[sunscreemer]

Hi guys,

I thought i'd take the time to say goodbye as after driving in my first snow of the year since i got my Eos in May i fear that anything more than the light dusting we have this morning and i'll be off the road.

Traction control light was going crazy down the lanes to work and i was feathering the accelerator. As for trying to get up a very small incline onto the work car park it was a nightmare then i was crawling barely touching the accelerator so i could actually move on the car park. But touching the brake, however lightly, i struggled to stop without sliding.

ALMOST as bad as my old MX-5 was in the snow (which i hadn't thought possible with a front wheel drive car, even if it has a bit more weight on the back due to the roof).

Regards,

Mark

 

[nail-z-gull]

Does that mean you're getting shot of the car?

Interested to know what tyres you have. I expect that may make a world of difference, as I previously had dunlops and traction was always a bit of a struggle. Continentals seem much better, although we've yet to get more than a 'frosty' feel to the roads here in the South West.

 

[sunscreemer]

No, am not getting rid of the car, just that it did concern me today just how poor it was in the (light) snow. Takes more than that to put me off!

I'm pretty sure i've got Conti's on it. I am used to a light and careful right foot in snow or ice after my MX-5 so it's not as if i'm driving carelessly.

Of course when my Eos is 2 years old i am considering a Tiguan, which you'd think should be far more sure footed in these conditions!

 

[Stephb]

I managed to drive ok yesterday and today in ice but not had any snow here yet thank god!

Sorry to see you leave us so soon!

Steph xx

 

[GOgg]

I agree, I found this out last year the Eos is very bad in snow, I find since I put Pirellis on the front its improved a lot but still not as good as previous FWD cars I have owned in the past.

 

[neh321]

I've changed my Bridgestones for Continentals but they're no better in the snow. Car is all over the place. Fortunately we don't get a great deal of it here. Just as well as half a millimetre and the whole country is at a standstill...

 

[cambourne7]

apparantly the car has a higher centre of gravity (because of the roof) which might be why in snow/ice its a little difficult?

 

[Stephb]

I broke lightly this morning because some people were in the road my brakes locked up but luckily i was only doing 5mph i have the original continentals on maybe i should change them for something with more grip.

Saying that my van was all over the place too!!

Steph xx

 

[silvershadow]

Has anyone condidered the possibility that the traction problems being reported in snow are a consequence of the high performance wide tyres fitted to the Eos as standard?

In the same way that wide tyres are more prone to aquaplaning on wet roads if they do not have a suitable tread pattern, the standard tyres may not have the right tread pattern for snow conditions through not having large enough channels to allow the tread to cut down to the road surface by displacing the snow/slush. In this situation, the mass of the car is supported by a large area of tread reducing the contact pressure [a high contact pressure is needed for best displacement].

My reaction to this problem would be to try a tyre with a 195/205mm tread width and a coarse "blocky" tread to increase the contact pressure between the tyre and the road and to eject snow/mush from under the tyre to improve the adhesion. Of course these tyres are noisier and have inferior roadholding when the roads are dry - this being the necessary trade-off between safety in snow and performance in the dry. Whenever ice is present, no tyre will ever compensate for inappropriate driving techniques .

It could be helpful if those contributors who are satisfied with the adhesion of their tyres post photos of their tread pattern and publish their tread width to allow others to compare these factors with the tyres that are giving them problems.

 

[GOgg]

Has anyone condidered the possibility that the traction problems being reported in snow are a consequence of the high performance wide tyres fitted to the Eos as standard?


My reaction to this problem would be to try a tyre with a 195/205mm tread width and a coarse "blocky" tread to increase the contact pressure between the tyre and the road and to eject snow/mush from under the tyre to improve the adhesion. Of course these tyres are noisier and have inferior roadholding when the roads are dry - this being the necessary trade-off between safety in snow and performance in the dry. Whenever ice is present, no tyre will ever compensate for inappropriate driving techniques .

You could be right with your first point and its worth considering.

For us in the UK the big problem with changing tyres for snow here is that it might only last for a couple of days then we have a dry spell and then some snow for a few hours. We need general purpose tyres that provide grip, smoothness of ride and are quiet.
The tread patteren is important as well as the tread depth with new tyres I dont seem to suffer the same problems but 10k miles wear on front ones were like Slicks in the snow.
If it stops snowing for long enough I will take a pic of my tyres and post it on here.

Cheers

 

[neh321]

Has anyone condidered the possibility that the traction problems being reported in snow are a consequence of the high performance wide tyres fitted to the Eos as standard?

.

Yes - have thought that's a distinct possibility. They are very wide indeed.

When the snow was a few inches thick a couple of Sundays ago I only used my old (1995) Polo, which was a doddle to control compared with the Eos.

 

[Stephb]

It's raining here but when its dried up i'll go and take a photo, how will i know the width? they are quite wide

Steph xx

 

[neh321]

It's raining here but when its dried up i'll go and take a photo, how will i know the width? they are quite wide

Steph xx

It tells you on the sidewall. If it says '235' then they are 235 mm wide (although the 17/18 refers to inches - for some obscure reason wheels are always measured in inches whilst tyres are in millimetres!)

 

[marky mark]

the same has to be said for me . ive now managed to collect my car and get it parked outside my house after it became stuck in the snow what a nightmare . and to top it off with all the struggle to get my eos moving i now have a compleatly scuffed to bits alloy hohoho merry christmas .

 

[Stephb]

whoops I bet your not chuffed, i scuffed my front passenger side one about 2 months after i got it can't even see it now!

Steph xx

 

[marky mark]

here we are again saturday evening and its been snowing for 3 hours so guess my car wont be going anywhere tomorrow . was so hoping to get it washed .can anyone recomend the best thing to clean the leather with.

 

[Barchetta]

Autoglym leathetr cleaner is great but never gets it really clean. I had my leather permaguarded as I was fed up with the dye from my jeans making the cornsilk nappa dull.

Now I just wipe it with a damp cloth and its back to normal, cost £150 for the inside but well well worth it.

Rob

 

[John_F]

Autoglym leathetr cleaner is great but never gets it really clean. I had my leather permaguarded as I was fed up with the dye from my jeans making the cornsilk nappa dull.

Now I just wipe it with a damp cloth and its back to normal, cost £150 for the inside but well well worth it.

Rob

Rob,
Where did you get your car permaguarded as I'm considering doing something similar? The dealer from whom I bought the car didn't recommend Autoglym, saying that it has to be applied again & again to make it worthwhile. I'd like to do it soon while the car is still new.
Kind regards,
John.

 

[Patti Gibbons]

Hi; I am new here...have to figure out how to custom this up a bit, but I own a 2008 EOS. We have had two snowstorms here...dumping over a foot of snow. I need to go see what tires are on the car, but I got stuck in an unplowed parking lot yesterday (lots of fun as no one would help me) and the car felt like it was all over the road. I have owned a Dasher, and two Jettas in my driving life, and never felt like I was in trouble. I am a bit concerned. If anyone has some tire solutions/suggestions, please give me a shout. I spend a lot of time driving in snow, and need to be able to get around!

 

[cb391]

Considering where you live I'm surprised you aren't using snow tires. The Eos is a car whose weight balance is all wrong for tracking in snow. There is not enough weight over the front wheels to pull through the snow especially if you have the 2.0. In the past week we have had almost a foot of snow here and although I haven't taken the Eos out to play in the snow, I expect it to be an interesting experience. I have a four wheel drive vehicle also and it doesn't like that much snow at one time either but it will go through.