Hmmm... I don't have any experience of snow chain type products but I seriously think that that's an unnecessary purchase; I've experienced a week of snow with the XF and discovered, if you just take it easy, gentle on the controls etc. - You are absolutely fine, as for wheelspin, you get a bit especially on the local hilly roads, but it's easily contained with Winter Mode and a light right foot. IMO you simply don't need it for the inconsistant snow that we have in the UK unless you are towing something.

 

I tend to agree with phillips. If you are only concerned with occasional snow, use the "snow" button and disable the DSC in snowy conditions. An alternative would be an A/S tire with an aggressive sipe.

 

I test drove an XF in the snow storms we had in January.
I deliberately drove it round untreated country lanes (despite the salesmans protests) as I was very skeptical of it's winter capabilities.
I was hugely impressed at the way it coped. It never had a worrying moment despite leaving all the regular "summer" settings enabled.
I'd worry about it IF we get another arctic winter.

 

As an alternative to snow chains the is a fantastic Norwegian product called Autosock.
These things are much easier to use than ordinary snow chains and they might be cheaper too.


They sell for approx. €100 per pair.

 

There doesn't appear to be an Autosock that fits the 255/35 20 tyres on S models.

 

Very interesting response from fxswede. He does not say if he has used the AutoSock
himself and it would be useful to know. (Judging from his location, he may well have done).
I had actually become aware of these and perhaps wrongly, doubted their effectiveness
because of their simplicity and also their relative cheapness. In fact, the the UK, as
marketed by http://www.roofbox.co.uk they are even cheaper than the100 euros mentioned,
being listed at £64.85.

If they really do work, that price is peanuts compared to all the alternatives.

 

During a recent track day we were taken on an 'ice road' where we were shown how to use the traction control effectively. As greenie says they recommended that DSC is switched off completely (to give some spin and therefore a certain amount of traction) and Snow mode swtiched on to avoid any problems with losing control. I must say it worked very well.

 

Ice, my belief is that its a combination of weather, tires, car settings and the drivers ability to handle what is thrown at him. Stalwart forum members probably are much better drivers than the average citizen motoring about! :mrgreen:

 

Ice, my belief is that its a combination of weather, tires, car settings and the drivers ability to handle what is thrown at him. Stalwart forum members probably are much better drivers than the average citizen motoring about! :mrgreen:

Greenie, the reason why I mention the settings is because there have been a number of comments (on various forums) that without snow tyres the XF won't move on even a slight incline on snowy roads when using the 'snow setting' which may be due to not having DSC switched off.

 

Earlier this year traded in x type estate which had no problems getting up a steep snow covered hill for my xf.Fifteen minutes after driving off in my lovely xf came to the hill forgetting all about x type front wheel xf rear wheel got to two thirds up the hiil and stayed with wheel spinning tried different throttle setting etc,no luck, if I reversed I would have been out of control at the bend at the bottom of the hill.No traffic so I patiently held the accelerator to just above tickover and the crept very slowly to the top.First thing I did when getting home read the handbook!Thats what the button for,my excuse , it was dark I am a man, who reads instruction books.

 

The XF, in snow mode, is more than capable of handling anything that the british weather has to through at us. Or maybe us Scots are just more used to snow. Having said that we don't get the bad winters of 20 yrs ago.

I remember 10 yrs ago while working just outside London seeing a driver fitting snowchains at the side of the road and it had just started sleety rain!

I think learning to drive in these conditions is the only way to do it, the Jaguar driving day was excellent for this.

 

The "snow button" can be most effective if used in conjunction with turning off the DSC.

 

When you say turning off DSC is that OFF off (hold for 15sec) or just 'trac dsc' off ?

Whilst I understand DSC would try to step in to limit slip therefore appreciate the argument, I do find it odd to recommend turning it off... DSC was shown on TV with the X-Type a few years ago to keep car stable in an emergency manoeuvre which may have otherwise completely lost control (swerve to avoid object in road etc)... The test was done on snow and enabled the driver to avoid cones and regain position without undoubtedly spinning off without DSC!

Not an excuse for poor driving or anticipation but still feels odd to turn it off

Keith

 

Yes, the DSC limits slip but you need a bit of slip to get going so defeating it should help.

 

Wintertyres are not for snow conditions only: when temperatures go under 8C the rubber of normal tyres hardens and looses it's grip not only on snow.
My experience is that modern wintertyres grip better during winter, specialy in wet or moist conditions. With all the power on the rear wheels, also with the torquie diesels wintertyres help to reduce wheelspin and add cornering grip.

This is a fact that nobody else mentions in this discussion but is important i think. That is why i have taken the trouble to by an extra set of wheels with Pirelli Sotto Zero to be fitted medio november. They will enable me to use at least some of the eager ponys living under my bonnet during fall and winter......

 

Ky, of course you are correct Temperature plays a crucial role in how the particular tire performs in the snow. You should have NO trouble this winter. Please, though, send me some chocolate! :mrgreen:

 

When you say turning off DSC is that OFF off (hold for 15sec) or just 'trac dsc' off ?

Whilst I understand DSC would try to step in to limit slip therefore appreciate the argument, I do find it odd to recommend turning it off... DSC was shown on TV with the X-Type a few years ago to keep car stable in an emergency manoeuvre which may have otherwise completely lost control (swerve to avoid object in road etc)... The test was done on snow and enabled the driver to avoid cones and regain position without undoubtedly spinning off without DSC!
Keith

Yes definately DSC fully off, this allows slip but the 'Snow Button' adjusts the power, slip and braking accordingly to ensure you stay in a straight line. As per my post elsewhere, I was fortunate to be able to try this on an 'ice road' on a track day at Gaydon and it definately works.

 

I have my winter tyres and wheels ready too, just not sure where I'm going to store 4 x 20" rims over the winter :?

 

Disagree with switching the DSC off completely for snow.

Best combo seems to be the "winter" switch "on" for second gear starts and softer throttle response and shifts and DSC on TRAC. Turning the DSC completely off is more fun but definitely inferior to the TRAC setting. I have 40 years of driving in severe winter conditions in all manner of vehicles. i can drive the XF easily without traction assistance of any kind but the XF works best in very slippery conditions with TRAC and "winter" selected.

I have tested my XF in all winter modes under "controlled" conditions in Western Canada (public transit parking lot on the weekend after a major snowfall). While the XF is brilliant regardless of the selection of the winter switch or the DSC switch, etc, the best combo for safe driving is as I suggest. Mind you, this is with four Pirelli Sottozeros. The best setting with the factory all season tires is the "in the garage" setting.

My X Type was similarly equally balanced regardless of conditions but in that case the DSC options were either on or off. For most conditions DSC "on" worked best. However, for extremely icy weather or at very cold temperatures DSC "off" worked better. This was a 5 spd car however and had one of the very best awd systems available (in my humble opinion). The X Type awd system was head and shoulders better than Audi Quattro and significantly better than Subaru's system.

Tirerack.com has some interesting information about traction with spinning tires. Apparently, their objective testing shows that true winter tires develop peak traction on snow at about 45% spin rate (tires spinning 45% faster than free rolling speed) while all season tires need to be kept from spinning much more than the avreage traction control system allows, which is about 25% spin rate.

I can confirm that on non traction control cars good winter tires continue to develop more traction as the spin rate goes up until the tires are truly spinning freely. This is hard to describe in words but the experienced Canadian driver can reach and hold this optimum spin rate almost sub consciously.

 

Living on the continent, it's almost obligatory to use winter tyres. The difference this makes is immense. I've not tried it in my XF yet, but in the past I've regularly driven to the Alps in very snowy conditions in other cars including a BMW which has a very bad rep for driving in the snow. I've always been able to drive up to the ski-station with winter tyres on and without the need for chains even in very snowy conditions. My winter tyres are booked to be installed on the 30th November and will stay on at least until the end of March. The only thing I'm not sure about in the XF is how to use the engine for braking when coming down hill as this is the first automatic car I've had. With a manual gearbox, I could simply force a lower gear to slow the car coming down a hill without using the brake pedal.

As mentioned on previous posts, the most important thing is knowing how to drive in winter conditions. The worst thing is being stuck behind a driver who is over defensive on a steep hill. Drive carefully, but positively, anticipate bends and try not to brake unless you need to and have plenty of room to do so.

 

Hi henrik, try using the paddles in sport mode, and snow mode, to drop down the gears, you can then select the gear you want. Never tried it but it should work.

 

henrik, at least you will get the chance to use winter mode. On the rare occasions we have snow I still use braking as the first option, but very very carefully.

Off thread - Many years ago I used to fly the Royal Marines into Bardufoss for mid winter training in northern Norway, when the runway and taxiways were covered in compacted snow and ice. My technique was to use gentle braking and shut down the outboard engines before turning off the end of the runway. On one trip the CO of the other Britannia Squadron, who was the captain of the preceding aircraft, watched me land and taxi in without using reverse thrust on the props. He stomped into the cockpit and proceeded to lecture me about my poor technique. I should have kept all four engines running, he said, and used reverse on the inboard props to control the speed on the ground. He departed 30 minutes before us. We heard his inboard props go into reverse when he reached the main taxiway, which ran parallel with the runway. Soon afterwards the Britannia completed two spectacular 360 degree pirouettes. Fortunately it didn't hit anything and miraculously remained on the taxiway. I never did get an apology!

 

If you get stuck in snow an effective and inexpensive trick is to tie two or three short lengths of rope between the spokes and around the tyre on both rear wheels. You should keep a supply of pre cut lengths in the boot ready to use if required. You can keep driving on these without risking damage until it is safe to cut them off (keep a Stanley knife with the ropes).
Bluejag49

 

Welcome to the forum bluejag49
When I started to read your post I thought it was going to be a joke, then thought about it.
What a very good idea

 

Philayl, I've thought about using the paddles to force a lower gear, but often the car thinks it knows better than you and decides not to change as it would put the revs too high. I'm not sure if this is the same in sports mode, but will give it a go. Some automatic cars have a specific gear for this to restrict the speed coming down a hill.