Suggestions please – How to make a Ford S-max 1.8tdci better in the snow?

Older shape Galaxy here, no problems in snow. Probably best I’ve had in snow in fact. Wifes Mondeo isn’t great.
Passed a couple of tools in Audi’s doing the max revs – going nowhere thing the other day, on the slope up from Tesco. Quite funny really. One was on his phone, probably looking through the App store for the Audi snow driving app.

Never had an issue with any front wheel drive car in the snow and ice.

Wouldn’t mind some winter tyres if I lived further north or more rural areas but for urban and suburban my diesel mondeo is fine although I have pretty good/ sensitive footwork and a gentle touch with cars. For the OP its not the best vehicle for slippy conditions, high centre of gravity and really heavy and i would be tempted by leaving it on the drive for the week a year that it’s not so useful.

My A4 is comprehensively useless in any sort of snow with 18″ summer tyres. This year I but the bullet and bought a set of Goodyear ultragrip8 winter tyres on smaller wheels and it’s been unstoppable so far. Money well spent.

Never had an issue with any front wheel drive car in the snow and ice.

Prius was good on virgin snow the year before last; last year when it’d been driven on a few times it couldn’t get up the hill – same car, same driver, same place. Definitely had trouble. Last year also struggled to get the Passat up a very small slope in heavy snow near my house. Only just got up there after about three goes and slid all over the place.

So I do know how to drive on snow, but 2WD cars on hills do have significant limits.

Just bear in mind – if you cannot get traction to go uphill, how do you expect to get traction to slow down the other side?

Well in a 2WD car you have twice as much grip braking as you do accelerating.

Well in a 2WD car you have twice as much grip braking as you do accelerating.

Twice **** all, is still **** all.

Tyres tyres tyres.

I imagine on something quite commonplace like a S-Max, you should be able to find Ford steel wheels very cheaply, then fit out with some winter tyres. They work better in the cold (under 7 degrees) than summer tyres will, so can be run over the whole winter time. Else mytyres.co.uk will do you a set of 4 new steel wheels pre-fitted with winter tyres from about £400. Worth bearing in mind that while you’re using those, you’re not wearing out your regular tyres, so costs less overall than you might think.

Otherwise snowsocks are OK as an emergency option if you’re otherwise stuck. You don’t get the benefit of better braking and cornering all the time though, and you can’t go very far (or fast) on them without them disintegrating.

Generally fresh snow isn’t so much of a problem for most FWD cars – it’s when other cars have gone over it already and compacted it down into slushy icy stuff that it becomes more problematic.

Twice **** all, is still **** all.

Quite easy to drive down our hill that one time, very difficult to get back up if I recall.

Don’t have too much problem goping DH – low gear, no revs, no (very little) brake and NO clutch.

Have to say though – beginning to think that we should have / consider a no gritting policy.

So……….
I went out and got 2 Dunlop Winter Tyres for the front and what a transformation, BUT

Word of caution, the old tyres were goosed, so I am comparing old to new.

2nd word of caution, I am now LOOKING for snow to test them on, there was a bit at the sides of the road the other day and I couldn’t stop myself!

The car tracks much better (I am getting the wheels aligned this week. The tyre fella said it was better to let them bed in first for a week – never heard that before, but seems reasonable).

The tyres do feel more grippy on tarmac, but as ever I AM KEEPING A HEALTHY UNEASE about driving in extreme winter conditions. I agree with the eabove, to avoid if possible. I’ll post here after winter to see how I came on.

Thanks again STW for a good debate to help me sort my dithering mind. I’m off to the STW shop to show my appreciation this weekend.

M and s is german for slush and snow ? Who told you that ?

Well, it’s short for matsch und schnee. Schneematsch meens slush… But matsch can mean mud. (it’s the source of the english word mush, I believe)

Im just curious as extreme off road tires are sold as m and s tires