E 320 vs E350 4matic in inclement weather - Page 2

CEB · 2009-06-08 19:10:36

...I appreciate your comments. I'm not sure that I'd be driving my 320 (or 350 4matic) at 70mph (over the normal speed limit) in heavy rain when others are driving at 30mph with their emergency flashers on. All the electronic nannies and modern tires are only so good - they can't overcome the laws of physics. One such law is that traction is reduced in rain as there is a layer of water between the tarmac and the tires....

06-21-2009 | 07:37 AM

#29

nopcbs

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Joined: Jun 2009

Posts: 234

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2006 E320 CDI

You will do fine with an E320 CDI, if you...

Quote:

Originally Posted by CEB

Yep - I searched before I posted.

I'm in the market for either a 350 4matic or a 320. The 320 intrigues me because the possibilities of stellar (for this size car) "gas" mileage.

That said, my last cars all have been AWD (R32, RL, Audi S6) and with the proper winter tires have been like mountain goats - virtually unstoppable.

My last MB (a 450 SEL) was very bad in the snow (although tire technology has gotten much better since then too) but I figure that the new electronic wizardry, combined with proper tires should make the 320 pretty decent in all but the worst of weather.

Unfortunately, in theory (although it has never happened,) my job may require me to get on the roads (DC metro, NoVA, MD 'burbs) before the first snowplow has hit the roads. A few years ago I had a GTI as a daily driver and had no issues - except that I vowed never to buy a FWD car again.

Should I get the 320 or will the 4matic give me vastly improved traction? This will be my year round daily driver.

Discuss....

OK, I am coming out of a 1992 Lexus LS400 equipped with traction control. Have had the car since 1994. We live in mid-Michigan and we get a lot of snow most winters. This car is my winter daily driver. Until about 5 years ago, we just used all-season tires with it. My wife was driving it then and it did OK, but not great, on snow. The last set of all-seasons we had on it before it became my daily driver (she got an RX330), Pirrelli's, were pretty bad in snow. She actually did a 180 one evening coming home on a curve. No damage, but scarey. That convinced me we needed snow tires. I bought a set of used oem wheels and a set of new Hankook snow tires from Tire Rack. The difference in winter performance is utterly phenomenal. These are not even expensive snow tires. Between the snow tires and traction control we have no problems with snow at any depth up to the point where you are snow plowing with the bumper (that happened for the first time after a big storm this past winter when the plows came through and left a big ridge of snow at the entrance to our side street). I could not get through. Went home and got my snow thrower to clear the block. No one was getting through that, otherwise.

Short answer is that you will do better with an AWD or FWD car and snow tires, but you will do almost as well with a RWD car with traction control and a good (need not be great) set of snow tires. I personally think that you will do better with a RWD car and snow tires than you will with an AWD or FWD car and just all-seasons...especially worn all-seasons. I have only been stopped once with our old and heavy LS400 (RWD) once I put on snow tires...and no one short of a tall 4WD truck was getting through that drift until I cleared it.

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