djrabbi

I had all seasons in the winter 2 winters back and invested in snows last winter.......made a HELL OF A DIFFERENCE and I have RWD also...I did get stuck sometimes thats if snow was really high. I got out of my driveway with ease

hyperion667

LOL, I'd much rather shwetty ***** than frozen ones

MagicJack

I've found distronic handy in heavy rain and fog where the radar can see further than I can through my windshield (and I am a rain x fanatic).

In snow, 4wd aids with starting/acceleration and maintaining speed. It is not an asset when stopping or turning compared to rwd.

It seems many people do not understand this. Another thing many people do not seem to understand is that using lower gears to engine brake in snow is considerably more dangerous than using the brakes to maintain speed or slow down.

Germancar1

I don't see it, I'd want to be in full control of the car in such conditions.

Using a downshift to slow down in bad conditions should be common knowledge, but I'm pretty sure it isn't. Its the best way I know how to stop a RWD Benz in snow or ice, even with snows on.


M

Johnny Mo

My E350 4 was running thru this last storm like a champ - even before I threw my snows on. Had to stop part way up the hill to my house as someone in a monster size 4wd Tahoe was dropping off the neigbor's kid...they released the brake and tried to proceed up the hill and began to slide sideways down the cross-street. My 350 casually, calmly and without incident drove right past - to the stares of onlookers puzzled as to how effortlessly I made it through. I can't even begin to comment how pleased I am with my car's performance in foul weather - and believe me last year was a true test as well.

Unfortunately it sounds like you traded off bluetec for 4matic...not sure I'd make the same choice in New England, but then again I used to drive my Mustang GT in the winter too...it all depends on what you are willing to live with.

ttoE550

Unless one is using cruise control, there is no difference in control between Distronic+ and no Distronic+ unless a crash is practically unavoidable (I assume no one would use cruise control in snow!). But with Distronic plus, you get a nice graphic showing you the car ahead out to 300 or 400 feet (forgot). Plus you get all the blind spot warnings, etc.

Downshifting the car is one way to slow down, but there is no "best." In a RWD car, you are essentially dropping an anchor, letting the rear wheels drag along. This minimizes understeer under braking in bad conditions, but only two wheels do the braking. In many circumstances, it would be better to have all 4 wheels slowing you down, which normal braking would provide. The problem is that people often brake too hard in snow and bad conditions, leading to understeer. If they were to brake much more lightly -- feathering if you will -- that they would find the sweet spot where the tire is on the edge between rolling and locking up. There is a lot of braking power at that point. That point changes as the car slows down because the momentum diminishes, so one needs to brake even more lightly as the car slows down.

EDIT: This is also true even with ABS. I find ABS to be terrible (any car) in snow and ice. Much better to find that sweet spot!

Please also be aware that downshifting when one of the rear wheels has more grip than the other can put you in a snap spin.

listerone

Having worked for 20 years in a major hospital's ER has made me a *very* conservative driver.I've had *one* accident in the last 37 years and that involved me having been rear-ended...not my fault.I wanted to use the cruise control to do about 30mph which,even in the light traffic at the time,was all that was appropriate at that time on that part of I-84.

As all car makers point out the driver is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of a vehicle and,accepting that,there's no reason that *I* can see that the cruise control shouldn't work.

But that's just me I suppose.

Germancar1

All true, but it does vary with conditions. A few times in deep snow a firm stomp brakes gets you an automatic build up of snow in front of the car which will stop you. LOL ~ I don't recommend this though.

I don't see why anyone would use cruise in snow either, which is what I was saying earlier. Knowing Mercedes if there is anything obstructing the various sensors up front, I'm not surprised those functions won't work in certain conditions. Rightly so IMO.


M

Germancar1

So you would use CC in snow or heavy rain?

Edit: Just re-read your post. Sure there are reasons why it wouldn't work, if were talking about Distronic or some other system that has to read the road. If something is blocking the sensors or "eyes" of the system of course it isn't going to work. Would you rather it work and malfunction or just prevent you from harming yourself?


M

listerone

My dream car (given my somewhat limited budget) would be a BMW 5 Series diesel.As much as I like my Bluetec my love for the I-6 featured in my "d" and the 5 Series that I rest drove I'd snap one of those babies up in a heartbeat.

I,too,am not even a little bit in love with RFTs in general and will surely move to non-runflats when tire replacement is due.Upon doing so I'll probably opt for some sort of donut (if avaiable) or one of the setups you mention.

listerone

In some circumstances....all the while driving in a fashion that's completely resonable for the conditions.

stemags

I had an awful time with the OEM Conti's that came with the 02 E320,even in 2 inches of snow,therefore I purchased a set of Pirelli Snowsports and the car went thru snow up to the oil pan with no problem.Of course that gave me an exscuse to buy some nice AMG twin spokes for summer use and that was fine.
Now with the 4matic, I researched and found that the Conti DWS all seasons are the highest rated and surveyed all seasons offered thru Tire rack.
I dont know what you fellas think,,but Tire Rack has saved me mucho$$$ and the info you get from their site is terrific.
So they say we're in for another rough winter in the Northeast,,,so lets see

telemakhos

With your hospital experience and your focus on safety I find your opposition to winter tires to be completely illogical.

RNBRAD

IMHO, I don't think a 2wd Benz has any business trying to muddle through snow and ice . I don't care if you have ice tires with spikes, that car has no business in it at all, period. Do yourself a favor and invest in a beater 4 x 4 or a FWD car for ice and snow. Trust me, it will save you the amount of damage expense you put on your Benz. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a 2wd Benz, just realize your situation and deal with it properly and don't ruin your car trying to drive it in that crap. It's a Benz not a Jeep.

grane

Yes, and then some.
Thank goodness I put 4 Hankook Icebears 300s on my Cl55. I drove from York Me to Manchvegas in a terrible Valentines days ice storm several years ago. Did not want to but had to and the Gwagen was in NH. I set up the ABC, the transmission for snow driving according to the OM. I never went over 45 mph but I only slipped once. The clowns with the FW and AWDs were in the ditches, the worst was A RAM truck that passed me going 60 and flipped over about 3 miles up 101. Yes the Parktronic complained even though I kept squirting the h/ls with subzerorainx.

Since I am moving near the hilly Icebox of CT, and i underwent CL&P folly too, I recommend you put 4 snowflake rated tires on your car. If you have to do much highway driving the W rated Icebears are a tire I would consider. Otherwise there are more ice abrasive options like Blizzaks, ToYo g02 plus, and a Hankook that can be studded. All of these handle like winter tires on dry roads but are Much safer and competent in the snow dumps than all seasons or any compromise tire no matter what the pedigree.
Horses for courses.

ImInPA

Well, I decided to just buy a set of dedicated winter/snow tires. After much deliberation, I have ordered a set of Michelin X-Ice xi2 tires mounted on some Elbrus rims for the winter. under $1600 with TPMS sensors. Hoping to get them next week. They get good writeups. I guess we will see. I have to say that the Bridgestone Turanza's simply sucked in the snow last year when they were new. I cannot imagine them being better now that I have close to 25K on them. The Turanzas are also not that good on wet roads with the Bluetec's monstrous torque. Even in the dry, I can pretty much engage the traction control system on dry roads starting in second gear. The Michelins get really good reviews for quietness, wet, and snow.

ImInPA

Well, I decided to just buy a set of dedicated winter/snow tires. After much deliberation, I have ordered a set of Michelin X-Ice xi2 tires mounted on some cheap Elbrus I06 rims for the winter. under $1600 including tires, wheels, and TPMS sensors. Hoping to get them next week. They get good writeups. I guess I will see. I have to say that the Bridgestone Turanza's simply sucked in the snow last year when they were new. I cannot imagine them being better now that I have close to 25K on them. The Turanzas are also not that good on wet roads with the Bluetec's monstrous torque. Even in the dry, I can pretty much engage the traction control system on dry roads starting in second gear. The Michelins get really good reviews for quietness, wet, and snow traction. I will then get really nice summer tires once the Turanza's are gone. The Michelins will be the first snow tires I have ever purchased. In all fairness, once rolling the Turanza's did get me home and never left me stranded last year, but there were numerous situations where they seemed to defy gravity and just spin when I would not have expected it to. Fingers crossed they will provide a confident driving experience. If not I will get a set of studded Hakkapeliittas

BenzMan369

Good luck with them. I have a feeling you will be very pleased.

My former coupe, a CLK320, had a well deserved reputation as becoming the world's most expensive driveway ornament in snowy/icy wx. Simply undrivable on most serious snow/ice. I hadn't owned a full set of snow tires in years, thanks to Honda and front wheel drive.

After much gnashing of teeth, I let the moths out of the wallet and put a set of four Michelin Arctic Alpin snows on the CLK. It totally transformed the car into one of the most stable cars I had ever driven on snow and ice. Of course, MB's various traction aids and the transmission winter driving mode also helped, but it was the snows that made the major difference.