Stuck in Snow and Wheels Won't Spin!

[beerthirty]

Thanks for the help everyone - I'll keep it all in mind if I encounter another obstacle, even if I do have proper snow tires! Good to know!

[iainb]

One of the first things our salesman mentioned was to be sure to turn off the Traction Control in slippery conditions.

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by iainb

One of the first things our salesman mentioned was to be sure to turn off the Traction Control in slippery conditions.

Traction control is designed for tracking traction and doing all thats possible to keep traction when your moving. Like say zipping down the highway in a snow storm traction control is a good thing. The car will take all possible actions to keep you pointed in the right direction if things get ugly.

If your some place where skidding out of control and ending up in a ditch or wrapped around a tree is not the issue but getting over or through some ugly terrain mud - over a plowed bank of snow at the end of your driveway or out of a snowed in parking lot, traction control actually works against you given the whole point of it is for the car to limit wheel spin. Which case if your hardly moving and need to climb over a snow bank or claw your way out of a snowed in parking lot your wheels are going to spin and chances are you need them to spin some which case traction control OFF!!! IS the only way your going to move if you can move at all.

[Euchre]

Originally Posted by iainb

One of the first things our salesman mentioned was to be sure to turn off the Traction Control in slippery conditions.

If a salesman told me a blanket statement like that, I'd call them an idiot. That's like saying 'Be sure to turn off your lights when its dark'.

As noted above, turning off traction control is for off-road or unusual driving situations, not just 'when in slippery conditions'.

[iluvdrt]

My 2012 CVT premium did this as well. I have also gotten it to do it on steep hills as well. I live in Colorado and frequent the mountains for camping. This problem is huge turn off for me and makes me wish I had gotten a different car. My guess is that the CVT belt slips. My wifes lifted 05 OBS with the 4eat does much better then my 2012 because I can get wheel spin from it to power out of situations. My 2012 does nothing but rev. I have gotten the car to not spin any wheels in both reverse and forward with the traction control off, and in both manual and automatic drive modes.

[DrCloud]

^ I, too, think this was probably CVT-related.

When none of the tires has traction, the traction control will generally "search" for traction by letting the brakes off one of the other of the wheels -- so that there's intermittent wheel-spin all around the car but not all at once. And with the TC off, they should all spin (or at least a couple of them).

Of course, it's possible to get the tires so locked up in something that they just won't move, but snow or even mud isn't it. The low-gear, high-rev torque on these cars is going to turn the wheels unless they're mechanically restrained with logs or chains or something.

So I think this was the CVT behaving badly. (Of course, IMO they do this as a matter of course...)
HPH

[Euchre]

I was under the impression the CVT uses a chain, not a belt. Regardless, either could slip - but then so can clutch packs in an automatic transmission. Don't forget that both conventional automatics and CVTs normally share another thing that is the ultimate 'slip device' - the torque converter. If that didn't 'slip', you'd stall at every stoplight. (Which does happen if a lockup converter gets stuck.)

[1 Lucky Texan]

Originally Posted by Euchre

I was under the impression the CVT uses a chain, not a belt. Regardless, either could slip - but then so can clutch packs in an automatic transmission. Don't forget that both conventional automatics and CVTs normally share another thing that is the ultimate 'slip device' - the torque converter. If that didn't 'slip', you'd stall at every stoplight. (Which does happen if a lockup converter gets stuck.)

it's easier to think of it as a smooth metal belt(even though it;s made of sections). There's no teeth to engage like a true chain. It relies on some weird fluid to work.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...ZbWHmF4N-m33kg

[reddoak]

How did you know the wheels were not spinning? I was buried up the hubs in sand this weekend and I would have sworn I had the same experience, except my son was outside the car and saw both front and rear tires churning. The car is pretty **** smooth when it is stuck.

[iluvdrt]

Originally Posted by reddoak

How did you know the wheels were not spinning? I was buried up the hubs in sand this weekend and I would have sworn I had the same experience, except my son was outside the car and saw both front and rear tires churning. The car is pretty **** smooth when it is stuck.

I had a spotter that said none of my wheels were spinning. I took my lifted 05 Subaru OBS up the same hill my 2012 got stuck on no problem.