Driving in snow / battery maintenance tips please

[cnn]

I'm taking the S Diesel to France on an Alps road trip. The German summer trip was a great success so I've decided to mix it with the winter weather.
I have swapped to Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tyres to keep me on the road but wondered what more experienced owners do when the white stuff comes down in terms of PSM, diff lock settings etc?
Skipping the usual mandatory safety items you need to carry in France, has anyone used/recommend particular snow chains/snowsocks on their Cayenne? A friend had a nightmare last year with snowsocks so I'd welcome advice if anyone has the time.
Anyone got any tips for keeping the battery in a good state or should I not be concerned over the course of a week if it doesn't get used much?

Cheers

[anonymous-user]

4WD and winter tyres = no need for snow socks.

[MogulBoy]

Agree about the socks. Newish Pirelli Ice and Snow tyres are great but always worth remembering that once they approach the half worn stage, they lose a degree or two of awesomeness in terms of true margin of safety in wintry conditions and then again, there are of course times/situations when only chains will do...

Saying that, you might be lucky if you see any cold weather this year as it's forecast to hit 16C in parts of Switzerland today!

Regarding batteries, I have a Disco 4 diesel and the battery management on that is a bit flaky to say the least. Perhaps the Cayenne is better but I take my CTEK with me when we go skiing for a week and plan on pluggin it in overnight. You may not have to deal with such issues but we tend to drive a few kms to the point where we set off each morning and I wouldn't want to loose the ability to use the remote control parking heater and run the risk of a low/flat battery.

One (perhaps obvious) issue with these types of heater though is that they aren't really supposed to be used indoors (doh!). Parking underground/in a garage means it rarely gets super cold however, if it is -15C outside my morning routine would include moving the Disco outside and firing up the heater for 10 mins whilst I get the kids ready.

P.S. Of course it is fuel being burnt that gives out the heat but the associated pumps and fans to circulate the air appear to drain the Disco's battery rather too quickly and 'normal' driving doesn't appear to recharge it particularly quickly - esp. as you are invariably using power for lights, wipers, a/c, heated stuff and tunes etc. whilst doing so.

Edited by MogulBoy on Thursday 9th January 13:39

[RiccardoG]

Even with my 997 (4S) I was fine with just the winter tyres when I drove on fresh snow, I would say no need for chains really.

No need to worry about 'maintaining' the battery either, the long trip will recharge it, unless you suspect its quite old and doesn't keep a charge?

[cnn]

Thanks for the advice, it's a May13 S Diesel and gets a decent daily A road commute so I think the battery will be good. I'll make sure I check it thoroughly before going anywhere from cold. I am unlikely to have a power link for a CTEK.
Has anyone tried using a CTEK with a portable mains charger/battery pack? That way I could leave it in the car overnight and recharge the charger and repeat. Maybe I'm being overly cautious. Also covers the tyre inflation issue if I get a flat!

[David W.]

FUEL WARNING
The other year a friend fulled up with diesel in the "lowlands" near the coast and had diesel waxing problems when parked up outside for a week as it was very cold at the resort. Identical vehicle which was filled up half way up to the resort had no problems as we are assuming the stations up in the mountains had fuel with more additive.

BRAKE WARNING
Don't put handbrake on as pads can seize/rust to discs in a week as can be a sod to free off (as I found!). Just leave it in gear or park.

Hope this is of help, enjoy trip.
dw

[hornbaek]

I keep a Disco 4 at my house in Austria. It has a set of Vredestein Winter Tyres on and I have yet to experience a situation where they don't do the job. Even 1 meter of fresh snow cannot hold the Disco back. Chains are only required when there is black ice or the snow has been compressed. Normally the issue is going down rather than up. In general people put on the chains too late i.e when they are already stuck - so plan ahead. Also chains are only ever used over very small distances as you cannot go more than 30-40 mph with them. If you have no chains with you then it is all about checking the weather forecast. Plan your departure or arrival on times where it is not snowing - alternatively leave the resort before everybody else decides to do the same. Once the snow has been compressed it is like black ice. If you are one of the first to drive on fresh snow you don't need chains.