Would You Buy Another Mk4

[Westy36]

Also, geography comes into it. I challenge anyone to make my journey home in a Jazz on Summer tyres during the conditions we had locally a few weeks back. Generally, the hill is around 1 in 10 but with short, very steep sections with switchbacks.

Oh sure, I take that on board. I live in Suffolk, we do have a few hills, but not many! If I could test summer v all season tyres on a snowy slope with my abilities and see the difference, then I would be happy to alter my opinion. Never profess to know it all, every day is a school day.

Being a biker, tyres are obsessed over on some forums and at bike meets. Ultimately, tyres are extremely important, but technique even more so. The finest rubber in the land will not save you from lack of observation and reading the road. On a bike of couse, getting it wrong will hurt.

[culzean]

I have just had a read of this. https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/whats-the-best-all-round-tyre/n1161 I would absolutely love to have a bash at finding out for myself the differences referenced in this test between the tyres. Would I alter my opinion if I had the opportunity to do the test? Possibly!  Technique is everything though.

I wouldn't have thought that the MK4 is brilliant on snow on ice given the limited control an auto only box gives vs manual. Its extra 208 kg over the MK3 won't help either.

I found my wifes CVT Fiat very good on snow and ice, easy to control the amount of power and very smooth power takeup.  If you feathered the accelerator the box was always looking for highest gear ratio it could pull, try ECO mode on snow and loose surfaces.  The Fiat CVT had a 'magnetic clutch' with magnetic powder between two plates, there was a electrical winding fed by sliprings to create magnetic field that 'stuck the powder together', the current was ramped up and the powder changed from an almost liquid to a solid.

Many conventional auto ( torque converter ) had a 'snow' mode.

[culzean]

Also, geography comes into it. I challenge anyone to make my journey home in a Jazz on Summer tyres during the conditions we had locally a few weeks back. Generally, the hill is around 1 in 10 but with short, very steep sections with switchbacks.

Oh sure, I take that on board. I live in Suffolk, we do have a few hills, but not many! If I could test summer v all season tyres on a snowy slope with my abilities and see the difference, then I would be happy to alter my opinion. Never profess to know it all, every day is a school day.

Being a biker, tyres are obsessed over on some forums and at bike meets. Ultimately, tyres are extremely important, but technique even more so. The finest rubber in the land will not save you from lack of observation and reading the road. On a bike of couse, getting it wrong will hurt.

The best technique in the world will hardly compensate for grip that does not exist. I rode an off road bike with semi scrambler / trials tyres on the road,  and it was proper hairy on tarmac when slightest bit of damp around, back end would squirm around. Braking is more important than pulling away, most driver and riders who are not professionals need all the help they can get,  as 99% of people just hit the brakes and close their eyes. My bike has ABS,  and some people on bike forums pooh-pooh ABS,  but it has saved me a couple of times when having to brake in wet / damp and encountering the 'banding' that councils make on road repairs ( some banding is bigger than others),  instead of wheel locking up and going sideways it released the brakes and kept me shiny side up.  Tyres are even more important on a motorbike than on a 4 wheeler.

[Jocko]

I found the autos brilliant in the snow—even the rear-wheel-drive Carlton. As soon as slip occurred, it would change up just as you should in a manual. Both the Cavalier and the Volvo had "Snow" mode. Basically did everything in 4th gear. Torque converter makes starting in 4th easy and practical. Above 50 mph, "Snow" mode would drop out.

[embee]

I have just had a read of this. https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/whats-the-best-all-round-tyre/n1161 I would absolutely love to have a bash at finding out for myself the differences referenced in this test between the tyres. Would I alter my opinion if I had the opportunity to do the test? Possibly!......

In my experience, definitely. In Austria in winter I've seen someone drive onto a sloping carpark, park the car, get out and promptly fall over because it was so slippery. The car was fine. It was well below freezing.

That's a decent Whatcar write up summarising their findings, within the scope of what they could do at the time I suppose. I'm not sure exactly how they prepared for the tests, the key with winter tyres is that the compound is designed specifically for temps below 7C, and for a proper winter type test they need to have "soaked" the tyres at somewhere round zero for a good few hours to get a real comparison. It was always a good sign that the European winter season was over when you started to hear tyre squeal at the traffic lights and the winter tyres lost traction on warm dry roads. They really aren't very good above 7C, horses for courses.
If the dry/wet tests were at more than 7C the same effects will have been evident, wet/dry braking at 2C might have been more in favour of the winter tyres, but the overall characteristics were clear.
As said, for UK use I'd definitely go for an all-season option. Tyre technology is deceptive and largely hidden, they are round black things after all, but anyone riding bikes will know that up-to-date radial high-silica bike tyres are a totally different animal to bike tyres of say 20yrs ago, the combination of dry-wet grip and excellent wear is truly superb nowadays, albeit at a price (you'll expect to pay north of £100 for any decent bike tyre).

[Westy36]

I found the autos brilliant in the snow—even the rear-wheel-drive Carlton. As soon as slip occurred, it would change up just as you should in a manual. Both the Cavalier and the Volvo had "Snow" mode. Basically did everything in 4th gear. Torque converter makes starting in 4th easy and practical. Above 50 mph, "Snow" mode would drop out.

I make such a bold statement about driving auto boxes on snow and ice, yet I haven't actualy done so in person!   I base my comments on what I've read over the years stating they are not good in such conditions, and anecdotal evidence from friends. I recall the frustration my mate had in is BMW 330D Auto and his icy drive! 

I suppose having done 99+% of my driving in manual, and being in control of the gear used, I would expect to be able to achieve better control. Again, no point of reference, just my perception based on personal experience. 

The best technique in the world will hardly compensate for grip that does not exist. I rode an off road bike with semi scrambler / trials tyres on the road,  and it was proper hairy on tarmac when slightest bit of damp around, back end would squirm around. Braking is more important than pulling away, most driver and riders who are not professionals need all the help they can get,  as 99% of people just hit the brakes and close their eyes. My bike has ABS,  and some people on bike forums pooh-pooh ABS,  but it has saved me a couple of times when having to brake in wet / damp and encountering the 'banding' that councils make on road repairs ( some banding is bigger than others),  instead of wheel locking up and going sideways it released the brakes and kept me shiny side up.  Tyres are even more important on a motorbike than on a 4 wheeler.

The CBF1000 has both linked brakes and ABS, which some folk swear is a recipe for disaster!  I've yet to get the ABS to cut in, nor notice the linking affect braking control or performance. Hardly surprising given the couple of thousand fair weather miles I do.

Never ridden off road scrambler tyres on road, but I did once drive a Lada Riva with rubbish tyres on wet roads. I would expect the experience would be broadly similar! 

[Jocko]

They really aren't very good above 7C, horses for courses.

The temperature here went from 8°C to -10°C then back to 10°C in the course of a week.

[embee]

................The CBF1000 has both linked brakes and ABS, which some folk swear is a recipe for disaster!  .............

You always get biased opinions on these things, usually from people who haven't actually lived with them.
I have an NC700 with linked ABS. There are 3 ABS circuits, one for rear only, one for front brake when operated by the rear linked system, and a third for the front only. That must be expensive, which is probably why they dropped the linked system for the NC750 (just 2 circuits).
It works fine.

[Westy36]

You always get biased opinions on these things, usually from people who haven't actually lived with them.
I have an NC700 with linked ABS. There are 3 ABS circuits, one for rear only, one for front brake when operated by the rear linked system, and a third for the front only. That must be expensive, which is probably why they dropped the linked system for the NC750 (just 2 circuits).
It works fine.

I didn't know there were diffent linked systems. The 'press' gave some bad reviews of the linked system, certainly on the Blackbird reviews, and I think its stuck. Bit like the press say German cars are amazing and everything else is an also ran. Not true! As you say, the linked system works fine and I don't find it intrusive at all. It does make bleeding brakes a little more tricky though. 

[Austriaman]

Definitely yes. Mine's a Crosstar, slightly softer ride and higher ground clearance. Comfortable on long journey, quiet and smooth, everything works a treat. Quick and economical, as well. A bit pricey but hopefully will hold its value. Some people complain about the lane keeping system, but most modern cars are piled with tech...

[Expatman]

Definitely yes. Mine's a Crosstar, slightly softer ride and higher ground clearance. Comfortable on long journey, quiet and smooth, everything works a treat. Quick and economical, as well. A bit pricey but hopefully will hold its value. Some people complain about the lane keeping system, but most modern cars are piled with tech...

How easy is it to turn the lane keeping system off - some reports I have read suggest it is “dangerous” on country roads where you have to keep close to the edges when passing oncoming traffic because the steering “jerks” you into the path of the oncoming vehicle! Is it that intrusive or is there over exaggeration in those reports?

[John Ratsey]

How easy is it to turn the lane keeping system off - some reports I have read suggest it is “dangerous” on country roads where you have to keep close to the edges when passing oncoming traffic because the steering “jerks” you into the path of the oncoming vehicle! Is it that intrusive or is there over exaggeration in those reports?

It's quite easy once you get familiar with the steps: Press one of the buttons to the right of the dashboard to bring the function onto the dashoard display; scroll to disable and then select.

Having a hidden hand turning the steering wheel is very disconcerting. There's both the situation of sometimes needing to get very close to the side of the road but also the most comfortable route along an empty wiggly road is a straight line.

[Kremmen]

I'm going to need to produce a pre-flight checklist.

I know theres some sequence with the pseudo handbrake so you can pull up at traffic lights, etc and not blind the vehicle occupants behind with permanent brake lights whilst you're stopped.

[sparky Paul]

How easy is it to turn the lane keeping system off - some reports I have read suggest it is “dangerous” on country roads where you have to keep close to the edges when passing oncoming traffic because the steering “jerks” you into the path of the oncoming vehicle! Is it that intrusive or is there over exaggeration in those reports?

Having a hidden hand turning the steering wheel is very disconcerting...

I'm not sure I like the sound of that!

[Steve_M]

I'm going to need to produce a pre-flight checklist.

I know theres some sequence with the pseudo handbrake so you can pull up at traffic lights, etc and not blind the vehicle occupants behind with permanent brake lights whilst you're stopped.

This is only if you use brake hold, I normally just flick the normal handbrake on and then it releases itself when you pull away. You can also set the handbrake to come on when you  turn the igniton off, so otherwise you don't need to touch it.