NonAme

So the sky finally bled white today and the G handle pretty well in the snow. Almost got rear ended at a stop sign by some idiot girl going waay too fast for braking traction to do anygood. luckily i saw her coming in the rear view mirror and from her speed expected she would not cut it in time so i slammed the pedal and swerve out of the way. Girl ended up almost completely pass the stop sign and onto traffic.

I did notice that when i switch on the awd button in the middle, the awd icon doesn't show up on the dash board. Does this mean the snow button activated the awd system?

awais

iTrader: (4)

The AWD light in the dash doesn't light up when power is going to all four wheels. The light is only there to indicate if there is a problem with the AWD system.

NonAme

really? my 05x use to light up the awd icon on the dash when ever i switch to snow mode. As long as it keeps saving my azz i really don't mind lol.

PascalT

My car got hit once already at a light. ironically it was another AWD vehicle (Tribute). Thankfully no damage to my car.

I'm still looking for a big empty parking lot to press down the pedal into snow

CaptainObvious

Congratulations on the nice save! You had great fast reacting instincts. Not everyone can react that fast to an unexpected situation, others would have seen it coming, but maybe only bracedfor the impact instead of react. Reminds me of the thread where the guy said he had up to 3 seconds watching someone coming closer and closer to his back bumper with a truck in a parking lot right after he had backed out of his spot too and was preparing to turn and go forward. If he had reacted like you, maybe he could have pulled forward back into his spot in time to avoid impact... just sayin'...

sammy917

the awd will kick in whenever it's needed, not just when the car's in snow mode, right?

and the snow's great, but salt- not so much :/

Rizzo

"For driving or starting the vehicle on snowy
roads or slippery areas, turn on the SNOW
mode switch. The indicator light on the switch
will illuminate. When the SNOW mode is activated,
engine output is controlled to avoid
wheel spin."

Straight from the owner's manual. So turning on Snow Mode doesn't engage AWD it just limits engine output so you don't spin tire like crazy.. the AWD system will put power to the wheels as needed. My G is sitting in my garage nice and clean waiting for Spring to come in 3 months!

rks

iTrader: (6)

I have the 6MT with X-Ice2 treads. We got a little snow last night and the car felt very safe and predictable.

dkmura

Correct- the Infiniti AWD system is designed to monitor traction at all four corners. Normally, all power is funneled to the rear tires, but if slip is detected, it'll instantly transfer power up front.

TheLocNar

iTrader: (5)

FYI, the Snow button locks the AWD in up to 25mph. If you're in a jam (city street parking in Chicago for instance... ahem), that's your way out.

gugarci

Why did the girl almost rear end you at the stop sign??? I'm going to take a guess.

My guess is like most people in this country who live in areas that snow, she was using all season tires. Sadly most SUV's on the roads are also using them too as opposed to M+s tires. Also beside the better traction that dedicated winter tires provide, the breaking difference compared to all season tires is much better. Go to the Tirerack's website and watch the videos.

I drove an 08xS for about a year and I can tell you this fact with out a doubt.

JohnEnglish

People say that but I've never seen that actually documented by Infiniti. All the user manual says is that it "controls engine output". Do you have source for that?

zmzmzm

That's my winter setup too... very easy to drive if you are competent at all. I find the nice f/r balance of the car makes it easy to keep it pointed the way you want and the LSD helps if you might otherwise get stuck. I live where there's lots of snow and have no feeling that I have any need for AWD.

zmzmzm

I don't think it locks the AWD. It sets a 50/50 tourque split and I believe starts you in 2nd gear to reduce tourque.

mossman

I have been reading these forums since I got my x in 2008. It's amazing how much confusion there seems to be on the X and snow mode.... STILL.

Snow mode makes the gas pedail less sensitive. It doesn't start you in second gear. Also, it locks the AWD into 50:50 from a standstill (compared to the normal 75:25, or 60:40 don't quite remember). It will change the AWD on it's own after 12mph... or I sometimes hear 25mph. I believe it's 12mph though.

I also contest that is changes the transmission shift points because the car seems to slow faster when you take your foot off the gas... lower gear.

Anyway, the car is unstoppable with snow tires. I pass pickups and SUV's all the time in the snow. There was a landrover that was going much much too slow that I had to pass. A landrover for Pete's sake! Tires are king. I would much rather have 4 snow tires than a AWD car without them.

Been snowing for over a week here and driving on snow covered roads every day.

My two cents anyway.