[Bedlam]

I having been driving a little low slung FWD car in the latest WA weather and found I do not know how drive with traction control enabled. I was having trouble navigating 12-18" deep snow until I turned it off and then was able to get everywhere. I did "cheat" one day when there was 18" slush on the roads and pulled out the 4wd truck, but I also found I could drive it better with traction control disabled. Both reduced my ability to keep momentum by adjusting the amount wheel spin for maximum forward motion. It seems that traction control is only concerned about keeping all the wheels spinning at the same speed without regard to actual movement. I'm glad I can disable this "safety" technology but is there a way to drive with it enabled when traction is at a minimum? I couldn't even get out of the reverse slope driveway with it enabled.

 

[Bedlam]

I think those nannies, like traction control, are meant to bring all drivers down to the lowest level of competence, making driving fair and equal for all.

Oh great! Now everyone gets a participation ribbon, but no one gets to where they want to go. Since when have vehicle designers become so politically correct?

 

[Bedlam]

pretty sure it says in the owners manual of my car to disable traction control for snow lol. it's only really meant for rain.

The only mention I see of turning it off is once you are stuck - I found I would not get stuck in the first place if I just disabled it. Enabling traction control resulted in getting stuck often because you cannot power through deeper snow and will lose your momentum. Remember, this an observation from a low slung auto that is plowing with its lower air dam at depths over 6" but even the truck did better if I could induce a little spin once in a while to clear the tread. This was the first time I had driven the DRW 4wd unloaded in the snow which also did not help - Normally, it has 2 or 3 tons of camper on the back axle and just rolls through as if slush or snow was not there usually just in 2WD. Both the truck and car are my first vehicles I have owned with traction control - Snow this high at sea level only happens about once a decade, so I have never felt the negatives of nanny control systems until now (although torque management does hamper the Ram).

I guess I was wondering if there is a different driving technique to use with traction control. Everyone had to relearn how to brake with the introduction of ABS, so maybe there is a different way to work the skinny pedal under TC.

 

[Bedlam]

I shoveled the drive twice a day during the snows, but drove the FWD through all that weather except for the one day of tall slush with the truck. I don't have any pictures to document this - Taking a photo is always an afterthought for me. Does your VW have traction control - Our 2003 TDI only had the stability control (optional) and anti lock braking (standard).

Wednesday was the first day of rain north of Seattle. The slush froze up last night since temperatures dropped bellow 30 degrees, but it has not rained or snowed today. Main roads are dry and clear, but low use arterial's can still be messy up north.

 

[Bedlam]

ESP must have been updated for 2004 or the programing was different for the automatic transmission - Mine did not have traction control. A hint for FWD drivers: If you cannot make a hill in forward, try it in reverse. It will shift more weight on the drive tires and climb like an old air-cooled Bug.

 

[Bedlam]

I'm shoveling snow out of my bed this afternoon so I can load up my camper. I figured It would have melted by now, but I still have about a foot snow and ice to clear out that is partially frozen in place.

 

[Bedlam]

My buddy in Tri-cities says it has been a harder winter than normal but he has seen worse even though they did hit a record February snowfall. He was able to put his farm equipment to use instead of letting it sit till spring...