I own a Mercedez CLK coupe. The car is 6 month old with good tires. I don't want to get a winter beater or snow tires. How do I maximize the performance of the car in snow and avoid getting into trouble. I am a careful driver, not rash by any definition. I am particularly careful in snow.
I recently had difficult going up my driveway that was covered with about 2 inch of snow.
2007-12-19 05:12:10 · 11 answers · asked by ps 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Mercedes-Benz
Jayme if you don't know about tires please do not offer advice concerning them. There is a reason police use studless Goodyear snow tires on their rear wheel drive V8s...they work.
The problem is not weight, it is the tires. Most tires for your car are summer only performance tires, as mentioned above. If the tires on the vehicle are not stamped M&S (mud and snow) on the sidewall then don't try to use them in winter conditions.
You can find M&S rated tires for your car, but they will sacrifiece a lot of the winter traction to achieve the speed rating the car calls for. Wide sections of uninterupted tread gives better dry performace, more biting edges and sipes in the tread gives better winter traction. You can't have both.
That is why snow tires are the best option for the car. An all season tire's rubber compund will harden in below freezing temps, preventing it from creating friction and traction on snow and ice. A dedicated snow tire will remain soft giving it the ability to grab where other tires spin. Sand bags or others forms of weight in the trunk can help but you could drop an elephant in the trunk and it won't make a difference if the tires don't grab. A performance snow tire will allow you to drive the car aggresively, if you want, while giving you the winter traction you need.
If you are opposed to snows, get a top of the line all season and drive as slowly and carefully as possible. A big part of the problem with your driveway is high floation, or inability of a wide tire to dig down through the snow to grab the road surface. If you have the 17' wheel option put 225-45-17s on the rear for winter instead of the 245-40-17s, it'll help a little.
Good luck.
2007-12-19 06:05:25 · answer #1 · answered by TL 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
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They're as good as the driver and the tires. I learned to drive in Alaska, in winter, in a 1977 Nova with bald tires. The only time I ever had trouble was when I didn't shovel the driveway off winter and accidentally parked too close to the edge of the packed down area. RWD will move just as well as FWD in snow, particularly if you put weight in the trunk. The problem is that it is more likely to spin if you lose traction in the drive wheels. You can actually use this to your advantage in some situations (1 point turn), but generally you'll want to avoid it. With good snow tires, and a light touch on the gas, though, the difference between RWD and FWD is minimal. Just be sure you have an intuitive understanding of what to do in a skid (steer into the skid, stay gently on the gas, do NOT slam on the brakes). You don't have time to THINK about this, you have to do it as naturally as breathing. (I did without having to be told, but then I'd ridden bicycles on ice and the principle is the same.) Also you won't fly off the road in the rain if you get good street tires and don't drive like an idiot. Drive for conditions ALL THE TIME and you'll be fine. Oh, and your dad's van would move in snow if your dad knew what he was doing. All this said...are you REALLY sure you can handle this? That's a lot of power to have on tap to go through wheels which will be able to handle very little (honestly, on ice, anything past the first 50 horsepower is pointless for daily driving). You really will need to have a light touch on the gas to drive a car like this in the winter. If you really want this car, spend an extra 1500 bucks and get a winter beater. Your dealer is a lying sack of ****, too. Go elsewhere, tell him why.
2016-04-02 04:55:19 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you object to getting winter tires?
Your "good tires" are all season compromises, not designed for dealing with snow as a primary objective.
You're not really giving any options - there is no magic that can occur to improve the traction aside from adding some weight into the trunk and keeping the tank full, but that won't make a huge difference.
That car already has traction control, but your ability to stop and go will be limited by the all season tires that came with the car.
Put four winter tires on the car, and it will be much better in the snow/slush. Yeah, they'll cost you a few bucks, but your all season tires will last longer since they won't be on the car all year.
2007-12-19 05:29:37 · answer #3 · answered by PMack 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
RWD in the snow really doesn't mix well, but adding some extra weight in the back may help you get through the winter. Go to your local harware store and get the sand tube(typically people with trucks do this) and toss them right against the wheel well in the trunk.
2007-12-19 05:25:45 · answer #4 · answered by GeneWeen 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
get some blizzack winter tires. There the best and the only hope for getting u through the snow in an CLK.
2007-12-19 12:43:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
I have a 100 lb bag of kitty litter in the trunk. The extra weight helps and it came in handy last year when no one could get traction in the parking lot at work.
Not the scoopable kind - the coarse kind.
2007-12-19 11:22:03 · answer #6 · answered by Butterfly Lover 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Is call throttle control....and ensure that traction control is in full alert.
Snow tire will not help at all so don't even bother....no kind of street tire will benifit you significantly to gain full traction...only rally 10mm studded tires do and they aren't street legal...here at least...
V8 power and rear wheel drive on snow....man i would love that!it will be so fun!! Pull the hand brake briefly and apply opposite lock next time you go around a corner and you will know what i mean.
2007-12-19 05:30:22 · answer #7 · answered by Jayme 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Buy a old rusty Chevy and save the Benz for unsalted roads.
2007-12-19 07:24:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as your tires are all-season (or M+S rated), you'll be fine. If the tires are summer-only, you're screwed...they won't tolerate the cold let only snow.
Got to tirerack.com and read the reviews of that tire brand/model, that will let you know what you're rubber is rated.
2007-12-19 05:36:16 · answer #9 · answered by qwiktruk 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Just get 2 rear snow tires, and your DONE...
2007-12-19 09:00:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋