I'm going to be taking the VRS into South Wales this weekend which is expecting heavy snow. Hopefully the main roads will be ploughed and gritted but I'm concerned I'll struggle if I end up on snow covered country roads. I find the VRS wheel-spins very easily at the best of times and I don't think you can manually select second gear.

Anyone have any tips advice besides don't go. No time for snow tyres or wheel covers.

Thanks

Snow socks perhaps?

Relatively cheap and you should be able to find some.

Only good for a get you out of trouble scenario though. Cannot be used on Tarmac.

If its essential that you go, then go.

If not, curl up under the duvet and throw another log on the fire.

It's purely down to tyres. If you put winter tyres on and you would be sorted.

Winter socks might be your next option but if you use then on a cleared road they will get chewed up very quickly

Might try out these snow socks, should get me out of a otherwise tricky situation. Cheaper and quicker than snow tyre option.

again... tyres.. contis actually say "do not use below 0 celcius" ... and are so bad on snow they couldn't get the car to the start line to test them in the last winter tyre test i read!

I have nangkang winters and have been driving past stuck 4x4's last winter havent got the snow here yet!

Lidl currently have a range of Snow Chains for £19.99 but you would have to put them on, and off, by the side of the road when you ran into, out off, the snow as you can not use them on clear tarmac.

I picked up my VRS yesterday and driving back across snow covered roads was much easier than I thought. Occasional slip under power but not much. It's not *always* necessary to push the go pedal all the way down ;-)

I did manage to try and press the phantom clutch pedal on the ice covered petrol forecourt though. That shook me up a little!!

Of course you can manually select gear.

Just be very gentle on the throttle. I drove my car for the first time on a slippy road the other day. I found that it was quite tricky to not get the DSG to spin the wheels slightly especially crawling and then putting a tiny bit of throttle on as it seems to engage the clutch quite quickly and it slips a little.

Phil

This AE review might be of interest;

http://www.autoexpre...urce=newsletter

Mind when my wife got stuck a couple of years back in the Elegance she had at the time, she couldn't move it to fit the snow socks. Had to go out and help her break the ice she was trapped on with a steel shovel and use rubber car mats to get the car moving.

All our cars now run winter tyres from November to end of March (or longer if required).

TP

Edited 18 January, 201313 yr by The Plumber

Hmmmm nobody stocks snow socks, ordered in only. Leaving in a few hours, so will just have to brave it. I've no experience of fitting snow chains and have heard they're tricky. Will just have to brave it. I'll send you all a pic when I get stuck.

philje123 is there a way to select 2nd gear to start with the DSG, i've not worked it out?

If your tyres are suitable for the condition i do not think you need to worry about just going into 'D' to move off with a very light throttle.

It will move and very quickly be in '2nd'.

Once you are moving you can go down the gears to '2nd' as you wish, but i doubt you need to that often,

decelerating is OK, but so is driving easy in 'D' and staying off the brakes.

If going slow your are liable to be going between 2nd, 3rd, 4th and staying in control.

I would go to some empty car park or industrial estate with deepish snow or icy conditions and see how you get on,

before venturing far,

& i would forget any idea of putting on Snow Chains.

george

EDIT, Snow Socks were in Asda, & other places, Petrol Stations etc.

You will only maybe need them if you really lack traction on frozen surfaces to get moving.

If that is your situation i would not be setting out today or tomorrow if in doubt.

I must be watching different TV pictures or different areas in Wales,

but not looking good just now.

Have you tried your nearest dealer :wonder: Know some do stock these things.

TP

Just got home from a 20 mile B road journey in the snow. I can confirm that an Octy VRS with 18" neptunes and factory conti's is useless in the snow

I have hankook v12 evo summer tyres on my vrs, I've been up Buxton, cat & fiddle, Macclesfield and leek over this past week which have all had snow, last year i went across to derby from manchester via Buxton & surrounding hills in the heavy snow and ice to drop a friend off. I had Dunlop sp sport maxx tyres, again no problem what so ever, I really wouldn't worry about tyres.

IMHO having decent tyres and chains/socks may solve a problem if you get into difficulties but my experience is generally that they won't solve everything as you will have all the other cars around you stuck and blocking the way. Best advice has already been given, if you don't need to go then don't. If you have to go then make sure you have enough things in the car to enable you to stay comfortable if it all goes wrong.

I have been stuck behind 4x4s which blocked up roads before as they thought they were indestructable because of 4wheel drive. The really do get annoyed when a little Fabia plods past them making gentle progress in the stuff they couldn't handle! All the gear and no idea is just as bad as no gear.

winter tyres ftw.

managed to get up a mountain road to a small car park which lets you walk the rest of the way. not gritted at all and could easily drive at 20mph all day long. turned the esp off for a bit of fun in the empty car park and then took some pics lol.

winter tyres are awesome

First time driving my vRS in snow today, where it's laying on the ground and compacted by other vehicles It's fine if you're slow on flat surfaces, but I very nearly got stuck going up a slight incline after waiting at some lights.

I wouldn't fancy my chances if we get anything heavier ...

Edited 18 January, 201313 yr by hostman

Having a hoot in ours with the Nexen Winguard tyres, £54 each from openeo, free delivery, using the standard rims which I have a couple of extra ones and the tyres are V rated too.

Bit noisey, possibly slight heavier on fuel but still manged 50 mpg on the computer coming back from Cambridge to Worcester.

Great in the 3-6 inch snow today.

i just wish it would snow here so i can find out if these winters are any better

last year on the conti's it was a nightmare on the one day we had snow but then again id only just got the VRs and id no idea how to drive it, then again whats new

I have on the Dunlop Sport maxx today while i paint my other rims.

Just fine on the snow, but then it is not icy or frozen ruts, which is where they can struggle, but the DSG is pretty good..

george

Thaw happening before the proper snow arrives,

The wee Picanto automatic on the right tyres is magic in those conditions.

Just to get one thing sorted. There is NO way to pre-select 2nd gear and start-off with it, I don't know why some people are so comfortable saying you can, from their signature I see they don't drive a vRS though. What will happen is that 2nd gear will engage very quickly once you're moving that is true, but having 2nd gear at a standstill is not possible simply because in Manual you are not allowed to shift up below something around 1800 rpm.

Other than that there is lots of good advice given already. It also depends on what type of snow you will have to go through. I find fresh, soft snow is not that much of a problem. However 1-2 days old snow which has been compressed by other cars and snow gritters to form a solid body of ice is slippery as f*(&( and I wouldn't be going anywhere near it with sumemr tyres, especially if lots of uphills/downhills are included.

vRS + snow + winter tyres + traffic free roads =

all the skodas here have winters on (mine is the green vRS) and 2 of them are 4WD this was today at the malthouse meet quite easy to reverse up the hill in the snow !Chris880 got a bit stuck apparently after claiming he didn't need winters

read in several places a bag of cheap cat litter is better than grit to give a bit of traction, anyone tried it, for a couple of pounds and the daughter cat can make use of any unused stuff as well

again... tyres.. contis actually say "do not use below 0 celcius" ...

Wow, really? That explains a few things.