yeah, and u need to shut traction control to do that otherwise it will just cut all the power

 

I had a Lincoln Mark 8 with TCS and a Mustang GT with TCS. In the snow, if the rear wheels started spinning, the car would apply brake or cut power. Sometimes it would be so bad it would nearly stall the car.

With those cars, i learned it was best to turn the TCS off when starting from a dead stop and either rock the car or just power through it, and then turn it back on once i was moving. It helped keep the rear end behind the car, but starting from a dead stop sucked...even with snow tires. (300+ ft-lbs of torque is gonna spin any tire)

Different drive systems require different strategies...but the key is tires. AWD or 4WD can get you moving, but when it comes time to stop, Snow tires are your best bet.

 

thats what ive been trying to say..lol

one time my friend got his maxima hung up on a pile of snow and after a little bit of digging we were finally able to wiggle out of it by spinning the tires and turning back and forth

 

A good traction control system will not cut power unless the wheels are spinning, which is why you rock the car.

What I would like to see is the ability to lock in the AWD like you would with a full time 4 wheel drive. The difference is that stopping with 4 wheel drive does make a difference with all wheels driven full time.

As far as traction control goes on my Chrysler the power is not cut, the brakes are rapidly engaged and disengage from side to side. The end result is that it makes it up my hill when almost nothing else does, that is besides my XS. I am running a set of Toyos to boot with it which are not exactly your ideal snow tire. It is a spooky thing to be in however as the noise coming from the front when it is doing its thing is just plain scary. It is also the number one complaint of those who had the cars in Minnisota. I always wondered why they complained about the brakes, well if you drove in snow all the time they probably would not last beyond a season.

I can assure you leave the VDC on with an X and even with the OEM all season tires you will drive by most everything else on the road.

 

The biggest trouble I had wasn't the tires, although it sure would have been nice to have snow tires. The biggest problem I had was the fact that the roads last winter were not plowed and everyone decided to drive in the same path. That may be fine if you have a truck with 2 foot of clearance but in the case of the 'G' (and also my Chysler) it meant being a plow.

 

Yup, R to D to R til you get out.

Of if it's a stick, 2nd gear and just modulate the clutch.

 

Isn't that exactly what the snow button does? It locks the AWD at 50/50 and reduces throttle sensitivity.


How does having all 4 wheels driven help with stopping?

This is what happens on the G when you start slipping at higher speeds. If that happens at lower speeds, isn't that hell on your transmission? It is just like hitting the gas and brake at the same time?

 

lol

idk i took off fairly hard in the rain and its just real jerky with vsc on

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by pfarmer

What I would like to see is the ability to lock in the AWD like you would with a full time 4 wheel drive.

Isn't that exactly what the snow button does? It locks the AWD at 50/50 and reduces throttle sensitivity.
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It is suppose to simply control engine output according to the manual (as stated in the 08 manual). The VDC which they recommend be left on will control the wheel spin, but should be turned off if maximum power is needed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pfarmer
The difference is that stopping with 4 wheel drive does make a difference with all wheels driven full time.

How does having all 4 wheels driven help with stopping?

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With a full time locked up (versus awd with a differential between front and back) you have all your wheels rotating at the same speed. You are less likely due to engine braking to lock up one set. Works well especially if going down hill (short of shifting into neutral).

Quote:
Originally Posted by pfarmer
As far as traction control goes on my Chrysler the power is not cut, the brakes are rapidly engaged and disengage from side to side. The end result is that it makes it up my hill when almost nothing else does, that is besides my XS.

This is what happens on the G when you start slipping at higher speeds. If that happens at lower speeds, isn't that hell on your transmission? It is just like hitting the gas and brake at the same time?

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I didn't say it was good for your car. It eats up brakes for one thing and like I said it is scary being in the car from the noise, etc. it generates. But it certainly works well as far as getting your around in snowy conditions which is the name of the game.

 

Basically, except depending on the auto you may be able to just modulate you gas and do basically the same thing as you are doing with the clutch (no need for reverse or neutral). Of course this depends on how far you have to rock it which may in fact be a car length or more. This statement is normally when you parked your car and you need to overcome ice that was left directly in front of the wheels.

With a stick I have actually gotten out of one of my cars and pushed it out myself with the car running in gear. Don't recommend it as if you slip trying to get back to your car you may have to kiss it goodbye. If you slip getting into the car you may have to kiss yourself goodbye. In this case I was on a flat with nothing but ice and my front wheels were frozen to it. Only time I did this but with no one else around and you are so cold you do what works.

 

Infniniti's rwd based awd is one of the best in the business. I'd MUCH rather have the fun of rwd most of the time (and the less drivetrain drag) then awd all the time. AWDs tend to push when driven on the limit vs rwd (depending on the setup). If you are having trouble getting around with the G's AWD system, you either need to re-evaluate your driving skills or go with a dedicated set of snow tires for the winter (ie... blizzaks). If you can't get around with that setup, chances are you shouldn't be out there anyway

 

one thing i'll say for my 08 x loaner is the mpg is only slightly worse then my 6 speed rwd 04..maybe 1 or 2 mpg worse despite the awd, automatic tranny and added weight

 

Yep, pretty much. With mine I live part way up a hill. A couple of times this last year I had to go down and get a running start, the rest of the time I simply pulled out and drove up the hill (on the stock tires). This was with enough snow to have the car pushing it at times. While I have other issues with the 'G' (reliability issues) driving in the snow has not really been one of them (other than it being low enough to have been a plow).

 

Don't know what you get with your 04, but my 'G' averages about 21.9 with an average speed of about 30 mph (about half city, half country). On the freeway I can get around 26 if I am nice to it at the speed limit.

 

Your final drive might be taller with the 6 speed vs the awd shorter final and the 5 sp auto? ( I don't know when we got the 7sp autos ). Plus who drives a loaner gently?