Quattro & Snow....Opinions??

dean_watford

dean_watford

Registered User
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
70
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Watford
Just seen an Audi advert pushing Quattro as the winter choice......

Just wondering what people think of it in the snow???

I have found that it does seem to help with hills if you keep the throttle to bare min and the traction on but sometimes it scars the hell out of me. I'm not keen on how it transfers power at will - sometimes it's squirming from the front and others the **** end is coming around....

Oh why didn't the put a snow mode on the Haldex locking it to 50:50!!
 
Quattro only gets you so far. And that's even if you have winter tyres! It obviously gives you alot more confidence in the snow then say a rear drive beemer but let's just say my 1litre yaris outperforms my S3 in the snow all day long. Under 10mph of course hehe.
 
Quattro's great in a Torquey diesel and in the older 50/50 models it's fantastic but if you got big turbos forget it!
 
Its effectiveness will also depends on your choice of tyres. The Quatro system may be a bit better with winter tyres?
 
I find the s3 great fun in the snow, traction control is better switched off to get going though and then put it back on if you don't like the tail happy moments from then on. Personally I think it makes it really responsive. Key to snow is just be smooth in everything you do and watch out for the twats thinking its the same as bone dry tarmac. And just use your gears to slow down cos quattro or not brakes do not work in the snow!
 
I think it's top. Earlier this week I got stuck in the stupid traffic jams we had in Scotland and went "off piste"
I took country roads that are scary in the wet! I came across a few cars at the bottom of a hill that I knew would be tricky. Some were trying it with no success. I left a Toureg a Mitsubishi outlander, another Mitsubishi and a volvo c90 at the bottom of the hill! I only had normal road tyres. Met a guy in an old land rover at top and we had a chuckle!

Quattro doesn't help going down! Slid for about 100 ft foot to floor and ABS chattering away on the other side of hill.
 
I found it absolutely amazing! I took mine down country lanes with my friend in his shogun and the A3 was going through snow that was halfway up its front bumper with no difficulty. My mate was also amazed at the fact it was gong where the shogun was struggling :)

Also i found the best way to stop when going down a hill and the pedal went to the floor with the ABS going mental, was to switch the esp off and slip it into reverse and give it a bit of poke :)

Bearing in mind I get quite alot of comments on how good my driving is from a very close racing driver (2010 F2 world champion) i wouldnt advise the reverse trick for the faint hearted haha
 
one word, fantastic, couple it with snow tyres and i can put all 300bhp down safely
 
I find the traction pretty good even on summer tyres. I've driven past many people stuck in fwd and rwd cars on my road without issue.

Can also be fun when cornering, once you have got the nose to tuck in you get a nice controlled drift when applying a bit of throttle.

I was very suprised how good it is in snow, after watching my neighbour try and get out last year, then helping him push his car back onto his drive I thought I would have a go. I just reversed out and drove off - you get some funny noises from the EDL system trying to brake spinning wheels but it seems to cope quite well.
 
i love it... running ps2's no issues & last year ran standard contis with aboput 2mm tread.. also had no issues.. although i have made the car show ESP Faults several times where i think it just trips out (overloaded) even through its off??
 
Awesome in the S3. In fact its a major lock in for me with the Audi brand now as there are not many other cars with 4wd that would be to my taste. Drove from the midlands to Scotland in the snow we had last year with complete confidence. Went past plenty of people in all sorts of cars stuck at the bottom of country lanes.
 
Personally I doubt I would buy an Audi without 4WD with the possible exception of an A1 (but then again would probably buy a Polo instead!)

The Quattro system is superb in all weathers and creates a sense of safety and sure footedness. Not saying FWD is all bad, it is cheaper but for us Quattro is what Audi is all about.
 
same here, didnt have that many dramas, got a bit of sideways slippage, but nothing more then that, had to help toe my old mans A4 out of the slush at one point as well so there was loads of grip and you could really feel the Quarrto shuffling the power around to keep it moving
 
It is a good system to have on your car , the snow has been too deep for me to take the s3 out would just be pushing snow around , we also have a 4motion golf which has the same haldex system and is amazing it has never let me down will go anywhere ........the real worry for me in winter condiions are the other idiots belting around , ive spotted so many needless prangs mainly down to the driver being at fault............
 
I have driven mine a bit in snow, now, it is all about tyres, the only limiting factor for me so far has been depth, but it pulls fine up to 9", and tbh I have played about a bit, and it does not put a foot wrong under full load, in a straight line, as for stopping once again it is just great, but as I said it is all about TYRES.
I floored mine in deep snow tracks on road, and was dam nr doing 50 in no time, I could not believe how little slip there was, and it stopped fine too. I would drive mine any where with out hesitation on snow and ice, I have never driven in a more secure car, even after owning a range rover I feel more safe, (though that was a long time ago before ABS, and silica gel tyres. as it is all about tyres put a decent set on a RR and sure that be great too now.
 
I could rave all day about the performance of the S3 in snow and icey conditions. Obviously you still need to be familiar with snow driving as stamping the brakes in any car even with ABS you are going to slide. Last year in the snow I was amazed with the S3 even with it's summer Bridgestone tyres. I was able to easily drive up hills and slopes that were stopped front wheel and rear wheel drive cars alike. Considering the S3 is lower than a standard A3 it's ability to deal with even deep snow is impressive. A few weeks ago I took the wise decision to swap over to some winter tyres, Pirelli Sottozero II's, they do make a major difference. Stopping distance in the snow is seriously reduced and I was easily able to reverse up onto my sloping driveway in deeper snow this year, when last year I was having to drive on forwards and reverse out.

So have no doubt, S3 8P Quattro is very winter capable, and with winter tyres too only the really deep drifts are going to stop you....
 
Last edited:
I love quattro in the snow/ice. Mind you, I'm running the proper torsen version rather than the (IMHO) half ***** part time system.
 
I agree with your sentiments auroan... wait until you try the latest A4/5 system and you will then feel the same way about your!

Seriously there are criticisms of the 8P (?Haldex) system but it is absolutely 100% better than just FWD!
 
Great up hills.
Scary on corners.
Scary on the brakes.

Seemed to squirm around a lot in the snowy/slushy stuff, almost as if the back wheels were loose!

Thats with GY Assy F1s with about 5m front tread and 3-4 on the back so not a surprise really.

Turning the ESP off did improve things however I could barely keep with 1.0 Corsas on the corners and round abouts.

Paul
 
Quattro is brilliant in the snow, and if you get a set of good winter tires it will get you pretty much everywhere...

Obviously, summer tires on snow don't work. Sure, quattro will help you from a stand still, but it won't help you stopping or cornering.

I really love how the tail brakes lose when you turn OFF ESP, so much fun :wub:
 
PilotAudi said:
I agree with your sentiments auroan... wait until you try the latest A4/5 system and you will then feel the same way about your!
Click to expand...

I have, and I like it's torque bias to more rear wheel drive, and even better control with the trick sports diff. But it's still full time 4wd, which means you don't get the slight "squirminess" that you do in haldex when it's transitioning from fwd to 4wd.

You've also got to take into account the different versions of ESP/ABS/ASR found in the torsen and haldex based cars, and how much affect they have on the cars "feel" and ability in the snow.
 
very poor even compared to our other 'mickey mouse 4wd' CRV. It is in the same league as my old RX8, but ahead of the mrs' old astra :p

thick ice + quattro + misbehaving DSG = pack a shovel
 
auroan said:
I have, and I like it's torque bias to more rear wheel drive, and even better control with the trick sports diff. But it's still full time 4wd, which means you don't get the slight "squirminess" that you do in haldex when it's transitioning from fwd to 4wd.

You've also got to take into account the different versions of ESP/ABS/ASR found in the torsen and haldex based cars, and how much affect they have on the cars "feel" and ability in the snow.
Click to expand...

Yeh OK... The technical stuff may be impressive... In the real world after 20+k miles in a new A4/5 Quattro and more in an A3 8P Quattro I can honestly say that whilst the modern version is better - Audi VDT maybe ;-) - the 8P Quattro is pretty damn good. IMHO
 
P5SND said:
one word, fantastic, couple it with snow tyres and i can put all 300bhp down safely
Click to expand...


I had to laugh at this ......lol.Yea of course you can PSSND :) there are some idiots on this site but putting down 300bhp safely in the snow and ice takes the biscuit..........PMSL :)

Oh and by the way. winter tires will cost you another £200 on your insurance so i wouldn't bother if i was you.
 
Last edited:
With quattro, you have to keep your feet on the throttle in order to go in the direction you want. If you let go of the throttle, the car would more likely plow.
 
paddy said:
I had to laugh at this ......lol.Yea of course you can PSSND :) there are some idiots on this site but putting down 300bhp safely in the snow and ice takes the biscuit..........PMSL :)

Oh and by the way. winter tires will cost you another £200 on your insurance so i wouldn't bother if i was you.
Click to expand...

Dont be silly, no S3 is putting 300bhp on the road, the clutches will be slipping long befiore that.

Tires? are you from the `Yoo Ess ov Aaa` Paddy?
 
haha yeah forfar was bad, unfortunately it was too high to get teh s3 out the drive for 2 days, we life just outside and got around 3 feet! ive always had snow tyres on my cars theyre worth thier salt and i dont hesitate shelling out up to 150 quid a corner for a good set, im cureently running avon ice touring st's as for the clutch slippaga :laugh:

and i heard about the insurance absolute ***** imo next theyll be asking your tread depths! :laugh: luckily my insurer doesnt require it ive been with them 4 years now and they consistanly match and drop any other quote (hence <1100 for the s3 fully comp with no voluntry excess)
 
Mine seemed to cope ok though I did have a bit of trouble reversing off my drive the first time. Front wheels seemed to be spinning so the front of the car was going sideways and it didn't feel like the back wheels were doing anything. Would need to do a bit more driving in it to be sure but the whole of my road was way too deep and some new residents at the end choose to park their cars at the bottom of the hill on the outside of a bend:banghead::banghead::banghead:. Would feel more confident with a full time system, but I'm geting used to it.
 
Once its over 4ft P5 has to get in via the sun roof but apart from that no worries , just switch on the xenons and instant thaw ! :lmfao:
 
ive no sun roof! :( once its over 4 foot the garage stays shut and i get to go on the drink lol
 
:laugh: i think my drinking days are done after friday night, lost the feeling in two fingers and can barely walk now, was out from 11am through to 9am the next day

however today is my last day at work as im off on holidays till the 6th, so i know that will all have changed come wed
 
Regarding "winter" tyres and insurance.... I can see no need to inform your insurance at all and it should not affect your premiums as long as the tyres are the same size as your normal summer ones. It's not a modification. It's a new set of tyres, you don't tell your insurance if you swap from Bridgestone to Goodyear brands do you? No. Winter tyres can be run all year round, same as most people run summer tyres all year round. It's just winter tyres perform better in temps under 7 degrees and on ice and snow then their summer equivalents.

Snow tyres however are a different matter, they have studs and you would need to declare those. Plus I'm sure you wouldn't want to run those on tarmac for any distance.
 
I think my Mrs was over confident when she stepped out of being in my Quattro having been taxied around by moi for a few days after the snow has started to ease and the roads were clearer.. Into her 1series and she couldn't even get out of the (cleared and perfectly level!) drive!!

It's a dream to drive in the snow.

Gimme a set of Nokian WR32s and I'll easily bolt a plough to the front and clear the roads myself in it!!!
 
not that impressed with mine in the snow, although I may have had high expectations.

Winters carry on like this for a few years and I might get myself a Mercedes, much better in the snow!
 
I'm not sure if the Unimog has a footbreak, but it goes through 1.2 meters of water, thats got to count for something!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PNH80
Opinions on A3/S3 quattro in the Snow...
Replies
21
Views
22K
fingermouse
fingermouse
loftusrich
Quattro + snow =
Replies
15
Views
1K
jungle
J
MA3TDIQ
Audi Quattro and snow
Replies
9
Views
1K
Sherv
Sherv
Skittler
Snow Chains for 18" 3.2 Quattro
Replies
19
Views
2K
Wolfsburger
W
B
Opinions on this Quattro TDI please?
Replies
25
Views
1K
buel
B
Top
Back