UKC

Heated steering wheel
Heated seats
Remote start
AWD/4WD
Winter tyres

I mean, any fool can be uncomfortable

In reply to Removed User:

Insulated travel mug with piping hot coffee loaded in the cup holder, ready for the drive.

In reply to Removed User:

Skip AWD... good as useless on things like ice! Only 4WD will do really.

In reply to crayefish:


Yeah, I can switch between the two

In reply to Removed User:

Why go out, I'm warm and entertained watching Death Comes To Pemberly and series one of Luther.

In reply to Removed User:

4WD is really not very common in Finland. As one mate put it, you just end up getting stuck in more stupid places than normal.

Something to shove under the tyres isn't a bad idea if bogged down, another mate used his sister coat she had left in the car to great effect in getting us back on the road but the coat didn't look so good after.

In reply to TobyA:

you've just got to be careful that what you put under the tyres doesn't get spun out the back.......especially if you are stood in the way

In reply to Removed User:


Always nice to have that option

In reply to Removed User:

Snow tyres are the only essential. As others have said, 4wd is often a false friend. I have snow tyres on my RWD car and it pisses on any normally tyred land rover out here in the Dales. Braking is more safety critical than accelerating and the number of driven wheels is irrelevant to the task.

In reply to Removed User:

Heated front windscreen. Get in, press a button, wait a minute and drive off. No more chiseling away at ice!

In reply to Removed User:

A local shop was selling heated body Warmers ( battery pack powered) to football fans who's ground is right at the shoreline getting the cold winds off the water. Might have been a good idea for winter gear.

In reply to Removed User:

A pub serving real ale, hot food, and a couple of couches near a fire for afterwards.

In reply to crayefish:


Nonsense I think you'll find Subaru AWD works perfectly fine on ice with winter tyres.

In reply to TobyA:



TKMAX, is selling durable articulated plastic tracks, that also have grips for your tyres and at 12 quid looked handy if you get stuck in snow or mud. ( better than your good car mats, or sister' coat.

In reply to Beat me to it!:


I have no experience with that particular system... is it definitely AWD and not 4WD? I would have thought Subaru would have 4WD.

I was making more of a general statement. But certainly most manufacturers such as Mercs, Volvo and the like do not have a suitable AWD system. AWD by definition has no grip when one or more wheels has zero grip and is spinning. Not saying that all 4WD systems work perfectly, but most modern systems employ some kind of electronic, viscous or other differential locking.

In reply to crayefish:

Yes subaru is AWD full time permanent symmetrical. So it's always switched on, rather than some of the poor AWD systems which only do anything once the driven wheels have already lost grip. Exact distribution between axels varies between axels based on transmission type manual / automatic / cvt. Manual starts off 50. / 50. It also has 4 channel ABS, so can brake individual wheel independently to maintain maximum grip.

It's also a boxer engine, lying horizontal, so very low centre of gravity . The boxer layout is also symmetric, so there is not transfer box required for the AWD which makes for an efficient transmission.

AWD and 4WD is very much blurred but the Subaru systems works really well.

In reply to Beat me to it!:




Yeah the full time AWD systems are better than the part time ones. Though given the same tyres etc I'd probably put my money on a decent 4WD system such as a modern Landy. Though nothing can compete with an off roader with front, rear and centre difflocks. Like mine below

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/wx82.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/b6ys.png/

Clearly overkill for a mostly road going car though.

Though can you explain why a boxer engine wouldn't need a transfer box? Maybe I am just half asleep but you still need to split the power front to rear as any engine (boxer or not) still has power coming out of the flywheel end of the engine as a single clutch location is needed.

In reply to Beat me to it!:

My wife has a Subaru estate and the drive system is ideal for winter in the hills. But my RWD on winter tyres grips better (than the Scooby on summers). And grip is what you most need, so we fit winters to the Subaru as well.

In reply to crayefish:

Sorry I mis stated that. Because of the engine layout there is not need to transfer the torque of the engine through 90 degrees. So there is a linear power flow to all 4 wheels. No additional drive shafts coming out of the engine. It also has a centre diff lock as well as limited slip differential for the rear. Hence why it is able to achieve over 50 mpg on the motorway, even with full time AWD.

In reply to crayefish:
Your Landy looks like a beast

In reply to Jim C:


ICT?

In reply to Beat me to it!:

50mpg?!!! We're lucky to get 30!!

In reply to BnB:


54.3mpg is the best I've done on a trip to Cornwall. But mostly motorways is 50-51mpg.

In reply to Beat me to it!:


Not sure I get you yet... most 4WD vehicles have the same engine layout with the crank inline with the centre-line of the vehicle. Only compacts, vans and other short bonnet vehicles have transverse engines which are actually more efficient for FWD vehicles as its all in line. With 4WD you can't escape the fact that you need a hypoid gear set at each end.

Thanks mate. Yeah my vehicle is quite unstoppable... when I haven't rolled it or broken half the drivetrain! Spends a lot of time off the road (currently building a new race V8 after blowing up the last engine!) lol