All Mine

And handled like a friggin' champ. VSA worked flawlessly on keeping all the power from getting out of control. ABS wasn't the greatest idea though. I probably should have yanked the fuse for it before I started driving. But it was neat driving in real heavy snow. And there was slushy ice every where. I took about a 50 mile cruise, just to see how she did in snow. I was able to blow past everyone on the freeway. Even cops. They didn't even bother. Only bad part, was that my driveway was so slushed over, I couldn't get it up past the apex of the hill. I tried about 3 times and gave up. Parked on my second driveway.

YeuEmMaiMai

u do know that VSA uses the abs system in 4 channel mode right?

All Mine

I do now. Thanks for telling me that.

DelawareCLS

What tires you running? My Yoko Avid V4s don't seem too good in the snow...

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I thought the Cl was actually pretty good in snow. The first winter I had it, I didn't have winter wheels and I had my 19's with Toyo FZ4's. Those are great in snow for performance tires.

OrngeAc3.2

i have the same tires, haven't had to test them yet in the snow but after reading your thread-->

phipark

That's funny because mine sucks. My 93 Taurus was better. I guess it's the tires. Conti's and Dunlaps have both sucked.

BigLizard

All the snow storms we've had in WA state on the westside were OK except for the last storm. My all seasons didnt help make it up one hill and slid right back down. Fortunately no one was behine so I was able to flip a bitch super easily.

Lord Helmet

Mine always did awesome in the snow. Even with the Exclaim UHP's. The VSA and ABS made it a breeze.

BlackCLS32

i am all over the road lol. I have the V4S's well kinda because the rears are brand new and the fronts are drag radials. Yeah need to invest in some new ones. I agree tho i wish i could get rid of the ABS because that what pisses me off. My CL-S drifts real nice tho.

Lord Helmet

Why would you guys want to get rid of the ABS? Do you realise how helpful it can be to stop you in the snow/ice?

GreenMonster

I had Yoko V4's and Oems (2 of each) and they did fine in snow... I got a full set of Yoko's this past Oct... (Yoko A430s') but haven't been able to check 'em out in snow yet...

I've found that knowing how to drive in snow is probably more important then the tires you have on the car... I drove my RWD v8 tbird daily from 1995 thru 2002 with only all season tires and never has an issue... 2 or 3 of those winters entailed driving 65 miles one way (130 miles a day)...

My CLS is my first FWD car, and frankly, I don't see FWD being that much better then RWD in snow... It's better, but as long as you know what you're doing, RWD is fine... Now if you think you're going to be able to drive 80 mph in snow in fwd or rwd, you just don't have a firm grip on reality, and probably shouldn't be driving at all...

GreenMonster

Anything under 4/32's will be horrible in snow... You just won't get the traction you need... Having tires with decent thread on 'em is very important in the snow...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=51

Lord Helmet

BlackCLS32

Yeah def agree wit monster. But i like RWD better just for driftin purposes. Whats the best place to purchase new tires for cheap cause as of right now i am broke. This past month has drained me with gettin arrested in all. Yeah cops suck.

mc_yanzo

Yoko V4S work fine for me in the snow - they're not winter tire, but much much better than the OEM Michelins.

GreenMonster

meh... Mr. "I drive a 4x4 Jeep"

I feel bad for rusty

Lord Helmet

Don't feel bad. He obviously went to a good home. Here's a recent pic the guy sent me...



Lifted, wheels, tires, exhaust already.

K, sorry 'bout the

gaping46and2

iTrader: (2)

Here is a real good video my brother showed me about VSA and ABS in snow/ice.

harlowlax

i just put skiis on my tires and im good to go

BigLizard

How about a directional snowboard.

Sun Diego CL-S

this was a good watch. i flinched when he hit the barrier on his first run with the ESP off.


edit: it's great to know that our VSA is the equivalent of the ESP demonstrated in this video.

gaping46and2

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, it's real amazing what VSA can do. On that first run, I really didn't think too much, as I expected the car to go sliding in all directions. But watching that second run and the getting through those curves was amazing. And yes, VSA is equivalent to other manufacturers ESP, etc.

RYANGP

cool video

spdy0001

CLS + Snow = im confused

FWD and RWD are fine but nothing beats driving a beater 4wd

Sun Diego CL-S

well yeah, but i think his point is that our FWD performs well in the snow/slush.
i bet that for most part in these circumstances, FWD>RWD.

All Mine

The abs was way too sensitive. If I pushed the brake further than 1/4, it would become hard and the wheels would lock up.

Lord Helmet

You obviously need snow driving lessons young padawan.

cltypeSLOW

that car is AWD so its really different than ours isnt it?

edit i just watched it

black label

ABS does not allow you to stop faster (not on a slippery surface and not on a dry road) That is why race cars do not use ABS. The only benefit to ABS is that it will allow you to turn (steer) the vehicle under hard braking.

I hate my ABS, but I love my LSD!

cltypeSLOW

the general public doesnt know how to drive without ABS.

so thank god most cars have it now.

MISTAZOOM

ABS helps prevents the locking of the wheels which will help you stop the car quicker and safer. Not only that like already mentioned, it will definately help you maneuver out of danger. The problem is, people think "ABS" slam on teh breaks thinking that all will be fine and dandy... NOT!!! You still have to drive properly for it to help you overcome such situations.

For me i placed on the Nokian WR's for my winters and im loving it. Not the best snow tire out there, meaning designated full time snow tires will perform better (X-ICE, Winter Carve, Graspics..etc) but for an all weather tire its does a fantastic job. As i power through a snowy turn and i start to feel that the car is slightly slipping, i ease off of the gas and the tires are in full grip mode... love it! The CL's weight also helps, but be weary when you do lose it. The sucka will definately slide away on yeah. Manual im speaking for.

All Mine

I was only doing that to experiment and see what happens. I do know better. After those couple of times, I never got far enough down on the pedal to engauge ABS again. So it stopped a lot better.

Louie11

I used to buy michelin arttic alpines until my mechanic turned me onto the Nokian wr's. They are fantastic in snow, slush and ice and talk about tread life. This is my third season on these and they still look brand new. I don't take it easy on them either. I still corner like a mad man and peel out from lights. Why can't we have this same cold dense air in the summer because man the car just rocks in the cold temps.

MISTAZOOM

I got them because i couldnt get my hands on the RSI's. No one in the Toronto area carries Nokian, it was a tough chore to find someone. But yes, im extremely happy with Nokian, im actually thinking about getting their Z summer tire.

Lord Helmet

ABS allows you to stop suddenly safer, in a shorter distance, and assists in helping you control the vehicle during that braking period. I did not say it will allow you to stop faster. However, it DOES assist in braking. Not necessarily on a sheer sheet of ice, but the next time you are driving across snow pack, try it, jam on the pedal real hard and steer the car in the direction you want to go. Then go try the same thing in a car w/o ABS. You will find that the vehicle with ABS WILL come to a controlled stop while the vehicle w/o ABS will slide out of control.

Also, I have had a car with ABS and a MT. I have found (at least in that car) that the same scenario with a MT /ABS setup works better if you just jam on the brakes without depressing the clutch. Weird, I know but it worked.

Lastly, it's a fact that ABS works best on normal road surfaces if you slam on the pedal hard all at once rather than gradually increasing pressure.

All Mine

I do agree. And you're absolutely correct. Just when I was on the snow/ice this morning. I believe the gradual pressure worked best for me. Looks like this weather is going to stick around for a few more days. So some better driving tips for this crap may be nice to have.

black label

I agree with everything you say except stop "in a shorter distance". Unless you mean a shorter distance than a car without ABS when the driver slams the pedal and locks the brakes and just holds it to the floor.

If you are using 90-95% of the maximum brake force allowable in any given condition (going over 100% would cause the brakes to lock), you would be able to stop in a shorter distance than the intermittent affect braking that ABS induces.

Don't get my ABS hatred wrong though, I think it helps a lot of people who just drive to get from point A to point B, but those of us who take our driving seriously and think about the complexities of the "Physics of Driving" might like to be able to disable the driver aids.

Lord Helmet

Thats exactly what I mean.

smooth CL-in

our cars handle nothing like that jag in the video. as long as u got ice ur gonna slide. that jag newer technology, and i bet it ain't cheap.