Wow the SLK is rubbish in snow

[sanguinary]

I thought the SLK (R170) was bad in the snow until yesterday. It appears my CL does a much better job of not moving! I wish I could turn the traction control off fully. It's far too intrusive for my liking.

Edited by sanguinary on Thursday 6th December 09:20

[Midds]

Dog Star said:

I remember winter two years ago when I went to see my grandmother and had parked the OHs C class coupe outside. Packed snow car park, totally flat. When I got out I couldn't even get it out of the space, and a couple of blokes eventually pushed it out. This was no use as I was then stuck in the middle of the car park - I could actually get out of the car with it in drive and walk around it, the rear wheels were just turning lazily. If I pushed the car sideways on the rear quarter it would actually just slide around. I don't think you could actually make something more frictionless if you deliberately went out to design it so. (Tyres were new Conti SportContact 3s by the way). I had to get my mum to come out and tow me out with my dads Landcruiser - from a totally flat carpark!

Winters transformed the car and it could go up just about anything after that.

I run a W221 S320cdi now, but used to work for MB and so drove all the range, they are all the same bar FWD and 4x4. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the Sottozero's I have on there at the moment, they work better than standard tyres + Q7 (certainly for braking)

[kryten22uk]

yellowbentines said:

You can still turn ESP off but instead of a handy button on the centre console like before you have to scroll through menus on the instrument cluster, not ideal.

Mine has a button on the centre console. Dunno why I couldn't see it when I was in a flap yesterday.

[ChrisNic]

I drove to work in my R172 250 cdi earlier in the week, there was only about an inch of snow and it was utterly useless getting out of my road up a small slope. My neighbours were trundling around just fine but it wouldn't move at all with ESP and would spin its wheels at idle without.

I'm not looking forward to the rest of the winter......

[Midds]

Buy winter tyres. Small investment for your security and safety.

[rassi]

Why is it so difficult to understand that winter tyres should be considered indispensable on a RWD car? Why spend a lot of money on a Mercedes (or BMW) and then not invest in a set of winter tyres? Small price to pay to be able to drive safely in winter time...

[P7ERM]

Might be rubbish in the snow but its great for work...

[Hol]

Thread resurrection due to me looking for a solution.

My wife gets back to our train station earlier than me, so I suggested she take my S4 home and leave me her SLK.

It really is ste, and seems to put on the front brakes whenever the rear loses traction. Not much help when you are attempting to pull away from a standing start and the front brakes engage.


Winter tyres would have been useful for this one day in 600 of ownership, buts it's also probably too late to tell people not to get on the Titanic.


I'm dragging the ProEvo out the garage so I can go tow it home from where it was dumped last night.

[Sheepshanks]

Hol said:

It really is ste, and seems to put on the front brakes whenever the rear loses traction. Not much help when you are attempting to pull away from a standing start and the front brakes engage.

Not heard that before. It might be the ESP intervening - did you try with it off?

I run my C Class estate (which are noted for being spectacularly useless in snow) on all-seasons year round although I've never tested them in snow. They do inspire a lot of confidence in very wet weather.

[Captain Smerc]

My C63 was fully mobile last night , thank you Vredestien Wintracs ! Will be out again later today for extra smugness