Wow the SLK is rubbish in snow
Discussion
Ok, so this isn't going to be much of a surprise that a rear wheel drive sportscar with fat wheels isn't going to be great on snow, but I hadn't realised just how truly awful it would be.
Almost no traction on the straight and when going downhill the backend just loves to swing round. On an uphill (even the slightest incline) I was sat unable to get traction and just sat there doing g nothing as traction control kept cutting all power. On this occasion I wanted the wheels to spin, to blaze at least a little momentum to get going. Couldn't work out how to deactivate traction control.
Almost no traction on the straight and when going downhill the backend just loves to swing round. On an uphill (even the slightest incline) I was sat unable to get traction and just sat there doing g nothing as traction control kept cutting all power. On this occasion I wanted the wheels to spin, to blaze at least a little momentum to get going. Couldn't work out how to deactivate traction control.
A PH driving God will be along in a minute to say they drove their's up and down the Alps with no problem at all. MBs do seem particualrly bad though - a colleague drove a 5 Series BMW for years with no problem and then bought an E Class and said it was un-driveable.
If your's is an auto, was the box in Winter mode?
In mine (older C Class), traction control can be turned off (in practice it's never fully off) in an engineering mode in the cluster computer which puts the car into dyno mode. It de-activates after 15 mins.
If your's is an auto, was the box in Winter mode?
In mine (older C Class), traction control can be turned off (in practice it's never fully off) in an engineering mode in the cluster computer which puts the car into dyno mode. It de-activates after 15 mins.
think so? I thought that Winter mode started off in second gear; that was at least the score with my SL. My SLK (2012) has Eco, Sport and Manual. No winter.
We're off to Cologne for a long weekend tomorrow and we were meant to be going in the SLK; I've just been changing the ferry round - we're going in the OHs Volvo V70 on winter tyres now - snow is forecast. Don't want to be in the OHs position.
We're off to Cologne for a long weekend tomorrow and we were meant to be going in the SLK; I've just been changing the ferry round - we're going in the OHs Volvo V70 on winter tyres now - snow is forecast. Don't want to be in the OHs position.
My experiences of MBs is that they are dreadful in snow unless you follow the instructions in the handbook and fit cold weather tyres, in which case they are transformed. My 320 TE went from downright dangerous to wannabe Land Rover to the extent that I was able to use it tow stuck vehicles up hills.
Dog Star said:
think so? I thought that Winter mode started off in second gear; that was at least the score with my SL. My SLK (2012) has Eco, Sport and Manual. No winter.
MB keep messing around with how these boxes work so I couldn't say with any certainty what happens in yours, but doesn't it start in 2nd in Eco mode (in both forward and reverse)?What happens in Manual - can you use that to start in a higher gear?
On the older 5 speed boxes MB changed what the letters meant from time to time. Sometimes S is Sport, sometimes it's Standard. They used C (Comfort) and W (Winter) for the alternative mode.
rlw said:
I realised after my first drive in the rain that my CLK55 would be s
t in snow, come what may - even trying to pull away in 3rd or 4th, - so it is safely tucked up indoors pending nicer weather. You need a 911 for traction in the snow.................
Rubbish. I had a 997 turbo before this and couldn't get it to move despite 4x4. Totally useless in snow.t in snow, come what may - even trying to pull away in 3rd or 4th, - so it is safely tucked up indoors pending nicer weather. You need a 911 for traction in the snow.................Winter tyres are the only answer.
Both my (admittedly older) Mercs (including a R170 SLK) are useless unless on them. A couple of years ago the SLK was so rubbish that you could engage D (even in winter mode) on the snow, open the door, get out of the car and stand watching the rear wheels slowing spinning around and the car not moving an inch...
Both my (admittedly older) Mercs (including a R170 SLK) are useless unless on them. A couple of years ago the SLK was so rubbish that you could engage D (even in winter mode) on the snow, open the door, get out of the car and stand watching the rear wheels slowing spinning around and the car not moving an inch...
kryten22uk said:
Rubbish. I had a 997 turbo before this and couldn't get it to move despite 4x4. Totally useless in snow.
I've had a 3.2/964C4/993C4S/GT3 and all were great for moving off in snow - steering and stopping were a different matter and the 4 wheel drive cars were by far the worst...........To be honest unless you've swapped your tyres for something more sensible then trying to use the SLK in snow is a mugs game. Traction control, winter setting or not, there's only one place that you are going and that's in a hedge, upside down, on fire and crying for your mum.
Don't do it!
Don't do it!
Midds said:
Winter tyres = forward motion in snow
Normal tyres = shouldn't be surprised that a RWD Merc or BMW goes nowhere
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!Normal tyres = shouldn't be surprised that a RWD Merc or BMW goes nowhere
Winters transformed the car and it could go up just about anything after that.
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