Ice Driving

[oragex]

Speaking of which (the STC sysyem installed on earlier models) I find it quite useless. The only good thing it does, it activates if the driver accelerates too much on a road bend causing the front wheels to spin and lose control of the front end. Then the STC cuts the gas.

The later system, the DSTC (optional on 2004+ standard on 2007+) adds the useful stability control which keeps the rear of the car on the track if it starts sliding away in an emergency handling situation.

Usually in winter drive inside the city I deactivate the STC from the start because I need to spin the front wheels when moving from a stop in snow.

[Leyburn]

Snow tyres are magnificent in the .. .er.. snow. A bit noisy and squidgy on tarmac though.

[INS60T]

Originally Posted by Leyburn

Snow tyres are magnificent in the .. .er.. snow. A bit noisy and squidgy on tarmac though.

Depends on the brand of tyre to be honest. Not all tyres are created equal

[Voltan]

Originally Posted by Leyburn

Snow tyres are magnificent in the .. .er.. snow. A bit noisy and squidgy on tarmac though.

My winters (Continental CrossContact I think) are far quieter than my summer tyres. The ride is smoother and stopping distance is noticeably shorter. I agree they are a bit "squidgy" but comfortable! As luck would have it, we have not had decent snow in our area for about 5 years when I invested in a winters set of wheels following a bad winter when we couldn't get out of the drive. I've had to go the Lakes and North Pennines to experience the snow and the winter tyres were terrific up some of the steepest, highest snow covered roads.

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by shropshireflying

Hi All.
I need help with my V70 '06 diesel, 6 speed auto, model.
If it encounters ice the engine will not rev and I get a skid notice on the dash. It slowly comes to an almost stop and no progress is made. (Slight uphill)
It does this in normal and winter settings.
Please help, it's driving me nuts.

Does your gearbox not have the manual operation? I can't remember what it is called but my 07 S80 does. If it does, use that system and if the front wheels are spinning get it up to at least third gear with minimum revs to prevent the wheels spinning and if it will take it in fourth then even better. I haven't had to use it this year, unbelievably where the rest of the country is suffering from snow, we in the east coast of Scotland have been snow free. But I have used it in the past, quite successfully.

[Leyburn]

Originally Posted by Voltan

My winters (Continental CrossContact I think) are far quieter than my summer tyres. The ride is smoother and stopping distance is noticeably shorter. I agree they are a bit "squidgy" but comfortable! As luck would have it, we have not had decent snow in our area for about 5 years when I invested in a winters set of wheels following a bad winter when we couldn't get out of the drive. I've had to go the Lakes and North Pennines to experience the snow and the winter tyres were terrific up some of the steepest, highest snow covered roads.

Snow tyres are an extreme form of winter tyre, compare Snowtrac and Wintrac from Vredestein.

Snowtrac on tarmac sounds like a panzer.

I was very disappointed with the performance of my S60 185 diesel manual on ice and slush, I thought that the traction control would cut in, but instead it would spin a front wheel in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. I can't see a button to enable / disable traction control.

On the other hand, my 30 year old Land Rover was magnificent.

[DieselDoNicely]

Yes but you wouldn't use the Land Rover for 700 miles a week to work and back.

I was running Continental Alpine up and till last week when I switched back to my usual Avon WV7 snow tyres. I didnt find the Alpine very useful but that could be as they were getting near to the end of life.

My front wheel drive V70 runs on Avon or Coopers until last Monday when the snow was so deep even they didnt help. Cooper owns Avons and the tyres are made in Somerset.

I fit a new set of Avon/Cooper snow tyres the first week in November every year. Friday I got out of the car and fell on my arse on the black ice. Something I didn't notice on the way to work, so its not only snow you use them for.

DDN

[petey]

Avon tyres are NOT made in Somerset; they’re made on the banks of the river Avon in Melksham, Wiltshire. There’s been a tyre manufacturing unit there a century in different guises. I suspect some of the sausages served in the cafe will prove that...


(I worked there for ten years, designing race tyres)

[rxtian]

Originally Posted by Leyburn

Snow tyres are an extreme form of winter tyre, compare Snowtrac and Wintrac from Vredestein.

Snowtrac on tarmac sounds like a panzer.

I was very disappointed with the performance of my S60 185 diesel manual on ice and slush, I thought that the traction control would cut in, but instead it would spin a front wheel in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. I can't see a button to enable / disable traction control.

On the other hand, my 30 year old Land Rover was magnificent.

The DSTC allows a wheel speed differential based on vehicle speed - so from a stop it will let you get the front wheels spinning quite dramatically, but once the car has some speed it becomes much stricter.

Baring in mind people complaining at having to turn of TC so they can spin the wheels to get going it seems like a sensible plan.

[oragex]

Originally Posted by Leyburn

Snow tyres are an extreme form of winter tyre, compare Snowtrac and Wintrac from Vredestein.

Winter designated tires come in three forms:

1. Deep snow tires: the threads are more spaced and usually also deeper. These are the noisier tires, excellent in deep snow, not so good on icy surfaces

Example https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Weathe.../dp/B00CFCV2NA

2. Ice tires: the threads are usually less deep and closer to each other. These are the best on icy surfaces but perform not so great in deep snow

Example https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...odel=X-Ice+Xi3

3. Mixed condition tire: a mixture of the two, probably the best choice

Example https://www.toyotires.com/tire/patte...e-winter-tires