Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: BigAl on 04 February 2009, 21:41:15
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Reading some of the posts regarding the handling of the
PigMig in snow what's people's view
Snow Chains ?
Or
Very low PSi ?
Both seem to involve about the same time to setup /revert
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thought I'd slap a poll on
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heavy load in the boot
should see my mother in law
elephants got nothing on her
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Despite owning an Omega for over 5yrs, can't say I've particularly had an issue :-/
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Not much of a problem in an omega. But if some extra traction is required I would lower the tyre pressure. ;)
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TBH although I've got a bit of weight in the boot with the LPG tank and a few other bits I don't have any issues and I haven't changed anything ::) ::) ::)
Only time it let go was when I started throwing it into the corner and stamping on the loud pedal :o :o :o
General driving I found it OK, just pressed the snow button and got on with it :y :y :y Perhaps it's because I can be very light footed when necessary as I used to have to drive recovery trucks in snow :y :y :y
TBH, I think my choice would be snow chains if I was having severe difficulties but as I don't have any I'd just drop the pressures ::) ::)
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Certainly found that putting some weight in the boot helps, and have lowered the psi in the tyres slightly.(Dont forget to make use of your"snowflake" button if an autobox either!!)
jerry :y
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I am positively surprised how Omega deals with snow/ice on road,considering it is a rear-wheeldrive car. I almost never see TC light on - though it could be LSD helps a lot
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snow tires option ?
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Dont think you should be driving on acid-or was it an hallucination? ;D
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I always use snow tires in winter..no problems so far :-/
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Problem with most roads is .. main roads are clear, side roads crap ... if you let the tyres down to get out of the side roads .. you will have to drive on the cleared roads on low tyres ... not good .. and a possible "get out" by the Insurance company in the event of a "mishap". Snow chains take just a few minutes to put on, once on the clear stuff just another couple to remove ... sling em in the boot and away you go...
So my vote was .... :)
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My vote - leave it at home and take the wife's car. :y
I had to feather the clutch to hop up a small hill 1m from home on Monday whilst the wife's front wheel drive car trotted around without a care.
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I always use snow tires in winter..no problems so far
Likewise. Not much choice in Switzerland though
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Full tank of fuel, Drop tyre pressures to 24/26 psi (carry 12v inflater in the boot) If stranded in deep snow maybe lower the pressure again.
If winters start getting as bad as the 70's then I will buy snow chains.
If I did a lot of driving I would try and get some M&S tyres that were ok with road use and put them on my spare 15" rims
Also carry a plastic or fold up spade and some old woven sacks to put under the wheels.
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What most people don't know is that winter tyres perform better as soon as temperature drops below 7C, even on dry road.
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Gonna try dropping to 20psi for tomorrows trip to work. (4psi :o) . Snow chains are a fair bit more expensive than the 20p for air at the Tesco garage.
Although in all fairness to the old tractor I travelled the 8 miles to work in 20 mins, got within 1 mile before having the only problem with one hill, and that was due to having to stop half way up as a chap in a Fiesta was having some difficulty. I waited at the bottom until he got moving so I could have a decent run at it and then as I get half way up, the numpty stopped again. Spent the next hour inching the car up.
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Full tank of fuel, Drop tyre pressures to 24/26 psi (carry 12v inflater in the boot) If stranded in deep snow maybe lower the pressure again.
If winters start getting as bad as the 70's then I will buy snow chains.
If I did a lot of driving I would try and get some M&S tyres that were ok with road use and put them on my spare 15" rims
Also carry a plastic or fold up spade and some old woven sacks to put under the wheels.
Marks & Spencer sell tyres ? :o ;D
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Well, given that you can only vote for one item I've gone for weight in the boot. There's nothing worse than a front-heavy rear wheel drive car IMHO. Chains and low pressures are OK to get you out of the really bad problem areas but can't be applied once you get onto decent roads, as said.
Yesterday, for example, my driving ranged from sub-20 MPH on packed down snow to legal limit cruising <cough> on a totally clear motorway. Not something to try on chains or flat tyres.
I don't find snow mode that useful, tbh. All it does is guarantee that you can't get any power if you find you've got more traction than you thought or need to get out of someone's way. The throttle control is quite progressive on my 3.2, I find, and it's no problem to pull away under control on the most slippery surfaces. Doesn't boil your ATF in first gear either!
Kevin
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I dont use Ice mode, I cant see it doing the gearbox any good, and also it must use more fuel.
As for TC, I dont like the noises it makes! So I turn it off and just drive carefully (Untill I get to a quiet corner then I may press the 'sideways' pedal down a bit :P)
Haven't had any problems yet driving on the road, however I did have a fair bit of bother doing a turn in the road outside my work (The road was up hill, no grit, very icy, and a lot of camber! Once I got the car sideways on the road, I couldn't get it to turn any further, it just started to slide down sideways ::))