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#1
12-26-2010, 01:38 PM
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Safer in Snow: My Benz or My Odyssey?
As we prepare for this monster blizzard here in New England, my wife asked me, "So which is safer in the snow, your car or mine?" Hers is a 2002 Honday Odyssey with Bridgestone Turanzas (all-season touring tires). Mine is a 1992 300D with Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. I responded, "About the same," mainly to make it appear like I knew what I was talking about....but I'm really not sure.
So which is it: the front wheel drive minivan with regular tires or the Benz with snows?
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles 06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU 91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion 19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi Fourteen other MB's owned and sold 1961 Very Tolerant Wife 
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#2
12-26-2010, 01:41 PM
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The FWD car is probably easier to drive in the snow, the car with snow tires will stop better.
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#3
12-26-2010, 02:34 PM
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If you put sandbags in your trunk...then that might even them up. My odyssey in the snow with its weight distribution is almost as good as 4wd. The Blizzaks probably do a pretty good job of evening up the odds though....In my climate snow tires are rarely if ever needed.
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 77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had)  83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg 95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg 95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head  99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg
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#4
12-26-2010, 02:39 PM
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I'd say the snow tired Benz. Snow tires beat all-seasons. I have some General Altimax Arctics on my 190E and it has better grip/handling/braking than my parents Olds vans with Michelins...
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Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out. Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability! (4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!) 82 300SD 145k 89 420SEL 210k 89 560SEL 118k 90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010 90 560SEL 154k 91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k 93 190E 3.0 235k 93 300E 195k
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#5
12-26-2010, 02:43 PM
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agreed on tire to tire comparison...but the wife's odyssey has that vortec v6 sitting on top of the power tires, whereas his benz has most likely an empty void of a trunk.
I take it your Olds van has FWD?
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77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had) 83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg 95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg 95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head 99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg
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#6
12-26-2010, 02:59 PM
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Yes, the van is FWD.
I do have some weight in the trunk of the 190, in the form of a sub and amps (50-80lbs?). But, its generally difficult to break the back end loose unless you mash the pedal down. Those General tires mean business. Perhaps throw some weight in the back of the 124 and have at it.
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Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out. Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability! (4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!) 82 300SD 145k 89 420SEL 210k 89 560SEL 118k 90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010 90 560SEL 154k 91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k 93 190E 3.0 235k 93 300E 195k
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#7
12-26-2010, 03:21 PM
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ABS, airbag, Traction control > neither.
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CC: NSA All things are burning, know this and be released. 82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin 12 Ford Escape 4wd You're four times It's hard to more likely to concentrate on have an accident two things when you're on at the same time. a cell phone. www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?
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#8
12-26-2010, 03:30 PM
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Tires Make a Difference:
I once put a set of 205/70/14 Khumo's on my 300SD and it could not make it in the snow at all. When I went back to the Dunlop Citations, I could drive around cars in the snow that had stopped to put chains on. It must be the whitewalls....
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 Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013 100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership 
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#9
12-26-2010, 03:33 PM
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I had plenty of snow driving with a variety of Mercedes sedans, esp. W123/4, W116, W108/9 and older generations. I never found their frontend response particulary stable, they all broke out to one side or another. So, it really needs to be incorporated in your driving, just not to end up in situations where you have to apply abrupt braking.
The tail of such sedans is nicely managable, with sufficient weight applied to the rearaxle and ofcourse good tires. I once had a Volvo wagon 265GLE. That car was the most amazing vehicle in snow. I could not get the front end to breakout, even under full brake apps with blocked tires, it would slide only straight forward. Same with the rearend, very stable! Front wheel cars should be excellent on snowy roads.
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#10
12-26-2010, 03:43 PM
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Id say the Honda by a slight margin
We have FWD, RWD vehicles as well as 4WD. We also have snow on occasion. MY first choice is the 4WD diesel suburban my second is the FWD diesel Jetta and my last choice by far is one of the RWD diesel Mercs. Everything we own has good to excellent ice and snow tires (Michelin , Hankook, Nokian) The torque of the diesel Mercedes is it's own worst enemy when it comes to starting out in the snow even with lots of weight in the trunk. Most Mercs don't have LSD or 4matic which would help. Ideally get 4 good snows for the Honda to be safest. It sucks to be sliding around bashing into things if you can avoid it. It's expensive too. Cheers Dan
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It's always something simple 91 300D 603.960 (from japan) 194K 92 Toyota Diesel Landcruiser HDJ81-t 116K 02 Golf TDI new head courtesy of PO 87 300D 97 BMW 525 TDS Wagon 5spd bunch of Onan and other diesel generators
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#11
12-26-2010, 03:59 PM
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it also depends on a few things...
Do you have four snows or only have them on the driving wheels? I drove the SDL through some hairy snows last winter with a set of Blizzaks and I had no problems. I agree that the Diesels have a lot of torque when it comes to starting in snow. The depth of the snow also plays a factor. It seems that the deeper it is the better the Benz is in the snow. Must be lessons from Stalingrad...
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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy" Current Monika '74 450 SL BrownHilda '79 280SL FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee Krystal 2004 Volvo S60 Gone '74 Jeep CJ5 '97 Jeep ZJ Laredo Rudolf ‘86 300SDL Bruno '81 300SD Fritzi '84 BMW '92 Subaru '96 Impala SS '71 Buick GS conv '67 GTO conv '63 Corvair conv '57 Nomad 
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#12
12-26-2010, 04:36 PM
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I've got four Blizzaks on the Benz. And it has ABS.
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles 06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU 91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion 19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi Fourteen other MB's owned and sold 1961 Very Tolerant Wife
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#13
12-26-2010, 04:47 PM
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Good snow tires trump any drive configuration on summer or all season tires.
Best bet: Get to the grocery store and the liquor store before the storm and then stay off the roads. The side view mirrors in the photo belong to 2 audi station wagons.
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Greg 2012 S350 BlueTEC 4Matic 2007 ML 320 CDI 2007 Leisure Travel Serenity 2006 Sprinter 432k 2005 E320 CDI 1998 SLK230 (teal) 1998 SLK230 (silver) 1996 E300D 99k, 30k on WVO Previous: 1983 240D, on WVO 1982 300D, on WVO 1983 300CD, on WVO 1986 300SDL 237k, 25k on WVO (Deerslayer) 1991 350SDL 249k, 56k on WVO - Retired to a car spa in Phoenix 1983 380 SEC w/603 diesel, 8k on WVO 1996 E300D 351k, 177k on WVO Last edited by GregMN; 12-26-2010 at 05:17 PM.
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#14
12-26-2010, 04:49 PM
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driver skill in the snow also plays a lot into this as well.
I've always driven RWD in the Winter (both allseasons and winter tires) so I'm accustom to the handing RWD vehicles in the snow...
__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out. Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability! (4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!) 82 300SD 145k 89 420SEL 210k 89 560SEL 118k 90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010 90 560SEL 154k 91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k 93 190E 3.0 235k 93 300E 195k
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#15
12-26-2010, 04:51 PM
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I know a bit about snow
SNOWWWW Have always used 4 snows and believe 4 snows win out over FWD summers or all seasons.
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1999 Mercedes E300TD daily driver sold at 238K miles 106K miles were mine, rust worm got it :-( 2006 Mercedes CDI new daily driver! 56,000 miles May 2016 now 85,625 Apr 2018 and Apr 2019 101,000 miles Apr 2020 109,875. March 2024 135,250
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