How has your merc performed in the snow?
Discussion
Excellent
Its been warm and dry. That's because I know not to take it out of the garage.
With the drive having a slope and the gate having a few mm to spare it isn't worth trying to get past the driveway, let alone get off our estate.
Even the work pool Vectra got stuck in the drive on Friday - terrible grip. And my Merc has the same Michelin rubber.
On the other hand the wife's Jazz iShift has been brilliant - even if mpg has fallen somewhat off its usual 59mpg (or better) - down to 53.
Any my push bike has been excellent - not felt the cold - and in the dark drivers seem to be showing caution - for once !!! One tw@t passed by with three inches to spare this morning though, in daylight. He had enough problems, driving a Rover 75.
Its been warm and dry. That's because I know not to take it out of the garage.
With the drive having a slope and the gate having a few mm to spare it isn't worth trying to get past the driveway, let alone get off our estate.
Even the work pool Vectra got stuck in the drive on Friday - terrible grip. And my Merc has the same Michelin rubber.
On the other hand the wife's Jazz iShift has been brilliant - even if mpg has fallen somewhat off its usual 59mpg (or better) - down to 53.
Any my push bike has been excellent - not felt the cold - and in the dark drivers seem to be showing caution - for once !!! One tw@t passed by with three inches to spare this morning though, in daylight. He had enough problems, driving a Rover 75.
Some weight in the boot of your 120d (or 3 series or C63) together with disabled traction control would have made a world of difference.
My C240 was hopeless in the snow. Yet my SL500, with its wide sporty rear tyres and big engine, is curiously very good. I can only assume that this is because one sits almost over the rear wheels.
Has anyone tried these? www.autosock.co.uk?
My C240 was hopeless in the snow. Yet my SL500, with its wide sporty rear tyres and big engine, is curiously very good. I can only assume that this is because one sits almost over the rear wheels.
Has anyone tried these? www.autosock.co.uk?
cinque said:
Superb in a GL320 here, no probs with traction at all.
Had the back out and a few 360's in a disused car park, a real hoot at over 5m long!
Out of interest, what tyre/wheel combo is that? 19"? Had the back out and a few 360's in a disused car park, a real hoot at over 5m long!
My GL is on 275/50R20s which are near the end of their life and they have been pretty good this year. Last year was a different story however...
C43 through London during last night's rush hour? Rubbish.
Mind you it was ultra-slippery as I found out with a big dose of lift-off oversteer on the first corner. At 10mph. It would break traction at anything over 700rpm, I could lock both fronts at 5mph. Speed bumps on slight inclines were serious obstacles. My 30 min commute took nigh on 2 hours.
Mind you it was ultra-slippery as I found out with a big dose of lift-off oversteer on the first corner. At 10mph. It would break traction at anything over 700rpm, I could lock both fronts at 5mph. Speed bumps on slight inclines were serious obstacles. My 30 min commute took nigh on 2 hours.
My C240 was hopeless in the snow. Yet my SL500, with its wide sporty rear tyres and big engine, is curiously very good. I can only assume that this is because one sits almost over the rear wheels.
Brave man - I havent dared take my SL500 out of the garage - but good to hear it might not be quite as bad as I feared.
Brave man - I havent dared take my SL500 out of the garage - but good to hear it might not be quite as bad as I feared.
C36 tucked up warm under a cover next to my MG , not to be disturbed until March .
1994 W124 E280 on new Michelin pilots , superb really and never stranded me ( in common with all the 124`s I`ve used in winter months for the past few years ) .
2008 B class has a nanny traction control but feels fairly planted .
I`m not a fan of front drive really and would rather take my chances with rear drive even in the snow . There`s absolutely no worse feeling in a car than slow speed impotent understeer . With rear drive , you can always reverse up a hill if the need arises .
1994 W124 E280 on new Michelin pilots , superb really and never stranded me ( in common with all the 124`s I`ve used in winter months for the past few years ) .
2008 B class has a nanny traction control but feels fairly planted .
I`m not a fan of front drive really and would rather take my chances with rear drive even in the snow . There`s absolutely no worse feeling in a car than slow speed impotent understeer . With rear drive , you can always reverse up a hill if the need arises .
My W163 ML320 was (as usual) nothing short of amazing in the snow and ice.
I live well out in the sticks and the last 3 miles of roads to the village are not gritted, the ML coped very well.
On one of the steepest hills (which was just a sheet of compacted snow/ice) I stopped the Merc then booted it from stationary, it just pulled away like it was on dry tarmac - it's quite rare to see the ESP light flashing even on snow/ice.
Overall excellent. It's probably worth about £3000 now, the only downsides are the slightly dated styling and the 18mpg I get. On the plus side I get heated/electric leather seats, 4wd, ESP, BAS, low range box, auto, BOSE system, heated mirrors/washer jets, auto dipping rear view mirror, electric windows etc, etc
FANTASTIC !
I live well out in the sticks and the last 3 miles of roads to the village are not gritted, the ML coped very well.
On one of the steepest hills (which was just a sheet of compacted snow/ice) I stopped the Merc then booted it from stationary, it just pulled away like it was on dry tarmac - it's quite rare to see the ESP light flashing even on snow/ice.
Overall excellent. It's probably worth about £3000 now, the only downsides are the slightly dated styling and the 18mpg I get. On the plus side I get heated/electric leather seats, 4wd, ESP, BAS, low range box, auto, BOSE system, heated mirrors/washer jets, auto dipping rear view mirror, electric windows etc, etc
FANTASTIC !
Edited by BoxsterS3.2 on Wednesday 23 December 08:34
Coincidentally my Sport Coupe replaced a similar BMW 120d auto to the original poster. Amongst the long list of problems I experienced with it was dire traction and braking grip, before winter even hit. It was so bad that I never tried it in winter, preferring to use a TVR with lame heater.
Both the Sport Coupe and W202 estate have been very well behaved. Although the Sport Coupe is helped by its winter tyres, to offset its wider, lower profile tyres.
Both the Sport Coupe and W202 estate have been very well behaved. Although the Sport Coupe is helped by its winter tyres, to offset its wider, lower profile tyres.
No real problems in a CL55 AMG Kompressor. Any icy bits the traction control has pulled things back, mostly on higher ground with snow/ice on the road. That said the only tricky part has been getting into the street where we live; it rained then immediately froze t'was like an ice rink.
Put the auto box into M, selected second gear and crept up the hill.
It was a choice between the Chim 450 or the 500bhp Merc - even though it has probably twice the power of the TVR, weighs more than the sun it just feels more planted in the icy conditions. That and the heated seats work in the Merc
Put the auto box into M, selected second gear and crept up the hill.
It was a choice between the Chim 450 or the 500bhp Merc - even though it has probably twice the power of the TVR, weighs more than the sun it just feels more planted in the icy conditions. That and the heated seats work in the Merc
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