Traction control or 4x4 in ice and snow?

Pink.

kaya wrote: »

although i do find it a little worrying that the op and many others who are going to be on the road this year dont know the answer to such a basic question yet have a full car licence and might be behind or in front of me in the snow when i have kids in the car !

That is precisely why I am asking the question, so that I can be better informed and therefore hopefully drive more safely.

Pink

Lum

The Ka will have the cheapest tyres if you want to get winter tyres for just one vehicle.

Remember that winter's dont really cost you anything as the time you spend wearing them out is time that your summer tyres are not being worn out.

Cash-flow is an issue but if you're keeping the car for a while they don't actually cost you anything really, except for the one-off cost of getting a second set of cheap wheels.

muddyl

I didn't use winter tyres. Just multi purpose one's on my isuzu trooper. That performed better than my vectra with winter tyres, and even that goes where a lot wont (maybe due to winter experience and some rally training).

Paperbird

Flearoy wrote: »

For me, an ideal snow car would have in order of priority : not rear wheel drive, tyres with lots of tread (even if not proper winter tyres), manual gearbox, narrow wheels (cuts into the snow well), light in weight (useful if you crash as you do less damage to others!), not too much torque, and a good heater. I think that describes your KA. I personally would not definitely not want traction control or any of that gubbins, or even ABS if I could switch it off.

The ideal one is 4 x 4 with winter tyres. And if I was to be involved in a crash I wouldn't care how much damage either car got but I would care about how safe I was so in an accident involving a 4x4 and a Ka I'll take the 4x4 thanks.

scheming_gypsy

Paperbird wrote: »

And if I was to be involved in a crash .

and that's the thing. Driving in snow and ice isn't just about how well your car will perform but how safe you are. It's all very well having winter tyres on a small and sensible car, but they won't stop somebody ploughing into you.

Weird_Nev

I'd take the Xtrail.
IT has four wheel drive, It (most likely) has some form of traction control to control those 4 driven wheels.
If the Ka had winter tyres, I'd take that. In the absence of that, a carefully driven Xtrail would most likely be the most capable car, IMO.

Being as you bought the X-Trail for winter duties, perhaps some proper winter tyres are in order? Capitalise on its strengths?

colino

In order of preference it would be the 4x4 (just remember the laws of physics, just because you get enough traction to get going, its not going to stop any better on snow and ice!), the Ka (because of its FWD, light weight and lack of gizmos) and then the other one (sorry didn't pick up what it was) as its sounds like most over-developed current cars, abs and traction control can effectively mean the car over-rules the driver and they (safely) end up with no power going to any wheel.

vax2002

A 4x4 is not a 4wd, 4wd drive vehicles tend to be known as soft roaders, if one wheel looses traction, the power is just spun out on that wheel.
a 4x4 vehicle has a system of limiting revolutions per wheel such as a limited slip differential or viscous coupling as used in Renault rx4.
in a 4x4 if one wheel has lost traction the power is distributed to the other 3 wheels, in a 4wd, if one slips, thats it.

mustrum_ridcully

Well ladies and gentlemen looks like it's time to air one of my favourite youtube videos about people driving in snow/ice.

Of all the cars featured it's the proper "lets off-road" Landrover Defender (at 3:00) probably fares the worst and manages to end-up facing the wrong way up the hill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FpQoAjM_M8

Strider590

mustrum_ridcully wrote: »

Well ladies and gentlemen looks like it's time to air one of my favourite youtube videos about people driving in snow/ice.

Of all the cars featured it's the proper "lets off-road" Landrover Defender (at 3:00) probably fares the worst and manages to end-up facing the wrong way up the hill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FpQoAjM_M8

Those knobbly mud tyre's, not suited to ice/snow. Another misconception being that chunky, knobbly tyres will be great in cold weather. By that logic, it's like climbing Snowdon in a pair of ice skates.