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STUCK IN DEEP SNOW

14K views 69 replies 26 participants last post by  oldhaven 
#1 ·
The other day, we had 10in. of snow in our driveway. I was backing out with my 2008 Touareg, and the tires where just spinning. So I put the vehicle in low, but to my surprise, the vehicle could not get out of it. Then I preceded to try the rocking back in forth maneuver, described in the manual. You know, put it in drive, and then in reverse, over and over. This did not help either. I was totally surprised. I thought a Touareg could get out of something like this. Any thoughts?
 
#4 ·
tyres need to bit into something to gain traction. Just like mud. Street tyres cant do this
 
#5 ·
Summer tires or worn all season tires are worthless in winter conditions.
.
 
#6 ·
another comparison might be try walking in that snow in all leather Italian dress shoes ... with leather soles. Chances are you will end up on your backside either that or walking like a penguin. No !! wait ... thats like walking on ice not snow


Try the same in a pair or purpose made hiking shoes with aggressive tread. They bight right in ..... yeah ??
 
#7 ·
Sorry for the frustration of getting stuck. Must be lack of tread and/or no snow tires...

Word to the wise, try not to burn out your tranny, diff's, engine etc, while over compensating on what you are lacking at the moment...a decent set of snow tires.

Btw, with the right set up 10"s of snow is a snap. You'll be using your Touareg to its fullest capacity, making it safer in all that winter can throw our way, and praying for more snow! ;)
 
#9 ·
My neighbor said her new BMW X5 with the 20" rims and performance tires it came with was a nightmare the first time she drove in snow, she now has a smaller rim and dedicated snows and said it is a tank!
 
#10 ·
My driveway is a 10 degree slope, cruised up in no sweat with a foot of snow in it..the snow was coming up over my hood because of the "snow wake" I was creating.

The secret is snow tires. Walk up a snow covered hill in your dress shoes (summer tires) vs your winter boots (snow tires) and you'll figure out why everyone is saying the same thing.
 
#11 ·
Point taken from all of you. So, every winter here in Wisconsin, I would have to take off my all season tires. And put on snow tires? Doesn't driving around on winter tires when it's not winter season, affect gas mileage? Or the vehicle ride on the freeway, at high speeds? Also, is it possible I did any damage to the transmission? You know, while putting it into reverse and drive, over and over for about 5 to 10 min? As for the current tires that I have now, I will have to get back to you on this. While we are on the subject of tires, what brand is best for winter? And what brand for non-winter?
 
#15 ·
Absolutely yes on the full winter set up - especially knowing you live in WS! Rain, slush, ice, light snow full snow - all that winter throws your way - plus, the safety factor...there is no other way to go!

As far as driveline damage, that depends on how aggressively you moved back-n-forth, and how hard you pushed it. I leaned the hard way with a similar situation in a '91 Ford Exploder...
 
#12 ·
What is your rim/tire combo?

I am sure my OEM 19" rims with the Michelin Lattitude tires would have been OK in winter as long as they were not getting towards the wear bar for tread life.

For me, dedicated winter tires is only way to go for western NY winters.
 
#13 ·
winter tires are made with softer rubber - which means you don't want to put them on until mid-november and take them off in early-mid march.

I run Nokian WR G2 SUV tires - which are all season snow tires (I don't take them off in the summer), but I previously ran a set of Bridgestone Blizzak's in the winter (on a seperate set of rims), and Goodyear's in the summer. The Goodyear's were terrible BTW.

You didn't do anything to your transmission either.

Not sure where you are at in Sconny, but I'm in the Twin Cities, and wouldn't think about going through a winter without snows.
 
#14 ·
I drive T3 on all-season tires. They are definitely no match to dedicated snow tires, but it does not mean that you can’t drive your Touareg in 10” of snow if you do it right. I drove mine through 10”-14” inches of unplowed snow on multiple occasions and for many miles - not just to get off my own driveway - and had no problems. However, I should mention that I always replace tires if they have 5/32” or less of tread left before winter season comes.
 
#16 ·
As others have said, unless you have the right boots on, 4 wheel drive is emasculated.

Fit a full set of winters on 18 inch wheels and, in the circumstances described by the OP, turn off the ESP to get you moving, then turn it back on.

There are lots of threads on here about winter tires, winter driving, etc., etc..

But, again as has been said above, when the tires are 50% worn they're no good for winter work.
 
#39 ·
turn off the ESP
I have found this to be key on more than one occasion. The difference between having the ESP try to manage the slipping wheel(s) and just getting all four driving the car can be huge. When I first got the Treg I got stuck in about 18" of snow. It just wouldn't move. Tried low, locking diffs etc all to no avail. Turned off the ESP and all of a sudden the Treg just came alive, threw 4 rooster tails of snow and couldn't be stopped. :D
 
#18 ·
Sorry, but you only have to look at the tread pattern to see they're not going to give you any real grip in mud or snow!:D

Unless you have misread the markings then I think they are also the wrong size for your car and should be 235/65/17 with 108 XL loading, or 255/60/17 with 106 loading.

Check the tire/wheel size/pressure door sticker on your car.

If you buy a set of winters, go for narrower tires as in the 235/65/17.

Do some research on winters using the Search facility on here.
 
#19 ·
Like Nooby, I'm fanatical about the importance of tires. 50% and they are done. Two seasons on the snows and they are done.

We drive a big, tough, sturdy, solid - and heavy - rigs. It's tough on tires, and brakes. But, new sneakers are small price to pay to get the fullest - including safety - out of her. I find full winter set up with wheels much easier to live with (as long as you have a place to store the summer set up).

And on the wear-n-tear of what you may or may not have done, was more of a comment about you having an '08 - which is what? 7 years old now.
 
#20 ·
My new Dynapro tires will go on next week. Great winter set up and good at the farm too. Tires make all the difference. Get a set of rims from a member and set up summer and winter. The only extra cost is the rims and you get that back when you sell.
 
#23 ·
The tires I buy, have to be all season. I have no place to store a nice set of winters. Are there all season tires that would get me out of deep snow? Or maybe next time I should just drive over the machine, like the one I'm using for snow removal tonight.

Land vehicle Vehicle Construction equipment Bulldozer Compactor
 
#24 ·
Loader will do quite well in snow, although the one that clears my laneway tipped over at the end of the lane and overturned into the ditch...that was costly!

If you're going for one tire and one tire only, the only thing I would consider if I lived where you do is the Nokian WRG3
 
#26 ·
If you're going for one tire and one tire only, the only thing I would consider if I lived where you do is the Nokian WRG3

I will second the Nokian WRG3 if they will be your only set of tires. They are tested alongside other snow tires for winter (and perform quite well) while able to be used year round.

That being said, I've always used a dedicated snow tire for winter. I purchased my Touareg a month or so ago and was hoping to make it through the remainder of this winter with the OEM all season tires (greater than 50% tread remaining) and purchase snow tires next fall. I underestimated how awful the all season tires would be in the snow! After the snow this past weekend I set up an appointment to have Blizzaks installed Saturday.

Dedicated snow tires do give the best of both worlds if you have the space and ability to store/change them. They also give the added benefit of allowing upgraded wheels for the summer (or downgraded wheels for winter that you don't have to care about).



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#29 ·
You can go down to 17"s or 18"s, go thinner (therefore even better in the snow) and make it easier to rotate between seasons, as well as change tires on rims off season (read: buy last years winters in the spring when they are discounted at Tire Rack).
 
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