Scooby in her natural habitat...

[Roddez]

In your 3rd pic you have the hill green lights on. Is it better to have that light on or off? Mine is off all the time.

Honestly andygt are you for real?

One has to wonder how someone with the level of intelligence, lack of communication skills and general stupidity you demonstrate can come to own 2 late model Subaru cars? You come across like a 16 year old kid who has never driven a car in his life!

Go read the manual and try it out. How do you think Hobber worked out what Hill Hold does and when to use it?

[Hobber]

On a quick trip down for Thursday and Friday ski, I found myself at Thredbo early, while they were still clearing the Day park, so I couldn't get in.

I went for a drive out to Dead Horse Gap and back through the village. I discovered, with the winter tyres, I can comfortably do 80 on flat open stretches of snow covered road (I did a bit of brake and control checking on the surface before getting to speed). I also discovered I can drive up and down the steep streets of Thredbo village through unplowed 15 - 20cm of snow, even stopping partway up and having to resume. In fact the descent is tricker than the ascent, just need to be very slow.

I was driving smoothly and judiciously, however I wasn't being incredibly reserved when it was safe for me to accelerate, and I really had no detectable (by seat of the pants) slipping - except feeling a little squirrelly going downhill...

The MY10 AWD / VDC with winter tyres - wow.

For those that may not know, it's this road

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Diggin ... 8,,0,19.82

[Nottage969]

Dammit, i thought my rally-spec style photo's covered in mud and almost bogged was a Scooby's natural habitat. I thought wrong!

[Gambit]

On a quick trip down for Thursday and Friday ski, I found myself at Thredbo early, while they were still clearing the Day park, so I couldn't get in.

I went for a drive out to Dead Horse Gap and back through the village. I discovered, with the winter tyres, I can comfortably do 80 on flat open stretches of snow covered road (I did a bit of brake and control checking on the surface before getting to speed). I also discovered I can drive up and down the steep streets of Thredbo village through unplowed 15 - 20cm of snow, even stopping partway up and having to resume. In fact the descent is tricker than the ascent, just need to be very slow.

I was driving smoothly and judiciously, however I wasn't being incredibly reserved when it was safe for me to accelerate, and I really had no detectable (by seat of the pants) slipping - except feeling a little squirrelly going downhill...

The MY10 AWD / VDC with winter tyres - wow.

For those that may not know, it's this road

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Diggin ... 8,,0,19.82

Hobbers, how do you find driving up to the mountain with the snow tyres on normal bitumen? when i head up to the mountains generally, i like to give it a bit of a fang within the speed limits of course, and revel in the fact that i am running grippy street tyres, however i do curse when i get up to snow covered roads and wish for a set of snow tyres. i was up baw baw the other week, and being AWD i was waved through and did not have to install my snow chains, it felt pretty dicey on the RE050's up there, so did not what to chance and put the chains on for the decent.
obviously for a day trip 90% of the time your on normal sealed roads with no snow cover, but 10% of the time dependent on conditions, snow tyres would be the best. is there a happy medium?

[Hobber]

You'll notice I said 'winter tyres', not snow tyres... The whole thing around winter / snow tyres are

1. Tread: a lot more sipes (small cuts in the tyre) to give more points at which the tread can flex, creating edges to grip the snow
2. Clearance: clearance of slush from under the tyre requires a different tread patterns from standard tyres
3. Compound: Summer performance tyres (RE050A) are designed to be resiliant yet pliable at higher temperatures. Winter tyres are designed to remain pliable (the tread blocks can move) at lower temperatures. Typically below about 7 degrees C, Summer tyres become more like plastic than rubber - and we know how plastic grips on snow!

In ye olden days, snow tyres were very soft rubber compounds and would wear out quickly when not on snow. These days, manufacturers make 'Winter Tyres', which wear like All Season, BUT have the 'snowflake on the mountain' grip certification for winter / snow conditions. Hence why they are 'winter' tyres is they drive and wear like all seasons during typical winter use, but come into their own in the colder temps and snow / slush. The ones I have feel a little more 'squirmy' than summer (when pushed) but that makes sense as there are more tread blocks to move around...

I'm not sure you get the full advantage of winter tyres in Victoria anyway. In NSW, AWD and 4WD are not required to carry or fit chains, unlike Victoria, so I can (and have) driven on snow in the RE050As and found ti to be a sketchy proposition, especially heading downhill on slush, and will never use Summer tyres in winter again if I can help it!

[jdm rsk]

hey john
great photos mate. i have little experience driving in the snow/icy roads but you seem to know what to do. well done

[Gambit]

yeah i hear ya, with the re050a's i was doing unintentional AWD drifts going up hill in 1st at a very slow space. Lucky for me i don't mind drifting Anyhow there was no way i was going to head downhill in those conditions in summer tyres.

If i have a more permanent presence on the hill then they are definitely worth the investment.