Snow and Ice

[Slow]

Recently discovered my focus is st on the snow after going side ways through a junction at like 15mph

Was wondering what merc ml 430 would be like for snow and as a daily driver?

Cant get the 500 due to insurance costs at 18.

[jbi]

Cheaper, cooler and more reliable

[okie592]

not as good as a Defender

[TheTurbonator]

I found my MK1.5 focus to be quite good in the snow. It even got me to the Tan Hill pub, when I got caught in a blizzard. The roads were covered but I just tried to keep my speed up and momentum going and it got me there. The landlady, on the same roads in a Discovery, got stuck and had to be rescued.

[jbi]

okie592 said:

not as good as a Defender

cheaper though... and the heater works

[Caulkhead]

Slow said:

Recently discovered my focus is st on the snow after going side ways through a junction at like 15mph

Was wondering what merc ml 430 would be like for snow and as a daily driver?

Cant get the 500 due to insurance costs at 18.

Much, much cheaper and easier solution is a set of winter tyres.

[Slow]

Caulkhead said:

Much, much cheaper and easier solution is a set of winter tyres.

Well im getting a new car anyway after winter if i dont get one now.

110k or so on the clocks - ex rental abused like fk.

Dad had it before me and it sat for 3 years etc.

Not in a good shape atm.

[veevee]

Slow said:

Caulkhead said:

Much, much cheaper and easier solution is a set of winter tyres.

Well im getting a new car anyway after winter if i dont get one now.

110k or so on the clocks - ex rental abused like fk.

Dad had it before me and it sat for 3 years etc.

Not in a good shape atm.

Get a set of winter tyres. You can probably get a set already on a set of wheels for about £150. Day and night difference. ML won't be anything special anyway without winter tyres and I reckon they'd cost a good bit more than they would for a Focus! Going sideways in an ML will be even less fun and you won't want it after winter anyway.

[Caulkhead]

Slow said:

Caulkhead said:

Much, much cheaper and easier solution is a set of winter tyres.

Well im getting a new car anyway after winter if i dont get one now.

110k or so on the clocks - ex rental abused like fk.

Dad had it before me and it sat for 3 years etc.

Not in a good shape atm.

Makes no odds - stick 'em on for winter and sell 'em in spring. The sttier the car the better suited it is for sliding around on ice as you won't care when people slide into you.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Do you think it is the Focus that was the problem or your driving?

[Baryonyx]

Slow said:

Recently discovered my focus is st on the snow after going side ways through a junction at like 15mph

Was wondering what merc ml 430 would be like for snow and as a daily driver?

Cant get the 500 due to insurance costs at 18.

Are you really so daft as to buy a whole new car, nevermind a naff soft-roader, becaus we've had a couple of inches of snow? What about the rest of the year when it's dry and sunny, and you're stuck with the lumbering pile of cack you bought because you thought your Focus couldn't cope?

By all means, replace the Focus if it's fked, but don't do it because we've had a small blast of snow.

FWIW, my old Focus Ebony was a dream in the snow. Never put a foot wrong, even in the winter to end all winters of 2010/2011.

[PhillipM]

Yeah, and 4x4 doesn't help to stop sliding across a junction either.

[Slow]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Do you think it is the Focus that was the problem or your driving?

My driving was completly fine to be fair. Followed another car that went through faster than me completly fine.

I was slower and it just went side ways - didnt touch breaks or anything to make it spin.

Also looking for a decent car for driving next year.

Live up in inverness so we get a fair bit of snow.

40 minute drive just to get into town each morning.

[Slow]

Also my mum owns - http://experience4x4.com/

So it would be nice to have a 4x4 just to take round with mates.

[Stu R]

ML's are decent enough in snow and ice, but they won't flatter horrible tyres purely because they're 4x4.
Also, early ML's are bad, seriously horrible reliability. 2nd generation (2005 onwards) ones are massively improved. If you're talking about the first generation, I'd buy as late a model as you can if you must get one, but honestly I'd look at something else - there's tons of good 4x4s out there for most budgets.

If you're planning on doing any off road days I'd be acutely aware of the fact they're average at best, show it any rough stuff and you'll fast find their limitations.

[jebus]

4 wheel drive helps, but if you got a soft-roader on road tires its going to slide as much as everything else,
tires are what make or break driving in snow/slush, as well as how your driving, and the driving being very important, if you want a 4x4 get one, but using snow as an excuse is pretty dim and stupid and fwd car driven correctly on suitable tires will go far better than a 4x4 on less than ideal tires.

[Zad]

What they said. Tyres. But you aren't listening anyway. If you want a 4x4 then go and buy one, just don't say we didn't warn you when you go sliding off at the same junction on your summer weather hard rubber ditchfinders.

[GravelBen]

jebus said:

4 wheel drive helps, but if you got a soft-roader on road tires its going to slide as much as everything else

A 4wd on road tyres is a country mile ahead of a 2wd on road tyres in the snow, it won't 'slide as much as everything else' unless you drive it wrong.

I know its fashionable to be anti-4wd, but a dose of reality wouldn't hurt.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 6th December 02:54

[Baryonyx]

Softroaders aren't invincible though, as the one I saw parked in a ditch today proves. Patience is the most critical element in getting around in the snow. Bravery and skill are also useful if you're looking to make quick time.

[EK993]

GravelBen said:

A 4wd on road tyres is a country mile ahead of a 2wd on road tyres in the snow, it won't 'slide as much as everything else' unless you drive it wrong.

I know its fashionable to be anti-4wd, but a dose of reality wouldn't hurt.

Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 6th December 02:54

4WD doesn't help when braking though does it? Traction and grip with 4WD might be better in snow but being able to stop is equally as important.

The OP mentioned sliding through a junction so guessing he was on the brakes. The only thing that's going to make a difference when on the brakes is tyres, not the configuration of drivetrain.