190D snow traction
 

Winters coming. How is a 1984 2.2 190D in the snow? I am concerned about the traction issue as I have some hills to travel and have had a front wheel drive diesel for many years( VW's).
My 190D is a 5 speed.

The W201 chassis is not the optium car for snow use. It's a little light in the back end, and has an open final drive and no traction control.

I had pretty good success with 190E's in winter conditions by using high quality snow tires and a little weight in the trunk, as close to the back seat as possible.

Don't make the goof of putting a bunch of sandbags in the trunk. This radically changes the weight distribution, and can cause trailing throttle oversteer in a big way. I found only 20-30lbs right at the front of the trunk (close to the back seat) worked to add a little balance, and with good snow tires, the car got around pretty good.

epssax,

In general, the Diesel has good low end torque compared to the gas versions, and this is good for snow conditions, especially getting going from a stop in tough conditions. Start in second gear and really let the engine lug (almost stall) until it gets going. The only real extra challenge a Diesel poses is when you lift off the throttle to slow down, the higher compression ratio leads to greater compression braking of the rear wheels only. And that can inspire the rear end to pass the front in low traction conditions. Get used to stepping on the clutch early and avoid engine braking in bad conditions.

I actually like the W201 chassis performance in snow, although my experience is with the 190E 2.3-16, which has a limited slip differential. But it also comes with wider tires, which can cause serious degradation of performance on snow. A little extra weight at the forward end of the trunk as noted above, and the tire size the car calls for as well as a good all season or winter tread design/rubber compound and you should do better than average, especially for rear wheel drive vehicles.

Good luck, Jim

Install new studded snow tires and always travel with 2 fat chicks in the back seat!

The latest issue of the MBCA Star has an article on driving in the snow. The editor went to a Bridgestone winter-driving school in Colorado and reported on it.

I put Pirelli P3000 (all seasons) on my 190E 2.3, and about 100lbs (2 bags of top soil or something) in the trunk, works very well in snow, no problems.

I have done well in my W201 with one or two bags of cement in the trunk. Without the weight it gets a little squirrely.