X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

[R_Ethug]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

jeff what i mean by boosting is

driving in 3rd gear at 2500RPM.. give gas and build 5-8lbs and rev to to 3500ish range and if ESP flashes thats my tell.. basically going 50km/hr to maybe 65... i sure as hell don't mean floor 3rd gear to redline and hit 160 LOL..

or do it in 2nd gear going 20km to 35-40 kinda deal.

our cars dont' need much to get a tire to lose traction on ice trust me.. plenty o' torque

as for coasting in neutral.. jayson you should be able to ride 2nd gear pretty long no?? or does your car want to stall?

i can ride 2nd gear down to basically 2km/hr without the car stalling


FWIW see this thread about me a few years back when I slid into a curb on ice

http://www.eurodrivers.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=7854

and check page 3 for the pic of my busted ass wheel/control arms/suspension/subframe

[Wildfire]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Whilst were on the subject, I have a question. Do you get the same engine braking effect on a auto-triptronic when shifting down?

[R_Ethug]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

yes you will.. thats one good thing about tips.. although nothing wrong with downshifting an older auto either

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

The biggest problem with drivers here is they think they either have to be on the gas or brake, coasting and downshifting can make a big difference on slippery surfaces but we all know most Calgary drivers are invincible!

[Deuce]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

i bet thats like 5k easily to repair

Yeah... for the parts. Add another 4k for labour.

[longsock]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

The biggest problem with drivers here is they think they either have to be on the gas or brake, coasting and downshifting can make a big difference on slippery surfaces but we all know most Calgary drivers are invincible!

So true. And people still love tail gating when its a skating rink outside...unbelieavable. I've had my rear bumper replaced 4 times since i've owned my car.
But if you drive manual, just down shift...and slowly break...c'mon we have mostly winter here in calgary, you would think people would be experts by now

[MusicalGenius]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Ryan, second almost never stalls out, but when my engine is hanging out around 800 - 1,000 RPM and ~ 10km/h second would stall out and first would be slow me down faster than I'd like. To the point where I'd have to keep my foot on the gas. Under 1,500 RPM in first a sustained speed almost … rocks my engine a little. It's not quite smooth at that point. Plus if I'm in gridlocked traffic I'm not worried about having to brake rapidly because the speeds are such that if I'd only really need to do really fast braking if I somehow fell asleep while driving.

I actually used to manually shift gears on my old auto Cavalier in the winter as well, not every single gear all the time but it helped quite a bit in a number of situations.

Serge, never assume anything my friend. If everyone was an expert we wouldn't have so many asinine issues on a continual basis.

[JLam]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

in my experience the break should be the last option. downshifting, changing lanes, steering to the right, using deep snow to slow you down. whats the old racing motto? when in doubt both feet out, when in a spin both feet in. Of course dumping off the gas is not advisable as it can send you into oversteer. however winter tyres are a double edged sword they are actually worse on ice (unless studded) you want more surface area and a flatter tread for handling on ice

[Tuna]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Shoulda bought Haldex
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Just kidding that's too bad, hopefully you'll get it back in to show condition again.

[p951]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

in my experience the break should be the last option. downshifting, changing lanes, steering to the right, using deep snow to slow you down. whats the old racing motto? when in doubt both feet out, when in a spin both feet in. Of course dumping off the gas is not advisable as it can send you into oversteer. however winter tyres are a double edged sword they are actually worse on ice (unless studded) you want more surface area and a flatter tread for handling on ice

Winter tires are NOT EVER worse on ice than all-season or summer tires! The tread composition is MUCH MUCH softer than any other tires and will grip the ice better, also they have many more sipes that will wick away the film of water from between the ice and the tread.

If your logic was true, then full race tires would be best on ice! Don't even think about it. That is just dangerous thinking.

Winter tires are the BEST at any temperature below about 7C (yes, that's plus 7C).

[onepointeightdub]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Coasting in neutral at ~10km/h is far better than either riding the clutch or hovering your car at it's stall point. From what Jan Ryan mentioned about boosting I'm pretty sure he either meant that you hit the point where boost kicks in to simply test the possible traction available on the road. Not actually boosting through and continuing to accelerate recklessly.

It seems to me that you simply misread or misinterpreted some of the statements posted earlier.

Good point also I didn't say that I ride the "clutch" I just said that I ride the car with rpm's lower than 2000 (try to anyway) but the main point was as long as i'm not where the boost kicks in i'm good.. As long as the tires are turning I know I have some traction. Drivers just need to be aware of the balance between too much wheelspin and locking the wheels while accelerating and deceleration..

[bonfire]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Winters are also fun on +30 degree days. Can get some fun sliding, and loud tire screeching.

I drove a Mk1 last winter, that thing was unbelievably stable. One some older Blizzaks, I never once had a problem with it. I also drove it very aggressively. It had absurd amounts of traction. My way home was through Mt. Royal which can be very icy. Modern day cars with TC and whatnot were always having problems, with tire spin. I blame it on people in cars with too much horsepower.

[T-Dubbs]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

my awd and my oem all season tires(255/40/20)
never had a problem, and i live in the snow belt in ontario(wayyyy more snow here than calgary)
i find that traction control harms more than it helps, when im in a sticky situation, it cuts all power and it just puts the vehicle into uncontrolable(sp) slides.
if traction is off, at least i can somewhat power out of harms way, or gain control back.

[bonfire]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

Meh, I find snow much more grippy than ice. We get absurd amounts of ice here due to the Chinooks.

[Aleks]

Re: X-drive? Whatever...What way to start a day.

he has winters

reggie how big are the tires? i hate wide tires in the winter 225s are bad enough for me

red90

the way i test traction with quattro.. having 400tq helps but all i do is say i'm on country hills blvd doing 60 in 3rd gear.. simply boost the car and if ESP starts flashing then i know at least 1 tire slipped and thats enough for me to drive safe.

Yah I've been having fun with my 235's