Why can freelander drive well in snow/ice?

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TD4_4x4 said:
Someone I know has been slating me for buying a Freelander. I got one to get to hospital in the deep snow. They say I should have gotten a JEEP Cherokee according to them.

They were also saying the Freelander is liable to get stuck in the snow as it doesn't have a low range gear box, or 4 wheel drive lock. (Now this makes sense and I won't deny it makes our car inferior to a JEEP off-road). But......from reading this forum this doesn't seem to be the case when in snow/ice, which, mechanically is kind of weird if you think about it.
Infact, some people on here say their Freelander is better than a Disco in the snow, which is incredible without the functions the Disco is blessed with.

On another car forum someone was saying the Freelander is terrible in the snow, as unlike other 4X4's (or do they mean cars?) we can't turn our traction control off, so in the ICE would go round in circles as only grip might get sent to one wheel that isn't spinning. I must say, this rather worries me.

So in your view, how on earth does the Freelander cope in the snow/ice if:

1) Can't turn traction control off
2) Can't force 50/50 4x4 function/lock
3) Can't go into low range

Is it because it's light weight and has 'skinny' 215 section tyres? (Great for snow compared to thick 255 on other bigger 4X4).
Apparently 'thin' tyres are better for snow/ice than normal size ones the car comes supplied with. Mine are 235, a tad wide.

Is it because it has 'little' 15/16 inch wheels? Apparently 17/18/19 makes snow/ice driving difficult as it alters the gearing or something? And for winter this is apparently bad news. If you think about it, the Landrover 90/Defender does indeed, have tiny little wheels, just with massive profile tyres.

Is it because the traction control on a Freelander, doesn't actually work like a car, or other 4x4's, and somehow it prevents power only being sent to 1 wheel (e.g. if all other 3 are spinning in the ice).

I'd love to know, because other than people telling me my car is crap all the time (or 'gay'), I'm happy with it - even if I am potentially foolish for believing it can plow through 2 feet of snow laying ontop of tarmac that hopefully will save my life when needed. (The only reason I bought it and why I'll get a lift-kit and snow tyres for next winter).

My Freelander the times we whizzed off to hospital in the recent snow, did struggle but it had a 3 Continental 4x4 contact (M&S) 215/50/18 tyres on, and 1 Dunlop SP Sport 01 summer tyre and we still got to A&E, if in somewhat of a blind panic.

Yet you guys trust your car, and I think I trust mine as you do.
(If that makes sense). ;)
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I drove up to andorra today in a white out and got up with ease Just with snow tyres when others where in the ditch or freezing their fingers of with snow chains, out of curiosty i tried to wheel spin on a empty car Park and had perfect traction in 10cm of snow. Great 4x4 Just a shame with the ground clearance
 
what sold it for me when looking to buy a 4x4 was a mate that had all k7nds of 4x4s and he said the best one off road was a freelander, with it's independent suspension on all wheels, traction control and clever 4x4 system I'm inclined to agree with him, utube is the proof in the pudding.
 
My FL drives great in the snow, in fact it kept going when the Audi behind slipped off the road.
It did get stuck on a patch of ice once, but a quick push from a helpful bystander and all was good :)
 
I used my last Freelander to tow a horse box with a pony in it. Coming home one night from a competition there was a very heavy frost which was fine til we got to the back roads. They were totally white with frost and we had no problems. Pretty scary though!
Only other 4x4 I've driven in snow was a Nissan Xtrail which was brilliant.
 
I think I remember this thread the first time round!!
Anyway, having owned the Freelander for over a decade I can report the number of times I've been stuck in snow is.......Never and I've driven it through some serious snow. Oh, and by the way I use road tyres, all the time.
 
I think they are good in the snow because who cares if you write off a FL? But put some one behind the wheel of a defender they will probably spend another £500 on it making sure its not gonna get hurt driving down a snowy lane, basically underestimated car that has physics and psychology on its side!
 
Cold weather tyres (most people call them winter tyres) are the best thing to drive in sub 7 degree C temperatures, whether it be dry, wet, ice or snow.

A 2 wheel drive with with cold weather tyres will beat a 4 wheel drive vehicle on summer or many AT tyres.

A 4x4 with winter tyres is almost unstoppable.

A 4x4 will only help you move off. It doesn't help you go round corners or stop. The tyres do that.

One reason why they are better than most cars is nothing more than ground clearance

My 2p's worth. .
 
I can concur with @Epicuser . I went over the Port Hills here in Chch 1 day in my old D1V8 with Savero ATs. It was a lovely winter's day when we set off and had a great time, but as we started to come home the snow hit and temps dropped like a stone. We went over the summit and the snow on the 'home side' decent (about 500m) was dramatic. We managed to get down to quite low levels but the temp was well below freezing by then and the road turned to ice. There was absolutely no way on stopping the car other than running the wheels against the curb. As soon as the car was moving at the slowest possible speed, it just would not stop. The irony is that once stopped against the curb, I could put it in reverse and drive back up the hill as if the road conditions were OK.

The D1 is a hugely heavy beast that takes a lot of stopping. I don't know if the Freelander would do any better in those conditions, but with less weight, its got a head start!
 
I also agree with one of the comments " the person doesn't know what they are talking about" He confirmed it by say Jeeps were better. Freelanders are great in the snow depending on what tires you have. Tires make a big difference. General Grabber AT2's are good in the snow as one of the above comments. Here in France the postmen in the countryside drive little Renault Kango vans with snow tires on. They go everywhere, even before the snow plough has been out. My friends Defender slid off the road into a ditch. He had lousy tires on. The Postman offered to tow him out. A Freelander with a good set of snow tires will get you to most places.
 
Epicuser said:
A 2 wheel drive with with cold weather tyres will beat a 4 wheel drive vehicle on summer or many AT tyres.
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That is a wildly sweeping statement, usually made by numpties and often wrong.
Epicuser said:
A 4x4 with winter tyres is almost unstoppable.
Click to expand...
Also untrue.

Epicuser said:
A 4x4 will only help you move off. It doesn't help you go round corners or stop. The tyres do that.
Click to expand...
Sorry but that isn't correct either. Cornering and slowing/stopping can both be enhanced with AWD.

You can engine brake with far less risk of locking the wheels up and less need to use the brake pedal. This provides stability to the car and allows you to slow and control your speed far better than a 2wd in the same conditions.

AWD also massively helps in the corners for much the same reason, you simply have more control over the vehicle and should you get it sliding, then you have far more chance of generating traction and driving out of the slide. Hence why AWD rally cars are so dominant on slippery and loose surfaces compared to 2wd rally cars.
 
The fact that it's primarily front wheel drive with rear wheel assistance means the rear is never trying to overtake the front, so as long as you can steer the vehicle goes where you want it to, plus wheels aren't overly big so it can usually find grip, just my opinion for what it's worth, 2p at last count.
 
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