Auto in the snow - help or hindrance?

[g3org3y]

I was always under the impression that autos were supposed to be bad in the snow. Have to admit my own personal experience (E30 325i) is somewhat different.

I find that the creep from an auto is quite a helpful in maintaining momentum without being on the throttle. With a decent box you are able to start in any gear you want and change when you want to change, as such no surprises. Also I'm of the opinion that the gradual/more gentle way the power is laid down (esp from standstill) really helps on the off.

Opinions?

[HBFS]

My Fabia vRS wearing winters has been really good. A lot better than expected and better than the maunal ford focus's and Astra's I've had...

[daemon]

I'd a c220CDI merc last year in the worst of the snow. Never stopped me getting anywhere i needed to go.

[Sir Bagalot]

g3org3y said:

I was always under the impression that autos were supposed to be bad in the snow.

Only to people who don't know how to drive in snow

[snuffle]

normal autos in the snow, ok
Toyota aygo auto in the snow, not ok.

[spaceship]

I found that the ability to take your foot off the brake and let it creep made pulling away easier. Plus mine had the winter mode button which meant that it pulled away in 3rd gear.

Only downside I found the lack of engine braking.

[Baryonyx]

For a creep in the snow, they should be alright in most places. I'd still prefer a manual though, for 'true' control of the car.

Not all autos were made equal though, there are plenty with useless 'winter' modes and other foibles that make them useless in the snow.

[g3org3y]

Baryonyx said:

For a creep in the snow, they should be alright in most places. I'd still prefer a manual though, for 'true' control of the car.

Not all autos were made equal though, there are plenty with useless 'winter' modes and other foibles that make them useless in the snow.

Old fashioned ZF in the E30 - put gear in 2 - car starts in 2nd and stays in 2nd. Job done. Manual change up to 3rd if required. It's only once I was on the main carriageway which was a lot clearer that I was happy to let the box shift itself. The unpredictability can land you in trouble with an unexpected downshift imo.

[kiethton]

I'm in a E350cdi courtesy car (thanks europa!) and have found it to be decent in the snow, well better than my 335i would have been anyway....

Changing down with the paddles gives the engine braking needed and it managed ok, not getting stuck once, considering we live on top of a hill 1/4 mile away from any gritted roads. However this was only after turning off the ESP system, it wouldn't even allow the car to creep and insisted on braking all wheels as it thought the car was skidding...

The only issue is when you stop at the side of a road on top of the snow, due to the camber of some roads you can't actually get going very easily at all, all fixed with a reverse around the corner into a driveway entrance though.

[hornetrider]

Definite drawback. Very difficult to get a rocking motion going if you get a bit stuck.

[Zwolf]

I've found them to be neither a particular help nor hindrance.

If pushed I say I prefer driving an auto in wintry conditions, partly as pulling away from stationary is easier (provided there's an engine with a decent amount of idle torque attached to it - that also applies to a manual though) and there's a smoother and more constant flow of torque to the driven wheels, it's not completely disengaged and re-engaged as in a manual gearbox, so it's one less bit of concentration required to maintain a steady state and a bit more you can devote to observing , steering and braking. That's from two winters with two different E32 750s.

When driving the manual I just tended to bring the clutch up in second or third to pull away at idle, idle rpm in third would get you to 15-20mph ish with no further throttle input in the M5 (3.8) I was using at the time. The 530d was trickier as it didn't have the idle torque to allow you to do that, it'd stall instead, you had to have the turbo blowing to make it work and then you had a bit more torque than ideal trying to get you going, and through the less helpful open diff to boot - that one *may* have been better as an auto.

So again, it's subject to other factors beyond simply which gearbox is in place.

[blearyeyedboy]

I had a Cadillac BLS- Saab 9-3 in drag- that was flipping marvellous one winter.

Then I ruined it by changing its Goodyear NCT5's for Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres the week before another snowfall. Completely undriveable in icy/snowy conditions after that- I just put the car in the parking space until it all went away.

[matthias73]

I suspect it doesn't matter as long as you don't floor it.

[S1_RS]

I find my V70 T5 Auto is absolutely fine in the snow, it does have a winter mode which drops it into a higher gear and alters the stall speed. As has been previously mentions the creep is useful when the conditions are very slippery.

[drivin_me_nuts]

Umm. Interesting question.

Yesterday wad my first day in an auto with snow. My barge has a snow mode and it was very useful in making progress and it cut the power to match the grip. Having no engine breaking was tricky going down hill and it had to be locked in first going down the A23 handcross hill.

That and a mix of no traction control and a heavy right foot also helped at other times getting it going - often sideways. Tricky at times. Limiting the changes made the biggest difference to stability.

Funny really, a heavy barge, snow and rwd makes for quickly learned lessons.

[Watchman]

hornetrider said:

Definite drawback. Very difficult to get a rocking motion going if you get a bit stuck.

I had occasion to require this of an auto and found it to be fine.

[noosh]

Always remember watching a tv show years ago about Iceland where when interviewing some 4x4 nuts there they all said they would only drive automatics for heavy snow use.

I had my first experience in an automatic on snow yesterday as it was the only car in the house parked downhill so it was deemed easier to get out in. Didn't really feel the auto box was any extra help or hindrance. Nice not to risk stalling though.

[LukeSi]

I think this is a situation where the modern DSG, SMG, etc boxes come into their own. You have the assurance that it won't stall but the control to pick which gear you deem most suitable. And only a minor chance of the car calling you an idiot and making its own mind up even in manual mode.

[Deva Link]

blearyeyedboy said:

I had a Cadillac BLS- Saab 9-3 in drag- that was flipping marvellous one winter.

Then I ruined it by changing its Goodyear NCT5's for Goodyear EfficientGrip tyres the week before another snowfall. Completely undriveable in icy/snowy conditions after that- I just put the car in the parking space until it all went away.

...and presumeably you were changing the tyres as they were almost worn out and replacing them with new tyres?

These discussions always ignore the fact that some summer tyres are absolutely useless in snow whereas others aren't too bad at all. My wife's car had Dunlop SP2030's - never had a moments problem for the last two winters - turns out in some countries Dunlop sells them as All-Season tyres.

[drivin_me_nuts]

I do wonder at the differences between 'normal' summer tyres. Mine are 245/45R19's. A heavy car and relatively tall made it easier to progress than some of the BMW's I saw ... 5 series seemed to be top of the 'stuck list'.