I agree with this...unless you plan on driving in reverse the whole time, having less traction out back to STOP will not be a good thing...can you say sideways?

Well like I said I've been driving the FWD Honda with snows only on the front for the last 10 years and I never had a problem stopping on snow. Even if I applied enough brake pressure to active the ABS I didn't detect any sideway motion. Remember the front tires do most of the stopping on any car. I know 4 snow tires would be safer, but I just think the danger of driving with 2 snow tires on the front is overblown.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

OK, it's your car. I'm sure the ABS helps keep you out of trouble, too. But, I wouldn't do it.

I believe you there very much, especially since you have ABS. My good old 1990 Honda Civic doesn't have ABS, but I never have snow tires on it either. That's right. It just has all season tires and it is my designated car for when the roads are nasty with snow and ice. It has been serving that function for three years and I've never had any issues with it. I've driven up and downhill in all conditions with no problems. It sometimes tries to slide around but the car is so small that it is very easy to control.

To answer some questions you asked before, ESP stands for Electronic Stability Program. It is a system that corrects vehicular motion by individually applying the brakes on your car. It can keep your rear wheel drive car tracking straight on snow with no problems at all. It was originally invented by a Mercedes-Benz engineer along with a Bosch engineer in the 1970s but was never put into production until 1995 [due to technological constraints] when it made its debut on the top of the line S600 and CL600. ESP works wonders and utilizes the ABS and ASR sensors on your car to function.

ASR on the other hand I believe stands for Acceleration Slip Regulation. It is Mercedes-Benz's complex language for traction control, which simply cuts engine power to the wheels when wheel slip is detected until the wheels regain traction and it releases all power back to them.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

Thanks Richard for the explanation. Now I really don't quite remember whether I have ASR or ESP or both. Is there a better way to find out than just waiting until I get the false warning on my display again?

I just had a look at the available winter tires and wheels online, but I was disappointed that I couldn't find original wheels on any of the tire websites. I think it would look rather silly to have 2 different sets of wheels on the same car. I already have snow chains for both cars and all season tires. I guess I'll just stick with what I have. We don't get snow here that often anyway. Or does anyone know where one can buy original MB wheels for a good price?

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I suspect you can find a couple of cheap 14 inch wheels for the 240D on eBay if you keep looking. Here's one listed now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-5-1-2-x-14-WHEEL-111-108-113-114-123-116-107_W0QQitemZ8018731926QQcategoryZ43954QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The 14 inch wheels seen to be cheap because no one wants them. I would also try the local junk yards for both cars.

Hattie,

Just to let you know, mine doesnt have esp, only asr. The key is the "W" mode on the tranny and keeping an egg between your foot and the throttle & brake. BTW, had to take it for a spin today, ended up goin sideways up a hill for fun. -Knowing the limits of your car is also very helpfull, so as you dont pannic when the tail gets lose. I suggest going to an empty lot and throw your car around. Well, back to the books...got another week of 2hours of sleep daily.

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2002 G500 74K
1998 E300 200K and rising
1995 S600 73k


"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them
what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity."-General George S. Patton

Never mind then it shows you how much I paid attention. Have fun good luck on your exams!

I had a blast driving my SD yesterday with no ABS. Not having ABS is great you can lock up all 4 wheels start a slide then nail the throttle to bring the tail around. I don't know maybe its just me but I prefer using my right foot as my traction control.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You're welcome. Sorry man but I don't know how you can determine what your car has. Perhaps you can find out by calling MBUSA and providing them with your VIN?

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

doesn't it say on the switch by the tranny and on the instrument cluster? Mine did

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

ESP supercedes ASR, so you won't have both. Just in case anyone is still confused, ASR was standard on the 99 E300 and ESP was optional.

Look at the button at the upper left corner of the console. That should be labeled ESP or ASR and can be used to defeat the system.

You shouldn't have any problem locating a used set of original W210 (bottle cap style) wheels to use for snows. They've been selling on Ebay for years at about $25 each.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Ok, after doing some checking it looks like I have to retract that statement. There's not a lot of them for sale, and the ones on there are expensive. Hmmm, maybe this is a good time to sell the set I have stashed in the attic.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

My 1996 E300D is also the WORST car I've ever driven in the snow. The rear-end DOES want to move to the front when you let off the pedal. If you are faced with that situation again, pop it into neutral if you have to when it happens. It releases the drag on the rear wheels and you will then have all four wheels rolling in equilibrium and you can apply the brakes without fear of having to drive the car backwards at 40 mph. You can then engage the tranny again carefully when you feel you are going slow enough. Again, only do this if you have to get out of a jam. It saved me from running off the road. I should get snow tires, which I know will help. Next year.....

That's weird, but my 96 E300D is the best snow car I've ever had, and I've had many cars. It does have ETS which helps.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I've also had 3 rear driven Volvos. Loved the cars, but it's a MUST to have 4 snow tires on those. I put them on the Volvos and they were just great. My E300D is worse than the Volvos and it is probably due to the wider tires. I really need to do the snow tire thing on my E300D.....