traction control keeping the revs down

 

Yeah, traction control might be annoying sometimes. When I drive to my countryhome, usually in springs/autumns the short uphill road (lots of clay there) is very slippery and the real solution is to drive fast and rev hard (the winter style). Usually I forget to turn off the traction control and in the middle of the hill I start loosing power and thinking - fwck, again...

Forgot to add it's an automatic too so even less control.

If it's the 8 speed you can pull away in second though. had to fiddle about to find out how in mine use manual mode and pull up for second gear before you start (I'm not assuming your wife is as idiotic as I am, rather just in case she didn't know,)

What no 'Snow' button with a simple 'snow flake'  symbol?

Well the All Seasons proved absolutely awesome today.

 

Rivers of water running across the road with a run across Dartmoor and very sure footed.

 

Why did God make sheep fog coloured?  Do not mean the criticism but could not God have made them orange perhaps or with luminous flashing bulbs?  Of course driving within the conditions but fog/sheep colour contrast would help. 

What no 'Snow' button with a simple 'snow flake'  symbol?

 

No not on the ZF8HP, just pull of in 2nd if required. (When in Drive, push lever to left and pull back once, that's it)

 

The stability control can also be changed from the full nanny DSC to DTC. This allows limited wheel spin and limited understeer and oversteer which better suits winter tyres on snow without loosing all the safety parameters.

 

You can then disable DSC and DTC to leave just the ADB-Sport E Diff active but then you need to be very alert on snow,

 

Lee

Edited 30 October, 201510 yr by logiclee

Surely best two wheel drive cars are those 2 wheel drive at the rear with loads of rear axle weight like the old beetles and 911s as used for desert racers etc rather than 50/50 distribution or have a 4x4 of course? 

Surely best two wheel drive cars are those 2 wheel drive at the rear with loads of rear axle weight like the old beetles and 911s as used for desert racers etc rather than 50/50 distribution or have a 4x4 of course?

For snow? Best 2WD car I had in the snow was a Mk 1 Ka - 165s on the front and never failed to get me through where others has failed

Sent from my XT1039

Read this morning that November is going to be far milder than normal

So looks like I will be delaying the change of tyres on both cars for a few more weeks

For snow best 2WD? FWD, light weight, narrow winter tyres.

 

FWD for weight upon the steering tyres, light weight for less inertia when turning and braking.

 

For newer cars some of the small capacity 3 cylinder petrols are ideal.

 

They are usually much better than a big SUV as long as you have the ground clearance. When we had the Fabia htp I also had a Jeep Cherokee. For on road winter driving the Fabia on its 165's was far superior.

 

Lee

Edited 31 October, 201510 yr by logiclee

It is the low speedindex that does it, combined with narrow tyres.

But still not as good as winters under low temperatures and real winter conditions.

For snow best 2WD? FWD, light weight, narrow winter tyres.

Lee

And Im guessing you all know the trick with reversing a FWD car up steep hills to gain that little extra traction to make it to the top?

And Im guessing you all know the trick with reversing a FWD car up steep hills to gain that little extra traction to make it to the top?

 

 

Never needed to do that with winters fitted.

15-16 degrees C here in the borders. So I think it will be yet another extremely mild winter, haven't had to defrost the car properly in last 3 winters so I think I'll survive without the winter tyres yet again. So say at £250 (a very conservative estimate at that) per set of tyres and steel rims over the last three years I've saved £750 (over had three different cars in the last 4 years) and that's not counting my wife's car. So even if the worst does happen this year and I have to make a claim I've still saved over £500.

Best winter trick I was ever shown was if you are a bit stuck in your RWD car, try putting your foot on the brake to control the spinning wheel a little (bring back the heel and toe-although this is nigh on impossible if you're wearing any sort of heel :( ). Not quite Torque Vectoring, or what ever they call it, but it definitely works on older cars. Modern will obviously explode if you try this.

No they wont explode, they will just stall.

Throttle input is ruled out if you touch the brake. Unless you take your foot of the throttle and (still applying the brake) go on the throttle again.

Stupid fail safe thing, that makes double declutching and feeding the throttle during left braking nearly impossible....

Amanda is sad that you actually thought she meant the car will explode. She knows a little bit more than that about cars. She is now going to have to have a lie down and drink a lot of alcohol to make herself feel bettererer

 

 

:'(  :think:    :(

 

 

 

perhaps a little of her awesomeness died today :(

Oh no! Didnt mean to do that.

 

You are awesome!  

I feel a little more awesome already

. Modern will obviously explode if you try this.

 

They wont explode, they just do it for you anyway.

 

Just like the ADB-Sport E-Diff on your car.

 

Lee

No they wont explode, they will just stall.

Throttle input is ruled out if you touch the brake. Unless you take your foot of the throttle and (still applying the brake) go on the throttle again.

Stupid fail safe thing, that makes double declutching and feeding the throttle during left braking nearly impossible....

 

Not all cars.

 

Amanda's BMW wont kill the power if you are on the brake. Yes you can left foot brake and yes you can power against the brake for a more agressive launch on auto models.

 

Lee

Edited 1 November, 201510 yr by logiclee

I would like the BMW Owners Manual translation on that.

 

The Ultimate Drivers car has no Snow / Loose Surface button available with the advanced autobox,

(for those mere mortals that buy and drive BMWs and that are not the few Driving Gods)

but there is an Explosive Diarrhoea function.  

(Useful on the UK Public Highways. NOT!.)

 

....................

It is good to see so many BMW's now have x-Drive badges on the rump,

(I hope it is not just Badges but they are 'x-Drive', because some buy M Badges and apply those, but just the badge.)

and lets hope that with the correct tyres on for the conditions there will be less of BMW's in the UK crashed and on the back of transporters, or stuck / abandoned at the roadside, or just snaking up the slightest incline

on a cold winter, spring or autumn day.

I would like the BMW Owners Manual translation on that.

 

 

It's not a BMW auto box it's a bought in ZF unit the ZF8HP as used by BMW, Porsche, VAG, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Land/Range Rover, Jaguar, Maserati, Chrysler, Dodge, and a few more.

 

For loose traction surfaces the manual advises pulling away in 2nd and turning the stability system from DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) to DTC (Dynamic Traction Control). The gearbox change points differ depending on numerous factors, traction control settings and operation, driving mode selection, load and on later boxes GPS.

In my opinion it's a far better box than the DSG (Which also doesn't have a snow button)

 

And obviously they advice fitting winter tyres.

 

Lee

Edited 1 November, 201510 yr by logiclee

You said some of that already.

As we know many owners never read Owners Manual.

Maybe a Big Sticker is required to tell them how to use the Autobox is required.  (US Stylee)

(& one pointing out how indicators operate next to it.)

You said some of that already.

As we know many owners never read Owners Manual.

Maybe a Big Sticker is required to tell them how to use the Autobox is required.  (US Stylee)

(& one pointing out how indicators operate next to it.)

 

To put the DSG in 2nd (Once moving) is the same process. (although an push instead of a pull.) Do VAG fit stickers?

Edited 1 November, 201510 yr by logiclee

Maybe just a higher degree of common sense is expected from their buyers / drivers.

Not marketing the 'Ultimate Driving Machine'.   just transportation.