DSL

Not much in the way of Karoq rims out there if you’re looking for alloys, but there are lots of other types out there in Fleabay land such as Yeti, Q3 and Tiguan that fit the bill nicely. They’d be cheaper than steel wheels as well. And go for all 4 unless you want to loose the back end when going round a bend, just fitting winters to the front is not a good idea.

Found a little annoyance re the front screen de-misting vent, or in this case de-icing. It’s only one vent and it splits the air left and right, leaving a V in the middle that either gets little or no air. Not normally a problem but there’s an area under the mirror that didn’t de-ice on the inside even though the car was fully up to temp on a several mile drive. The outside had been de-iced/scraped and most of the inside had been squeeqied to get the moisture and what ice I could out (moisture build up is inevitable as we’re in and out of the car with wet/snowy boots and have been since before Chrimbo) but there was an annoying area that wouldn’t even scrape off internally. Screen was cleared enough to see perfectly, no reindeer were harmed on said drive, it was a tad parkie this morning, like -10c.

Bit of an update, car never did get back to “proper” time, it stubbornly stayed one hour ahead. Easy solution, as far as the car is concerned we are now on Azores time.

One of the many advantages to living in the Heelands is that they are very, very good at keeping the roads cleared and gritted, to the extent that a gritter goes in front of the bin lorry on collection day. My town even has its own tractor that ploughs and salts the pavements. Down side of the little tractor is that I have no excuse not to go out running tomorrow, unless it snows tonight. Plus most peeps with whatever type of cars or vans run on winter tyres, some peeps just leave them on all year as we don’t exactly get hot summers.

If that’s the choice that’s not a bad choice. I know it’s not good having to flog or bin perfectly good new(ish) tyres but it’s not a decision you’d regret in winter. I’m on full winters and haven’t seen the gravel of my drive since Chrimbo eve, driving on snow and ice is now the norm, so my need is a bit extreme. My ILs have Michelin Cross Climates on their 2wd Karoq in Surrey and have had no problems with local hills in the little snow they’ve had.

Alternatively if you’re keeping the car long term get a second set of Karoq (rare as unicorn teeth)/Tiguan/Q3/Ateca 17”ers and get proper winters. Much, much, more choice and proper winter tyres available.

At least a couple of all season tyres available in your size:

My entry level SE comes with 17”ers as standard but I come for a long(ish) history of fitting the smallest wheels to cars that normally have larger/blingier rims. For me ride comfort trumps the ability to throw the car round bends at high speed.

You could downgrade to 17” wheels. Not a lot of Karoq 17s out there but plenty of Yeti rims that would fit the bill nicely. I know it’s an expense but cheaper in the long run than getting really annoyed and chopping the car early. I’m on 17s and find the ride perfect.

I thought the vid was from E Europe, not our The North, at the beginning.

They have a habit of getting into your blood. When I sold my Disco 4 in Nov 18 I swore that would be the last LR, and it was faultless. Now I’m drawn back like a moth to a flame. Hey ho, it’s only money and we’ve nothing else to spend it on at the mo.

Where’s the fun in that? It shows it can be done rather than should be done if a bag of salt and cup of tea are available. And less of this over-priced malarkie, I’m slowly but surely working on SWMBO for one in addition to my Karoq. I have the green light for a new Deafner as long as I sell Skippy but I don’t want to do that. I need to polish off my best Man Maths, but it’s a difficult sell as SWMBO is an ex-accountant.

Just a little illustration. I’d doubt those are anything but the standard fit tyres. Keeping well away from the “BUY IT NOW” button as feeling the lure!

Might well be a waste as as my 4x4 doesn’t have the selectable snow mode malarkie and is managing perfectly fine on proper snow and ice on winter tyres. I was going to look into getting the module, fitting it and getting it coded in but now not going to bother. Not saying it’s a gimmick but it’s deffo not essential/important when it comes to winter driving.

Bit of an oversimplification, it depends on the 4x4 and the nut behind the wheel. I’ve driven Disco3s and 4s in deep snow with either mud tyres or AT tyres, deffo not winter tyres, with no problems. Indeed the limiting factor was not the grip, it was whether the car was getting beached as the snow was getting so deep. Not all 4x4s are born equal.

PS Pic of car on driveway yesterday when it was -6c. Then it was positively grippy cf when the compacted snow turned to ice, then it melted slightly then froze solid. Snow is never really an issue for me, it’s the ice that makes things interesting.

Agreed!! Out & about with proper winters on and the traction control light has stayed off, to the point that I’ve no idea where it is. And that’s on loose snow, compacted snow, rough ice and ice that is as slick as a slick thing that’s had extra slippiness added. I don’t think it’s the 4x4 side as SWMBO’s jazz, also on winter Contis, has been just as good.

Can someone sit in the back when the car is being driven? They might be able to tell the rattle’s location.

Yep, as here with spare in place. The spare is slightly undersized for my standard sized tyres, curious as VAG do a spare that is exactly the right size/rolling circumference. Not really an issue for me as I carry a full sized alloy wheel in there.

Here ya go.

Bit of a snowfall today, enough to hide the sheet ice which made driving and walking fun. A lot more due tonight, like pos 30 - 40cm, should make getting out fun and games. Luckily Tesco delivery driver had no issues and ready to get cut off from the world. Apart from t’internet and leckie please.

Same here, no idea when 4x4 side of things is kicking in, never had any issues on the sheet ice on the drive or snow and ice locally. In places it’s too slick to walk on but our cars drive over it as if it was normal gravel. I suspect the full winter tyres are providing enough grip that the haldex hasn’t felt the need yet.

Afraid I know nothing re Sportsline, lots on here do though.

Haldex, not permanent. I’ve come from decades of perm 4x4 LRs and haven’t noticed any differences when driving in the snow and ice we’ve had recently. Much more snow’s forecast, like up to 50cms, so no doubt I’ll get to see what she’s like in the deep stuff this week. Gratuitous pic. PS We bought ours having never even sat in one, never mind driven one and have absolutely zero regrets. My ILs raved about theirs which was enough for us. Plus a pre-registered SE came up at a very good price.

Good to know re the higher rpm, I just have to get MrsDSL trained to look at the rev counter before reaching for the key to shut the car down. Stop/start hasn’t worked since I started doing only short journeys, apart from immediately after charging up the battery. Even SWMBO has stopped pressing the “this button stops the very annoying engine stopping at junctions” button.