FOAK - 4WD convertible

I think the last generation of those lost the AWD somewhere along the
way.

 

The question is - what's making it crap in snow? Wrong tyres? Not enough
ground clearance?

Anything sporty will have ground clearance issues so if that's part of
the problem you're not going to make it any better with AWD.

 

I suspect that narrower tyres would help, although the winter ones are
already smaller than the summer ones, but basically there's not enough
traction to get up our drive, which is quite steep, in >10cm of snow,
especially when it's been compacted down a bit. We've always yeded to
use the 4wd in snow anyway, but a few times we had to leave it at the
bottom of the drive, or on the neighbour's hard-standing, until we've
properly cleared the drive.

Apart from that, well, it's bound to have less traction and stability
than a powerful modern 4wd system. I'm usually happy enough to feel a
bot of slipping, but J thinks she's going to crash, so drives it at
half the speed whenever there's a hint of movement.

That's absolutely not a problem. Even the much lower R36 doesn't have
any problems in that respect, given that we're not trying to drive
off-road.

Well yes, we will. More traction for hills, more 4w traction control
for cornering stability. It's possible that a decent 2w ESP would make
much of the same difference, but fundamentally 4WD is better anyway.

 

Ah yes, with the weight transfer going the wrong way I can see that
being an issue.

Hmm. Hope this doesn't turn into 'AWD makes you crash at a higher speed'
thing .

OK, fair enough - out here (and where my mum lives, for example) you can
still run into ground clearance issues on regular roads if it's snowing
hard enough simply because the ploughs can't quite keep up.

Fair enough. TBH a regular 911 would most likely have enough traction in
the snow, too...

Just keep in mind that depending how sensitive J is to
drivetrain-related balance issues (ie, a 911 will still have RWD-type
balance, whereas other ones like the Audi will feel more like a FWD
car), some car might still feel 'wrong' as a lot of AWD don't split the
power 50/50.

 

Maybe I should try it in reverse. Then again, perhaps not.

I certainly echo that hope.

Our habits have changed since we've had our own place in Engelberg -
the road up there is wide, only has two sets of switchbacks, and at
only 1000m max it's never, IME so far, had more than a few cm of snow
depth on it before being cleared.

Keep talking...

TBH I doubt very much she'd notice. Whilst she does very occasionally
gas the R36 for overtaking I don't think she normally uses more than
about a hundred of its 300 horses. In snow it just works, but again I
don't think she's ever pushed it enough even to activate the ESP
(which lights up when used) which I do on some roads even in the dry.

You make some interesting points, but I think she's pretty much
committed to 4WD now. And at least it will mean we don't have such a
disproportionate use of the R36 in the winter ;-) Only had it two
years and it's on >45000km already, compared with 75000 on the Peugeot
in seven years.

 

It does work. The track up to my parents' house is a similar gradient
to yours but several times longer, & my brother & the postman get up
most of the time in reverse when it's snowy.

It's the same as a front wheel drive in reverse, only without having to
go in reverse. My old Beetle was brilliant in the snow & on muddy
fields for the same reason.

I remember Top Gear doing a test of what I think was a Jag with
new-fangled electronic traction control, in Sweden iirc, & it got up
icy slopes that would defeat a traditional 4WD without TC.

 

If you mean the Eclipse, it's irrelevant, they're horrible, hateful
little things and I can't see the OP even thinking about one... I just
listed for compelteness (or not).

 

darsy had/has one.

 

Ahem. It's a convertible, innit.

 

The TT has loads of headroom. As indeed does the current pug 206cc.

 

I recall the adverts for the Triumph TR8. That had plenty of headroom.

 

Yes. OTOH those of us that are of normal height find that the top of the
windscreen lies at a level just about of our eyes. So although there is
plenty of head room, I couldn't see a bloody thing.

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96 million miles of summat?

 

And the leg room got bigger through out the course of ownership as the
floor panels rusted away.

 

I did mean the Eclipse - the earlier ones aren't that bad (they share a
lot of the drivetrain with Evo I&IIs IIRC) but the later ones are
definitely 'style over substance'.

 

Never heard of it before, so who knows?

They don't seem to exist in Europe anyway, AFAICT. The US site seems
to confirm that they don't do a 4wd version even there.

 

Of course, they want you to go to the showroom for a brainwashing up
to the next model, extended warranty &c &c ...

Paul.

 

They used to, up to about 1999 IIRC. They're on my list for cheap winter
wheels (if any used car here can be considered cheap, they are anything
but compared to the UK) but decent ones are really hard to find.

 

Bizarrely, built in Portugal, along with the Sharan and Alhambra.

Given that the pinnacle of Portuguese automotive production was the UMM
jeep, I'm not sure this is a good thing.