The Cross comes on Goodyear 4 Seasons snowflake rated M & S tyres 
General Panda 4x4 ELD
- Thread starter Inclinefoot
- Start date
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General Panda 4x4 ELD
Brilliant tyres - had them on the old supercharged 4x4!
I must we living in some kind of laa laa land then. When I was 8 and learning to drive in snow and ice on frozen lake - like most boys did in Finland back in the day - I complained to my dad that the Escort did not move forward when clutch was dropped, it just spun its wheels. Dad opened the trunk of said Ford and dropped in 2 25 kg sand bags. Magically the Escort started to move forward :=0
This practise of adding weight to trunks, beds and loading areas of sedans, pick-ups and vans is common practise even today all over the country. People - obviously wrongly - seem to think that it helps them to get moving and keep on moving in winter conditions. As a nation we also labour under the misconception that fwd moves better in snow/slippery conditions than rwd. Go figure!
-Tazio
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.... might have something to do with it
But of course there will be situations where more weight can help gain traction and improve acceleration, but that's not really what we're talking about here. Discussion here is about ultimate ability to get places, climb hills and manage steep descents in very slippery, wintery weather and under those exact conditions less weigh is better. But....
..... drop the clutch on a wet surface in a powerful rear drive car that is in relative terms 'unweighted' and yes, that bag on concrete in the boot will probably help traction as it gives the same effect as decent weight transfer had you had a grippy surface and were able to get the thing moving. But this argument is one that has no real true answer - it's just horses for courses I'm afraid and right now this horse is running in 30cm of deep snow up a 1:5 hill and doesn't want a wagon full of hardcore tied to his back!
^
I thought someone just proved that weight can not have an impact on traction using primary school physics
In any case, I'm with you on that this is not clear cut. However, I do maintain that other factors being equal weight does help. Up to a point, lack of relative torque, surface not being solid and top heaviness most likely being 1st limiting factors towards 'too much weight' situation
-Tazio
I thought someone just proved that weight can not have an impact on traction using primary school physics
In any case, I'm with you on that this is not clear cut. However, I do maintain that other factors being equal weight does help. Up to a point, lack of relative torque, surface not being solid and top heaviness most likely being 1st limiting factors towards 'too much weight' situation
-Tazio
So that's agreed then!
Anyway, I'm still waiting for some decent snow in Southern England and am envious of how often you get probably more than you need.
Anyway, I'm still waiting for some decent snow in Southern England and am envious of how often you get probably more than you need.
^
48 cm is the current official figure from nearest measuring station.
My personal measuring stick shows 53 cm currently, we live by river and on average get a bit more snow/rain than the surrounding area. Forecast shows clear and mild for this week, so the amount might be stabilized for now
-Tazio
48 cm is the current official figure from nearest measuring station.
My personal measuring stick shows 53 cm currently, we live by river and on average get a bit more snow/rain than the surrounding area. Forecast shows clear and mild for this week, so the amount might be stabilized for now
-Tazio
babbo_umbro
Established member
I think the issue about putting weight over the driven wheels is quite logical - as the weight is added disproportionately the load on the driven wheels - and the grip - might be increased by, say, 30 percent while the total weight of the vehicle is only increased by half that amount - so the friction to inertia is improved.
^
Hmm, maybe I misread your earlier post, but in there you seemed to say the opposite. You can't add total weight and not have that amount distributed to the wheels, one way or the other.
Also, if you think your earlier post a bit more, you might change your take on what happens to grip when snow/slush is compacted/crushed and solid underlaying surface is reached by the tyre - real true glass clear ice (almost never exists in natural conditions) is different. In ice hockey ring not reaching surface and staying in snow above it would be good. In real world weight helps.
-Tazio
Hmm, maybe I misread your earlier post, but in there you seemed to say the opposite.
You can't add total weight and not have that amount distributed to the wheels, one way or the other.Also, if you think your earlier post a bit more, you might change your take on what happens to grip when snow/slush is compacted/crushed and solid underlaying surface is reached by the tyre - real true glass clear ice (almost never exists in natural conditions) is different. In ice hockey ring not reaching surface and staying in snow above it would be good. In real world weight helps.
-Tazio
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I take it the Cross 4WD system is a Haldex type
As I understand it, 98% FWD with only 2% RWD until it detects slip, unless I select off road mode with the dial. It's then 4WD up to 30mph & the ELD will engage as needed?
Back to my Brera, I did consider winter tyres but bought the Cross instead
As I understand it, 98% FWD with only 2% RWD until it detects slip, unless I select off road mode with the dial. It's then 4WD up to 30mph & the ELD will engage as needed?
Back to my Brera, I did consider winter tyres but bought the Cross instead
