Hi folks, been away for 5 1/2 years , but coming back to the fold. However, I haven't decided which version to go for, apart from VRS with DSG. I live in the sticks in Northumberland, so would appreciate any comments on how the 4x4 performs in the snow..Ta.

Well I haven't driven my VRS 4x4 in the snow but the grip compared to my old VRS TSI is on a whole new level, wet or dry there's never even a whiff of wheel spin and under pretty hard cornering it just goes where I point it.

The tyre sizes aren't ideal for snow but it's still going to beat any FWD and RWD cars by a long shot

The 4x4 works very well in snow.

Give it good tyred and you'll really have to try to get stuck.

And its great fun too. You can drift those roundabouts :p

Is it a mechanical 4wd or haldex?

Its more down to the tyres than how many wheels are driven.

Its Haldex.

And Huskoda, tyres are important. But this winter Ive driven places where you wouldnt stand a chance with a 2wd.

Like the driveway to my granny. Steep, without any possibility to pick up speed before the climb.

Condition was ice with 10cm wet, heavy snow on top. I could stop half way up and just keep going without problems.

Next car, Fwd, tried multiple times and couldnt even get half way up.

Edited 19 April, 201610 yr by Gromle

Not sure of your location, but if located where it snows lightly/rarely you should be fine with 4x4 and summer tyres.

If you're located where it snows a lot or heavily, I'd consider fitting cold weather tyres. I got caught out quite badly during my first winter with my Scout during 2010 where the snow was 4-6 inches deep in the roads to and from work;loss of traction, wheelspin, and generally not going anywhere.

I now have Cold Weather tyres on from approximately October to April/May. Not sure of tyre sizes for vRS 4x4, but I found the narrower 16 inch wheel/tyre combination performed better than just swapping straight over to the same size 17 inch.

I've had heavy prolonged hailstone showers three days last week, and the gritters were out twice last night.

Edited 19 April, 201610 yr by Guest

I live on the fellside just over the border.

 

Had a Mk2 VRS. Utterly useless in the bad winter of 2009/10. Couldn't get out the village, as I had Michelin Sport summer tyres on

 

Bought a set of winter tyres. Transformed the car. could go anywhere.

 

Outperformed 4x4s which had summer tyres on.

 

The Quattro will help, obviously, but it wont help you stop any quicker if you don't have a good set of winters on.

 

Am now running Goodyear Vector all seasons on my elegance and will do the same when I get my new vrs next month.

Thanks everybody. I've currently got a BMW Z4, and when I bought that, I also bought a set of winter wheels and tyres.It does seem that the tyres make more difference than the drive. I should imagine though, 4x4 with winter tyres would be great fun  :sun: I shall keep you updated.

4x4 with winter tyres would be the best possible option

 

and great fun

Its Haldex.

And Huskoda, tyres are important. But this winter Ive driven places where you wouldnt stand a chance with a 2wd.

Like the driveway to my granny. Steep, without any possibility to pick up speed before the climb.

Condition was ice with 10cm wet, heavy snow on top. I could stop half way up and just keep going without problems.

Next car, Fwd, tried multiple times and couldnt even get half way up.

Don't want to get into the whole 2wd/4wd / winter v summer tyres thing, but the common thread is how much better 4wd makes you GO. What people never say is how much better it makes you stop. Thats cause it doesn't make you STOP! The tyres do!

Edited 19 April, 201610 yr by banksie

Well and the bigger brakes if you've got them!!!!!!!

Edited 19 April, 201610 yr by banksie

I haven't driven it under on snow or ice, but I can vouch for the AWD on dry and wet, even with plain summer tyres.

 

Today I've driven for 1100Km and the AWD makes my elegance a joy to drive into, along and out of the corners.

 

Very fluid, a pleasure. I remember how much I had to struggle with my MkII vrs.

Don't want to get into the whole 2wd/4wd / winter v summer tyres thing, but the common thread is how much better 4wd makes you GO. What people never say is how much better it makes you stop. Thats cause it doesn't make you STOP! The tyres do!

Of course it doesnt make you stop any better. Thats just common sense.

But with good tires, its often the going that can be problematic, not the stopping. At least if you have any clue how to drive a car...

Of course it doesnt make you stop any better. Thats just common sense.

But with good tires, its often the going that can be problematic, not the stopping. At least if you have any clue how to drive a car...

Think you've missed the point there! People say "the snow and ice is no problem cause I've got 4wd"...... The point is how does the 4wd help you stop? People just think it's about the going!

As regards having any clue about driving a car I think I do as I know it requires more skill to stop a car than it does to get it going! Commentators on F1 and MotoGP are rarely heard discussing how well someone accelerated out of a corner, if they do it will be as a result of how they entered the previous corner, setting the car/bike up ready to accelerate. They do however, seem to comment alot on how well someone can brake into a corner to then make a pass. Taking it to an extreme for normal road driving I know, but watch any YouTube/dashcam footage and it's usually the braking that gets people into bother.

Thread creep sorry!

Four wheel drive on mud is a very different thing to four wheel drive on snow/ice. Mud resists you moving and tries to stop you constantly, as you're basically paddling in it. Turning and stopping aren't really a big problem. Its mostly about getting traction for moving. Snow and ice make any changes difficult, whether thats increasing speed, decreasing or changing your direction of travel. Thats why tyres for snow and ice are far more important than driven wheels as they give you the bite into the surface (which is actually pretty solid, unlike mud) so you can make those changes.

I agree Huskoda. Tyres are more important than 4x4. 4x4 just makes it so much easier (and fun).

.

i was once driving down the M6 in wintry conditions during an episode of freezing rain. although the ambient temperature was above freezing the rain froze on contact with the road so was like an ice rink.

 

procession of us all driving at around 15/20mph keeping a safe distance.

 

invariably some halfwit in a Range Rover sport would come whizzing past at about 70mph, as he  was a 4x4 and could drive a lot quicker

 

Of course, he'd be stuffed in the central reservation a couple of miles further on. saw a good few of them that day....

As regards having any clue about driving a car I think I do as I know it requires more skill to stop a car than it does to get it going! Commentators on F1 and MotoGP are rarely heard discussing how well someone accelerated out of a corner, if they do it will be as a result of how they entered the previous corner, setting the car/bike up ready to accelerate. They do however, seem to comment alot on how well someone can brake into a corner to then make a pass. Taking it to an extreme for normal road driving I know, but watch any YouTube/dashcam footage and it's usually the braking that gets people into bother.

Thread creep sorry!

 

It's all about the braking.

 

That's why I will always put the better tyres on the front of a FWD car, not on the back (there are many that disagree with this!)

It's all about the braking.

 

That's why I will always put the better tyres on the front of a FWD car, not on the back (there are many that disagree with this!)

Do you know why the better (more tread) should be on the back?

Do you know why the better (more tread) should be on the back?

In snow (wich this thread is about) they should absolutely not be on the back. Unless you want to go straight ahead...

I have heard this before many years ago on 5th gear, and I havent seen any one else endorse it, but it comes down to breaking induced oversteer, or in some driving conditions it manifests itself as instability. I do agree from a braking point of view understeer is easier to deal with, I'm talking evasive manovering. But in all other aspects having low tread on the front especially in a deisel with 380nm, can be a pain when you want to screw someone at the lights when the road is wet.

Not to mention the rear brakes on a front drive car do 10% of the breaking under normal driving, with 4wd and rear it's more due to the inertia of the drive train.

Edited 20 April, 201610 yr by Alpha2110

"Of course it doesnt make you stop any better"

 

I didnt compare directly,

but since there should always be a minimum percentage of connection with the engine also for rear wheels (the haldex should provide 10%-20% on the rear ,if I'm not wrong), I bet that braking should be more effective, (unless, of course, you press the clutch pedal)

Edited 20 April, 201610 yr by Genoa1893

"Of course it doesnt make you stop any better"

I didnt compare directly,

but since there should always be a minimum percentage of connection with the engine also for rear wheels (the haldex should provide 10%-20% on the rear ,if I'm not wrong), I bet that braking should be more effective, (unless, of course, you press the clutch pedal)

There is really not much difference. The eningebraking is marginal compared to hitting the brakepedal. And I think I can count on one hand the number of times Ive experienced that downshifting and enginebraking has caused the drivewheels to slide on 2wd cars.

The one reservation I had was not the Haldex but the DSG

 

I have spent most of my driving life feathering the clutch to get things moving in the snow and ice and using the clutch to 'rock' machines out of a hole in the mud. I have not seen much of either with the DSG but I cant help thinking it will not give you the same control.

 

Unfortunately the higher powered engines are generally available with DSG only so you tend to get neither or both. That said I have no issues with the DSG so far, seems best of both worlds to me.