Such a pain in the arse to drive in the snow? Brilliant in the dry, wet, sunshine but when it comes to snow...Bloody hopeless!!!

Turned off ESP, selected "Manual Mode" could I get going? Nah.

I'm starting to wish I'd got a 4x4 Yeti! :yes:

Agreed, think half the battle would be solved if it was programmed to allow you to manually force it to start in 2nd...eventually it decided to automatically do that when in Drive, but took it a while and several shoveling episodes at the front of the car! At the weekend I had to drive around my parent's estate which was a sheet of ice, wouldn't let me change up to 2nd until we were doing about 10mph, and 3rd at 20mph, much too fast for the conditions...in my old renault auto I'd have been doing 15 in 3rd no problems, and that was a petrol...

According to my speedo I was doing 15mph whilst stationary, yet it wouldn't change up to 2nd!

At the weekend I had to drive around my parent's estate

Blimey, you have rich parents if they own an estate

You can't beat a good old fashioned clutch in this weather if you ask me, even this doesn't stop the 'If I spin the wheels really fast it will somehow improve things' brigade.

According to my speedo I was doing 15mph whilst stationary, yet it wouldn't change up to 2nd!

hehe on a deserted car park managed to peak 100mph while doing about 10mph, good ole 4th gear and solid ice

Edit: not my car either, can't wait to get mine back though

Edited 7 January, 201016 yr by dan_the_v8man

Is yours petrol or diesel ?? We are in the middle of some fairly serious weather in Ireland and my 2.0Tdi DSG quite honestly shocked me with its ability in the snow/ice. Nothing seems to stop it, heavy snow, steep inclines on ice. I have left my ESP switched on and she just keeps on truckin' !!

Diesel for me, been turning ESP off when on ice and on when back on tarmac/slush. Once it's going it's fine, it's just getting it out of 1st so that the wheels can get traction

Such a pain in the arse to drive in the snow? Brilliant in the dry, wet, sunshine but when it comes to snow...Bloody hopeless!!!

Turned off ESP, selected "Manual Mode" could I get going? Nah.

I'm starting to wish I'd got a 4x4 Yeti! :yes:

Agreed, think half the battle would be solved if it was programmed to allow you to manually force it to start in 2nd...eventually it decided to automatically do that when in Drive, but took it a while and several shoveling episodes at the front of the car! At the weekend I had to drive around my parent's estate which was a sheet of ice, wouldn't let me change up to 2nd until we were doing about 10mph, and 3rd at 20mph, much too fast for the conditions...in my old renault auto I'd have been doing 15 in 3rd no problems, and that was a petrol...

It comes to something when you've started to have a conversation with yourself Warren

At least you didn't disagree or there could have been trouble!!

Maybe you need to spend more time trying to sort out the Bolero 'mix' problem

EDIT - Just noticed there may be a slight difference between Indiana Jones & IndianaBlues! Oops Sorry both

Edited 14 January, 201016 yr by john999boy

I've got a DSG Octavia and it has not been a problem and Ive been going up and down steep hills with 10" to a foot of snow.

I have got snow tyres on and this has always made the world of difference with any car.

Turn the traction control off as it is a royal pain and all is fine.

TC

I have got a petrol dsg, I dont switch anything off, it drives on ice and snow almost like a normal road, (forgiving a little sideways action pulling away at low speeds), it has super budget tyres on that the dealer supplied when I bought it.

DSG + ESP

It's called tickover. Run very slowly and "creep" as all good autos do and you don't have a problem. Boot it and you'll put the TC on about 30 times during a half hour drive. I counted it on my way home tonight and it came at least 10 times under gentle acceleratoin due to the lack of grit and grip.

I've got a DSG Octavia and it has not been a problem and Ive been going up and down steep hills with 10" to a foot of snow.

I have got snow tyres on and this has always made the world of difference with any car.

Turn the traction control off as it is a royal pain and all is fine.

TC

Agreed- my Vrs was worst car in snow I've ever had with Michelin Exalto summer tyres on

One set of snowies later- BEST car in snow I've ever driven- unbelievable difference

I don't have the luxury of snow tyres...

I might get some snow chains though.

Any suggestions for a reputable make to fit 17" Pallas Alloys?

Snow shoes seem to be the way to go

Magi Trak or spikes-spiders would work for chains.

I was doing a search for "DSG snow" to see if there was a technique to driving in snow and found this thread.

I don't really have a problem once I'm going, just getting started in the first place. It either moves off itself (with no throttle), or it just doesn't want to go at all. Although I do like the DSG, there are times when I wish I had clutch peddle, snow being one of them.

Edited 7 January, 201016 yr by jrp

I had probs today, and thought i'd try it in manual..same probs...however, having lived in germany for 6 years, and used to these conditions, i popped into reverse, and gently pulled away. i ended up having a whale of a time in an empty carpark, esp on, gently pull away, and then full grip and starsky and hutch eat your heart out..after my fun, went to the exit in reverse, esp off, spun round, esp on, and away i went..whoop whoop ..because the car is fwd, it's a lot easier to push than pull, so reverse is the answer..not always, but.....

Diesel for me, been turning ESP off when on ice and on when back on tarmac/slush.

Why on earth would you be turning ESP off when on ice, when ESP was specifically designed to help keep you safe and going on ice??

Sorry I meant TCS, can't turn ESP off completely any more. Dealer recommended it to me when I picked the car up, having never used it before I followed his advice! I assumed that his logic was that TCS will be reducing the power to one or both wheels when they start to slip, however on ice you need the wheels turning just to give you traction until the next grippy bit...

Actually reading through the manual it does say to turn ESP off in the event of driving through snow or on loose surfaces, but again that was before they took away the power to turn it off!

It's called tickover. Run very slowly and "creep" as all good autos do and you don't have a problem. Boot it and you'll put the TC on about 30 times during a half hour drive. I counted it on my way home tonight and it came at least 10 times under gentle acceleratoin due to the lack of grit and grip.

Tickover's fine if you're starting on a flat surface with no obstructions in front of the wheels, but I live on a hill and the daily snow-plough has ensured that there's a lot of loose snow/impacted ice running parallel to my car that I had to try and smash, shovel then drive over the remnants of...

I've got a DSG Octavia and it has not been a problem and Ive been going up and down steep hills with 10" to a foot of snow.

I have got snow tyres on and this has always made the world of difference with any car.

Turn the traction control off as it is a royal pain and all is fine.

TC

With my Leon I don't think the DSG is a pain at all. The ESP is a fecking nightmare, and the summer tyres are ****e, but the box is fine. Starting in second doesn't magically make the tyres grip- the only reason people do it is if they don't have enough clutch/thottle cotrol to stop wheelspin, and I think the box applies the power gradually enough. I've only had trouble on surfaces that were hard to stand on, never mind drive.

Sorry I meant TCS, can't turn ESP off completely any more. Dealer recommended it to me when I picked the car up, having never used it before I followed his advice! I assumed that his logic was that TCS will be reducing the power to one or both wheels when they start to slip, however on ice you need the wheels turning just to give you traction until the next grippy bit...

Indeed.

Edited 8 January, 201016 yr by cjb

OK, used the DSG for the first time today in heavy snow, amazing, used sport to slow down without braking, used manual to change up when gathering speed and drive for when I got on a good road, ESP on all the time for me and it worked a treat, I was passing all of the idiot Spanish drivers spinning their wheels out in the country today. I even towed a minivan out of an ice patch!

My octavia tdi DSG was absolutely ok on snow but she's got new winter tyres and that's probably why.

Took mine out on Sunday ok snow and ice not as bad as it has been but it was ok, would say it spun no more than what I possibly might have with a normal gearbox. Gentle does it and its fine.