Winter is almost here

[pete-preston]

Hi All

For the last unpteen years I have driven cars with  manual gearboxes, and when the snow and ice arrive I have used the tried and tested system of High Gear and Low Revs to get me going , but with the Jazz MK 4  Electric motor and drive train, there is is no way of selecting and holding a high gear.

So what is the best way to start off ??

I will stay in B mode for slowing down, only useing the brakes to come to a final stop,

Any advice greatfully recivied

Thanks

Pete-Preston

Thanks 

[richardfrost]

Fit All Season, or Winter, tyres then drive as normal.

[Lord Voltermore]

Totally agree about using all season (winter legal) tyres or winter tyres.  The eco friendly summer tyres fitted to most cars these days have very poor traction in mud and snow.  And because they have a higher silicone content  they remain more flexible in cold temperature, improving stopping distances even on a  dry surface.  It only needs to be +7c for  them to have the advantage over summer tyres.

The car has traction control.  This should help a lot.  This normally supresses wheel spin so you have no need to use a high gear/low wheel revs.     If you cant get out with supressed wheel spin  you can switch the  traction control partially off  and try 'blasting' your way out with lots of wheel spin.  This sometimes works by clearing away loose snow and mud down to a better surface.

[Kremmen]

Is B mode a good idea on snow and ice given that it probably introduces front wheels only pseudo braking ?

[Lord Voltermore]

Is B mode a good idea on snow and ice given that it probably introduces front wheels only pseudo braking ?

May be ok if used cautiously.  But I wouldnt use it. I prefer 4 brakes and controlled delicacy..  The Jazz helps here as well. ABS is switched off at very slow speeds.   I've driven quite a lot in snow  on winter tyres with  normal ABS.   An experienced driver with a  delicate touch can definitely stop quicker in snow mud and loose gravel for the last few mph  without ABS
Notice I excluded ice.  Nothing much helps there except spikes or chains or not going so fast in the first place.
I'm talking Euro winter tyres.  Nordic winter tyres use  a much softer rubber that does have  slightly better grip in ice.

[culzean]

Fit All Season, or Winter, tyres then drive as normal.

Winter tyres help with snow and slush, but only studded tyres help on ice..... so don't try to drive normally... The first sign of black ice on roads is when tyre noise disappears....

Don’t fit just 2 winter tyres - some people think it is ok,  but it totally unbalances the vehicle.

Summer 4WD or winter 2WD

[Kremmen]

In older cars it was possible to slow and stop on ice in a more controlled fashion by feathering the rear wheels only via the handbrake. Can't do that now.

[culzean]

In older cars it was possible to slow and stop on ice in a more controlled fashion by feathering the rear wheels only via the handbrake. Can't do that now.

Black ice has a lower coefficient of friction than teflon coated with silicone lubricant....  I slid down an ( unsalted side road on a very shallow angle and ended up halfway across a main road and only stopped then because main road had been gritted - luckily hardly any traffic around as it was about 6am ).   I was also following a group of cars along a dual carriageway ( I was hanging back because I suspect ice was around )  - suddenly the cars in front started sliding around and hitting each other,  I don't think any of then really stayed on the road,  so glad I had stayed well back and could brake before I hit the chaos.

[Jazzik]

At our request, our Jazz was delivered with Vredestein Quatrac All-Seasons instead of the standard Yokohama BluEarth summer tires. Choice determined by available sizes per tire brand but especially this:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

https://www.autobild.de/artikel/ganzjahresreifen-test-2020-205-55-r-16-18372699.html (German, google translate is your best friend  )

https://www.vredestein.co.uk/car-suv-van/tyre-finder/

[Jayt43]

At our request, our Jazz was delivered with Vredestein Quatrac All-Seasons instead of the standard Yokohama BluEarth summer tires. Choice determined by available sizes per tire brand but especially this:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

https://www.autobild.de/artikel/ganzjahresreifen-test-2020-205-55-r-16-18372699.html (German, google translate is your best friend  )

https://www.vredestein.co.uk/car-suv-van/tyre-finder/

Great choice! Had those on my wife's CR-V - no trouble driving here in Hungary in the snow / slush. I had CrossClimates on my Qashqai (which I left on all year round) and they were very impressive too.

For the Jazz Mk4 I have Nexen Winguard Snow G WH2 fitted, but only because they came free with a 2nd set of identical Crosstar alloys. But impressed so far - not least because RRP for the 4 alloys plus tyres is over 1K GBP (not bad for a freebie).

[sportse]

Tyres make a big difference - on my last car with Michelin Crossclimates I drove through winter in freezing temperatures and they behaved like a summer tyre in the summer.

However, I had a loan car once in the same winter that had the optional big wheels fitted with Pirelli P-Zero summer tyres. It was absolutely awful, traction control going off most of the time just with gentle acceleration on clear roads.

I've been out in 2/3 degree weather in the BluEarth standard EX tyres recently and they aren't too bad. You have to watch out if there are leaves/etc around when accelerating but cornering is quite good. Ride quality is a bit lower than normal as the tyre wall must be stiffer in the cold.

One trick I've heard is to put the car into eco mode as a sort of winter mode - it reduces initial acceleration as a proper winter mode would.

[Jayt43]

One trick I've heard is to put the car into eco mode as a sort of winter mode - it reduces initial acceleration as a proper winter mode would.

I second that. Eco mode works well in the snow with my wife's current Hyundai IX35 (although that does have 184 bhp).

I see no reason why the Jazz should be any different.

[Kremmen]

I've got a better solution........ I leave mine in the garage 

One benefit of retirement and having a local supermarket and B&Q

[Bristol_Crosstar]

For those of us living in the south of England I don't see the point of winter tyres given there are so few days where the weather causes a problem, often none or maybe 4 or 5 at worst and for those days either stay at home or use public transport (if it's running).

We now have a Seat Mii electric as our second car and that has four levels of regen rather than the two on the Jazz which gives you lots more options so I'll probably use that if the weather's severe and I have to go out.

[Neil Ives]

For those of us living in the south of England I don't see the point of winter tyres given there are so few days where the weather causes a problem, often none or maybe 4 or 5 at worst and for those days either stay at home or use public transport (if it's running).

I agree. I'm not going to make a large investment on tyres that will have so little use. I'm retired so I have no imperitive to drive in slippery conditions.

I do worry about my wife driving in icy conditions;  she started driving in later life and doesn't have much empathy with the vehicle. She grips the steering wheel tightly. If she feels the car skidding she will not understand that applying the brake hard will not help.