This button makes driving on snow easier but too few motorists know about it

“This button makes driving on snow easier but too few motorists know about it”

More and more cars have a very useful function for driving on snow. You still have to use it.

A few flakes and it's a rout. Almost every winter, the same images of chaos on the roads play in a loop on television screens as soon as a few centimeters of snow cover the arteries of large cities. This makes the "mountain people" laugh, much more accustomed to This phenomenon and are accordingly equipped to travel on icy ground. If the channels à snow – strongly recommended for driving a car in certain regions of France between November and March – are the best way to cope with harsh winter conditions, more and more cars are offering driving assistance. driving on slippery roads.

Manufacturers reserve this function for their own use. their models equipped with an automatic gearbox. This is no coincidence. Beyond due to the fact that automatic boxes are gradually supplanting small manual transmissions "à Unlike the old one, the automatic transmission is the least suitable for driving on snow. All the experts will tell you, flexibility is the key word for moving a car on snowy ground. This is why it is always recommended to use to start directly in second gear, therefore with a low engine speed, to avoid spinning your wheels and skidding. But this possibility, which is offered on manual gearboxes since'– driver discretion, did not exist until a few years ago on automatic vehicles.

This is why car brands have added: a driving mode alongside the traditional “eco”, “comfort” modes. and "sport". This is the "snow" mode, developed for this purpose. to facilitate driving on icy roads. It is materialized by a button or is selected using a button. using a wheel, most often placed on the automatic transmission gear selector positioned a hit at the wheel, a hit à the location of the manual gear knobs. Depending on the manufacturer, the symbol varies somewhat. It's a snowflake at Volkswagen, a snowflake at Volkswagen. side of a car from Peugeot or even a snowflake and a car above the writing "Snow" at Hyundai. Simply press this button or place the dial on the symbol to activate “snow” mode.

What does this change about driving?? This "snow" starts the car directly in second gear, which reduces engine power and prevents it from slipping on patches of frost. It also serves à Adjust the transmission settings between each gear with the engine speed at its lowest for more gradual acceleration. The aim being to avoid as much as possible too sudden accelerator strokes, which are very quickly punished of a slip that was difficult to control on an icy road.

If this recent technology is a helping hand in the event of snowfall, we can only advise you to properly equip your vehicle. car if you are taken to the airport increase the number of journeys on snowy roads. Fitting your car with 4-season tires or winter tires, more suited to winter conditions, is strongly recommended. to increase wheel grip on slippery surfaces. The channels à snow remains a must, even if riding them remains a mystery for many motorists…