Snow Driving Observations
03-22-2018, 07:12 PM
#1
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Snow Driving Observations
Last week I had the opportunity to drive my 2018 B9 A4 Premium Plus w/Sport Plus in the snow for the first time, while up in Mammoth (CA). The car handled very well, but a few observations/annoyances:
1) Audi Pre-Sense was driving me crazy. Snow/Ice must have been covering the sensors, causing it to go off frequently for no reason. In the future I will have to disable pre-sense in the MMI when driving in snow.
2) Snow/Ice froze on the windshield wipers within the first twenty minutes of driving in heavy snow. This was really annoying, and made it tough to see out of the windshield. Luckily living LA means I have very little inclement weather, but I've noticed that the OEM blades aren't great in rain either (was the same with my B8 A4).
3) CHP was requiring tire chains a few miles out from the mountain, so I put cables on the wheels. The clearance between the tire and fender on the sport plus made it a bit tricky to get the cables on (especially in the rear). However, by draping the cables over the top of the tire, instead of wrapping around the bottom, I was able to get them on without too much difficulty. If you are planning on driving to an area that will require chains, it may be a good idea to test them out before you head up.
Overall, I was very happy with the cars performance in what was pretty heavy snow, and the lower clearance of this model didn't pose any issues for me (outside of the cable installation, which I was able to work around). If anyone has any tips regarding the wiper blades, it would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Mike
1) Audi Pre-Sense was driving me crazy. Snow/Ice must have been covering the sensors, causing it to go off frequently for no reason. In the future I will have to disable pre-sense in the MMI when driving in snow.
2) Snow/Ice froze on the windshield wipers within the first twenty minutes of driving in heavy snow. This was really annoying, and made it tough to see out of the windshield. Luckily living LA means I have very little inclement weather, but I've noticed that the OEM blades aren't great in rain either (was the same with my B8 A4).
3) CHP was requiring tire chains a few miles out from the mountain, so I put cables on the wheels. The clearance between the tire and fender on the sport plus made it a bit tricky to get the cables on (especially in the rear). However, by draping the cables over the top of the tire, instead of wrapping around the bottom, I was able to get them on without too much difficulty. If you are planning on driving to an area that will require chains, it may be a good idea to test them out before you head up.
Overall, I was very happy with the cars performance in what was pretty heavy snow, and the lower clearance of this model didn't pose any issues for me (outside of the cable installation, which I was able to work around). If anyone has any tips regarding the wiper blades, it would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Mike
03-22-2018, 09:42 PM
#4
When chain controls in California state "4WD with snow tires OK" that includes all season tires which have the "S+M" or "S/M" snow and mud rating stamp on them. They don't require dedicated snow tires that you see people buying in other states, but need to exclude people with summer or other high-performance tires that cannot handle the temperatures or don't have reasonable tread patterns for snow.
03-22-2018, 10:26 PM
#6
When chain controls in California state "4WD with snow tires OK" that includes all season tires which have the "S+M" or "S/M" snow and mud rating stamp on them. They don't require dedicated snow tires that you see people buying in other states, but need to exclude people with summer or other high-performance tires that cannot handle the temperatures or don't have reasonable tread patterns for snow.
03-23-2018, 01:30 AM
#7
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03-23-2018, 03:22 AM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
2) Snow/Ice froze on the windshield wipers within the first twenty minutes of driving in heavy snow. This was really annoying, and made it tough to see out of the windshield. Luckily living LA means I have very little inclement weather, but I've noticed that the OEM blades aren't great in rain either (was the same with my B8 A4).
03-23-2018, 09:13 AM
#9
On the wiper issue, how did you have your climate controls adjusted?
On my Audis, I have always found it best to manually override the venting direction so that heat is going to the windshield when I am in wintry mountains. I don't mean the "max defrost" button, but just the top button in the three that direct more air to windshield, dash vents, and floor vents, respectively. I keep the set temperature anywhere from 60F and up, i.e. I don't cook myself if I am in heavy clothing already. I also might manually run up the fan speed a few clicks since the automatic mode often runs too slowly to really ventilate.
I have never had my wipers freeze up in the Sierra Nevada. But, I had older B5 A4s and now a Q3 so don't know if the B9 is very different in this regard...
On my Audis, I have always found it best to manually override the venting direction so that heat is going to the windshield when I am in wintry mountains. I don't mean the "max defrost" button, but just the top button in the three that direct more air to windshield, dash vents, and floor vents, respectively. I keep the set temperature anywhere from 60F and up, i.e. I don't cook myself if I am in heavy clothing already. I also might manually run up the fan speed a few clicks since the automatic mode often runs too slowly to really ventilate.
I have never had my wipers freeze up in the Sierra Nevada. But, I had older B5 A4s and now a Q3 so don't know if the B9 is very different in this regard...
03-23-2018, 04:39 PM
#10
AudiWorld Super User
Your #2 complaint is just based on weather and would occur no matter which model/brand you drove at that time. Sometimes it's just a losing battle with heavy snow around freezing temps. As mentioned, you can direct more heat to the windshield, and I've used a bunch of washer fluid to melt it as well. It is frustrating though...