Sliding on snow + ice: thank goodness for Soft Sand Mode

[tbrockhurst]

I'm in L.A. so the likelihood of needing these is slim, but bought some anyway just in case.

Ha! I’ve got a full set for the Audi we just retired in getting an R1S.
Maybe only used them twice in 13yrs! But they made a massive difference.

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[Dark-Fx]

It's a 7000 lbs truck...actual winter tires make a big difference over 3PMSF ATs.

Especially when new. Can probably sub 6s 0-60 on fresh snow.

 

[GoBlueR1T]

It's a 7000 lbs truck...actual winter tires make a big difference over 3PMSF ATs.

Granted, I have the Pirelli 22" sport tires so not apples to apples, but the Michelin X-Ice winter tires I put on last winter made a WORLD of difference. I was sliding around too much in a couple inches of snow with the sport tires; I never slid again with the X-Ice despite tons of snow and ice.

 

[usofrob]

Granted, I have the Pirelli 22" sport tires so not apples to apples, but the Michelin X-Ice winter tires I put on last winter made a WORLD of difference. I was sliding around too much in a couple inches of snow with the sport tires; I never slid again with the X-Ice despite tons of snow and ice.

As another Michigander, I find this interesting, But, I recall the beginning of the winter last year just to be really slippery. I had winter tires on my Model 3, and it was still very slippery. After the first freeze or so, things became normally slippery again and my winter tires didn't have any issues.

So, as someone with the 22" tires (gen2), I'm considering my options of going through this winter with fresh 22" tires, or getting winter wheels and tires preemptively. I normally go with summer and winter tires in my vehicle. But All Season tires have gotten a lot better recently. And the new Gen2 tires are at least a lot newer design than the 22" tires that came on the gen1.

 

[GoBlueR1T]

As another Michigander, I find this interesting, But, I recall the beginning of the winter last year just to be really slippery. I had winter tires on my Model 3, and it was still very slippery. After the first freeze or so, things became normally slippery again and my winter tires didn't have any issues.

So, as someone with the 22" tires (gen2), I'm considering my options of going through this winter with fresh 22" tires, or getting winter wheels and tires preemptively. I normally go with summer and winter tires in my vehicle. But All Season tires have gotten a lot better recently. And the new Gen2 tires are at least a lot newer design than the 22" tires that came on the gen1.

Interesting! Might be worth a shot trying your gen2 tires. I wasn't sure whether I was going to get winters, but after the snowfall we had in early/mid November, I pulled the trigger. When we had a much bigger snowfall in early December, I was driving around other stuck vehicles with ease lol.

 

[White Shadow]

Nope, the testing to get the 3PMSF is only done for accelerative traction on packed snow and the tire only has to perform 10% better than the standard industry test tire. There is no testing for lateral or braking traction at all for 3PMSF.

Plenty of independent tests have proven that 3PMSF tires not only accelerate, but also brake a lot better than a standard all-season tire in winter conditions. This should be common sense if you consider that improved accelerative traction should also allow for improved braking.

In some countries (German is one of them that I'm familiar with), having a 4wd or AWD vehicles with 3PMSF tires is considered equivalent to having dedicated snow tires from a liability standpoint when it comes to winter driving. It's illegal in Germany to drive on the road with tires that do not have the 3PMSF symbol (I believe they refer to it as the "Alpine" symbol), so if you get into an accident and don't have the correct tires, you are automatically at fault. The 3PMSF tires also allows you to drive in areas that would otherwise require tire chains.

 

[shandel]

I'm in L.A. so the likelihood of needing these is slim, but bought some anyway just in case.

I have these too, and they work great! Highly recommend.

 

[NY_Rob]

Driving in snow and on Ice is all about the tires.
Dedicated snow tires on a 2 wheel drive Jetta will out perform any 4 wheel drive with poor tires any day. I drove a Jetta in the mountains of Utah for 10 years in snow and ice conditions all winter. Not once did I feel unsafe driving down I-80 to Salt Lake and not once was I stuck.

This!
Dedicated winter tires make an unbelievable difference in actual snow and slush driving. When I had a Plug-In-Prius (2012-2014) I put Michelin X-Ice winter tires on it starting mid December. Those tires were so phenomenal in snow, we would take the Prius out and leave the Honda Pilot (AWD) with it's 3PMSF tires home when it snowed. Not just acceleration and braking, but cornering was very sure footed and with traction control on, it was almost impossible to get her to break loose when cornering.

Tires, tires, tires, it's all about the tires!!

 

[psungervt]

Live in northern VT--bought the truck with 21" but could not find good option for winter tires so mounted some 20" on different rims to simulate the same tire size--hakkapulita light truck tires with STUDS--these are the bomb on snow and ice--if you need reliability in bad snow/ice conditions, short of chains/socks, you won't regret this.

 

[dleepnw]

i believe sand mode rotates the rear wheels faster than the front wheels to keep the vehicle from sinking in sand. did you notice if the rear tires were more "burnt" than the front?

 

[Thedude]

Plenty of independent tests have proven that 3PMSF tires not only accelerate, but also brake a lot better than a standard all-season tire in winter conditions. This should be common sense if you consider that improved accelerative traction should also allow for improved braking.

In some countries (German is one of them that I'm familiar with), having a 4wd or AWD vehicles with 3PMSF tires is considered equivalent to having dedicated snow tires from a liability standpoint when it comes to winter driving. It's illegal in Germany to drive on the road with tires that do not have the 3PMSF symbol (I believe they refer to it as the "Alpine" symbol), so if you get into an accident and don't have the correct tires, you are automatically at fault. The 3PMSF tires also allows you to drive in areas that would otherwise require tire chains.

They’re better than all season or all terrain tires but can’t hold a candle to real winter tires. They’re the bare minimum legally acceptable tire in many cold weather areas but still aren’t good. They’re just convenient compared to swapping dedicated winter tires in and off.

 

[White Shadow]

They’re better than all season or all terrain tires but can’t hold a candle to real winter tires. They’re the bare minimum legally acceptable tire in many cold weather areas but still aren’t good. They’re just convenient compared to swapping dedicated winter tires in and off.

They are better than all-seaaons and lots of people who live in areas with moderate winters rely on all-seasons. Of course dedicated snow tires are better in snow, but in my case, a 3PMSF All-Terrain tire is the best tire for me because it's still good in winter and superior to a snow tire offroad. Snow tires are just useless off pavement. So give me a decent A/T tire that has 3PMSF rating and I'm a happy camper.

 

[FamDocDon]

This is expected behavior with traction control in snow. If you are stuck in snow, definitely turn it off. Perhaps sand mode does this?
https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/traction-control/

 

[4everatx]

If sand mode helps, would airing down also help?

 

[Herb]

I am a big believer in snow tires but made do with a brand-new set of 21" OEM Pirellis last year because Tire Rack kept on moving delivery for a snow set from November to February, at which point I cancelled the order in protest. Frankly I was blown away with the forward traction of the Pirelli's in snow and icy conditions, even in standard drive mode. I am still in awe with the traction control abilities of my T and how well the Ps performed. Cornering and braking is more than adequate, too. Of course, there has to be some traction for these system to work. Some black ice conditions can be so slick that almost nothing matters, except chains or some other traction device. With Ps worn down a bit, I am looking for 20" snow set.

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