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      01-17-2021, 08:45 AM   #23
HighlandPete
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Manual transmission and a real handbrake... did make things much easier.

I remember driving a loaded VW Caravelle 4-Motion out of the Highlands one snowy winter day. Using the DSG box in manual mode was the only real way to drive. No way would I have relied on the brakes to slow the vehicle. A lot depends on the brake bias, but so much more control having the engine assisting slow downs.
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      01-17-2021, 11:51 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steces View Post
The worst winter car I have ever had was a F31 335d

The issue may have been the brand of RFT which gets slagged off the most but even with a light touch on the throttle and AWD it was nervous in damp and wet conditions and slush, ice and snow were a complete liability with steering and braking pretty much none existant

Im currently in a RWD ( so not xDrive) 5 series on Dunlop winters and have been driving around in this weeks snowfall where SUV's have been stranded

Its all about the tyres
You said it yourself. All about the tyres.

Winter runflats are better than summer non-rtf.
But they're still terrible compared to winter non-rtf.

The tread might allow you to grip and steer and brake. But they still have all the terrible rtf tendencies like skipping across the road on the slightest imperfections.

I'd probably have more confidence driving in several inches of snow than I would in the wet at 2C... because I'd be driving more cautiously and slower in the snow, but winter runflats should handle that fine. Not so on hard surfaces with ridges/potholes/etc
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      01-17-2021, 12:16 PM   #25
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The tread might allow you to grip and steer and brake. But they still have all the terrible rtf tendencies like skipping across the road on the slightest imperfections.
To be fair, it isn't as simple as just being a run-flat characteristic. Something like a 17" run-flat is not necessarily more prone to skipping, than say a 19" non run-flat. Being RFTs do amplify tyre limitations.

Rim width, sidewall height, all have a part to play. It's a reason why BMW typically run a smaller rim diameter for winter, than the standard fit rim with a summer tyre. This can apply for run-flats and non run-flat tyres.

I run a 17" winter run-flat on my 5-series, no issues with skipping. Plenty soft enough to keep on RFTs, and have the added security benefits during the winter months.
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      01-17-2021, 12:47 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Manual transmission and a real handbrake... did make things much easier.

I remember driving a loaded VW Caravelle 4-Motion out of the Highlands one snowy winter day. Using the DSG box in manual mode was the only real way to drive. No way would I have relied on the brakes to slow the vehicle. A lot depends on the brake bias, but so much more control having the engine assisting slow downs.
So jealous of the roads up your way, well maybe not at the moment !!, have a friend who is about fifteen minutes away from Aviemore, and i always look forward to going up every year, only difficulty is keeping an on the speedo, and the roads must be really good for the engines, i know i always average at least five to ten miles more per gallon, even with using more of the horses, the camera'd A9 is a bu**er, but i'm sure i don't have to tell you that !
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      01-17-2021, 01:47 PM   #27
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So jealous of the roads up your way, well maybe not at the moment !!, have a friend who is about fifteen minutes away from Aviemore, and i always look forward to going up every year, only difficulty is keeping an on the speedo, and the roads must be really good for the engines, i know i always average at least five to ten miles more per gallon, even with using more of the horses, the camera'd A9 is a bu**er, but i'm sure i don't have to tell you that !
The A9 speed cameras mean I need to get up an hour earlier when I'm going winter climbing than I needed to before they were installed! That said the A9 is a much less stressful drive than it used to be and I've seen far fewer suicidal overtakes than before (usually people doing 62mph to overtake a truck actually rather than 90mph).
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      01-17-2021, 02:08 PM   #28
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And they are slowly increasing the dual carriageway sections, which are not governed by the speed cameras, so in the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson 'speed',
though all that happens five minutes later, is you come across another bunched up group of caravan and motor home drivers !!!!!!!
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      01-17-2021, 03:02 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Ennoch View Post
The A9 speed cameras mean I need to get up an hour earlier when I'm going winter climbing than I needed to before they were installed! That said the A9 is a much less stressful drive than it used to be and I've seen far fewer suicidal overtakes than before (usually people doing 62mph to overtake a truck actually rather than 90mph).
Plus knowing there is a speed restriction, you just settle down and go with the flow, unless the road is very empty, when you can safely overtake and keep near to the average speed.

Coming into the Highlands on the A9 I simply switch to 'camera mode' at Stirling and relax through to Dalwhinnie, where I leave the A9.
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      01-17-2021, 03:24 PM   #30
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Yeah, cruise control is a wonderful invention. It's the biggest drawback of the Impreza when I'm heading up north as my foot cramps up at the same position for that long. At least when you could go for more banzai runs your foot position changed!

If you're coming off at Dalwhinnie there are no bad roads leading from that point, unless you meet the dreaded tourists! I'm usually on the A9 either to there for west, Aviemore for the Cairngorms or up to Inverness if I'm heading to Torridon or my parents...I've seen a lot of that road over the years! At least the duelled sections are increasing in their frequency...and if nothing else it helps increase the average fuel economy when you're sat at 56mph behind the trucks for miles at a time.
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      01-17-2021, 06:08 PM   #31
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There's only one reason to go in to Aviemore and that's Tesco !!! and maybe a takeaway, but then Grantown is far better and far prettier, and a few very nice roads back

Last edited by APJ; 01-17-2021 at 06:20 PM..
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      01-18-2021, 03:17 AM   #32
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The e90 of the past with michelin crossclimates was very competent. Only problem was going uphill in ice. My previous 335d on michelin pilot sport 4 was fine on ice and snow but not as good as the e90.
My x5 with pirelli Pzero summer UHP 21 rft is so slippery on ice 8td downright dangerous.
The dunlop sports maxx GT2 on my other X5 is far more competent than the pirelli.
So yes
new tyres with more tread
Lighter car
winter tyres
Xdrive
All are more advantageous than
Older tyres with little tread in heavier cars without xdrive and on summer tyres.
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      01-18-2021, 06:57 AM   #33
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Quote:
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There's only one reason to go in to Aviemore and that's Tesco !!! and maybe a takeaway, but then Grantown is far better and far prettier, and a few very nice roads back
Oh Aviemore is a hideous monstrosity, particularly the Macdonald Highland Resort carbuncle that's visible from every mountain in the area. I rarely go into Aviemore itself unless it's to nip into Cairngorm Mountain Sports for something (sadly the amazing cafe upstairs has now shut). Instead I tend to either meet a mate who lives at Glenmore to go riding or head further up to the ski centre carpark to go climbing or skiing. The area surrounding Aviemore is lovely, so I guess if all the touristy nonsense is kept to that one small area it does at least keep the rest of the place looking a little less destroyed by commercialism.
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      01-18-2021, 11:00 AM   #34
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Originally Posted by Ennoch View Post
Oh Aviemore is a hideous monstrosity, particularly the Macdonald Highland Resort carbuncle that's visible from every mountain in the area. I rarely go into Aviemore itself unless it's to nip into Cairngorm Mountain Sports for something (sadly the amazing cafe upstairs has now shut). Instead I tend to either meet a mate who lives at Glenmore to go riding or head further up to the ski centre carpark to go climbing or skiing. The area surrounding Aviemore is lovely, so I guess if all the touristy nonsense is kept to that one small area it does at least keep the rest of the place looking a little less destroyed by commercialism.
Totally agree, most must think once they are in Aviemore, then they are in the Highlands and that's it, but oh boy there is so much more out there for them to see, just find any path and follow it wherever you are and wherever it goes, and there are so many more villages, who do an excellent afternoon tea if that is more of your thing, or do both, i know i like too
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