Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: bestie26 on 21 November 2010, 23:17:29
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having not owned the omega long iam getting a bit nervous regarding the snow (if it ever happens) how good /bad are they in the snow? i live in west yorkshire but work in north yorkshire , i work in a plastics factory and should i get caught out by the snow i was thinking of borrowing some 25kg sacks of material to get weight over rear wheels is this likely to work or am i best off with a large coat flask and sleeping bag ;D
a few steep hills to go up and down too
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i wouldnt imagine they are the best in the snow but a lot depends on how you drive :y
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Manual or auto? If auto, snow button works....
I have found that a good supply of traction control fluid in the tank always helps, as does decent tyre tread.
And a judicious right foot..... ;)
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i wouldnt imagine they are the best in the snow but a lot depends on how you drive :y
And what condition your tyres are in :)
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yep,
some weight in the boot and slow and steady!I found that the snowflake button worked well last year too but confess that I had a few tricky momments last year (RWD auto not being best suited to snow/ice) and have invested in some nockian winter tyres for this years fun and games :y
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i wouldnt imagine they are the best in the snow but a lot depends on how you drive :y
And what condition your tyres are in :)
very true i have brand new pirellis all round which seem very good in the wet so might be ok in the snow
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Best cars in snow are those with skinny high-pressure tyres, as they "cut" through the snow to solid ground beneath.
Omega tyres are very large and so compress the snow rather than cut through it. Compressed snow turns to ice over time...... :(
Extra weight in the boot, and slow but steady progress is the way ... that ensures you are not sitting on ice and you are maximising grip.
The other option is tyres designed to grip on snow ... but they are expensive and wear out rapidly on non-snowy surfaces.
Most of us only have to get off side roads (snowy) to main roads (clear-ish) ... so pure snow tyres probably not feasable.
I carry a set of snow chains.... take less than 5 minutes to fit .. drive to the "good" surface ... 2 minutes to remove..... works for me .. :)
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tyres have good tread albeit there not a well known make, its a manual and i can be very carefull with the right foot it it means i dont get stuck :y
last year i got stranded in a pug 406 DT about half way home
hopefully it will come down when iam at home then i dont have to set off
anybody had any snow yet?
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A significant drop in rear tyre pressure can also help in the search for traction, but only be for driving on the white stuff.
It's not a case of 'drop psi now and re-inflate next spring'.
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tyres have good tread albeit there not a well known make, its a manual and i can be very carefull with the right foot it it means i dont get stuck :y
last year i got stranded in a pug 406 DT about half way home
hopefully it will come down when iam at home then i dont have to set off
anybody had any snow yet?
Manual is more of a challenge, arguably.
An autobos, when snow mode selected, moves off in third. Given that its a 4 speed auto then that may convert into second (or possibly 3rd) on a manual when you do the gearbox sums.
My MV6 manual was 'interesting' on the snow and did, sometimes, get stuck despite my best efforts.
The 3.2 auto did not get stuck last winter, other than in the works car park when a healthy 6 to 8 inches of snow fell on top of compacted snow/ice one day....
Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect and walk before you can run and all that.... :y
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As to tyre width, I have a memory of watching SAAB 96's being propelled at goodness knows how many leptons across snow and ice on the narrowest tyres you can visualise on a winter rally stage or several!!
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The best thing about snow...'blinged up' 4x4's with huge shiny rims and ultra low profile tyres. ;D
I can just imagine the phone call:
"Sorry boss, can't make it in today, it's snowing !"
"Haven't you've got a Range Rover !?!" :-?
"er...yes, but..." :-[
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The best thing about snow...'blinged up' 4x4's with huge shiny rims and ultra low profile tyres. ;D
I can just imagine the phone call:
"Sorry boss, can't make it in today, it's snowing !"
"Haven't you've got a Range Rover !?!" :-?
"er...yes, but..." :-[
Absolutely, and not just the Range Rover which has lost it's way......you need a good old 'series' Landrover for the job, and these are getting very expensive......... :)
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The best thing about snow...'blinged up' 4x4's with huge shiny rims and ultra low profile tyres. ;D
I can just imagine the phone call:
"Sorry boss, can't make it in today, it's snowing !"
"Haven't you've got a Range Rover !?!" :-?
"er...yes, but..." :-[
Absolutely, and not just the Range Rover which has lost it's way......you need a good old 'series' Landrover for the job, and these are getting very expensive......... :)
This one seems pretty cheap:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1982-LAND-ROVER-BLUE-series3-109-/290499281686?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item43a31b4316#ht_892wt_993
Don't think I'll see enough snow in Bracknell to justify buying a 4x4, though ;D
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for those , who doesnt use snow tires I wanted to share my experience..
here , in my city as general most of the days of winter roads are either dry or wet.. rarely snowy..
but once snow falls down , except the main roads all secondary roads are snowy for some days, I use snow tires for both of my cars from november 15 to march 15 regardless of the road conditions.. This have two advantages, first your summer tires thread remains untouched for that period so you can use them longer , second you have better compound tires which work better in cold/wet/snowy roads..
Unless the temperature stays below 15-17 celcius you can use your snow tires normally..(road surface not important)
only condition you must obey is, dont go faster than 70 mph on a dry road.. (and please dont try sideways ;D)
In this style I use them minimum 4 sometimes 5 years..
and for hills, even the best type summer tires will fail on snow.. and dont forget, biggest problem is brakes..
ps: one point I forgot to say.. snow tires must be narrow not like summer tires.. 205 or say max 215 width is more than enough..so wont be expensive like summer tires.. and using them with seperate rims (second hand is ok) say 15-16 size will be also economical..
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i had better traction in the 3.0 Elite Estate with Snow mode on than my 2.2 manual, problem was as soon as i pulled the clutch up even with it in 2nd or 3rd i'd just get wheel spin.
Thats with a full tank of petrol and bags of junk in the boot for weight.
Auto and snow button does work rather well!
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If concerned about driving on the snow, now is the time to take a skid pan session. Nothing like getting some practice in so you know what to expect. :y
Kevin
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Not got stuck in any of my Omegas yet, though sometimes have abandonned attempts to go a certain way, and found another route.
Did get stuck in the Rover last year in my road. Had to get a long rope and tow the Rover over a small section of uphill ice (Omega was on cleared driveway, so just used a long rope tied to Omega to tow Rover 5m, shorten rope, tow another 5m etc).
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The best thing about snow...'blinged up' 4x4's with huge shiny rims and ultra low profile tyres. ;D
I can just imagine the phone call:
"Sorry boss, can't make it in today, it's snowing !"
"Haven't you've got a Range Rover !?!" :-?
"er...yes, but..." :-[
Absolutely, and not just the Range Rover which has lost it's way......you need a good old 'series' Landrover for the job, and these are getting very expensive......... :)
This one seems pretty cheap:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1982-LAND-ROVER-BLUE-series3-109-/290499281686?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item43a31b4316#ht_892wt_993
Don't think I'll see enough snow in Bracknell to justify buying a 4x4, though ;D
didnt bracknell get hit rather hard with snow? if i recall, our delivery lorries (i work for a large "up market" supermarket) struggled to get out of bracknell let alone get to us coming down the A303
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didnt bracknell get hit rather hard with snow? if i recall, our delivery lorries (i work for a large "up market" supermarket) struggled to get out of bracknell let alone get to us coming down the A303
It did - there was a couple of days in December '09 that things were a little dicey (right about the 18th, when I moved house) and then a couple of weeks in Feb when I couldn't get the car off the slopey drive as there wasn't enough ground clearance to get over the snow, even if I dug the car out to the flat..
But even so, buying a whole new car to get through a fortnights weather seems a little mad, especially when I can work from home ;) Just have to remember to keep a stock of tinned soup and long-life milk in!
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Never really understood why so many companies don't have a work from home policy when the weather gets bad. Just seems daft to either risk your staff being hurt trying to get to work or taking the hit with them being off for the day when you can just have them remotely connected to the office to do stuff.
The worst bit about this? You would be amazed at how many technology companies don't provide remote connectivity. Just bizarre.
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Never really understood why so many companies don't have a work from home policy when the weather gets bad......
It's not an option when you swing spanners for a living. ;) ;)
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As to tyre width, I have a memory of watching SAAB 96's being propelled at goodness knows how many leptons across snow and ice on the narrowest tyres you can visualise on a winter rally stage or several!!
Probably with studs/spikes :y
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Never really understood why so many companies don't have a work from home policy when the weather gets bad. Just seems daft to either risk your staff being hurt trying to get to work or taking the hit with them being off for the day when you can just have them remotely connected to the office to do stuff.
The worst bit about this? You would be amazed at how many technology companies don't provide remote connectivity. Just bizarre.
Or do, then the local management get 4rsey about staff WFH and tell them to come in! Obviously don't trust them to get on with their work....
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Never really understood why so many companies don't have a work from home policy when the weather gets bad. Just seems daft to either risk your staff being hurt trying to get to work or taking the hit with them being off for the day when you can just have them remotely connected to the office to do stuff.
The worst bit about this? You would be amazed at how many technology companies don't provide remote connectivity. Just bizarre.
Or do, then the local management get 4rsey about staff WFH and tell them to come in! Obviously don't trust them to get on with their work....
They assume that us homeworkers do the same as they obviously do.
>:(
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Never really understood why so many companies don't have a work from home policy when the weather gets bad......
It's not an option when you swing spanners for a living. ;) ;)
Or drive cranes/plant machinery/lorries ;) ;)
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To the OP... The only issue I had last year was ground clearance... Once I cleared a run up onto the snow it was fine. No Issues at all, although if you haven't driven RWD in slippery conditions a skid pan session (as suggested by Kevin) is a very good idea as they are easy to get wrong ::) If you get it right you can keep moving and steering, albeit with the throttle/angle of car to direction of travel, without too much hassle.
Tyre pressures, very gentle throttle/clutch/brake usage, very smooth driving with no abrupt changes, weight in boot and a shovel, bag of grit and Hessian sack (or similar) just in case and you should be fine :y
Failing that... Snow chains are a good investment as Entwood suggested :y
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tyres have good tread albeit there not a well known make, its a manual and i can be very carefull with the right foot it it means i dont get stuck :y
last year i got stranded in a pug 406 DT about half way home
hopefully it will come down when iam at home then i dont have to set off
anybody had any snow yet?
if you have snow you might as well stop at home ,or take a blanket/spade because you will get stuck.if you got stuck in a front wheel drive you dont stand a chance in a rwd.
they are so light on the back with wide tyres as soon as they see a bit of snow they struggle,and last year i had tons of"fun"drive up a little hill with snow on it start to loose traction,start to slide,hope it stops before you hit the kerb or the car behind you.
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tyres have good tread albeit there not a well known make, its a manual and i can be very carefull with the right foot it it means i dont get stuck :y
last year i got stranded in a pug 406 DT about half way home
hopefully it will come down when iam at home then i dont have to set off
anybody had any snow yet?
if you have snow you might as well stop at home ,or take a blanket/spade because you will get stuck.if you got stuck in a front wheel drive you dont stand a chance in a rwd.
they are so light on the back with wide tyres as soon as they see a bit of snow they struggle,and last year i had tons of"fun"drive up a little hill with snow on it start to loose traction,start to slide,hope it stops before you hit the kerb or the car behind you.
I don't see why... I was towing FWD cars with my Omega in the snow last year ::)
Preparation and correct driving style and the Omega is as manageable as any other car (excluding 4x4's although I saw plenty of them having issues too ::)) :y :y
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Well last winter I was out in the miggy in Manchester. My road was under 1-2" of ice with snow on top. Getting going was sometimes a little fun. Generally pull away in second using minimal throttle seemed to work well. This was only on the side roads, the main routes you were generally fine.
A skid pan is a good idea as you'll get used to the warning signs and the sensation through the seat as the back starts to move. Luckily the miggys aren't too twitchy so you should be ok. Head down B&Q and get some bags of stones/gravel for a couple of quid as well. I kept mine with a full tank of fuel and LPG and it didn't wander that much :)
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for those , who doesnt use snow tires I wanted to share my experience..
here , in my city as general most of the days of winter roads are either dry or wet.. rarely snowy..
but once snow falls down , except the main roads all secondary roads are snowy for some days, I use snow tires for both of my cars from november 15 to march 15 regardless of the road conditions.. This have two advantages, first your summer tires thread remains untouched for that period so you can use them longer , second you have better compound tires which work better in cold/wet/snowy roads..
Unless the temperature stays below 15-17 celcius you can use your snow tires normally..(road surface not important)
only condition you must obey is, dont go faster than 70 mph on a dry road.. (and please dont try sideways ;D)
In this style I use them minimum 4 sometimes 5 years..
and for hills, even the best type summer tires will fail on snow.. and dont forget, biggest problem is brakes..
ps: one point I forgot to say.. snow tires must be narrow not like summer tires.. 205 or say max 215 width is more than enough..so wont be expensive like summer tires.. and using them with seperate rims (second hand is ok) say 15-16 size will be also economical..
well that's all news to me i run 225's in winter and summer and don't have a problem and my winter tyres although they cost me a fortune as over here you must have tyres on that are rated over the cars maximum speed and thats winter and summer tyres so hence i have to have v's on at all times, i have just read an article over here /in my super german!) that winter tyres come into effect anywhere below 5 degrees due to the softer compounds and therefore are not just for snow, as for summer tyres in snow i have good summer tyres and my mazda is 4wd but on summer tyres it's just plain scary, summer tyres don't cut the snow up like winter tyres are designed to do. for me anyway it's a no brainer it's a one off expense really as cem says the snow tyres will last a good few years and then you can use them for a summer when they get too low for winter so if you've got a pair quid free i would do it!
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I've got to say I don't think the Omega is particularly good in the snow and I still prefer the control I had with my manual box when I had a Carlton than the auto box I've got now.
But I am looking into the idea of getting hold of another Spare wheel (mines 195 65 15) and putting them on the rears to see if the traction improves much compared to the 235's I run normally.
If anyone sees one for sale then let me know and I'll report back once the white stuff comes.
Rich.
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Our first Omega - a '99 mini-facelift 2.0 GLS Auto saloon - has to be the best-ever motor that we've owned in snowy conditions!
:y
No-one expected me to turn-up for work one snowy morning - whence I arrived early for an 0500 start.
:D
This was after faultlessly crossing two untreated and exposed mountain passes, and the car was fitted with well-treaded bog-standard premium tyres too.
I just drove sensibly and made judicious use of the snow mode - worked a treat!
:y
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helps you can still steer in the Omega when you loose traction, unlike FWD!
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i found my miggy last year was loads better than the FWD's i was used to, just seemed so much more controlled. ok i was VERY weiry about my first RWD winter but it was ok :)
need new rear tyres tho, pronto!! ;D better get on the phone...
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i found my miggy last year was loads better than the FWD's i was used to, just seemed so much more controlled. ok i was VERY weiry about my first RWD winter but it was ok :)
need new rear tyres tho, pronto!! ;D better get on the phone...
yeah i have found this aswell, as long as I go easy it copes quite well