I had a Renault 5 GT Turbo which was chipped and had some other mods, group N race clutch, half cage and adjustable suspension. When i was working in Edi I commuted from Fife. Had a few hair raising drives home in it inc. one backwards entry to the Toll booth at the bridge, thank christ the guy on the barrier was quick as i managed to slide through completely unscathed, went back and gave him my 30p then worked out how to get up the ‘hill’ on the bridge. Got the bus a lot that year.

525d auto tourer. 235 tyres allround.

pretty awful for straight line stability but far worse once you have stopped. Too much torque, an auto box, lots of weight, no LSD and too big to take a good angle at most things.

The missus fiat panda and idea are great though.

Contrary to what others had said, our little MX-5 has been fantastic in the snow. It’s a later one with an LSD, so assume this makes a difference. Has loads of traction. Other car (3-series diesel touring, loads of torque, big wheels) is less fantastic!

Another one to say MX5’s good in the snow. I had a Mk3 last year with big low profile tyres, was great fun, was getting up hills some people in fwd cars were not, you just had to be prepared to accept that the majority of the time the car would be sliding.

Worst by far that I have driven was my wifes Polo TDI. The ABS was just dangerous, far too sensitive, and you turned the wheel and it just went straight on.

As to the powerful VRs type people saying they are shocking, they might not be as good as a small fwd car, but they certainly wont be as bad as any rwd. Just crap driving technique. Any car can be made to skid its tyres in any gear in snow if you give it too much throttle… Try using less power and fwd will crawl along in 1st gear.

Just for a contrast – I cooked a complete set of tyres on my RS4 on the track last week 🙂 they were well gone anyway and it coincided with a day of serious blatting in the hot blazing sun 🙂 Sorry.

I’ve never had a bad car in snow. I think its your tyres and smooth driving style that counts more.

I’ve never had a bad car in snow. I think its your tyres and smooth driving style that counts more.

But for joe public mr average driver (i.e. me) who doesn’t really want to spend a £1k on tyres, one of our cars is much better that the other. I’d be fascinated to know if an expert driver would be capable of getting my 3-series up the big hill just outside the village when it’s covered in snow.

Why do you need to spend £250 per tyre?

Also, you don’t bin the tyres. You keep them for future winters.

Why do you need to spend £250 per tyre?

TBH I was guessing. 255/35 on there at the mo, which are about £250 fitted. If the car was mine, I would actually investigate further, but it’s a works car so not mine anyway.

I’d be fascinated to know if an expert driver would be capable of getting my 3-series up the big hill just outside the village when it’s covered in snow.

ditto – and I posted the same thing on a thread last week. Through work I have done a lot of 4×4 driving, mainly in the desert, with quite a few training courses over the yrs, therefore I reckon I am at least competent in difficult conditions. I live in a new housing estate with lots of bollards and speed bumps and other slow down measures. I have a 90 degree bend at the bottom of a steep cul de sac that I live half way up and I couldn’t get my 3 series up much of last week. Nowt to do with technique at all. Tyres yes, but similarly as it’s a company car, winter tyres are not an option.

This one

During the snow (its on the left of the picture):

And after:

It’s probably a pretty good car in the snow actually, just not under it.

A LONG time since I’ve seen one of those!

I’ll confess; those pics of the old Subaru are from the epic powder snow fest which was Fernie during the 2007/8 ski season. We stayed in the Beaver Lodge B and B (in the back ground of the second pic) almost every weekend from New Year to Easter.

Worst by far that I have driven was my wifes Polo TDI. The ABS was just dangerous, far too sensitive, and you turned the wheel and it just went straight on.

As to the powerful VRs type people saying they are shocking, they might not be as good as a small fwd car, but they certainly wont be as bad as any rwd. Just crap driving technique. Any car can be made to skid its tyres in any gear in snow if you give it too much throttle… Try using less power and fwd will crawl along in 1st gear.

So your wifes Polo with the same chassis is dangerous, but my car with with double the power and torque, with wide rubber and stiff suspension is fine, it’s just that I’m a bad driver? 😆 I’m aware RWD on the whole would be worse but as far as FWD goes it’s pretty awful.

Oh and how would ABS effect the steering? Unless you’re braking and steering and the same time, which is a fine example of **** driving in the snow…..

I drove an Aygo from Manchester to Southern Germany and back on NY’s eve and back 1st week of January.

Nay problem.

Plus I kept the eco plastic tyres on 🙄

beamers – i had one of them, two actually when I worked up Mt Hutt. Mine had snow tryes on it and I used to truck up and down the access road before the graders had got there no problems, the second one my boss killed going through the fords at hororata in a rush to get to the airport – water doesn;t compress well it would appear. Awesome cars in the snow 🙂

Iainc – similar here. Off road driving through work, all sorts of road driver training yet I simply don’t trust my BM in ice/snow (still cautious in the Landy but it’s as good a vehicle as you can get in these conditions). Loads of crashes around here at the moment so I’d rather not leave it to chance.

Can’t wait to have a blast in it once it warms a bit though!

REALLY glad I don’t have to commute to work.

Col – how is the RS4 in snow? Tried it yet?

Add me to the list of 170bhp VAG drivers with fat tyres.

Yep my Passat isn’t great 😀 I got stuck on an icy hill last year and it span the wheels in 5th at idle. Got some autosocks but haven’t used them as it’s either been OK getting out the street so don’t need them, or would use them to get out the road but the main roads have been so choked I’ve not gone anywhere.

(and it’s not my driving as I can get my g/f’s Seat a long way past where I can get the Passat in the snow).

Surf-Mat : Nah mate , don’t get snow in Wellington in the summer !

mercedes sprinter van at work – like driving a curling stone on an ice rink.

Col – when we were there (but S Island) we had heavy snow on Christmas Day and for a couple of weeks afterwards. They were skiing around Queenstown. Most odd. This was 1999/2000

I have a 2004 MG ZT 260 SE, the one with the 4.6 Mustang V8, that hasnt moved since Thursday. Totally flat car park but covered in sheet ice, so i just sit there going no where.

My BM is like a dog on lino in this weather. fun though!

Chopper – cool cars those. I often see a silver one around this way. Very subtle, nice woofly V8.

Some nice cars owned by STWers – good to see. I particularly like the Alpina B5 Touring.

I have a 2004 MG ZT 260 SE, the one with the 4.6 Mustang V8,

Oooo hello. Could you tell us more about it? What mpg/ved is it and has it been reliable???

hora –
its been the most reliable car i have ever had, mpg i have actually had ranges from 15 (worst i have had out of it) to 22ish (best i have had). Supposed to be able to do 27mpg but i have never got anywhere near that.
Wnet on two-sixties.com when i got it, there are a few niggles you need to sort ( fuel clip & upgrade heater hose and a few other bits0, however its since been fine. I have zero stainless backboxes so a bit louder than stock.
Afraid to say i am getting rid in the new year for some sort of bike/ camping wagon

I bet it sounds amazing in tunnels/etc etc 😀

yeah, drop it down into second or third then floor it 😀

1975 MG Midget?

90ish bhp, front engines, rear drive, live axel, low overall weight, big heavy rubber bumper at each end (so once it starts sliding it aint stoping).

Ohh, and the 1500 engine is pants anyway!

Some nice cars owned by STWers – good to see. I particularly like the Alpina B5 Touring.

Cheers Surf-Mat! It’s a great car – pretty subtle and understated, but then can do 0-60 in under 5 seconds, and supposed to be good for 180mph! It’s also very rare – only 5 B5 Tourings in the country, and often attracts an approving nod from those in the know!
It makes a brilliant grand-tourer – it often does the family holiday with 2 bikes on the roof + a roof-box, kids in the back. You can cruise along the motorways then when you hit the country roads, it’s ability to overtake caravans etc. is unreal!

heihei – Member

Omg, my bike has come to life and is posting on STW!

b r – Member
X5, then ML…

Probably rides an immaculate Santa Cruz with full XTR…

Posted 2 days ago # Report-Post

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Nope…. I have an S-WORKS Stupjumper FSR Carbon ………dripping in XTR!!

My E Class is pretty poor, the 19″ wheels don’t help things either.

Doing usual trip round Scotland to visit family before Christmas. So far been to Erskine, Dundee, Stonehaven, the Black Isle and Inverness and taking it very cautiously and altering our plans dependent on the weather we have managed ok.

This 5 series with 18″ alloys seemed such a good idea in september.
[/url] Snowy track by brucewaddell, on Flickr[/img]
Oh it is parked not slid into a ditch!

Should have got one of these. Fantastic in the snow. Friends went skiing today at Cairngorm as we headed down the Great Glen to Fort William.

[/url] Tonka toy by brucewaddell, on Flickr[/img]

Had to abandon plans to see wifes Granny as she lives 60 miles from Inverness at the end of a wee singletrack road. The gritter is making it but only just.