GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk6 => Topic started by: keelaw on 17 December 2009, 23:57
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Starting to snow quite heavily now... any advice on using DSG in the snow? There's no "snow" mode, nor any ability to get the car to start in 2nd (manual refuses until it gets going in 1st).
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Hello mate , remember last feb , what I did was turn the ESP button to off the car drives perfect at 20 mph just keep it steady but watch out for the other idiots comming into your lane nightmare!! I drove through blizzard conditons with no problems with the ESP off. thanks Steve30 : :wink:
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Just found out about the second gear issue this morning. What a crock of sh!t..... Why oh 'F' ing why... ????
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I had to be towed up the lane to my house last nite in sheffield at midnight NIGHTMARE Golfs are terrible in snow my mk5 was the same
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It's days like this i wish i still had the R32. But to be honest, i wouldn't have taken it out in this. It's lethal in Sussex!
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All I can say to you guys is try turning the ESP to off !! It worked a treat for me no problem Editon30 Steve :wink:
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It's days like this i wish i still had the R32. But to be honest, i wouldn't have taken it out in this. It's lethal in Sussex!
+1
used to love the snow in the r32!!! 4wd drifting around round abouts ftx :evil:
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I had to be towed up the lane to my house last nite in sheffield at midnight NIGHTMARE Golfs are terrible in snow my mk5 was the same
Hope you dont have DSG - A huge no to towing - bye bye clutches etc!
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Why is it bad for DSG ??? when i say towed i mena My old man attached rope to his range rover to my towing eye I had the car in drive and applied light acceleration so he just helped me up really cant imagine that being bad for DSG ???
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Sould have put it in neutral?? that would have been safer for the clutch purpose's steve :wink:
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We have a lot of snow now, probably 20cm+. Not really a surprise since I live in Sweden :) A brisk -14c today.
Anyway, never had any issues with driving the GTI in snow. Note that I have proper snow tires mounted though. Towing a car with DSG is fine as long as the car is running. If the engine is off the oil wont circulate = damage. This was at least what my owners manual said.
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Going off track slightly but what are manual GTIs' like in the snow? Probably won't find out this winter but the thought crossed my mind yesterday what my new car will be like?
I've currently got a 150 bhp astra weasel which is pretty good in the snow . Much better than my mate's new 3 series which couldn't even get off his drive lol!!
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AWD>FWD>RWD when i comes to snow.
DSG and towing is asking for trouble, i expect your warranty to be void if it goes whilst doing so.
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I've currently got a 150 bhp astra weasel which is pretty good in the snow . Much better than my mate's new 3 series which couldn't even get off his drive lol!!
Thats because its a BMW with huge wide tyres and rear wheel drive.
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I've currently got a 150 bhp astra weasel which is pretty good in the snow . Much better than my mate's new 3 series which couldn't even get off his drive lol!!
Had the Astra as well, the golf GT TD is the same I would imagine the GTI will be as well. Its the driver not the car 99% of the time that causes the problem in the white stuff IMO of 25+ years driving.
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Yup, should be a special section in the driving test.
Especially the 4WD mamas. :grin:
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It's no problem, step on it;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSNluMYSo4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSNluMYSo4)
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It's no problem, step on it;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSNluMYSo4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SSNluMYSo4)
:cool: :cool:
love this one also... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNIKvPEXRYo&feature=related
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brilliant thread... keep up the good work guys! :afro:
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Lightweight weedly little cars with thin tyres are best on snow. Like Ford Ka's.
The worst are 4WDs. You are tempted to venture down snowy lanes only to find the road blocked by a milk wagon. Then the van following you gets stuck. And so are you.
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Lightweight weedly little cars with thin tyres are best on snow. Like Ford Ka's.
The worst are 4WDs. You are tempted to venture down snowy lanes only to find the road blocked by a milk wagon. Then the van following you gets stuck. And so are you.
Thats why i have a mini for the winter. (i live at one of the highest points in the north of england so it snows alittle here :evil: ) I have used it since 1989 in the winter and never got stuck. The joy of 145 tyres.
The smug feeling passing 4x4s who have got stuck is so much fun.
The other advanges of having two cars and one that has little power is you learn to drive properly again. The other is when you start craving more power with the GTI as you got use to it, you swop back to the low powered car again for upto a week and you start to learn to drive properly again, then when you go back to the GTIs they feel quick, saved me a fortune in upgrades over the years!
Winter with DSG is one of the first things i looked into back in 2005 on the mk5. I found it odd that when other autos had a winter setting the DSG did not. They then introduced a type of winter setting on the TDI GT DSG (theres a button to reduce torque in front of the gear lever) but they never for some odd reason put it on other models.
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I'm putting the original map back in for now. The blufin snaps the torque in, don't need that for snow.
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well i have been driving about in the snow the last couple of days and have not had a problem at all i have the dsg and it drives away perfectly no need to turn the esp off at all i dont think, i think you lot just need to learn how to drive properly in the snow lol
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^ It all depends what they class as snow too. :wink:
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Hopelessly in the snow a couple of times today.....no matter if I switched ESP on or off...actually I was one of the few cars in my neighbourhood
having actually trouble. :embarassed:....I must say that the snow is heavy overhere...thank God friendly neighbours pushed me out... :smiley:.
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and here was me going to upgrade our lasses to a mk6 dsg :huh:
but looks like the trusty old 55 plate astra WITH snow option button will just have to stay :grin: :grin: :grin:
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Hi
I have had several golf's and audi A3's with dsg never had a problem in snow
But we only ever get 1 or 2 inches of snow in cheshire :laugh:
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....make that 10 inches overhere at the moment.. :shocked:......anyway that certainly does not influence me a bit in deciding what car to choose...
I'd be willing to sit on the back of Santa's sledge for those kind of days in order to drive my (new) GTI.............. :laugh:
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Have been driving the mk6 gti manual in the snow over the past few days, not brilliant but then I didnt expect when I bought it I'd be in snow in general so not fussed.
I take the ESP off and it makes a bit of difference but to be fair, we've had quite a bit of snow so its not getting me out of trouble.
Just had loads of fun skidding it round corners, have avoided killing people so far so all's good...
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Just had loads of fun skidding it round corners, have avoided killing people so far so all's good...
lol it never gets boring does it.
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I'd advise everyone who switches the ESP off to help them get moving to switch it back on again as soon as you do get moving. Last winter I started going sideways round an icy corner and would have been in trouble if the ESP hadn't kicked in and straightened the back up... :embarassed:
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The really important thing is to have either winter or snow tyres on your GT. Failing that, turn the ESP off until you get going and then back on. The Golf's weight is over the front wheels anyway so you've got a much better chance of maintaining traction than with a RWD BMW or Merc.
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I've been having the same trouble. Seven inches of snow here, including a sudden thick fall on Saturday afternoon which put a crimp in Saturday evening as obviously the ploughs and gritters didn't show up in time. I'm trying to get up West Linton Main Street to the A702, and failing miserably. My back seat driver instructs, calmly, "as high a gear as possible". Good advice. The DSG flatly refuses to comply.
It didn't even occur to me that it wouldn't allow a choice of starting in second. It's elementary. What were these designers thinking about?
I did try switching the ESP off, but I'm not sure what happened. The button doesn't seem to light up or anything to let you know it's actually off. I did get a quick message on the MFD, but I was never quite sure if I'd succeeded in switching it off, or it it had helped any if I did. Any tips?
In the end I had to back up, take mother back home as it was obvious we'd never get close enough to the school (on a hill) to let her walk the rest, then return alone, park on the flat and do the rest in hiking boots and ski poles. (And evening-length black dress...) Amazing we had any audience at all, really.
This evening I got back from work to find that some genius had decided to take a small snowplough to the pavement outside my house, leaving two high ridges of snow across the entrance to my carefully-cleared drive. Of course the actual road hadn't been touched. I got interestingly stuck across the road because I didn't clear a wide enough path, but a couple of neighbours came out and helped extricate me.
The car is now snugly tucked up in the garage, but there's light snow forecast for midnight. The petrol stations have run out of road salt, so I may be reduced to putting cat litter and table salt on the drive to get to work tomorrow.
I suppose I need winter tyres.
Or maybe snow chains, dammit.
Rolfe.
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7 inches (of snow) is pretty extreme... i suspect most cars would struggle in that!
i went out in slush today and the car was fine :grin:
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We don't often get much snow where we are but just before I left this morning there'd been a heavy localised hail shower leaving a good inch on the road and after 500m from home, where there was nowt, half way up the 1 in 4 there was plenty...well the DSG handled it very well no spinning at all, though only a couple of cars had been up before me. Roads totally snarled up coming out of the pool...the hail now compacted ice due to a lack of grit? Still car managed fine one minor panic as bus was sliding towards me but credit to the guy he sorted it :smiley: Really must check the manual to see what it says about ESP sure on other VAG cars I've had that the warning light illuminates constantly when switched off?
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Really must check the manual to see what it says about ESP sure on other VAG cars I've had that the warning light illuminates constantly when switched off?
When mine is switched off it constantly flashes on the Display, even when wheels not spinning, dont you have hold down on the switch say 5secs to switch it all off ??
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When mine is switched off it constantly flashes on the Display, even when wheels not spinning, dont you have hold down on the switch say 5secs to switch it all off ??
Yep... it needs to be held for about 5+ seconds to actually switch OFF - although I don't think its 100% off even then.
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When mine is switched off it constantly flashes on the Display, even when wheels not spinning, dont you have hold down on the switch say 5secs to switch it all off ??
Yep... it needs to be held for about 5+ seconds to actually switch OFF - although I don't think its 100% off even then.
had it switched off today (not held in 5 secs) in an empty carpark, let me have fun without Traction Control kicking in,
Dsg in sport, handbrake on, handrake off, handbrake on ...................... :grin: :grin: :grin:
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so no 'snow' button... have you boys got an 'ice' button?? :huh:
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so no 'snow' button... have you boys got an 'ice' button?? :huh:
nope no ice button, just a heavy right foot :grin:
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...an empty carpark...
Ohh I've never volunteered to go to B&Q so late like I did last night!
ESP off, sideways action. :evil:
Although, I don't have DSG... or a MKVI... I'll get my coat.
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I have to say, this car is not covering itself with glory this week. I was bloody lucky to get home at all last night, as the further south I went on the A702 the worse it got. From Nine Mile Burn on was hell on wheels. To be fair, the car was fine on the main road even though by Carlops this was completely covered with snow, verge to verge, and I was just following the tracks of the vehicles in front.
I had to do a lot of digging to get anywhere near my garage, and despite cat litter and screenwash on the driveway (everybody is out of road salt), the wheels were spinning madly and I had to get a push from neighbours to get the car in, even though the drive is pretty much flat. Everybody is shouting "high gear" and "put it in second", and I can't.
Today I went nowhere. Most of the cars moving in the village were Chelsea Tractors, or Land Rovers. The main road was open but very slushy, but getting to the main road was a different matter. My laboriously-dug drive was covered again (to be honest I had only cleared two tyre-tracks, it was all I could really manage, and the height of the snow in the middle was above the clearance of the car.) The council had ploughed our road, just a single track up the middle, but of course they'd ploughed the driveways shut too. And the country road we open on to wasn't ploughed (can't think why).
So I had to use my computer to work from home, which was fairly successful. May have to do the same tomorrow.
Whatever this car is, it's no use in this weather. But do I want an SUV just for a week every 10 years or so?
At least the car is safe in the garage and not abandoned by a roadside. I hear that a woman who had to abandon her car by the main road last night found this morning that someone had skidded into it.
Rolfe.
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I hear that a woman who had to abandon her car by the main road last night found this morning that someone had skidded into it.
Brutal.
I had to do this yesterday and I was 5hitting myself all day. :undecided:
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Have to say Rolfe that I've had the opposite experience of you in my manual.
I live in a semi remote village that is very high and is generally bad for snow. While other cars struggled around the village, my golf sailed past them with ease. Even the very slight incline in to my drive that has proved tricky in the past with my other cars was no problem.
Maybe it is the new tyres!! :smiley:
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Maybe it is the new tyres!! :smiley:
Or maybe it is the DSG. Not being able to select 2nd from the off is a major disadvantage.
Rolfe - question is, do you reckon your Pug would have done any better? I'm reading that these are some of the worst conditions in 20 years. Perhaps winter tyres are in order?
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Have to say Rolfe that I've had the opposite experience of you in my manual.
I live in a semi remote village that is very high and is generally bad for snow. While other cars struggled around the village, my golf sailed past them with ease. Even the very slight incline in to my drive that has proved tricky in the past with my other cars was no problem.
Maybe it is the new tyres!! :smiley:
I think you might be in some trouble here. It's the sheer depth of the snow. I measured 16 inches on my lawn today, and even though roads and paths that have been periodically cleared are less than that, the snow is piled high at the sides.
I just watched a neighbour spend most of the afternoon shovelling his entire drive as far as the bit of road that was ploughed this morning, and then set off. He has a fairly big Ford, a Mondeo or bigger. He was struggling to get as far as the lane, and I saw him back up and take a run at it several times before he made it. I guess he'll manage to get to the main road now, as there has been traffic on the lane to compact the snow, and on the hill up to the main road there is a bit of grit. Rather him than me though.
I think I'm a fixture for tomorrow too, and it's as much about clearing the drive as anything. It's only about ten yards long, and almost flat, but it's a bit much for me to shift. Then I have doubts about the 90-degree turn on to the road.
Still, I managed to do all the essential work by broadband and phone, so technology has its uses.
Rolfe.
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Maybe it is the new tyres!! :smiley:
Or maybe it is the DSG. Not being able to select 2nd from the off is a major disadvantage.
Rolfe - question is, do you reckon your Pug would have done any better? I'm reading that these are some of the worst conditions in 20 years. Perhaps winter tyres are in order?
I don't know if the Pug would have done any better. It never had to tackle this. I lived in Sussex when I bought it, and since I moved back to Scotland three years ago this is the most snow we've had by a mile.
Being able to select second from the start does help when you're spinning your wheels though. It was something I thought about when I specced the DSG, and one of the reasons I got it was that I assumed the manual mode would allow that to be done. I got the fright of my life when I realised it wasn't going to play that game.
Does anyone know what this is all about? Pulling off in second (frankly, the Pug could pull off in third if it had to) is such standard practice in the snow, I totally fail to see why the DSG is set up so that you can't do that.
Rolfe.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZaARVJagiI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZaARVJagiI)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY8x2GxKk9E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY8x2GxKk9E)
Snow in The Netherlands
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I think you might be in some trouble here............
Rolfe.
It has been easily over a foot here as well. I've found the freshly fallen snow is easier to drive on than the trampled in snow that has turned to ice.
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Oh, Eaglesham. I guess you've been hit with it all right.
I found hard-packed snow OK on the flat, but the soft freshly-fallen stuff was building up in front of the wheels and under the car and sending me sideways.
Rolfe.
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Believe me, proper winter tires makes all the difference. I can see why you guys in the UK would never buy a set but driving through snowy roads with summer tires is an instant fail with any car. I´ve had no issues whatsoever and we have a lot of the white stuff (30cm+) so don´t blame the car, it´s all about tires :)
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just had a mk5 gti with........ DSG delivered :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
guess im about to find out what its like in the snow as leeds was hit HARD last night :shocked:
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Believe me, proper winter tires makes all the difference. I can see why you guys in the UK would never buy a set but driving through snowy roads with summer tires is an instant fail with any car. I´ve had no issues whatsoever and we have a lot of the white stuff (30cm+) so don´t blame the car, it´s all about tires :)
Couldn't agree more. I used to have a second set of wheels and winter tyres but sold them when global warming set in :grin:. Now that seems to be over I might invest in a new set.
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Serious question, how is it driving on clear roads with these winter tyres? Right here, it's a struggle to get to the main road (a struggle I have given up on), but once you get there, you're on tarmac. Is it practical to have winter tyres in a climate where most of the time in the winter you're on normal clear tarmac, not snow?
If it is, I might invest in a set. Where I'm living now is a bit on the snowy side anyway. If I'd had a set now, I could have had the garage fit them for me last week, and be a lot more mobile now.
Rolfe.
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fwd in the snow is sh!t too. gimme 4wd anyday.
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Rolfe you could try these socks for the car. They get a good write up.
http://www.autosock.co.uk/ (http://www.autosock.co.uk/)
http://www.amazon.com/AutoSock-Standard-X30-Traction-Passenger/product-reviews/B000ZJYF48 (http://www.amazon.com/AutoSock-Standard-X30-Traction-Passenger/product-reviews/B000ZJYF48)
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fwd in the snow is sh!t too. gimme 4wd anyday.
Its not been Front wheel drive thats the problem its the tyre size, type, cars power, driver skill.
I have seen quite a few scoobys, R32s and big 4x4s stuck or about to get stuck the past couple of days as i drive past them in a small, low powered, light weight, front wheel drive car with 145 tyres on :evil:
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I have seen quite a few scoobys, R32s and big 4x4s stuck or about to get stuck the past couple of days as i drive past them in a small, low powered, light weight, front wheel drive car with 145 tyres on :evil:
The dealers have done you a favour then Snoopy by delaying your GTI until after the snow has gone :grin:
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The dealers have done you a favour then Snoopy by delaying your GTI until after the snow has gone :grin:
I would not go that far.
I would have had this car anyway for the bad days in the winter as i have done since the late 80s.
Mainly as i live in a place thats over 310 meters heigher than the location were i work and trying to explain to the boss you cannot get in due to bad weather when hes looking out his office window and wondering why.
A mistake most people make is using summer tyres, most of them are only really designed to work well when the temp is above 7 degrees. So they are really rubbish in the winter months.
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Serious question, how is it driving on clear roads with these winter tyres? Right here, it's a struggle to get to the main road (a struggle I have given up on), but once you get there, you're on tarmac. Is it practical to have winter tyres in a climate where most of the time in the winter you're on normal clear tarmac, not snow?
If it is, I might invest in a set. Where I'm living now is a bit on the snowy side anyway. If I'd had a set now, I could have had the garage fit them for me last week, and be a lot more mobile now.
Rolfe.
No problem at all. I have non-studded winter tyres (18 inchers) and they behave as my regular summer tires on tarmac, at least if you don´t trash the car through corners.
You could try to get your hands on the new Michelin X-Ice (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=X-Ice). The tire got good reviews in all Swedish magazines. Another great brand is Nokian but don´t know if they sell it outside Scandinavia. This years test winner was Nokian Hakkapeliitta R.
For more info: http://www.nokiantyres.com/products
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For the last week I've been driving an old 'R reg Saab 900S Automatic! I was given a shot of it from my fiancee's uncle (who is a Saab dealer) as her BMW wouldn't move (much!) in the snow.
The Saab isn't a bonny car, but its an absolute treat to drive in the snow. It has huge balloon tyres on about 14" alloys and it sticks to the road like glue. I've had very little wheelspin over the last few days, and have been driving past people stuck everywhere!
I was a bit dubious about having an Auto, but its great as it creeps along without you having to push the gas.
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Well over the last couple of days I've driven in some of the worst snow that I can remember (and I'm 60)
After reading some of the stuff about not being able to start off in second if you have dsg I was a bit worried.
But I've had no problem whatsoever. Just stick it in drive (don't touch the accelerator pedal) and let her move off, the dsg and electronic lsd look after things for you. (just like being in a taxi :wink:)
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For the last week I've been driving an old 'R reg Saab 900S Automatic! I was given a shot of it from my fiancee's uncle (who is a Saab dealer) as her BMW wouldn't move (much!) in the snow.
The Saab isn't a bonny car, but its an absolute treat to drive in the snow. It has huge balloon tyres on about 14" alloys and it sticks to the road like glue. I've had very little wheelspin over the last few days, and have been driving past people stuck everywhere!
I was a bit dubious about having an Auto, but its great as it creeps along without you having to push the gas.
Well, it might just be your lucky day because SAAB is for sale. GM doesn't know what to do with it, so it is trying to dump it. So far no one has come up with anything like a reasonable bid. Who knows, for the price of an R you could probably buy the whole company!!!!!!! On second thoughts, i think I'd rather have a Golf R.
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Well over the last couple of days I've driven in some of the worst snow that I can remember (and I'm 60)
After reading some of the stuff about not being able to start off in second if you have dsg I was a bit worried.
But I've had no problem whatsoever. Just stick it in drive (don't touch the accelerator pedal) and let her move off, the dsg and electronic lsd look after things for you. (just like being in a taxi :wink:)
I was probably panicking a bit, looking at the snowy hill ahead, and causing the wheels to spin. I think your strategy is probably sound, but it needs a cool head.
I just ordered a pair of these auto-socks someone was recommending, though I don't suppose they'll arrive before the thaw. Looking at the web site, and listening to what others have said, I suspect I'd have got Mum to the Christmas concert if I'd had these with me that night.
Rolfe.
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Ladies/Gents.
Automatics have always been a problem in ice/snow.
If you didn't know or your dealer didn't tell you then you know now.
Same with summer tyres.
Sorry but...
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Well, it might just be your lucky day because SAAB is for sale. GM doesn't know what to do with it, so it is trying to dump it. So far no one has come up with anything like a reasonable bid. Who knows, for the price of an R you could probably buy the whole company!!!!!!! On second thoughts, i think I'd rather have a Golf R.
If Spyker don't buy it today, Saab is gone apparently. I doubt GM would let anyone take it really as a Saabs is direct competition for their Insignia. I wouldn't want to own the 900S I have just now... but as a car for the snow its ideal. It seems to go anywhere without problems, and feels very safe. It actually has a Winter Button that limits the revs, but I haven't had to use that yet!
For the few days a year we have snow, I think I'll just stick with my R! I'm sure I could buy about 20+ of these 900's for the same price though :shocked:
I find automatic great in the snow... as above - stick it in D and release the brakes. The car takes off on its own slowly.
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Well over the last couple of days I've driven in some of the worst snow that I can remember (and I'm 60)
After reading some of the stuff about not being able to start off in second if you have dsg I was a bit worried.
But I've had no problem whatsoever. Just stick it in drive (don't touch the accelerator pedal) and let her move off, the dsg and electronic lsd look after things for you. (just like being in a taxi :wink:)
I think you're right. It's logical, and I'd sort of worked it out myself.
I got into deeper snow than I intended on the way out of the lab car park (they'd only skimmed the depth of the snow down to a drivable level) and for a minute my wheels spun in both directions. Realising that back the way I came was the better bet I just stuck the car in reverse and let off the brake without touching the accelerator. Worked a treat. After I was back a bit, I shifted to drive and did the same. Perfect.
I doubt that would get you up too much of a hill, but on reasonably flat ground it was fine. It's all about forgetting your instincts and doing the logical thing.
BTW, there was supposed to be a CD or DVD about proper use of the DSG, but I never heard what happened to that. Is it available?
Rolfe.
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Who first mentioned AutoSocks?
I've ordered a pair, as I said, though that's for future insurance now as the thaw seems to have set in.
Anyway, on Sunday I was out with the rest of the chain gang clearing the snow on our road, and a little car sped up the road to the empty house at the top of the hill. The new owners, apparently, but they've had to postpone their removal (from Friday) because of the snow. I learned that far from being horrified by the Siberian landscape, they were longing to get into civilisation, as they have been renting a house in a tiny hamlet three miles away at the end of a dead-end single track road right up in the hills.
There is no way anything short of a tractor, or maybe a tank, could have got up there, in my opinion. But apparently the New Couple have been doing it in their ordinary little runabout.
Which is wearing a pair of AutoSocks.
Rolfe.
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I mentioned them earlier in this thread with some links. I have since found out however they can deteriorate very rapidly i.e. one journey if driven on partly covered snow roads
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I suspected they were for "get out of trouble" only, to be removed as soon as any usable traction was regained.
I intend to quiz the new neighbours at some point to find out exactly how best to avoid damaging them. I mainly want them for moving around the village (especially in and out of our own side road and my drive) if it's very thick, and getting up the brae to the main road. I wouldn't keep them on beyond there - if you need that sort of thing on the main road, go home I think.
Might get you through a snow drift as well I guess.
Rolfe.
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I mentioned them earlier in this thread with some links. I have since found out however they can deteriorate very rapidly i.e. one journey if driven on partly covered snow roads
The thaw has set in here good and proper. And my AutoSocks showed up this morning! Never mind, I expected that, I'm all sorted for the next time this happens.... (in 2018, or maybe never if global warming really gets going.... or if the Atlantic Conveyor stops I'll need studded tyres anyway....)
Anyway, the instructions say,
AutoSock should only be used on ice and snow, and should be removed immediately once the conditions no longer require it to be used, or when the vehicle is parked. [....] AutoSock is not a substitute for winter tyres!
I think that's the point. You don't use them for a "journey", you only use them to get you over the bad snow section, then you take them off again.
Rolfe.
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http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/246496/ (http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/246496/)
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I'm finding that so long as the snow isn't too deep or the hill too steep, if I just stick the DSG in either D or R and then don't touch the accelerator, it will sort itself out without wheelspin. I'm wondering if this is an actual feature built into the DSG as opposed to having a selectable snow/ice setting, and that the computer works it out?
I noticed this post on the comments attached to that video, talking about snow/ice settings on automatics.
Winter mode worked well on my Scorpio - all it did though was start in second and inhibit kickdown if you floor it, though, which is common sense for a manual driver.
Some of the newer ones are supposed to be able to work out for themselves that there's no grip and do a similar thing.
I'm thinking, maybe the Golf is one of these "newer ones" and that's why it doesn't seem to do what we expect it to do? As I said, there was supposed to be a DVD or something about using the DSG, which I never saw hide nor hair of. I'd have imagined it would have dealt with that sort of issue.
Or is there something in the handbook I haven't seen?
Rolfe.
PS. It's snowing again here. Yesterday the council carted the heaps of snow away from our street in lorryloads, leaving a skating rink behind. This morning there was another inch or so of snow on top of it. I didn't use the AutoSocks as I only had to cover 50 yards to get to a gritted, flat road, so I just shovelled the drive. Again. I hope all this hard work is at least good for the health.
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i think "low speed creep" function is mainly for parking... could be a happy co-incidence that it works in the snow.
i doubt also that the DSG puts itself into 2nd... surely it would display "2" on the MFD?
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I don't know what it's doing. Sometimes I didn't see any gear indicated.
It didn't work too well this evening, when the snow I was parked in was frozen round the wheels. I thought I might have to fit the AutoSocks just to get going and out of the car park, but a colleague with a shovel managed to get me enough traction to start moving.
Rolfe.