After horrendous winter last year with yeti on snow has anyone any suggestions as someone said can change to manual .? A sports car behind us was better we had to have a push!,

 

 

Use winter tyres...

I agree:  use winter tyres.  But yes,  you can use the DSG box as a manual...  just push the lever sideways to the left (away from you on a RHD car),  then nudge it up (forwards) or down (backwards) to shift gears.  Its all in the owners handbook.

I do have a 1.2 Yeti with Dunlop winter tyres and I have to be honest and say that last year, in that brief but severe drop of snow and ice, I took the car round the corner and stopped for a minute or so, on the level, to do a bit of 'off piste' snow shovelling ... and getting going again was not entirely straight forward.

 

It was the first time, since buying them ages ago, that I actually used them in real snow and ice conditions and I have to say I was disappointed.

 

Others will have far more experience but next time I won't go to the trouble of getting steel wheels and winter tyres and storing them in my garage for seven years .... I'll either stay indoors when it snows or get Cross Climates of another set of Goodyear Vector All seasons.

 

Incidentally I had the Goodyear All Seasons on a little Hyundai for seven years and they were OK for normal running around (albeit I never had occasion to use them in icy weather) .... until the shoulders of all four tyres developed cracks all the way round and I binned them and replaced them with ordinary Kumho summer tyres.... obviously their age was against them - they still had loads of tread left on them.

As it's a first post here I think either someone has either been driving in snow with bald tyres or it's a wind up.

7 year old winter tyres will really be that bad. Hardened petrified rubber in cold weather.

Many moons ago, when Noah's dog was a pup, I picked up some 'Griptracks'. I have used them in both mud and snow with satisfactory results. They consist of two lengths (about 2' 6") of yellow plastic tread that you put close in front of the driving wheels. They give enough traction to get you moving a d, if you tie suitable lengths of string/cord to them, they get pulled along until you can stop to retrieve them. The pair of them only weigh a few pounds and, being flat, just store nicely behind the back seat.

Can't compete with winter tyres but can get you moving in an emergency.

1 hour ago, Gerrycan said:

7 year old winter tyres will really be that bad. Hardened petrified rubber in cold weather.

 

Point taken.  (althought last year they would have been six yrs old ... but I acknowledge the point.)

 

Visually they look as new (in summer they're stored in my garage and individually wrapped in a blanket, laying on their side.

It is an issue with unused spare tyres as well especially when sat on the back of a big 4wd exposed to the aussie sun for a few years.

A similar situation with space savers that cannot be used in any tyre rotation and eventually they will harden.

Edited 29 October, 20187 yr by Gerrycan

On 28/10/2018 at 17:48, Zarniwoop said:

I agree:  use winter tyres.  But yes,  you can use the DSG box as a manual...  just push the lever sideways to the left (away from you on a RHD car),  then nudge it up (forwards) or down (backwards) to shift gears.  Its all in the owners handbook.

Yes true BUT - you can't set off in any gear other than 1st and that doesn't help with traction. In a manual car you can put it into 3rd to set off and it helps prevent too much wheel spin.

I have a 1.2 TSI DSG Yeti and it's crap in snow. I use snow socks and these do work remarkably well.

I'm thinking of investing in winter tyres though.

Will a 1.2 move off without any throttle? If so that should get you going.

Thank you vRSG60 we were beginning to think after years driving volvos in snow.We were only ones thinking our 1.2 TSI DSG Yeti  was rubbish last year in the snow.Only two years old so no bald tyres as previous post  suggested.We will consider snow socks after your suggestion  but has anyone used snow chains on this model and advice which is best?Thanks again for verifying our problem.Love yeti  in other ways but last yr in the north more snow than usual.

Where are you driving in the UK that you are going far enough in open roads that putting on chains is worth while?   If the roads are not ploughed and home delivery vans and post vans going about are you really going driving?

Hi completly agree i drove postal vans for 40 yrs in the countryside  aswell.But last year after setting of from home to go on a very important holiday we were caught unawares in loads snow on way to airport.Not forcast ,no ploughs ,That is why considering snow tyres or chains.Also family live over pennines would you be happy to be stuck on top M62 in ideal world would stay wrapped up at home.But thanks advice

Snow or winter tyres are the solution,  but then again the 2nd post in this thread said that.  There is a tyre section on this forum.

Edited 30 October, 20187 yr by Offski

On 29/10/2018 at 09:05, Gerrycan said:

7 year old winter tyres will really be that bad. Hardened petrified rubber in cold weather.

 

Unlikely on winter tyres, age related problems, yes, but not due to the cold weather  ... they are designed for low temperatures stay supple at low temperatures .... they usually come into there own performance wise below 4 degrees. Just my 2p worth.

19 hours ago, umpie said:

Hi completly agree i drove postal vans for 40 yrs in the countryside  aswell.But last year after setting of from home to go on a very important holiday we were caught unawares in loads snow on way to airport.Not forcast ,no ploughs ,That is why considering snow tyres or chains.Also family live over pennines would you be happy to be stuck on top M62 in ideal world would stay wrapped up at home.But thanks advice

THe trouble is, as I found last winter, that even if your car can still move, others can't and all the roads qiuickly block up. So heavy snow on the M62 will soon have the road blocked with hgv's struggling up the hill.

19 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

THe trouble is, as I found last winter, that even if your car can still move, others can't and all the roads qiuickly block up. So heavy snow on the M62 will soon have the road blocked with hgv's struggling up the hill.

One solution would be to make it an offence to drive on major roads in snow without winter tyres. Done on the continent so why not here?

Because lots of the UK has no need for Winter or Snow Tyres being compulsory for a few days or even hours of snow.

The areas that have lots of snow regularly through winters have drivers with a clue sometimes.

 

Areas like Central Scotland that even had one of the first Red Weather Warnings for snow had chaos with hardly any snow but HGV's LGV's and many others ignoring advice about not travelling.

*The economy, the NHS, Education, Commerce & Industry would grind to a halt if everyone does what the Weather People, Media and Politicians say to do, they seem to think everyone can work from home...*

http://bbc.co.uk/newsround/43227409

 

Even Police Scotland have vehicles out with unsuitable tyres for winter use, or totally unsuitable vehicles full stop.  Road Blocked type full stop.

In the Highlands and Islands or the North East Coast of Scotland there are Emergency Services Vehicles, Response vehicles with inappropriate tyres for responding and getting to and back from emergencies.

 

Nothing new, no matter how many millions every winter a Transport Minister says they will provide for equipment and vehicles.

http://trafficscotland.org

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 November, 20187 yr by Offski

On 29/10/2018 at 10:59, oldstan said:

 

Point taken.  (althought last year they would have been six yrs old ... but I acknowledge the point.)

 

Visually they look as new (in summer they're stored in my garage and individually wrapped in a blanket, laying on their side.

 

Age aside, what is their tread depth.

 

Winter tyre performance is said to diminish significantly as they reach 4mm.

 

6-7 years old, even with low annual mileage would suggest close to 20,000 miles?

2 hours ago, Offski said:

Because lots of the UK has no need for Winter or Snow Tyres being compulsory for a few days or even hours of snow.

The areas that have lots of snow regularly through winters have drivers with a clue sometimes.

 

Areas like Central Scotland that even had one of the first Red Weather Warnings for snow had chaos with hardly any snow but HGV's LGV's and many others ignoring advice about not travelling.

*The economy, the NHS, Education, Commerce & Industry would grind to a halt if everyone does what the Weather People, Media and Politicians say to do, they seem to think everyone can work from home...*

http://bbc.co.uk/newsround/43227409

 

Even Police Scotland have vehicles out with unsuitable tyres for winter use, or totally unsuitable vehicles full stop.  Road Blocked type full stop.

In the Highlands and Islands or the North East Coast of Scotland there are Emergency Services Vehicles, Response vehicles with inappropriate tyres for responding and getting to and back from emergencies.

 

Nothing new, no matter how many millions every winter a Transport Minister says they will provide for equipment and vehicles.

http://trafficscotland.org

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, but you are applying real life logic - not something our governments (of any hue) are known for!!

48 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

 

Age aside, what is their tread depth.

 

Winter tyre performance is said to diminish significantly as they reach 4mm.

 

6-7 years old, even with low annual mileage would suggest close to 20,000 miles?

 

The total mileage of the car is 31,206. And the winter tyres are on for five or six months of every year ... and I do less miles in the winter than I do in the summer as I use the Yeti solely for trips out - and I do less winter trips than summer ones. I have another car which gets as much (or as little) use as the Yeti. So, no, they haven't done 20,00 miles.

 

I've spent ages looking for my tyre tread depth gauge having put it "somewhere safe" ... so safe, in fact, that it can't now be found :-(

 

When I find it I'll answer your question.

Edited 1 November, 20187 yr by oldstan

I used my Octavia DSG in the snow earlier this year with regular tyres and didn't have any trouble. I did however reduce the tyre pressures to 20-25psi.

 

Welcome.

That is OK for a short period of time or miles on snow but a good way to wreck tyres sidewalls, and as soon as you are using the car on blacktop you need to get the pressures up again as the tyres can overheat without actually going that far or fast.

I was out in the snow this year doing my bit as a Wessex 4x4 Response member. Didn't encounter any problems with traction, steering etc. The real problem was other inexperienced drivers! 1.9 DSG Yeti.