how do you drive in snow.

[jarviz]

Definitely in the wrong season, but this random thought popped into my head. If you're on public roads and there's a couple of inches of wet snow on the ground, is it better to leave traction control on or off?

I've had to drive on the highway unfortunately in the middle of the snowstorm, was trying to go uphill when my back end kicked out, but luckily my awesome skills from years of playing gran turismo kicked in, and I counter-steered slightly and remained on the throttle, enough to stay in the lane and make it up the hill. But I'm curious if this would have been more efficient or the car more predictable, with the traction off.

[husker741]

Originally Posted by jarviz

how do you drive in the snow.

Sideways.

[thill]

With dedicated snow tires and TC on.

[wrxgoose]

i keep it on, until i get stuck. then i try sport mode. if that doesn't work, then i try TC off. if that doesn't work, i call my friend to help me get her out.

but we don't get much snow here in NC, so i'm not too worried about it

[rapidcars]

Good question. I go back and forth on this myself. Last winter I kept the TCS on and it helped prevent the back from coming out from a hill start which was nice but I wonder how it would handle the back end kicking out at speed. Luckily, thanks to my Blizzaks I never got to find that out and hopefully never will.

[ChristosG]

I only turned off TC when I got stuck in the snow. Which happened a few times.

[Propaganda]

I usually drive with TC on, sometimes VSC sport

I had an instance where I was going up a slight hill (was testing out my blizzaks on a side road with a couple inches of snow) and TC was going crazy... One or both wheels started spinning about halfway up the hill, and the TC kicked in, but wheel hop combined with TC trying to compensate for the spin made it feel like the car was going to explode. I quickly turned it off and really had to modulate the throttle the rest of the 100 feet or so. I was going sideways and <5mph at the top of the hill. I barely made it up

[pheoxs]

I drove around in VSC Sport. Seemed best. Lets a bit of spin happen off the lights and starts but any sliding sideways it kicks then.

Then again the other half the time TC was off and I was sideways on purpose so :shrug:

[CaptainSlow]

Same way you drive in the sun...only more careful and slower

[jarviz]

Originally Posted by ChristosG

I only turned off TC when I got stuck in the snow. Which happened a few times.

why would turning it off help if you're already stuck. Doesn't the TC give you the traction you need to get out?

[jarviz]

Originally Posted by CaptainSlow

Same way you drive in the sun...only more careful and slower

Yea but you're tail doesn't kick out unexpectedly when you're under the sun... or at least it shouldn't.

[FReSh]

I don't use my FRS for the winter, but I generally turn TC off in my accord when there is a lot of snow. Otherwise the TC just kills the motor and wont let it spin the tires to the point that the car wont go anywhere. Sometimes it's beneficial to "burn through" the snow in order to get the car moving/keep it moving. If there isn't a lot of snow, it probably doesn't make a huge difference, assuming you can control the throttle and don't mind going a little sideways every now and then.

[FReSh]

Originally Posted by jarviz

why would turning it off help if you're already stuck. Doesn't the TC give you the traction you need to get out?

A lot of car's TC systems will stop the car from spinning the tires almost completely if it is stuck. With it off, you can gun it and try to burn through the snow lol...

[SigmaHyperion]

Originally Posted by jarviz

why would turning it off help if you're already stuck. Doesn't the TC give you the traction you need to get out?

With TC Off, the car will sense a lack of traction and cut power. So it basically won't do anything at all.

You can rock a car loose in the snow, or get up a frozen driveway, or do just about anything in the snow if you KNOW you are going to slip, as long as you have TC off. Leave it on and you'll go nowhere fast.

Traction Control is meant to help you in the case of unexpected slippage. Just like when you go to the track and you turn it off because you know that you're going to be slipping and that's what you want to do, you need to turn it off if you know you are going to be slipping in the snow on purpose.

So keep TC on in the snow, but be prepared to turn it off if it's keeping you from getting good traction from moderate and controlled wheel spin.