Snow Mode

[super mario]

Quick question I was messing around with this a few weeks back. And i dont know how to describe it when using it the car seemed to grip the road more (obviously - for snow) i was just wondering what the mechanics of it were and what it actually does to make teh car feel different

[dlayen]

i was always lead to beleive it makes the throttle less responsive and the traction control more sensitive

[Lex-aholic]

It sets off a LED on the dash which lights up "snow" :D

Apart from that I haven't noticed any difference

[Tarmac]

i got this after a quick google off some motoring site:

An additional electronic safety aid is the Snow mode, which minimises wheelspin on slippery roads by decreasing engine output to the rear wheels.

:)

[Parthiban]

All it does really is make the throttle much less sensitive, don't think it has any effect on the traction control, and contrary to what i initially thought, it also has no effect on the automatic gearbox (if you have one)

[its_a_doozy]

I played with this on my IS200 sport in real snow, and it makes a difference if one wheel has good traction and the other is on a slippery surface.

It control the traction control so that less power is delivered to the wheel with good traction so that the amount of spin or difference between the two wheels are minimised. This avoids the dragging effect that leads to a slide into the snow rather than staying in a straight line.

Best way to test it is by driving along a road which is clear of snow but has snow at the edges. Put one wheel in the snow and drive forward with and without Snow Mode on. You should witness the diffence :winky:

[trevman]

Snow mode also comes in handy when you're in a traffic jam and keep nudging forward every few seconds, as it makes for a smoother crawl. Try it !

[Tarmac]

Snow mode also comes in handy when you're in a traffic jam and keep nudging forward every few seconds, as it makes for a smoother crawl.  Try it !

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that's actually very interesting... i think i'll try that in the horrendous traffic going home later!

[NetOne]

Snow mode also comes in handy when you're in a traffic jam and keep nudging forward every few seconds, as it makes for a smoother crawl.  Try it !

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Does it cost more to have the SNOW mode on ? I believe more fuel is consumed with less power output

[maneesh]

All it does really is make the throttle much less sensitive, don't think it has any effect on the traction control, and contrary to what i initially thought, it also has no effect on the automatic gearbox (if you have one)

←

Yep, you need to push the throttle a lot harder in order to get higher engine output. I know some rival's snow mode starts the car in 2nd gear too.

[lelandv]

It does indeed have a very noticeable effect with the automatic gearbox. The throttle is much less responsive, so a slight nudge of the throttle doesn't "leap" forward. It actually works quite well in the snow (as long as you're not going uphill and the snow is deep, in which case you're in the same situation you'd be in with any rear-wheel drive vehicle in the snow going uphill...).

On dry roads, it offers a smoother creep and initial acceleration (I use it often in traffic jams if I'm driving the IS200), but it also has a significant decrease in overall performance, so not really useful on the motorway at all, unless you like creeping along at 50 Mph and holding the pedal to the floor to get there....

Neat thing to try is start off with snow-mode turned on, accelerate to about 20 Mph, hold the same throttle position for continued acceleration and turn off the snow mode -- you should notice the car "lunge" with a boost of acceleration as the system is turned off.

Leland

[Tarmac]

right... i found absolutely no difference with the Snow mode on with a manual box in bad traffic. but then again i'm still getting used to the car so i dunno for sure...

[spikes]

THINK I WILL PLAY MY SNOW BUTTON 2MORO!!!

[Jiberjaber]

;)

[spikes]

sorry

[spikes]

sorry :duh:

[Pip]

It does make life a little easier in traffic with the snow button on. As for fuel consumption i dont really know.

[imi]

i can vouch for it working on mine, as to when i went to Glossop in the snow..

went up a hill with 2" snow, while rest of them struggled getting up this hill, even the Toyota Celica was struggling infront of me, but i over took it..lol..

i have got 18" alloys with Ventus tyres, and a bootfull of ICE.. as as most of the IS200 with standard wheels are on summer tyres, so there is hardly any chance of them gripping in the snow/rain..

[lexicon]

right... i found absolutely no difference with the Snow mode on with a manual box in bad traffic.  but then again i'm still getting used to the car so i dunno for sure...

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Try this;

Drive at a constant speed, preferably on the flat.

Switch on snow-mode and don't adjust your throttle position - the car will slow down.

Turn it off, and you will speed up again.

All it does is affect the ratio of "pedal position" to "throttle opening" which makes it easier to drive smoothly in order to reduce wheelspin.

[Tarmac]

hmmm - i'll try that this evening so - thx lexi :)

[baby_lexus]

I'll give it a go as well.

[Lex-aholic]

I'll give it a go as well.

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Shall we do a group snow mode tonight ?

[spikes]

Yes it does make a difference in slow moving traffic.

[marsden1002]

Yes it does make a difference in slow moving traffic.

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Its rubbish. Where i live the Snow mode does nothing, apart from make throttle less responsive. It still spins like hell, back end still tries to go opposite way to the front end!

[lelandv]

Yes it does make a difference in slow moving traffic.

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Its rubbish. Where i live the Snow mode does nothing, apart from make throttle less responsive. It still spins like hell, back end still tries to go opposite way to the front end!

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That's pretty normal for about 90% of all rear-wheel drive cars anyway...

;)

L.