VSC 'Snow' button: It really works!
12-27-12, 11:19 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: VA
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VSC 'Snow' button: It really works!
I put my 300's VSC snow feature to the test last night.
I drove south through central NY in the middle of Winter Storm Euclid on rural mountainous roads, through city neighborhood streets and on major interstate highways with 3 month old Primacy MXV4's. The fast falling snow was coming down at a rate of 2"/hour. None of the roads were plowed or salted (yet). The amount of snow on the ground at the time was about 4.5". I left the 'snow' switch on when I reached the NYS Thruway since most of the snow wasn't plowed. It had been packed down by traffic. As I headed farther south, the snow turned to sleet.
I didn't lose traction on any of the untouched windy snowy mountainous roads, city street or thruways. I averaged 40mph (which was the posted speed for most of the roads.) My biggest worry was making it up a mountainous notch with a 45 degree incline. Impressively, my 300 climbed it without any slipping or fish tailing. I never slammed on the accelerator - I used slow, deliberate pressure. The strong winds blew the snow toward the middle of the road in many spots, raising the accumulated snowfall to 5". My 300 maneuvered through it all without any problems.
The true test of the snow feature came when I stopped at an ATM and parked at a slight incline in an CVS parking lot with about 6" of unpaved snow. I attempted to back up, but while my rear tires were furiously spinning, my 300 didn’t budge an inch. I didn't know that the snow feature needs to be reactivated after the car has been turned off. So, I turned the snow switch on while I was stuck in snow, and sure enough, I was able to back up and move forward, on an incline mind you, without any problems.
I don't know how many of you get to use this feature on your 300, but I can confidently say it worked well in a number of different real world snow storm settings; through unplowed windy rural mountainous roads, on uptown city neighborhood streets and on a major interstate thruway. I wouldn't have been able to maneuver through the snow without it. Instead, I would have fish-tailed my way in circles.
The snow feature is not a substitute for four wheel drive (although I did pass my share of Subaru's, Audi's and SUVs.) I didn't exceed 45 mph while the snow feature was activated. Our cars have relatively low clearance, so this feature is primarily for use on paved roads (though for part of my mountainous trip, I used it on a snow covered dirt road without any problems.) My tires are Primacy MXV4's, installed just under 3 months ago.
This is a great feature and it worked exceedingly well.
I drove south through central NY in the middle of Winter Storm Euclid on rural mountainous roads, through city neighborhood streets and on major interstate highways with 3 month old Primacy MXV4's. The fast falling snow was coming down at a rate of 2"/hour. None of the roads were plowed or salted (yet). The amount of snow on the ground at the time was about 4.5". I left the 'snow' switch on when I reached the NYS Thruway since most of the snow wasn't plowed. It had been packed down by traffic. As I headed farther south, the snow turned to sleet.
I didn't lose traction on any of the untouched windy snowy mountainous roads, city street or thruways. I averaged 40mph (which was the posted speed for most of the roads.) My biggest worry was making it up a mountainous notch with a 45 degree incline. Impressively, my 300 climbed it without any slipping or fish tailing. I never slammed on the accelerator - I used slow, deliberate pressure. The strong winds blew the snow toward the middle of the road in many spots, raising the accumulated snowfall to 5". My 300 maneuvered through it all without any problems.
The true test of the snow feature came when I stopped at an ATM and parked at a slight incline in an CVS parking lot with about 6" of unpaved snow. I attempted to back up, but while my rear tires were furiously spinning, my 300 didn’t budge an inch. I didn't know that the snow feature needs to be reactivated after the car has been turned off. So, I turned the snow switch on while I was stuck in snow, and sure enough, I was able to back up and move forward, on an incline mind you, without any problems.
I don't know how many of you get to use this feature on your 300, but I can confidently say it worked well in a number of different real world snow storm settings; through unplowed windy rural mountainous roads, on uptown city neighborhood streets and on a major interstate thruway. I wouldn't have been able to maneuver through the snow without it. Instead, I would have fish-tailed my way in circles.
The snow feature is not a substitute for four wheel drive (although I did pass my share of Subaru's, Audi's and SUVs.) I didn't exceed 45 mph while the snow feature was activated. Our cars have relatively low clearance, so this feature is primarily for use on paved roads (though for part of my mountainous trip, I used it on a snow covered dirt road without any problems.) My tires are Primacy MXV4's, installed just under 3 months ago.
This is a great feature and it worked exceedingly well.
12-27-12, 02:33 PM
#2
Thanks for the info. I hope to never have to use my snow button, but I'm sure it will happen eventually (here in Seattle). It also helps that you have great tires on your ride. Those MXV4's got rated really well across the board, including snow/ice by Consumer Reports.
It's funny when people rip on RWD cars all the time. If you have the right tires and driving ability, you can really get most places.
It's funny when people rip on RWD cars all the time. If you have the right tires and driving ability, you can really get most places.
12-27-12, 08:43 PM
#4
Intermediate
Wow, impressive, especially considering MXV4s are all-season and not snows. You'd likely notice even better traction with Blizzacks or comparable. I DD my car through western Canadian winter and while it's OK with Michelin snows I am considering getting an old 4Runner as all the AWD drivers around here have zero patience for the extra couple seconds it takes to launch on ice.
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12-28-12, 03:06 PM
#9
Here in Wisconsin I use the snow button all the time, I do have a set of blizzaks for the winter though. Which helps, a lot. But the snow button makes it much harder to lose traction. And I haven't gotten stuck yet.
When my dad bought this car brand new back in 2000, the dealer had Z rated summer tires on it, with almost no tread. The first time it snowed about 1/32 of an inch, we couldn't make it up a hill with 10 degree incline.
When my dad bought this car brand new back in 2000, the dealer had Z rated summer tires on it, with almost no tread. The first time it snowed about 1/32 of an inch, we couldn't make it up a hill with 10 degree incline.
12-28-12, 03:07 PM
#10
Here in Wisconsin I use the snow button all the time, I do have a set of blizzaks for the winter though. Which helps, a lot. But the snow button makes it much harder to lose traction. And I haven't gotten stuck yet.
When my dad bought this car brand new back in 2000, the dealer had Z rated summer tires on it, with almost no tread. The first time it snowed about 1/32 of an inch, we got stuck on a hill with only about a 10 degree incline.
When my dad bought this car brand new back in 2000, the dealer had Z rated summer tires on it, with almost no tread. The first time it snowed about 1/32 of an inch, we got stuck on a hill with only about a 10 degree incline.
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