Manual 1st + 4WD

[Markg2]

3 Questions:

1. The XLT is in the garage. Driveway has snow. Before backing out, the vehicle's in 4WD/snow. If I place the transmission in manual first, does that have any + bearing on reverse traction or just if I'm going forward?

2. If I'm about to drive up the driveway that has snow/ice, is putting the transmission in manual first a useful thing or does the snow setting sense the incline, automatically adjust gearing down, making my manual first unnecessary?

3. If I'm driving in snow with 4WD/snow and hit the brakes, I know that normal 4WD has no impact on brake traction but does the snow setting do anything helpful with the tire traction control when braking?

Mark

 

[JohnT]

Not sure why you would use manual, the computer is pretty good a limiting torque itself without being forced into 2nd or 3rd gear starts? Or am I misreading and you are trying to stay in first to crawl up?

On point 3 the snow setting seems to be much quicker at killing torque to all wheels both accelerating and braking once ABS engages so it'll help from the perspective of limiting engine braking interfering with ABS

I've almost gone sideways through a wall messing about in a Subaru Forester and droping out of D to 2nd on ice. The wheels all slide because they are now going at half the road speed of the car and the ABS can't do much about that.

 

[Markg2]

Points 2 and 3 understood (I've done the same as you re 3).

The idea is stay in the lowest gear going down and up the asphalt driveway. From the street, the driveway is up and straight @ ~7-8 degrees, then makes a 90 degree left turn for ~40' @ ~10-11 degrees then on the concrete garages apron, with the garage doors 90 degrees to the right.

 

[Markg2]

This time, after backing out of the garage in 4WD/snow, putting the XLT in M1 I was able to (after a lot of very slow maneuvers) get the nose pointed toward the house so my wife could then back down the step part of the drive to the turnout then go forward down the rest of the drive. M1 was the only way I could get traction up top. Costco Blizzak snows will be installed Monday! Coming home, she stopped at the bottom of the drive, put the XLT in M1 and maintained speed all the up and through the 90 degree left to the garages.

 

[JohnT]

I'm not getting what the issue is, sorry for being slow here but
- Are you spinning the tires
- Is the transmission slipping (like feathering a clutch)
- Is the engine power dropping off and you are not making progress

Only number 1 will be fixed by tires

What happens if you just stick it in snow mode and leave the manual alone and let the car do its thing?

Thats pretty light snow to be causing any issue other than wheel spin with summer tires even with ice underneath.

I've pulled up a driveway with 8 inches, I mean up past the running boards snow, no issues other than wheel spin which isn't the cars fault.

 

[Markg2]

Back out, put in D, tires spin/vehicle slides. Back out, put in M1, no slide/no spin, vehicle moves forward.

Someone had said earlier in this thread that M1 should only be necessary to hold the vehicle in first gear that the vehicle was smart enough to figure things out.

My experience is at odds with the statement, that's all.