How well does your Focus drive in snow?

[lscrx]

Originally Posted by A2Focus

The title says it all. Have you driven in snow yet? How did it go?

We've only had one really snowy day so far, the roads were terrible on my way into work... VERY slick (I still have the OEM Continental all-seasons). Little Renault hatchback in front of me spun out at about 20kph, I maneuvered around him with a big tail wag thanks to the excellent ESP programming. This all took place on a narrow residential German street with cars parked along both sides... so it was a little pucker inducing.

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[Grizpin]

lscrx, sounds like you and the Focus handled the conditions very well. Were those the 15 or 16 inch Conti's?

[lscrx]

Originally Posted by Grizpin

lscrx, sounds like you and the Focus handled the conditions very well. Were those the 15 or 16 inch Conti's?

16's, and IMHO the Focus has a better ESP calibration than my '05 Saab 9-3 turbo. In a large empty parking lot I practiced a slalom in the snow and was shocked at how seamlessly the ESP intervened to keep the car in line. The back end would step out a little but it was almost impossible to get anymore sideways than that.

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[hand-filer]

215/50R17 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 on alloy wheels. I could have gone smaller/narrower but I was willing to sacrifice a bit of performance to maintain the stock profile.
This is my second vehicle with Xi2's and they perform admirably on this car.

[VOLDAR]

Ok, today we had (finally) some 7-10 cm of snow (= 3-4 inches) and I could see the differences between my ex-car (always drove manuals) and my Focus (DCT). First, I was looking for the clutch at the begining but in no time I learnt to handle it in deep snow. Many here complained about the TC who stops the car exactly when it is most needed. Well, I observed that once the TC is engaging and the revs are starting to climb up (>3500 - 4000rpms) as soon as you take your foot from the gas pedal, the car is moving forward without a problem. In my last car I could feel the brakes "bumping" when TC was engaged. Not in my Focus. I have to look to the dashboard to know the TC is engaged. So, all in all, it is performing great in snow. You have to learn to "feel" it, though, and give it gas when needed or let it be when it is the time.

[csvt2060]

The DCT seems to get confused and go into neutral sometimes when the traction control engages. Happened twice to me this morning, once when backing out of the garage into deep snow, and again starting up in moderate snow from a stoplight. At the stoplight it revved up to 4-5K rpm like the clutch was slipping.

[copernicium112]

Well we finally (Jan. 13th, really?!?) had our first winter mess up here. Seemed to perform well but I need some more time before I can tell for sure. Having never owned an automatic I need to get some more snow experience before I can determine. I had the same experience as Voldar though. Just when I thought I was well past the point of going for the clutch pedal that just isn't there, in this kind of winter driving "muscle memory" kicked in and I found myself trying to clutch several times. This is also the first car I have had in over 16 years with winters, been getting away with all-seasons for the last decade and a half. Forgot how nice a good set of winters grip. So far so good but I definitely want to get out into a deserted snow-covered parking lot soon and push things a little further to get a better feel for the handling.

[cacophonous]

15" Blizzak W70s worked awesome this morning for me. Gripped that slick surface streets amazingly.

[PratoN]

This is my first set of winter tires, having come from a 2002 Ford Escape with 4x4 (and all-season tires); my experience with traction control is the same as Voldar’s. I barely noticed it was engaged except for the blinking light (that and the feeling that I was going kind of slow for the RPMs my car sounded like it was outputting).

So far my P195/65R15 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R's handled great. The state barely plowed anything last night, but I had little trouble getting my car going. I was still driving conservatively because it’s a new car and I don’t want to push the limits. All I know is that if I had my summer tires on last night, I would’ve ended up in a ditch somewhere.

[TjroIhenu]

First day of snow and driving with my 16" factory tires
They did a good job, never had any problems from a stop and go.
tc went off once.
And skid a bit while making a turn into an unplowed road of about 3inches or so of snow.