GRIFF IN THE SNOW

GRIFF IN THE SNOW

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Discussion

MATHEW

Original Poster:

235 posts

271 months

Sunday 30th December 2001
quotequote all
Hi all.
I have today taken my griff 500 out for a spin in the Welsh hills (North Wales) and found it a real handfull in the slush and snow.
I started the day off with blue skies and about half an hour into my spin it started to snow, the griff did not like it and nither did I. If you think the Griff is twitchy in the wet then you should try it in slush / snow. The only good thing that came out of the trip was:
(a) I did not trash the car.
(b) It gave you a good driving lesson.
(c) Once out of the snow and back on dry roads I could open her up again.

Has anyone else driven in the snow if so please tell me your experiances.
Thanks.
PS The ice detector worked like a treat.

shpub

8,507 posts

273 months

Monday 31st December 2001
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I've sprinted the 520 (in its 390) form in the snow. Only about 10% slower than in the dry :eek
Don't know what you wussies are complaining about really...

All joking aside. It requires constent concentration and you just need to be incredibly smooth, use a higher gear than normal and guide the car around rather than trying to drive it. Putting the handbrake on a notch so that both rear wheels are locked together will help stop skewing off the line as well. Just do everything slower, smoother and with plenty of time.

The biggest problem is that for deep snow you really want narrow tyres (look at the rally drivers in snow conditions and their tyres are titchy compared to what they use for dry stages). However the lumps and bumps that built up as the snow gets rutted are probably going to at least damage the front bodywork and it is possible to get beached. Probbaly not going to worry about it. The worst conditions are when the initial snow starts to melt and then freezes...

That really does take some care.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

Griffithy

929 posts

277 months

Wednesday 2nd January 2002
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I have switched to Pirelli-winter tires now.
Very nice to drive on snow, very stable even while braking, no problems so far and far better as any 2WD Mercedes with all the electronical support.
As I avoid steep mountains still no need for additional weight (sand-bags) in the boot.
Only downsides are the 225 instead of 245 tires on the back, the correct dimension isn´t available.
Honestly I have to admit, I don´t try being the fastest on the road.
Never drive faster as your guardian angel can.