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Exactly, as I have said before, I niavely though it might work like a poor mans "four wheel drive", so selected it for my wife's Polo - so far, especially in snow/ice conditions, its just something that you might need to turn off when the going gets tough!
I remember being laughed at by a car salesman (can't remember which marque) when I said "no" to their car because it did not have a 4X4 option - their cutting retort was "ah, don't you know 4X4 is old hat on cheaper cars, TCS + EDL is all you will ever need!" - well that certainly is not my experience (I just went off and bought a 4X4 Passat after that).
Now I do remember when my brother-in-law had a BMW 635 as a company car, it comes with all the above listed optional modes (Snow,Sport Comfort etc) - but could he make progress in compacted snow? No, no chance! On one occasion my cheap and cheery VX Cav GSI 4X4 just moved around like the road was dry - and I had to go back and push him around and keep him moving - but then he was not a BMW fan nor would claim to be an expert driver - in other words these "functions", at that time in these conditions, did not help him out at all!
I was stuck behind a nice 3 series saloon in traffic yesterday but the guy was struggling to pull away from standstill without the back sliding round. Was hilarious to watch lol.
Some form of 4 wheel drive is def a nice feature. My mate's S4 Quattro was running rings around all the struggling cars in the snow but still nearly hit a lamppost when he dabbed the brakes and the car tried to switch ends. ESP really helped out then
Some form of 4 wheel drive is def a nice feature. My mate's S4 Quattro was running rings around all the struggling cars in the snow but still nearly hit a lamppost when he dabbed the brakes and the car tried to switch ends. ESP really helped out then
I might have mentioned this before, but....
...my Dunlop Winter Sport 3D's rock
Better traction while accelerating AND braking (The latter being a point that 4x4 owners don't seem to think about)
A local Defender driver from our village was quite impressed that I followed him all the way up the long steep snowy hill into our village last night....
...my Dunlop Winter Sport 3D's rock
Better traction while accelerating AND braking
(The latter being a point that 4x4 owners don't seem to think about)A local Defender driver from our village was quite impressed that I followed him all the way up the long steep snowy hill into our village last night....
I might have mentioned this before, but....
...my Dunlop Winter Sport 3D's rock
Better traction while accelerating AND braking
A local Defender driver from our village was quite impressed that I followed him all the way up the long steep snowy hill into our village last night....
Yes well the 4X4 function has nothing really to do with stopping - maybe other than allowing you to keep some drive on all the wheels while braking gently - a bit like ABS but in a more active way, any 4X4 driver that thinks that 4X4 will do much more than let him/her start moving and keep moving is having a laugh. The problem with quite a lot of off-roader "working" 4X4s is that they tend to have either on-road tyres or very hard off-road tyres - and these hard one offer very little grip during cold weather - even worse than our "all season" tyres do.
It must have been quite shallow snow though or you would have "bottomed out"! Now if that Defender had chains on he would have been a lot better off (while also messing you up by breaking the snow surface up). L-Rs only advantage over a simple full-time 4X4 in snow is that they have good ground clearance.
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I had TCS switched on until I got home and had to climb a steep snowy hill to my house yesterday. I remember with my first Ibiza, I didn't know exactly what TCS could do in the snow and tried to climb a snowy hill, but it got a little bit up the hill before sliding back down because the power was being cut by the TCS! 
I don't see what all the fuss is about
Had to drive mine a couple of times in the weather this last week, only a 1.2 driven by someone with less than a year under their belt, but not yet got stuck - going up hills, I struggle for traction and the back seems to want to let go moreso than the front, but I've not yet STOPPED and failed to make any progress. Pulling away is easy, second gear and low revs. Was quite cool that I was passing Beemers and Fords stuck on the hills, wheels spinning, drivers bricking it
Had to drive mine a couple of times in the weather this last week, only a 1.2 driven by someone with less than a year under their belt, but not yet got stuck - going up hills, I struggle for traction and the back seems to want to let go moreso than the front, but I've not yet STOPPED and failed to make any progress. Pulling away is easy, second gear and low revs. Was quite cool that I was passing Beemers and Fords stuck on the hills, wheels spinning, drivers bricking it
owned (not in any particular order)........
Nissan Micra MK1,
2 Punto Mk1s
Ford Escort Mk1
Ford Escort Mk2
Ford Escort Mk3
Vauxhall Chevette
All small engined, skinny tyre cars and never had any problems in the snow.
Then there have been these which were also good in the snow
Auid 80 Automatic
2 Subaru Impreza's
never snowed when I owned these ones.....
2 Honda Accord Sports
Audi 90
Others were not so good
Mini Clubman Estate - wheel snapped off in a snowy rut
Ford Capri Mk3 - had to put a paving flag in the boot
Seat Ibiza 1.9TDi - my worst car EVER in the snow
It's still parked up on the drive,hidden behind a 3 foot snow drift
Nissan Micra MK1,
2 Punto Mk1s
Ford Escort Mk1
Ford Escort Mk2
Ford Escort Mk3
Vauxhall Chevette
All small engined, skinny tyre cars and never had any problems in the snow.
Then there have been these which were also good in the snow
Auid 80 Automatic
2 Subaru Impreza's
never snowed when I owned these ones.....
2 Honda Accord Sports
Audi 90
Others were not so good
Mini Clubman Estate - wheel snapped off in a snowy rut
Ford Capri Mk3 - had to put a paving flag in the boot
Seat Ibiza 1.9TDi - my worst car EVER in the snow
It's still parked up on the drive,hidden behind a 3 foot snow drift
its only snowed once since ive had my ibiza....and i crashed...in my work car park!! lol
bent my wishbone. but the reason i crashed is because they hadnt gritted the car park so turned the wheel and the car didnt want to know!!
i am saving up for some Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres to go onto my car, have read some good reviews on these and they are supposed to be good winter/wet tyres...hopefully!
fortunatly where i live..south east london..we dont get snow just a lot of ice form where its so cold!
F1's are rubbish in the snow and ice, been there tried that. water yes, rain yes, cold noooooo,
best car 1954 Morris Cowley (export model) skinny cross plys rear drive 1200cc and built like a tank and a "Panzer Plate" under the sump no heater tho'
the ibiza mk4s arent fun in the snow like best fun is a MK2 the gti is AWESOME in the snow slipps about but is fun times but for real reliability and ease in theis weather would have to say my dads series 3 landrover (is a defender before they were called defender when landrover only built one type) its like over 40 years old and is a beast in anything
i feel the need to go back on myself after driving on compacted snow tonight and the whole discussion about traction control - i was wrong im sorry! my whole argument for wanting the traction control on permanently, rubbish!
went out tonight after a good covering of snow i dont think any roads in my town had been gritted and i went up a road near my house its fairly steep, half a mile ish with speed bumps all up it.
i was making good progress but then had to stop behind a parked car cos some old bloke coming down the hill didnt have the common sense to let me through. i couldnt get moving again it was like compacted snow on a speed bump. car was just snaking side to side trying to get grip, sliding towards the curb. Turned traction control off, and it was much better, but still wouldnt get me over the speed bump. rolled backwards down the hill to try and get a run up from the non-speed hump part of the road, and i actually managed to stall it twice the torque in first and second gears was just spinning the wheels on the ice, (i wasnt using the gas, just trying to move off on the clutch! i had to resort to moving off in third, uphill, which obviously was a bit hard on the car!
made it to the top of the hill though eventually. got into the high street of my town and there wasnt any snow in sight!! i think it had only snowed over our estate! wierd as hell. i'd rang my mate who was already out, to say i might not make it cos i was stuck in the snow, and he thought i was having a laugh. it was just wet roads 5 miles away!!
anyway...... traction control off for driving on ice is better than traction control on!! lol
went out tonight after a good covering of snow i dont think any roads in my town had been gritted and i went up a road near my house its fairly steep, half a mile ish with speed bumps all up it.
i was making good progress but then had to stop behind a parked car cos some old bloke coming down the hill didnt have the common sense to let me through. i couldnt get moving again it was like compacted snow on a speed bump. car was just snaking side to side trying to get grip, sliding towards the curb. Turned traction control off, and it was much better, but still wouldnt get me over the speed bump. rolled backwards down the hill to try and get a run up from the non-speed hump part of the road, and i actually managed to stall it twice the torque in first and second gears was just spinning the wheels on the ice, (i wasnt using the gas, just trying to move off on the clutch! i had to resort to moving off in third, uphill, which obviously was a bit hard on the car!
made it to the top of the hill though eventually. got into the high street of my town and there wasnt any snow in sight!! i think it had only snowed over our estate! wierd as hell. i'd rang my mate who was already out, to say i might not make it cos i was stuck in the snow, and he thought i was having a laugh. it was just wet roads 5 miles away!!
anyway...... traction control off for driving on ice is better than traction control on!! lol
Mmmm.............
My drive has compacted snow and ice on it at the mo and is also on an incline
so I had a practice with the traction control
TC on it went up the drive fine
reversed back down
TC control off
........ went sideways and nearly crashed through the fence 
My drive has compacted snow and ice on it at the mo and is also on an incline
so I had a practice with the traction control
TC on it went up the drive fine
reversed back down
TC control off
........ went sideways and nearly crashed through the fence
am i right in thinking TC is on all the time, until u push the button and yellow light comes on dash to warn that its off, or is it the other way round -off when light off, on when light on dash is on?
Didn't drive mine whilst the snow was about so I can't comment on it's snow handling capabilitys really.
yes localised weather conditions does seem to be what its all about these days - at any time of year! It really looks its worst when in milder weather, driving along a 2 or 4 mile section of straightish road you can get wet bits and dry bits followed by more wet bits and dry bits - strange? Its even worse with snow though as you can end up commiting yourself route-wise by relying on local road conditions, only to find pretty bad conditions further along that can mean that you've screwed up!
almost crashed twice tonight into kerbs due to car not turning when told to, hit a kerb once front end on but no damage luckily, bumper and splitter just sat on top of it so must have been a lower kerb than usual, totally shat it, thot the bumper was a gonner after the thud the wheels made
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