best settings in the snow?

Having got a 320D x Drive to better get through the snow, I wondered what the members experiences in using settings are?

Traction control off or on?
Sport plus mode and traction control off?

Press traction 5 seconds and put the lot off?

Taking care and using experience is assumed as read, as is the fact that when you press the brakes, it's a standard car again....

Thioughts?

 

Based on many years living in Germany and the snowy winters there, I'd imagine a set of winter tyres would be a fine start and probably more important than the drive setting.
I don't know what settings you have on an xDrive but on a 2WD it's best not to have full traction control on, nor fully off, there is an intermediate setting which allows for a little slip which works best in snow.

 

Manual or automatic?

What I find most scary in snow with an auto is the lack of engine braking or the gearbox doing odd things, for example a bit of engine braking because the car senses you are going down hill then it decides not too...whoa...

 

Surely you knock it into manual and select an appropriate gear. So long as you are not revving the nuts off it or don't have enough revs, then it will stay in that gear. The only time I have had a problem with an auto BMW is snow is when I didn't have winter tyres. No matter what transmission the car would have had, it was not going anywhere. Since then I have always had winters.

 

I'd be leaving full DSC on unless you are struggling to pull away on a slippy surface. As others have said auto can be a little more unpredictable so if its struggling or you prefer then switch to manual shifting instead

I'll agree. Personally I'd leave DSC on unless it was hindering a pulling away situation then it would be switched to DTC, use manual gear selection for better control and it would definitely be wearing winter shoes.
Winter tyres will give your X-drive and DSC/DTC systems as much grip as they can to work their magic with.

 

Select lowest torque ie. Eco Pro and turn DSC off. For the simple reason that DSC applies brakes to individual wheels, which is not what you want in snow.

When DSC is off DTC traction control is on..

 

On my F30 it is anyway.

 

I'm another for driving with DSC on, as the default and only using DTC when conditions warrant it. DSC can help on snow, deliberately tried it (off the main road) and it certainly can help correct a car in a slide.

I've driven manual and auto in poor conditions and on snow, autos are not a problem. You simply need to drive with light and sensitive control, same as a manual. Using the steptronic mode allows more control and engine braking, I've experience with 5, 6 & 8-speed autos on snow, all work OK using steptronic.

The best aid to winter driving is the appropriate tyres, winter tyres are more useful than 4x4 on summer or all-season tyres. Best for traction, car control/stability and of course 'braking'. If we can get going we need to be able to stop.

Peter

 

DTC is a sub function of DSC, (short press gives it preference), not the same as switching DSC off. For example, as DTC is part of Sport+, if you then switch DSC off, the whole mode setup backs off. You can't have Sport or Sport+ and DSC off. My 5-series goes back to normal mode, steering, throttle map, gearbox mode, even the suspension setting goes to Normal.

Peter

 

You can't, as DTC is modification to the thresholds of Automatic Stability Control (ASC) and Driving Dynamics Control (FDR).
Switching off DSC switches off both ASC and FDR.

Also, as I've just posted, switching off DSC modifies the driving modes, you can't have the 'sporty' features and switch DSC off. BMW are playing the safety card for those who want to switch off the active safety system.

Peter

 

Just press the DSC off button (centre console). On the instrument panel 'DSC OFF' will appear and 'TRACTION' to indicate that DTC is activated.

Yep, just been out to the garage and a brief press of the button - yellow DSC OFF light and TRACTION appears in rev counter (all black display)

 

If you mean a simple press of the button, DSC is not switched off, it is simply modified. DTC is a version of DSC. DSC off (long press) also deactivates DTC.

Peter

 

YMMV
Just as I said in my last post. That's on a 2015 F30. Maybe other models are different???

Quote BMW user manual, pg.125
"Activating DTC"
Press button
TRACTION is displayed in the instrument cluster and the DSC OFF indicator light is illuminated.

I think that we're basically saying the same thing. ;)

 

What seems to confuse, is the illuminated symbol used for both DTC and DSC OFF. BMW did try and explain this in the F01 technical data, where it was used for the first time. Previously we had two versions of the DTC symbol, illuminated according to what was activated. Now we have the same symbol illuminated for both DTC and when DSC is fully off (longer press).

From BMW:

Two different symbols were formerly used for the two states “DTC mode” and “DSC off” and were displayed in the instrument cluster. Since the launch of the F01/F02, only one symbol has been used for both states.

The new symbols are being gradually introduced in all newly developed vehicles. The reason for this are changes to legislation that require automobile manufacturers to produce a uniform display format.

This legislation also specifies that the text message “off” must be displayed as soon as the DSC function is restricted, as is the case in the “Traction” and “Sport+” modes.

Peter