, especially when its hot. Pretty much every other situation, it's fine.
I also have a 2yr old who commutes with me (her nursery is next to my work). If I stayed at home, I could do all my work fine via VPN etc, but my daughter wouldn't let me get anything done!
So I've invested in winter tyres/wheels and drive carefully. And I have blankets and snow chains in the boot just-in-case.
With the winter tyres, I find the Leon only slips a bit if starting from stationary on an icy incline. This is mostly due to the way the DSG uses its clutch I reckon, especially when its hot. Pretty much every other situation, it's fine.
Agreed- but driving as you describe is the skill that many lack. I got stuck yesterday, but the road was that slippy I couldn't stand on it, never mind drive a car. Ended up having to reverse 1/2 mile to turn round
Same here. Not as far (26 miles) but work is very hilly and almost a microclimate.
What did you do for winter tyres?
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I would agree with this for definate, way too torquey on at the bottom end for the likes of this weather... hills are a nightmare if you haven't planned well ahead and had time to gather speed and maintain it.
Wide tyres are very bad aswell plus the weight of the car doesn't help, if you brake downhill you're snookered! need to work the gears and clutch to control speed and handle the wheel as delicately as possible.
I would be much more confident with winter rims and tyres but slow and steady has worked for me so far, lets hope it continues to do so!
sounds daft but weather like this makes stopping and thinking distances 10X longer if you ask me
*edit* should also add not to rely on abs if it's really slippery because its useless even at slow speed - if all 4 wheels lock as they often do on ice then the abs won't activate because it has no speed reference and will think you stopped
*edit* should also add not to rely on abs if it's really slippery because its useless even at slow speed - if all 4 wheels lock as they often do on ice then the abs won't activate because it has no speed reference and will think you stopped
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+1. Agree 100%.
The only close calls I've had is other people getting too close to me.
I ordered a set of four steel rims complete with winter tyres as a package from mytyres.co.uk. Takes a few days shipping as they're (literally) shipped from Germany if stock isn't available in the UK.
Cost quite a bit but has been worth it for peace of mind in this weather. I'd be less bothered if I didn't have the little one in the car with me.
Tyre-wise, I plumped for Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 205/55 R16s and I've been very happy with them so far. Can't compare with any other winter tyres though - these are the first that I've ever used. I can tell you that they're MUCH better in cold/wet than the stock Pzero Rossos though. And I get slightly better consumption with them too, as a small bonus.
I never brake that hard to let the ABS have a chance to cut in.
Let the engine do the braking or feather the brakes.
Let the engine do the braking or feather the brakes.
Ditto - drove from Durham to Newcastle last night on minor roads (as the A1 was chocka) and barely used the brakes. I've been pleasantly surprised by the cupra (leon) in the snow...despite my front tyres being low on tread. I think fairly good feedback and a good throttle response/easy feathering has helped things along.
Scotsguard
Guest
Mine has been in the garage for the last 3 weeks! Went in there 'cos we were going on holiday and it hasn't been out since due to the snow.
The other car we have is a Skoda Octavia 4x4 and it's great in the snow so we've been using that the whole time. The neighbours hate us 'cos they are all struggling to get up the hill out of the street and I'm powersliding out the drive and belting it up the road!!
I did use the Leon last year in the snow and it was fine though. Traction off and using the paddles with minimum brake use worked fine for me.
The other car we have is a Skoda Octavia 4x4 and it's great in the snow so we've been using that the whole time. The neighbours hate us 'cos they are all struggling to get up the hill out of the street and I'm powersliding out the drive and belting it up the road!!
I did use the Leon last year in the snow and it was fine though. Traction off and using the paddles with minimum brake use worked fine for me.
Vidal Baboon
Guest
Lost the back end of the Cupra at 70mph on a seemingly frost free dual carrigeway.
1.5degC, no rain, frost or snow- just a cold evening.
Scared the crap out of me, gently overtaking a 206 (probably 5-10mph faster) then the back end steps out maybe 20deg to the left.
I really did everything wrong, trying to reign it in- stood on the brakes (ABS cut in) mid corner, over correcting etc....
However, for all my fluffing, I managed to get it back under control quick enough- mild tank slapper.
I got the feeling if I hadn't caught it quickly it could have been pretty ugly & spat me off the road.
Still, gave the other car a fright mind, & brown trousers for myself
I'm not sure I rate the Pirelli P Zeros in this cold weather.
I had Vredsteins on a FIAT Coupe turbo last year which put out similar power- no worries last year in similar temps.
1.5degC, no rain, frost or snow- just a cold evening.
Scared the crap out of me, gently overtaking a 206 (probably 5-10mph faster) then the back end steps out maybe 20deg to the left.
I really did everything wrong, trying to reign it in- stood on the brakes (ABS cut in) mid corner, over correcting etc....
However, for all my fluffing, I managed to get it back under control quick enough- mild tank slapper.
I got the feeling if I hadn't caught it quickly it could have been pretty ugly & spat me off the road.
Still, gave the other car a fright mind, & brown trousers for myself
I'm not sure I rate the Pirelli P Zeros in this cold weather.
I had Vredsteins on a FIAT Coupe turbo last year which put out similar power- no worries last year in similar temps.
Had a close one just before NY coming home from work. Decided to take some back country lanes as there had just been a heavy blast of snow and I thought I could avoid some traffic.
Got to a steep humped back bridge over a rail way lines. Let the car in front go all the way up and over incase he couldn't make it, once he was over I started up it slowly and got up it fine until I got to the top. Just as I went over it a car coming the other way which couldn't make it over had started to turn round in the middle of the bridge. I touched the breaks and just started to slide towards him. I tried to steer a bit to try not to hit him and ended up doing a 180 and then sliding backwards on the other side of the road. The ABS was going mad but gladly it stopped me before hitting any other cars.
I was then faced with the steeper side of the bridge in front of me, I couldn't turn round as that would just cause more problems for the people who were originally behind me coming over the bridge so had to go back over it. It was a slow process with the EPS doing it's stuff but still wasn't moving far but did it in the end and made it home ok.
Got to a steep humped back bridge over a rail way lines. Let the car in front go all the way up and over incase he couldn't make it, once he was over I started up it slowly and got up it fine until I got to the top. Just as I went over it a car coming the other way which couldn't make it over had started to turn round in the middle of the bridge. I touched the breaks and just started to slide towards him. I tried to steer a bit to try not to hit him and ended up doing a 180 and then sliding backwards on the other side of the road. The ABS was going mad but gladly it stopped me before hitting any other cars.
I was then faced with the steeper side of the bridge in front of me, I couldn't turn round as that would just cause more problems for the people who were originally behind me coming over the bridge so had to go back over it. It was a slow process with the EPS doing it's stuff but still wasn't moving far but did it in the end and made it home ok.
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