Snowed In

(19-01-2013 04:20pm)James @ Hadley Green LR Wrote:  Turning off DSC when all 4 wheels have limited traction is very important.

James

Why James? I thought DSC was needed to balance the grip? I drove with DSC on and it felt good. When I tested DSC off, it was fun for a very short while but didn't feel very safe.

Mark.

I curious, did you attempt the subsequent journey in reverse by accident or did you plan to do it?

Can't say I would have thought to go up our hill backwards.

(19-01-2013 04:36pm)leveller Wrote:  Why James? I thought DSC was needed to balance the grip? I drove with DSC on and it felt good. When I tested DSC off, it was fun for a very short while but didn't feel very safe.

This is maybe a poor explanation but I will try anyway. It was a long time ago when an LRE instructor explained it to me.

If you come across a section of snow where the car loses traction altogether DSC kicks in as it thinks the car is in a skid/slide and tries to correct it by applying the brakes to the wheels that are slipping, if it's all 4 then you won't move anywhere, switching it off will allow more wheel spin allowing the car to find grip.

Apologies if this explanation is incorrect. It does work though, I had to do it today, took the Evoque up the Lomond hills for some photos and I had unwittingly stopped with the front wheel in a deep pothole. When I pulled away there wasn't enough traction to get out, 4 wheels just spun with traction control symbol on the dash eventually the car was just revving but not going anywhere. Switched the DSC off allowing my wheels to spin and the rear wheels found some grip to get me moving.

(19-01-2013 04:36pm)leveller Wrote:  Why James? I thought DSC was needed to balance the grip? I drove with DSC on and it felt good. When I tested DSC off, it was fun for a very short while but didn't feel very safe.

In the manual it is explained... pretty much as J77 says, Disable for pulling away in loose snow.

I think in simple terms, leave in on until you don't have any traction or means to get moving, then try turning it off to get going again, unless you are experienced in off roading to leave it off all the time.

LRE showed us how to turn off and took us for some sliding on the grass with and without, but I don't remember it being mentioned to help you when stuck.

   

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If you just saw Winterwatch "The Big Freeze" about the Winter of 1963, we don't know the meaning of snowed in! 2 months of solid unrelenting minus temperatures and snow across whole of UK, trouble is the diesel froze along with the sea for 100m offshore and the complete English channel froze over!

Another reason is that when you are in snow or mud you should use your steering from lock to lock with gentle power application to try and get traction, doing this also makes the DSC sensors think you are trying to avoid an accident and it will cut the power

(19-01-2013 04:20pm)James @ Hadley Green LR Wrote:  Turning off DSC when all 4 wheels have limited traction is very important.

James

Thank you, I thought just setting snow mode would have done that.

Thanks for that advice!

If you are driving along the road in snowy conditions I would leave it on, only disable to get out of a stationary stuck position.

GGS doesn't turn it off as the car doesn't know if you are doing 40mph around a bend, or the wheels are turning at 40mph but the car is stationary and can't get traction. By turning it off you are telling it you can't get traction and need the wheels to spin.

It's the same on a two wheel drive vehicle, many a time I have found that the vehicle just seats there & the only way to break free is by turning off the traction control.

As it's been said, I would only do this if you find yourself stuck.

Update.

It's been snowing near Ipswich since 11:00am & it's still going
So I went out to test the systems out. This was carried out in a empty private car park with 5" of fresh snow. flooring it in each test on a fresh bit of snow.

In normal mode car pulled away with the rear end waving about.
With the traction control turned off. Wheels there spinning like mad, but I was still pulling away.
In snow mode it was like pulling away on a summers day

So nothing that I wouldn't have expected. But it was fun.