Crap in the snow

[Razoo]

2004 W211 E320 CDi

Before I bought my Mercedes a few months ago, I was running around in a stopgap 2000/W Ford Focus 1.8 (manual), which I still have.

When we had the heavy snow and ice a couple of weeks ago, my Mercedes managed to thoroughly disappoint me with it's inability to find traction.

The first manoeuvre for getting out of my driveway requires reverse. Could the Merc get going in the snow? Could it hell! After several minutes of 'slideways' wheel spinning, I gave up, jumped in the Focus, and drove off with no problem.

I looked for some winter setting on the Mercs' auto-box, such as a button with a snowflake on it. I found nothing. Is there some setting that gives these Mercs more traction on snow and ice, or should I keep the Focus for winter driving?

The Mercs' tyres are almost new Continentals all round. Wheels are 17".

Razoo

 

[rf065]

Winter tyres are the solution, I have no problems whatsoever in snow, even reversing out of the drive on a slope in ice or snow is not a problem.

Russ

 

[psmart]

Large heavy cars with rear wheel drive! Winter tyres help, but in serious snow and ice, they dont.

We have been inundated with snow and Ive been watching locals, only people coming up to where I live are front wheel drive cars (with winter tyres), the rear wheel drive cars are being left towards the bottom of the hill.

If you get some heavy weight in the boot and turn off ESP it will help, but the locals in their front wheel drive cars are reversing up the hill and at quite a speed, shows you what is required if you dont have 4wd.

 

[rf065]

Large heavy cars with rear wheel drive! Winter tyres help, but in serious snow and ice, they dont.

Winter, or "cold weather tyres" to give them their correct name, complete with the snowflake in the mountain symbol, are certified for extreme snow conditions. I've used them in over 8" of snow without any problems, never got stuck once or even close in a rear wheel drive Mercedes with large section tyres too.

Russ

 

[psmart]

Winter, or "cold weather tyres" to give them their correct name, complete with the snowflake in the mountain symbol, are certified for extreme snow conditions. I've used them in over 8" of snow without any problems, never got stuck once or even close in a rear wheel drive Mercedes with large section tyres too.

Russ

Well, I beg to differ, living at 2200ft with the village down at 1500ft. My C-Class has all winter tyres and it cant make it up the hill, Ive parked it up until the snow disperses. No tyres will give you traction on ice without chains or studs or the ice being gritted or rutted and as for snow, it depends upon its composition. The ML has all winter tyres and it has no problem albeit on summers it does slide.

I watched a tractor today, 4wd with chains get stuck! Winter tyres are a definite plus, but they are not the holy grail when real snow arrives.

 

[Razoo]

Winter tyres are the solution, I have no problems whatsoever in snow, even reversing out of the drive on a slope in ice or snow is not a problem.

Russ

I don't think that I can afford to have two sets of tyres. It would probably be cheaper to keep and run the Focus

Or are you suggesting I run winter tyres all year round? What make/model of tyre do you recommend?

Whilst I'm having a moan about the lack of traction, I might as well go the whole nine yards:

I have to say that my E320 CDi Avantgarde (51,000 miles, FMBSH) is not that pleasant to drive at slower speeds. As a motorway cruiser, it's great, but not so on uneven A and B roads.

My wife drove the Merc for the first time last week, a few miles through town and along a village road. Mostly it was 30 mph limits. She declared the driving experience as 'coarse and unpleasant'. I can't really argue with her, there is far too much tyre noise and the tyres really 'drone' on rough road surfaces. Every ripple in the road surface vibrates up the steering column and the suspension absolutely hates speed humps (which are all over our local villages like a rash).

I returned the vehicle to my local MB Main Dealer and asked them to check the suspension and steering joints for wear. They reported that everything was OK and that the rough ride at low speeds was a consequence of the 17" wheels and low-profile tyres.

I'll also add that IMO the engine and transmission are far too noisy in the lower gears. Everything seems too busy, too frantic for the amount of progress being made. This Merc is not the cocoon of tranquility I was expecting.

 

[rf065]

Well, I beg to differ, living at 2200ft with the village down at 1500ft. My C-Class has all winter tyres and it cant make it up the hill, Ive parked it up until the snow disperses.

I live at the same height in a colder climate that gets more snow and have never got stuck. Maybe your tyres are called "winter tyres", but that is actually a pretty meaningless term and guarantees nothing. Maybe a set of good "cold weather tyres" is what you need. Try Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes.

Russ

 

[psmart]

I live at the same height in a colder climate that gets more snow and have never got stuck. Maybe your tyres are called "winter tyres", but that is actually a pretty meaningless term and guarantees nothing. Maybe a set of good "cold weather tyres" is what you need. Try Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes.

Russ

Im in the Austrian Alps, last I noted, Scotland doesnt quite get as cold! Austrian law dictates that all cars have Winter tyres during the months November to April, have a look at the photo below, that was over 1 week ago, its a lot worse today!

 

[rf065]

To be honest, its been worse here over the last month or so, that doesn't look to bad at all. It's also been as low as minus 18C too.

Russ

 

[psmart]

To be honest, its been worse here over the last month or so, that doesn't look to bad at all. It's also been as low as minus 18C too.

Russ

Ive noted minus 38'c here without wind chill (albeit I havent looked this week) and as noted, the photo was over a week ago and after Id finished clearing all the snow, note the sheet ice on the road and apply a gradient!

As an avid skier, Ive come across many types of snow, some which is like skiing in treacle, other which is frictionless. What use is a tyre when the treads become full of a wetter snow or your driving in the frictionless variety, where are you getting the traction from? In your parts of the wood, are roads blocked to 2wd vehicles without chains (winter tyres are compulsory remember)?

For tonight, been doing this everyday almost for 2 weeks:-
Schneewarnung: 21.02.2009 11:00 - 22.02.2009 14:00Salzburg, Bezirke: Hallein, Salzburg (Stadt), Salzburg Umgebung Süd, Zell am See Nord
Neuschnee von 10 bis 30 cm ist zu erwarten, am intensivsten schneit es am Sonntag Vormittag. Die Schneefallgrenze steigt allmählich auf 600 m.

 

[rf065]

What use is a tyre when the treads become full of a wetter snow[/I]

That what I meant by the tyres, a good winter tyre is designed to throw snow & slush out of the tread to ensure the tread is always clear as the tyre rotates. Vredestein & Nokians etc are designed to do this. Any tyre can be called a winter tyre but may not be any good in snow or ice.

I appreciate you may be in Austria, but for the OP's problem, a good "cold weather tyre" with the snowflake in the mountain symbol, will get him out of the driveway and to his destination no problem.

Russ

 

[PanzerMcGrory]

I don't think that I can afford to have two sets of tyres. It would probably be cheaper to keep and run the Focus

Or are you suggesting I run winter tyres all year round? What make/model of tyre do you recommend?

Whilst I'm having a moan about the lack of traction, I might as well go the whole nine yards:

I have to say that my E320 CDi Avantgarde (51,000 miles, FMBSH) is not that pleasant to drive at slower speeds. As a motorway cruiser, it's great, but not so on uneven A and B roads.

My wife drove the Merc for the first time last week, a few miles through town and along a village road. Mostly it was 30 mph limits. She declared the driving experience as 'coarse and unpleasant'. I can't really argue with her, there is far too much tyre noise and the tyres really 'drone' on rough road surfaces. Every ripple in the road surface vibrates up the steering column and the suspension absolutely hates speed humps (which are all over our local villages like a rash).

I returned the vehicle to my local MB Main Dealer and asked them to check the suspension and steering joints for wear. They reported that everything was OK and that the rough ride at low speeds was a consequence of the 17" wheels and low-profile tyres.

I'll also add that IMO the engine and transmission are far too noisy in the lower gears. Everything seems too busy, too frantic for the amount of progress being made. This Merc is not the cocoon of tranquility I was expecting.

My E280 cdi avantgarde with the same 17" alloys is a joy to drive on any road surface, soaks up any bumps and is very quiet apart from the rumble of the V6 engine which i enjoy.
Maybe you would be better with an S-type ford to go with your focus?
They get good reviews for comfort and you get a lot of ford for your money.

 

[popuptoaster]

i didnt get stuck in my old old coupe and i was passing fwd and rwd cars all over the place, i could stop steer and start just fine, tall skinny tyres with an old fashioned tread design and a car that isnt to lardy is the answer. FWD is easier to drive in the snow, but no better than RWD i've always had rwd or 4wd cars and everytime we get snow its the same over here, some people just cant drive, if i can get a 20 year old BMW 325i or a 2.8i capri up a hill then anything should go up it and yet still there are always drivers stuck at the bottom of the main road into my town when its slippy.

 

[anyweb]

to the first poster

isnt a ford focus FRONT wheel drive and the merc rear wheel drive ?

that explains a lot in terms of lack of traction in snow...

 

[PanzerMcGrory]

Im in the Austrian Alps, last I noted, Scotland doesnt quite get as cold! Austrian law dictates that all cars have Winter tyres during the months November to April, have a look at the photo below, that was over 1 week ago, its a lot worse today!

-18 last week which is cold enough !!!!
Though as ever the weather forcasters only give the coast temps in Scotland which always knocks at least 10 degrees off.
But obviously not as bad as the south of England a couple of weeks ago when the UN and the US national guard where nearly called in to deal with the carnage as the snow in some places reached 8 inches !!!
Some people were even amazed to find their large rear wheel drive Mercs didnt do too well in this once in a generation event.

 

[Razoo]

to the first poster

isnt a ford focus FRONT wheel drive and the merc rear wheel drive ?

Yep, they surely are.

that explains a lot in terms of lack of traction in snow...

I've owned quite a few RWD and FWD vehicles over the years, and I've always found FWD better in snow. I was just surprised at how useless the Merc was. If I hadn't had a spare car, I would have lost a day's pay

I once owned a 3.0 ltr. Jaguar X-Type 4WD estate, but didn't keep it long enough to try it in snow. If it had performed well in the snow, that would have been the only thing it was good at!

Razoo

 

[Razoo]

My E280 cdi avantgarde with the same 17" alloys is a joy to drive on any road surface, soaks up any bumps and is very quiet apart from the rumble of the V6 engine which i enjoy.

Hmm, some contrast to mine

Maybe you would be better with an S-type ford to go with your focus?
They get good reviews for comfort and you get a lot of ford for your money.

I was intending to sell the Focus, until I realised I needed it as a back-up to the Merc

Razoo

 

[jberks]

Sorry but I have to say 90% of people's problem drving on slippery surfaces comes down to them, not the car.
I have the same wheel/tyre/suspension setup as you and during the bad weather I got stuck once - where the snow was simply too deep to climb over. Other than that I kept going and travelled over the pennines every day.
Into C, gentle on the controls (no wheel spinning) and she burbled past everything. Sure its never going to be as good as a fwd light car like a focus (try a diesel cavalier - goes through everything) but for a heavy, powerful rwd auto its very good.
As for the ride, its a sports setup - one notch harder than the standard avantgarde. If you want cocoon, you should have bought a 320 petrol elegance. I agree the ride on dodgy surfaces isn't great, but on the other side it looks great and handles very well. I sometimes wonder whether I made the right choice too but it was my choice. Ideally we'd all have the best of both worlds with airmatic.
As for the noise etc, drive it as a diesel, not a petrol. You don't get any benefit from revs. Let it change up early and use the torque. Then it becomes a really lazy, quiet cruiser (with a bite) and will still keep up effortlessly.

 

[psmart]

Some people were even amazed to find their large rear wheel drive Mercs didnt do too well in this once in a generation event.

My neighbours car this morning, she hasnt driven for a few days, given up!

 

[thompsonusa]

The biggest problem is not the cars but the drivers. It doesnt matter if its Snow, Rain, Fog, or Sunshine. Most people in this country only know 2 ways to drive, Fast or Stop.!!!!!

"Driving in this country is like riding in the back of a stagecoach, Always stuck behind 2 a**holes"