I just bought the 1.litre SE model at the end of December and thought it was a fantastic buy until we got snow yesterday - I’ve driven for 40 years and in Scotland can get extremes of weather - there was some snow and slush but I was terrified as I seemed to have no road holding until I got to a very clear motorway - have I missed something or should change settings - I’d hate to be caught in heavy snow - can any of you more experienced drivers help ? My old 15 year old Honda coped very well until it died and our old Golf or even Peugeot 307 held the road brilliantly- the Karoq wasn’t safe at all . 

Can you help please ? 

Thanks in advance 

15 minutes ago, Elspeth said:

have I missed something or should change settings

What tyres is it on?

Hi there’s - just the tyres that came with it - I have never changed to winter tyres before and that was in blizzard conditions- I think they are Bridgestone - are they not as good as Michelin - I was driving in slush - would the ESC have caused any problem ? I had to drive in the blizzards and heavy snow conditions 10 years ago in my Honda and got home but this was really nothing in comparison but didn’t feel any grip on the road 

3 minutes ago, Elspeth said:

I think they are Bridgestone

I don't rate Bridgestone, and I don't rate electronic "traction control" systems either. All the traction control does is back off the throttle if you get wheelspin, and that's no help at all really.

Did you use snow mode?

"The Snow mode is suitable for driving on slippery or snowy roads. In this mode, the automatic gearbox cannot be set to mode S"

Just to be clear I don't know what this actually does!

I don’t have a snow mode - that’s what I was looking for and emailed the dealer who there isn’t one 

When you get a new car it's always a good idea to check that the tyres are at the recommended pressure as you can't always rely on it being done during the PDI by the dealer.

Elspeth - regardless of who the manufacturer is, when it comes to snow it's all down to tyres. You also don't say if your car is auto or manual.

 

What size of tyres is on your car?  the info is printed on the tyre wall - the figure will be something like 225/45/17.

 

When it comes to snow / slush when using a summer tyre, it's the width and depth of the tyre that influences how the car will cope. Yur previous car may well have used a smaller width - 185 say. Another difference is those other cars had a lower centre of gravity than your Karoq.

 

There are three types of tyre - summer, winter and all-season. Here in the UK, the vast majority of cars are fitted with summer tyres. If your Golf and Peugeot had smaller summer tyres on them then they may have coped better BUT  I think you may be using poetic licence to decsribe them as holding the road brilliantly in snow and slush.

 

If you live out in the sticks then it may be an idea looking in to the possibility of changing your tyres to all-season on the Karoq. 

1 hour ago, Elspeth said:

I don’t have a snow mode - that’s what I was looking for and emailed the dealer who there isn’t one 

Yes sorry, have just checked and it's only available on 4x4 models.

Front wheel drive with a 1 litre 3 cylinder engine = no real weight over the front wheels, if you had say a 2.0l diesel lump it would be 10x better

Thanks folks - you are right in that it’s totally different from the Golf Peugeot 307 or the Civic so looks like I need new tyres that are all weather even though I just got in at Christmas- assume Michelin ? That’s the brand I usually get 

I don't like the standard Bridgestone Turanzas. To me noise equates to hardness equates to not good snow traction.

 

tom 

2 hours ago, Elspeth said:

Thanks folks - you are right in that it’s totally different from the Golf Peugeot 307 or the Civic so looks like I need new tyres that are all weather even though I just got in at Christmas- assume Michelin ? That’s the brand I usually get 

 

Some reviews/videos of various season tyres worth a look when/if you've time.

 

https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/7-of-the-best-all-season-tyres-for-2018.htm

 

https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2019-Auto-Bild-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

 

https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

 

My 1.5 SE was factory fitted with Hankook Ventus Prime 3 (summer) tyres and they are better than I thought they would be regarding wear and noise and not the worst summer tyres I've driven on in an inch of snow.

 

 

Edited 11 February, 20206 yr by Apprentice
another link added

4 hours ago, Elspeth said:

Thanks folks - you are right in that it’s totally different from the Golf Peugeot 307 or the Civic so looks like I need new tyres that are all weather even though I just got in at Christmas- assume Michelin ? That’s the brand I usually get 

If you like michelin go for some michelin cross climates, that way you can run them all year round

Thanks ago for your help folks ! Any suggestions are welcome 

20 hours ago, BigJase88 said:

Front wheel drive with a 1 litre 3 cylinder engine = no real weight over the front wheels, if you had say a 2.0l diesel lump it would be 10x better

 

That was my first thought as well. Other than that it's down to tyres and tyre pressure. No idea what brand of tyre my Karoq (same engine) will have fitted when it arrives in a few weeks, but I'll be investigating winter tyres for it come October/November. 

I'd never driven my previous Yeti, owned for 4 years, in any snow, as none around in the SE.  I'll be replacing the 17" Bridgestone Turanzas (not especially noisy in 17" size, but not silent) on my SE Tech Karoq next Autumn, probably with All Weather Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-2.  May keep the 17" wheels or am thinking of buying steel 16" wheels.  I go against the tide here, I actually prefer the look of steel wheels to most alloys.  It annoys my friends when I tell them this.

 

I'm most interested in attaining the quietest ride that copes well with ridges & broken road surfaces (least good aspect of Karoq suspension - in what is a rathernice ride overall).  Wet, also winter handling is still important to me, rain is never far away + just in case we do get snow in the next few years.  It just so happens the Goodyear 4Seasons are really good for noise + VG overall in the wet & snow, but at the expense of a bit worse dry handling and rolling resistance.  I recall 1 person here already has and likes them.  They are winter tyres adapted for all weather use, so that they don't overheat and fall apart in the summer.

 

Quite a few here like Michelin XClimates as already noted.  A friend changed to these on his Mini a few years ago and found them quieter than his previous summer tyres but ride was actually worse - may they just weren't a good match for the Mini suspension, but they do have stiffer rated sidewalls.  On the other hand, Michelins tyres generally are renowned for maintaining their new performance over much of their long life.  Maybe they are a good match for Karoq suspension in 17" size, but I don't know.  They are a summer tyre adapted for winter conditions and my Autoexpress review last Nov on a Golf 16"/205/55 rather reveals this, not bad in the snow & wet, but Goodyear rather better in this respect and somewhat quieter.  However, Michelins better in the dry , by quite a margin.  Auto review came to similar conclusions in the previous autumn too, rating the Goodyears best overall as all weather tyres.  I doubt the sidewalls are as robust as the Michelins though, but the Goodyears are still my likely choice, at least for now.

 

 

Having read everything above, there isn't much for me to add, only that I agree with what has already been posted...

 

1) The factory fitted Bridgestone tyres are widely criticised, both on here and on other forums.

2) The 1.5 TSI engine is quite light, which can have a surprising effect on front end traction / grip.

3) Michelin CrossClimate tyres, whilst not experiencing them myself, also get a lot of positive feedback and praise.

Continental TS850/860 Winters.

 

Rock solid.