still no issues here with fwd and summer tyres..and we still have deep snow and plenty of ice -18 last night!!!...i drove up our close today whilst the other neighbours in 2wd cars couldnt get up ..so far im smiling

Well here is one more experience.

I finally dug the SM out (6" of snow on the roof and bonnet, more around her).

Our road has been impassable to any but 4wd since Sunday and I have not bothered to try to use the SM this week.

I got in, started her (first time), popped on the Off Road button, and drove off. Effortlessly, out of the snow-bound space, onto the ruts, up the awful slope to the main road and away. I had to stop near the top as there was traffic - but she pulled away fine through the snow bank there.

On my return (the main roads being fine) I came back into the street, went along past my house and turned (effortlessly, even in thicker snow) and came back to my space, reversing into it.

Having watched this, various neighbours decided the road was fine. They dug their cars out and then their 2wd cars sat spinning and wiggling into the road and slipping dangerously, but not getting anywhere. Cue neighbours cursing and then fighting their cars back into their original spaces with a huge amount of work and pushing.

So - my SM (standard tires, not winter tires) did without a second's hesitation what the 2wd cars simply could not begin to achieve.

Quiet feeling of smugness in the Siberia that is Edinburgh. (Is smug the Yeti owner's normal emotion?)

Count me in for the smug SMOC.

Yesterday, while central Scotland was apparently grid-locked, drove to work in heavy snow (3.5 miles) and got to office a few minutes late.

Went back out immediately for appointments with two clients (seven mile round trip). Only problem on way back to office at lunchtime was due to some cars and vans sliding and the sheer volume of traffic- I think this was because schools had just been closed. A 10-15 minute journey took one hour.

Waited till traffic subsided and sailed home at 4.30pm in less time than normal. Even went out again in evening to play poker, suitably equiped with blankets and other supplies of course but encountered no problems because traffic was very light.

Apart from a short ABS slide when I had to brake a bit hard for changing traffic lights (my fault), Yeti performed faultlessly as usual, even with normal tyres. Had the "magic button" pressed most of the time and took it slow.

Boy, am I smug!

For the first time EVER, okay I've only had the car since July, the traction control light came on tonight and the car half struggled. My estate has been solid ice for the last few days, deep snow turned into ice, but today the council threw grit on it. Unfortunately we now have a still thick layer of ice but now with a very deep layer of slush. From being fine on snow and fine on ice I seriously shimmied for a while until the car finally found some grip. Is that because the slush filled the grip on the tyres?

I started to clear the slush but then realised that the council had gritted the road and was not sure if I was right to. Should I leave the slush and hope the grit seeps through all the ice or do I get rid of the slush layer?