Snow Smugness
liam.mccaffrey - 5/1/10 at 07:59 PM
On way home from work tonight, the exit from my work is up hill and usually a hill start onto the main road.
I approached and saw a long line of traffic all struggling to get up to the junction, wheel spinning and sliding from side to side. A bunch or road
workers had clubbed together to help the drivers get out from the junctions. It was one of the most dangerous things i have ever seen. About three
or four guys were climbing onto the bonnets of the wheel spinning cars to aid traction and then jumping off when they got going. One guy fell off in
front of the car and managed to JUST avoid getting run over.
There was a bunch of cackling school girls at the bus stop filming all this on their phones. I had the window down and saw the girls turn their
phones on me ready for the show. The guys were all walking down ready to mount my car
I casually drove past them all in my V70 AWD and gave the disappointed film makers a little wave and smile 
Decided to take the back roads home to avoid the ridiculous traffic. I came to a hill and saw a big old jag sliding back wards down the hill towards
me. He got out saying how bad the road was and looked puzzled when I offered him a lift. He declined and was amazed when I calmly drove past and up
round the corner.
Everyone said I was stupid for getting an AWD Volvo. Some of those people were those I rescued later on this evening
[Edited on 5/1/10 by liam.mccaffrey]
blakep82 - 5/1/10 at 08:02 PM
you should change the title to snow smugness 
COREdevelopments - 5/1/10 at 08:02 PM
well done. your a hero! still dont justify buying a volvo
Rob
paul the 6th - 5/1/10 at 08:03 PM
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey....Some of those people were those I rescued later on this evening
"and then I invented a cure for the common cold".... hehe well done matey, I've been kicking myself with the audi the last few
weeks, even with new tyres it's an absolute slag of a machine in the snow (prolly something to do with 225/40/18's).
Should have bought an S4!
mookaloid - 5/1/10 at 08:04 PM
Great - you have a car that only makes any sense in the snow
MakeEverything - 5/1/10 at 08:04 PM
Brilliant. I was looking at the AWD today, but they aint half expensive!
Title should read as above!
Richard Quinn - 5/1/10 at 08:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by paul the 6th
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey....Some of those people were those I rescued later on this evening
"and then I invented a cure for the common cold".... hehe well done matey, I've been kicking myself with the audi the last few
weeks, even with new tyres it's an absolute slag of a machine in the snow (prolly something to do with 225/40/18's).
Should have bought an S4!
My BMW is a pig!! It took us an hour to get two of them turned around and moving again on the road to our office!
zilspeed - 5/1/10 at 08:12 PM
An Ovlov D5 AWD makes sense to me.
liam.mccaffrey - 5/1/10 at 08:12 PM
mine is a 150k petrol S reg AWD, it cost 1300 quid.
But yes the newer one are expensive.
My car doesn't only make sense in the snow, if the economy was better it would make sense all the time. Anyway every one knows Volvos are the
sexiest cars on the road
quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
Brilliant. I was looking at the AWD today, but they aint half expensive!
Title should read as above!
[Edited on 5/1/10 by liam.mccaffrey]
bilbo - 5/1/10 at 08:20 PM
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey
...... I came to a hill and saw a big old jag sliding back wards down the hill towards me.
I have to say, I love my Jag to bits, but it is the most rubbish car I've ever had for snow 
The DSC is completely confused by it all, applying the front brakes while still spinning the rear wheels
You can turn it off, but it's not
much better
I've had to go everywhere in SWMBO's Renfault which is absolutley superb in the snow (about the only thing it's good in), despite only
being FWD.
MakeEverything - 5/1/10 at 08:20 PM
Well, i looked at a new BMW 120 today as my prospective new company car as it was the lowest emissions of all of the 2.0d and 2.0i.
I dont think ill be contemplating the snow in it though.....
Volvorsport - 5/1/10 at 08:29 PM
see , it all comes good in the end .
and as for the doubters , volvos awd system drives the front wheels 95% in normal road conditions and only works when then fronts lose traction , so
yes a car for all seasons .
just make sure the bevel gear , has its oil leaks cured .
interestingly they share the same rear diff , as 940/960 .
the viscous part is on the prop , so get rid of that bit , and you have a perfect 50/50 split with a locking rear diff .
Jon Ison - 5/1/10 at 08:30 PM
Must say I was jolly impressed with the Kia Sorento's performance today when 4wd was selected.........
JoelP - 5/1/10 at 08:35 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Volvorsport
the viscous part is on the prop , so get rid of that bit , and you have a perfect 50/50 split with a locking rear diff .
what sort of locker is it? surely not a selectable locker, is it a powerlock or an lsd or something?
google is my friend, its a detroit locker.
[Edited on 5/1/10 by JoelP]
Peteff - 5/1/10 at 08:35 PM
My old Sportage does alright in the snow as well when I remember it's 4x4 ( I sat spinning the rear wheels for a while then remembered the
"other" gear lever )
[Edited on 5/1/10 by Peteff]
liam.mccaffrey - 5/1/10 at 08:39 PM
Its not selectable unless the winter button turns it on, which would make sense or I haven't found the button. The viscous coupling is part of
the prop shaft I believe as Volvorsport said
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
quote:
Originally posted by Volvorsport
the viscous part is on the prop , so get rid of that bit , and you have a perfect 50/50 split with a locking rear diff .
what sort of locker is it? surely not a selectable locker, is it a powerlock or an lsd or something?
google is my friend, its a detroit locker.
[Edited on 5/1/10 by JoelP]
[Edited on 5/1/10 by liam.mccaffrey]
jeffw - 5/1/10 at 08:40 PM
My A6 3.0TDi has not much trouble on the snow...proper full time 4WD.
Volvorsport - 5/1/10 at 08:54 PM
its full time driving the fronts 95% - 5% rear .
the HALDEX part is the viscous diff in the propshaft , which knows when the fronts are losing traction , transfers power to the rear .
best news to me is 3.31:1 rear diff with locking differential which can be modded to work over 25mph .
im sure the newer models have much more electrictrickery in control .
mcerd1 - 5/1/10 at 08:56 PM
my focus hasn't had much trouble in the snow and its FWD with 2mm of tread left on summer tyres
although I have to admit to a bit of wheel spinning sideways action on the tricky bits - but that just make it more fun
(like the deep snow in the carpark at work and the hill on the gravel road at my parients place)
[Edited on 5/1/10 by mcerd1]
Benzine - 5/1/10 at 09:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey
Anyway every one knows Volvos are the sexiest cars on the road
iWant a 240
02GF74 - 5/1/10 at 09:05 PM
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey
Anyway every one knows Volvos are the sexiest cars on the road
whole heartedly agree with ya mate, don;t think much of the later bevel sdie ones.
for tomorrow, have a go at solving Britain's debt.
rf900rush - 5/1/10 at 09:10 PM
I get the ford C-MAX, the wife has ye old Subaru Ouback complete with their VDC system.
Used it in the snow last year. Very good but no fun
Whilst passing some muppets throwing snow balls at cars, floored it hoping chuck out some snow.
So guess what happend when I floored it... Yep Nothing, it just slowly carried on it's way
Just about idoit proof.
speedyxjs - 5/1/10 at 09:17 PM
Its not so much the car as the driving.
When we had our little lot of the white stuff just before christmas, we were delivering in seaford and came across a fiesta st sliding down a rather
steep hill. I gave him plenty of room to come back past me and when he was beside, he told me there was no way i could get up there in the van.
I told him i had to get up there anyway and gently made my way up to the top with almost no problem!
Moral of this story is WHEELSPIN WILL NOT GET YOU UP THE ICY HILL!!!
JoelP - 5/1/10 at 09:29 PM
quote:
Originally posted by speedyxjs
Moral of this story is WHEELSPIN WILL NOT GET YOU UP THE ICY HILL!!!
not necessarily so! I got stuck this morning trying to get home, gentle up a hill in 2nd and it just gradually ground to a halt. Easing off the gas to
stop the wheels spinning just slowed me down til i stopped. Then couldnt get going again, i tried rolling back to clearer tarmac, tried rubbing up the
kerb, in the end i redlined 2nd and sawed the steering from lock to lock and it crawled forward quite decisively.
So there
eddie99 - 5/1/10 at 11:08 PM
quote:
Originally posted by COREdevelopments
well done. your a hero! still dont justify buying a volvo
Rob
+1
You all saying your 4wd's etc.. good for snow... Well Im more than happy with my 1.7 10 year old ford puma, Great fun and have been going past
everyone else on the icy hills no problems at all 
skydivepaul - 5/1/10 at 11:31 PM
snow fun in our mazda RX8...............probably the worst car i have ever driven in the snow
absolute sh1te
stayed at home today and went sledging instead
mangogrooveworkshop - 6/1/10 at 12:02 AM
Heres a picture of Liams Volvo parked up last summer when the weather was better
[Edited on 6-1-10 by mangogrooveworkshop]
fesycresy - 6/1/10 at 08:48 AM
I had a head on crash in an old Volvo.
Walked away relatively unscathed
ChrisW - 6/1/10 at 11:10 AM
quote:
Originally posted by jeffw
My A6 3.0TDi has not much trouble on the snow...proper full time 4WD.
That's exactly my experience. Well pleased with the Audi in this weather!
Chris
morcus - 6/1/10 at 08:59 PM
Apart from the gearbox going mental my Panda hasn't done to Badly, though I've not been anywhere with really bad snow, or been on many snowy
hills.
Alot of people seem to be saying their FWD cars are ok in the snow, but I was under the impression that after 4WD, FWD was best for snow because the
weight is on the drive wheels.
02GF74 - 7/1/10 at 12:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by morcus
Alot of people seem to be saying their FWD cars are ok in the snow, but I was under the impression that after 4WD, FWD was best for snow because the
weight is on the drive wheels.
well I'm not expert but the above does not hold true if you are going uphill?
and with RWD, we used to put sand bags, dead bodies etc in the boot to increase weight over the driven wheels.
I reckon fwd is safer as the car is being pulled from the front as opposed to being pushed from the rear, in the latter case, the rear is more likley
to overtake the front. maybe.
David Jenkins - 7/1/10 at 12:57 PM
IMHO - a FWD car feels more secure to drive 'cos you don't have that continual nagging fear that the back end is going to overtake you after
the slightest mistake on the throttle.
I love RWD cars, but quite content to be driving my FWD Yaris just at the moment. The worst it's done to me during this current bad weather is it
going in a straight line when I've turned the steering wheel! I can manage that, though.
JoelP - 7/1/10 at 08:18 PM
fwd is definately better than rwd in snow, its always mercs and bmws that get stuck first. Plus as said above, less likely to end up going backwards
TheGecko - 8/1/10 at 05:19 AM
Whenever I hear AWD Volvo wagon, this is all I can see
mcerd1 - 8/1/10 at 09:42 AM
yesterday I went from this:
to this
amazing how much difference it makes