So yesterday after complaining of no snow...it snowed!.
Not much , only about an inch. The X did not like it at all when coming to a stop.
The brakes made a loud noise when coming to a stop and the steering felt weird, tried to make a left turn but the X didn't want to so i missed the turn.

I'm not sure if the brake noise was normal ABS operation or something going wrong. The noise is hard to describe...crunching..clanging...grinding ? coming from the front of the car. When i let up from the brake pedal slightly the noise stopped

luckily i was almost home by the time i needed to do much braking.

Highway driving was fine, changing lanes was also fine, in fact i felt more confident at speed than in my old land rover discovery.

I'll need to find an empty parking lot to do some practice braking...any tips from more experienced snow drivers would be nice

 

That noise was the ABS pump. Kind of sounds like a groaning creaking noise.

Are you a beginner at snow driving in general? Or just driving in snow with the X-Type?

 

being a brit in the U.S for 10 years i have plenty of regular snow time in a 4x4 truck and never had an issue stopping, this is my first awd vehicle (my truck had huge snow tires for winter) so technically i am now new to snow driving. Stopping in the X is very different to the truck. In the truck i never even noticed the snow. Last night the last turn before arriving home made me nervous i was going to slide into a car parked at the side of the road

 

It's got to be your tires. I own an ML350 and my X, and with both using same tires (Conti ExtremeContact DWS), both perform equally great in traction and braking in snow. Now, add some freezing temps and ice, thats a different story.

 

Yeah it's probably your tires then that are holding you back. Are you on summers? All-seasons?

It's definitely going to be a lot different than your truck. Since your truck was on winter tires, and the X isn't, just be much more cautious than you usually would.

Sometimes, say I'm going down a hill, or if traffic is coming to a slow stop, I'll downshift a couple gears and use engine braking to slow me down. But only a couple gears. If you downshift too many gears the abrupt engine RPM change and deceleration might disrupt the balance of the car and force you into a slide as well. But if you can predict it beforehand, engine braking helps a lot. (Don't forget to tap the brakes too though so traffic behind you knows you're slowing down!)

I also try to engage ABS as little as possible. I guess you could call it something similar to threshold braking. Because if you hit the brakes hard or abruptly you're going to engage ABS, and when that happens you are beyond the traction limits of the tires, so I try to stay just under that.

Soft, but firm pedal action. Obviously if you're slowing to make a turn, and you're still sliding, just keep going straight and make a detour. It's not worth sliding into other cars trying to make the turn.

 

The tires i have are quite new, i did cheap out and buy hankook all seasons, though they had a high rating from users at tirerack.com for snow conditions.
So i'll try being more gentle on the brake pedal, i think the ABS kicked in on about 70% of my braking at slow speeds last night (15mph or so)
I just spent almost as much on my teeth as i did on the car so funds for new winter tires are pretty much outta the question for now (i now have nice U.S teeth instead of tombstone Brit teeth...lol)

 

Hahahah, white knuckles, grinding teeth, yep winter driving.

A quick way to assess road conditions are to get up to like 10mph and quick hit the brakes. Depending on how hard and how quickly ABS activates, you can get a feel of just how slick the roads are.

But if you're using ABS that often in order to slow down or stop within a certain distance (red light, turns, etc.), that usually means you're going too fast for the road conditions. If you're going slow enough, appropriate for the conditions, you shouldn't need to rely on or engage ABS so often in order to stop within a certain distance. Does this make sense?

 

All season's are not nearly as good as snow/mud tires. My X with Blizzaks grips absurdly well. I almost can't believe how well it does on hills - even starting from a dead stop.

 

Tyres are your problem, all seasons can't hold a candle to proper winter tyres, period.

 

I wonder if your ABS is not working correctly? We just got 11" of snow the past couple of days and my '05 is getting around great! No strange sounds or behaviors from the ABS - just nice smooth braking. Although I can induce some slightly noticeable pulsation when I mash on the brakes <grin>. I agree that snow tires definitely work better, especially for stopping, but if you give yourself a little more room and slow down a little sooner all-season tires can work pretty well. I'm running Continental ExtremeContact DWS all-seasons on mine and I've been really impressed. They've been getting me through the deep stuff and around corners just fine, although they do give up a little grip under hard braking. This is my first winter with an X-Type too and I'm very satisfied with how it's handling the snow!

Brandon

 

Tier 1 all seasons (Conti, Dunlop, Michelin) tend to do better in snow according to customer rankings than the Tier 2 brands like Hankook. There is some truth to getting what you pay for in tires. That may explain it also.

 

Yes AML, that makes sense, so i'll try using less brake pressure.
I may have to bite the bullet and get new tires, cheaper than an insurance claim or hospital bill, what can i expect to pay for 17" decent tires?

 

Best deal I can find is here:
Details: General Altimax Arctic 215/45 R17 87Q studdable - tires-easy.com

$121 each

 

thanks for taking the time exepat...i'm not too good at choosing tires...i tend to go with price and reviews rather than the specs.
I see those tires are studable...do you suggest using studs also?...do others here use studded tires?
What price are the blizzaks you have for a 17" wheel?...btw...never complimented you on your ride...awesome!

 

I only paid $140 for my Blizzaks, but there aren't many providers of my size 205/40/17 (yes, they are smaller than stock. that's intentional). The good studless snows seem to have gone up in price since September when I got mine - probably supply and demand. I like General and they are owned by Continental, so they are probably pretty good, but I haven't had them myself.

I don't think you need the studs - I don't have them.

 

I agree - don't get studs. I've had snow tires with and without studs over the years and good studless snow tires seem to be the best for the whole season. Studs are only marginally more effective on ice and considerably worse in every other condition (snow, wet, dry) as they allow less rubber to contact the roadway. What makes tires effective for their intended purpose has more to do with the compound of the rubber and then tread design and studs tend to interfere with both. If you live where roads are frequently icy studs might make sense, but in most places icy conditions tend to be less frequent than snowy or just wet roadways. I found studs to significantly increase braking distances (except on ice) and they were just plain noisy inside the car - to the point of being irritating. Oh, and don't forget studs tend to cause most of the ruts and damage to our roadways. Just my 2 cents!

Brandon

 

Jeremy, have you actually used tires-easy.com? If so how do they compare with TireRack, etc for service?

iownme, it is your tires.

 

Go for the Studs!

If you end up not liking them, you can get 'em pulled out later.

Oh, yeah, they make a bit of a noise. (But not as much as you might be led to believe). That's what the radio is for.

And yes, they do contribute a tiny bit to road wear, but not anymore than a single 18-wheeled truck with a heavy load methinks.

But the very first time you have to twist the wheel one way or another to miss a road hazard, or brake hard on solid or black ice, you'll truly understand. Nothing but nothing gives a feel of security on an icy road like studded tires, short of just staying home.

I am entering my 3rd winter on my studded Pirelli's (from TireRack). The studs wore down to nubbin's in the first two or three thousand miles, but the other twenty thousand North Dakota winter miles they've stayed about the same.

I have yet to break traction on the road - wet, dry, snow or icy - with these tires.

This actual Jaguar television advertisement explains how the car handles better than I can.

GO FOR THE STUDDED TIRES!

 

Make sure studded tires are legal where you live. They are outlawed in many states.

 

You can get studded tires in New York. You need to have the studs removed by May. I live in the Adirondacks and my wife has Bridgestone Blizzaks no studs. Not sure where in upstate you live but I have driven her car in deep snow with no issues with her snow tires.

Usually I drive my Range Rover sometimes in deeper snow and it does not even have snow tires, but it has Goodyear Fortera Triple Treads, excellent all season tire! I have never had issues in snow with them on my Rover.

I have lived here my entire life and this has been an odd winter, no snow, my entire yard is ice, usually we just get snow up here in the Adirondacks without the ice cause it is so cold. I have never used salt in my life for my driveway or sidewalk. Can't wait for this winter to end!!!