Rear tires slipping in snow/slush

[Dennis Kilbride]

Nice photo!

Just curious -- did you try the "Slippery" and/or "Sand" GOAT modes?\

BTW -- The manual says to use Slippery on snow, and specifically says NOT to use Sand, but it's not clear to me why.

Yes I was in slippery mode.

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[sajohnson]

The manual states:


SAND mode allows higher engine revs and more wheel spin, which can be useful in sand or deep snow. You want LESS wheel spin on icy/slippery surfaces, so the PCM reduces throttle response and short shifts to keep engine revs down.

Good point.

I'm still thinking about our 5 speed manual '97 RAV4 and '02 WRX. They are old enough that most everything is still fully in the driver's control. The center diff in the RAV must be manually locked when stopped (button on dash). The throttle is mechanically operated via a cable. No traction control, stability control, etc. The only thing they have is ABS -- and it was optional on the RAV.

Wheel spin is controlled via the driver's right foot, and sometimes starting out in 2nd gear.

But yeah, with shift points and wheel spin being controlled automatically they become other factors to consider. BTW -- my manual says nothing about sand mode allowing more wheel spin, but it makes sense that it would. It also says nothing about deep snow.

Personally, I plan to try all of the different GOAT modes in the snow to see how they perform, because I'm a naturally curious rebel.

 

[sajohnson]

For anyone who's interested, this what the 2022 BS manual says about the GOAT modes:

 

[TSO_NJ]

Good point.

I'm still thinking about our 5 speed manual '97 RAV4 and '02 WRX. They are old enough that most everything is still fully in the driver's control. The center diff in the RAV must be manually locked when stopped (button on dash). The throttle is mechanically operated via a cable. No traction control, stability control, etc. The only thing they have is ABS -- and it was optional on the RAV.

Wheel spin is controlled via the driver's right foot, and sometimes starting out in 2nd gear.

But yeah, with shift points and wheel spin being controlled automatically they become other factors to consider. BTW -- my manual says nothing about sand mode allowing more wheel spin, but it makes sense that it would. It also says nothing about deep snow.

Personally, I plan to try all of the different GOAT modes in the snow to see how they perform, because I'm a naturally curious rebel.

Check your weather report for this coming Saturday.

 

[sajohnson]

Check your weather report for this coming Saturday.

I've been watching the Wunderground forecast. The predicted amount of snow keeps changing. It's been as high as 8+ inches but currently it's 5". It's a 100% chance, but only from about 1 PM to 7 PM -- with a good chance for snow about 2 hours before and after.

5" is still enough to test the GOAT modes. One potential issue is that the county usually gets to our road quickly -- sometimes they plow during the storm. That's normal for main highways, but our road gets light traffic and for the county it's a dead end. County maintenance ends just a couple tenths of a mile north of our lane. The road continues, but the plows turn around there -- so every one makes a double pass.

That's all good -- except when you want to test your BS BL.

We have our lane too, so if the plows clear the road before we have a chance to get out there, we can still do some limited playing -- I mean testing.

 

[Mark S.]

I just don’t know what I’m going to do other than drive super slow.

I think the safest option is to leave your system set to NORMAL and drive slow. I've driven mine in all sorts of conditions (off-road, snow, ice, rain, etc.) and have never needed to take it out of NORMAL mode. If you have the time and a place you can do so safely, you should experiment with different modes to see if one works better for you. I've tried all the different modes with mine; during inclement weather conditions I plan to leave it in NORMAL and let the computer do the work for me.

 

[sajohnson]

The latest:

Except for owners of the BS BL with multiple GOAT modes -- AM I RITE?

No, seriously, when the roads are deserted, snow can be fun -- but ice, not so much. The forecast keeps changing so we'll just have to see what happens. If it's snow we'll be doing some testing.

 

[sajohnson]

I think the safest option is to leave your system set to NORMAL and drive slow. I've driven mine in all sorts of conditions (off-road, snow, ice, rain, etc.) and have never needed to take it out of NORMAL mode. If you have the time and a place you can do so safely, you should experiment with different modes to see if one works better for you. I've tried all the different modes with mine; during inclement weather conditions I plan to leave it in NORMAL and let the computer do the work for me.

I'm sure that never feeling the need to use anything other than NORMAL mode is common, and the easiest/safest(?) advice -- because while there are better options in some situations, there are also worse choices (i.e., "four-wheel drive lock" and/or "rear differential lock" on dry pavement). NORMAL works fine, most of the time, so it's a good default.

That said, Ford did provide the GOAT modes for a reason. I tend to be pretty cynical. When my wife and I were first looking at the BS BL, my initial reaction to seeing the GOAT modes was to think they were probably ineffective and mostly a cutesy marketing gimmick ("G.O.A.T. -- get it?"). Then I read more about them and realized they are functional and could be very useful. For example, from post #63 above:

Would Ford provide a SLIPPERY mode and specifically recommend using it on "snow or ice covered roads" if if was *less* effective than NORMAL mode? IDK, I guess stranger things have happened with huge corporations -- but it's unlikely.

The bottom line is that which mode to use is at least somewhat subjective. If we had to pick one, then clearly it would be NORMAL. However, the driver is aware of the conditions before the computer is, so if, for example, the roads are covered with snow and ice, it makes sense to follow Ford's advice and switch to SLIPPERY mode. Can't hurt, might help.

A marginally related example is our Sprinter-based RV. It has a 5 speed auto with manual shifting. Unfortunately, if left in auto, by the time it realizes it's climbing a grade and downshifts, it's already lost speed. It's under-powered (V6 turbo diesel) so once it loses speed on a hill, it never gets it back. Because I can see that we are approaching a hill, I will downshift before we reach it and get the rpms up, then usually it will at least maintain speed. That's just one example of the driver sometimes being more effective than the computer.

 

[KidWiff]

I'm in CT... and, since nobody really has a clue on what is expected for snow this weekend, i'll likely just have to look out the window once it's happening and go from there.

Looking forward to seeing how the BS 1.5 handles in the snow and slippery stuff (currently running on the stock continental cross contact ATR's) I'll also try out slippery mode for the heck of it and compare to regular mode. I'm coming from a vw gti so i'm hoping for much better things from the little bronc.

 

[sajohnson]

I'm in CT... and, since nobody really has a clue on what is expected for snow this weekend, i'll likely just have to look out the window once it's happening and go from there.

Looking forward to seeing how the BS 1.5 handles in the snow and slippery stuff (currently running on the stock continental cross contact ATR's) I'll also try out slippery mode for the heck of it and compare to regular mode. I'm coming from a vw gti so i'm hoping for much better things from the little bronc.

I'm interested in what you find out.

Depending on the conditions and the tires the GTi had, it might actually have performed as well or better than the BS.

I posted recently about the test C&D did years ago where they compared a Pathfinder on all-season tire with an Altima on winter tires. The Altima was better at: steering response; cornering; braking; and speed around a snow-covered course. The Pathfinder was better at acceleration and hill climbing.

PS: If the past is any guide, this "huge winter storm" will fizzle out and we'll get some rain. It seems that the people predicting the weather can't help themselves and hype the forecast. They get into one-upmanship and pretty soon a moderate snow storm becomes an "epic nor'easter!"

1/7/22 EDIT: Sadly, that's exactly what happened -- the solidly predicted 7-8" of snow turned into about 1" of sloppy sleet and snow. It's like the forecasters are Lucy with the football, and we're Charlie Brown.

 

[Dennis Kilbride]

I was in slippery mode doing 40mph when my 'Spidey sense' went off and I thought I was feeling the wheels close to losing traction. I just kept decreasing my speed until it went away which was around 35mph. It was slick stuff. Even if I had been in my F150 in 4x4 I doubt I would have been going over 45mph since all that would do is get me in the ditch faster once I lost total traction. I've never lost control and gone in the ditch the 40 years I've been driving Minnesota winter roads. Guess I've been lucky in being able to feel the traction and slow down if I needed to.

 

[sajohnson]

I was in slippery mode doing 40mph when my 'Spidey sense' went off and I thought I was feeling the wheels close to losing traction. I just kept decreasing my speed until it went away which was around 35mph. It was slick stuff. Even if I had been in my F150 in 4x4 I doubt I would have been going over 45mph since all that would do is get me in the ditch faster once I lost total traction. I've never lost control and gone in the ditch the 40 years I've been driving Minnesota winter roads. Guess I've been lucky in being able to feel the traction and slow down if I needed to.

Luck and skill.

We get less snow here in Western Maryland -- except for the occasional strong nor'easter. They can drop 30" or more, but that hasn't happened for several years. The last couple years I haven't even had the snowblower out. We got some snow, but not enough to worry about.

I lived in Wisconsin for a couple years. One major difference between there and here is that in Wisconsin it stayed below freezing for pretty much the entire winter, so the snow never melted. Here, we are usually above and below freezing, so there can be a lot of ice, sometimes where you don't expect it.

Any idea whose vehicle that is in the photo, and if they are OK?

 

[TSO_NJ]

I was in slippery mode doing 40mph when my 'Spidey sense' went off and I thought I was feeling the wheels close to losing traction. I just kept decreasing my speed until it went away which was around 35mph. It was slick stuff. Even if I had been in my F150 in 4x4 I doubt I would have been going over 45mph since all that would do is get me in the ditch faster once I lost total traction. I've never lost control and gone in the ditch the 40 years I've been driving Minnesota winter roads. Guess I've been lucky in being able to feel the traction and slow down if I needed to.

A GMC Sierra?

 

[sajohnson]

More on GOAT modes:

From the 2022 owner's manual (see post #63):

SAND mode:

ROCK CRAWL:

MUD/RUTS:

It's unclear if ROCK CRAWL and MUD/RUTS are ONLY intended for getting unstuck, or if they can be used on snow-covered roads. Unlike SAND mode, there is no mention of it.

The language in the owner's manuals from other years can be different. For example, from post #59:

~~~~

The manual states:

Sand
Sand mode is for off-road driving
on soft, dry sand or deep snow.
Sand mode engages the
four-wheel drive lock.

~~~~

The 2022 manual says nothing about deep snow for the SAND mode. It doers say, "...or deep conditions." Deep what?

How deep does snow have to be to be considered deep enough to use SAND mode?

 

[Mark S.]

The bottom line is that which mode to use is at least somewhat subjective. If we had to pick one, then clearly it would be NORMAL. However, the driver is aware of the conditions before the computer is, so if, for example, the roads are covered with snow and ice, it makes sense to follow Ford's advice and switch to SLIPPERY mode. Can't hurt, might help.

My recommendation is worth exactly what you pay for it.

My primary reasoning for sticking with NORMAL mode is because you rarely complete an entire trip under the same road conditions. Parts of the road may have snow and ice while others may be completely clear. The manual cautions against using SLIPPERY mode on dry pavement, which means constantly switching modes as you drive. I'll stick to NORMAL mode and let the computer sort it out. If I get stuck, then I'll try one of the other modes appropriate to the conditions.

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