Snow Driving

[futureboy]

I got a couple photos before we started shovelling.
XLT:

Jetta:

 

[Halwg]

Toyo has an "All Weather" tire out called the Celsius. Consumer Reports tested it and it did as well, or better than a lot of winter tires. And they can be used all year. For us "Southerners" who only get occasional snow from December to March, I think these would be a very good option.

 

[tinner]

futureboy- The snow makes for nice pictures, but honestly you can keep it in "The Great White North". Enjoy

 

[twobanger]

So it starts snowing yesterday night in Maryland yesterday so I decided to just take the Explorer out to whip it around in the snow because the roads were extra slipper with about a half inch of snow.

I have the 4WD so I wanted to test out all the terrain management settings.

Normal Mode: Very spot on, even though I didn't have it in snow mode, I would turn and I didn't even feel the car slipping at all and the traction control fired perfectly. No understeer or oversteer and easily kept the vehicle where I wanted to go. I did this multiple times whipping the car faster and faster as I go moderating the accelerator.

Snow mode: Controls my accelerating so nicely and no slippage whatsoever. I tried punching the gas but the car controlled the throttle perfectly. Kept my inputs well controlled and really prevents any lead foots from screwing you over. Much improvement from traditional 4WD systems in my opinion.

Sand Mode: For the heck of it, I wanted to see how sand mode would perform since it provides killer torque and power. You can really notice the difference from having traction control to no traction control. You'd be in so much trouble with the car whipping around. I understeered like crazy and the car wouldn't stop. It kept going straight wherever I turned. I would only put sandmode in if I was driving over like 10 - 12 inches of snow like I did last year to get out of a situation where I got stuck.

The vehicle electronics are dead on accurate in this car,much better than the traction control on my friend's 2007 Cadillac CTS which you would feel the body slipping for about 1 - 2 seconds before it responds. Also much better in keeping the vehicle in control than the traditional 4WD. I did this on pavement that hasn't been plowed or salted yet.

Funny, I took my Explorer out in the snow for the first time yesterday. Horrible! My jeep is 100 times better in the snow! I hope it was the fault of the Michelin Latitude tires.

 

[peterk9]

Funny, I took my Explorer out in the snow for the first time yesterday. Horrible! My jeep is 100 times better in the snow! I hope it was the fault of the Michelin Latitude tires.

If you weren't using dedicated Winter tires, then that is a big reason for the "Horrible" experience. '3 season' tires aren't built for Winter driving.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

If you weren't using dedicated Winter tires, then that is a big reason for the "Horrible" experience. '3 season' tires aren't built for Winter driving.

Peter

I hate to be the bandwagon here for winter tire sales, but Peter's 100% correct. I've never had an all season I was truly happy with. I've driven on Latitudes on the Escape I used to have years ago--one of those early/late snowfall situations. Nothing compares to a snow tire that'll make the Explorer truly unstoppable.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Weird, I didn't note any of that save for a single shorter shift. Throttle felt the same as did the AWD calibration.

If it’s working properly the entire point is for it to be transparent. I’m quite sure there’s a lot of variable changes behind the scenes you can’t detect.

 

[peterk9]

I tried using 'Snow' mode for a short drive and felt that it sort of 'dumbed down' the acceleration from a stand still. Didn't have it on long enough to experience anything else.
I usually just leave it in 'Normal' mode even on snow packed roads but may try "snow' mode again just to see. BTW, I use Winter tires.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

If it’s working properly the entire point is for it to be transparent. I’m quite sure there’s a lot of variable changes behind the scenes you can’t detect.

Understood, but the point was that I couldn't figure out how it was any better than normal mode.

If they deleted that switch from the console I wouldn't miss it one bit.

 

[Woah322]

What is the deepest the Explorer can go through in snow or have been in before it’s to high. Can it do 18”?

 

[Mbrooks420]

That’s an impossible question to answer. There is no depth. It depends on how heavy the snow is, how cold it is, what the base is, your tires, driving skill, and dumb luck.

 

[Woah322]

That’s an impossible question to answer. There is no depth. It depends on how heavy the snow is, how cold it is, what the base is, your tires, driving skill, and dumb luck.

There has to be a certain clearance before you start pushing the snow instead of going through it.
Would be stock tires on snow covered grass in freezing to sub freezing temperatures. Not sure how heavy the snow is, I like the dumb luck part cause there are times you may go one way in snow but can’t get back out

 

[Mbrooks420]

In the right snow conditions, it’s be whatever the lowest part of your bumper or front fascia is.

 

[peterk9]

There has to be a certain clearance before you start pushing the snow instead of going through it.
Would be stock tires on snow covered grass in freezing to sub freezing temperatures. Not sure how heavy the snow is, I like the dumb luck part cause there are times you may go one way in snow but can’t get back out

The advertised Minimum Running Ground Clearance is 7.8". As far as sub freezing temperatures and stock tires, that is probably the worst combination you can possibly have since the stock tires start to lose optimum grip at 44 F because they don't have the same rubber compound that allows true Winter tires to remain flexible in cold temperature. Even on bare roads, those stock tires won't have the same grip and safety as Winter tires especially in a hard braking situation.

Peter

 

[rockyrock]

I posted this in the wheels and tires section but that doesn't seem to be a good spot.

I live in California, in snow/ice conditions the requirement is 4WD + snow tires or chains--it's black and white. I've considered buying snow tires and keeping them installed all winter. They would certainly wear down much faster but I would think I could get three winters out of them. I have a three year lease so I will certainly end up replacing the stocks as I put about 20k miles a year. With the snow tire rotation, I may be able to make the stocks last the duration of the lease.

On a side note: I was up in the snow last weekend. We spent about four hours in 25 deg F temp with snow off an on the whole time. Road remained largely clear from traffic but I had no issues at all during the descent, rear wheels didn't engage once.

Any thoughts on the tires? I have the stock Hankook 255/50R20 for reference. Thanks

 

[kmarnes]

For the mostpart, SoCal's don't need winter tires, unless you go way up north or towards Big Bear. Hard to justify the cost for potentially a handful of times. The stock tires are absolutely terrible in real snow conditions, and combined with such a heavy car, you'll just keep sliding should you ever hit icy conditions. If I were you, I'd go with chains and carry them. Put them on only when you need to. It'll be a lot cheaper for the rare time you'll encounter bad conditions.

I on the other hand have dedicated winters, because I live in a climate where we get cold weather and snow and I have a ski habit. With snow tires in warm weather (temps above 45F / 7C), your tires will be too soft and wear too fast.