winter button in heavy rain...........

[IndianaVX]

i dont have my manual yet, and the forcast is calling for alot of rain.
in a downpour tonight, i was thinking about my old sciroccos, and how much they loved to go hydroplaining, and started letting up on the gas a bit........just to make sure i didnt. but it got me wondering...and im sorry, but still not sure what all goes on wen you push the winter button, or the power button, (i do know that accl is more agressive w/ the power button)
so my question is
does the winter button help reduce the chance of hydroplaining, or sliping in the rain, or on wet roads?
thanks
david

[etlsport]

as far as i know the winter button only affects how you start (starts you in 3rd gear) and once you hit a certain speed (25mph?) it turns itself off and everything else is normal.... dont remember where i picked up this info.. but im pretty sure its accurate haha

[VehiGAZ]

Yeah, that's about right. The Winter Mode button does nothing more than start the VX off in 3rd gear to reduce the amount of torque going to the wheels so they don't spin.

It only activates if you are NOT in Power mode, and if you are stopped, and it shuts off again once you get going. (You would need to hit the button again when starting from the next stop sign) I think it might even be limited to when you are in 4-low range, but that might be wrong. When in 4 low, it makes starts SO much smoother!

But using it will not really do anything for you in the rain. If there is so much rain that you are consistently spinng your tires from a dead stop, then maybe you shoudl reconsider if you need to be on the road in the first place. ;-)

[VehiX]

There's no need for the winter button in the rain at all. Heck, I don't even use it in the nasty New England snow storms here in N.H.

The VX is a pretty heavy and stable vehicle and with the right set of tires, hydroplaining is minimal even at high speeds. Just don't do 60 through a puddle a foot or more deep and you'll be alright.

Winter mode is for icy (and I mean ICY) hill climbs were traction is a problem. I find that TOD will tackle just about anything out there! Winter mode will start the tranny off in 3rd gear and won't let the RPM's go above 2k (minimal tourque to reduce spinning), after you hit about 25 mph it'll shut itself off and will need to be manually set again if needed.

Power mode should be on all the time and never shut off as far as I'm concerned. There appears to be no difference in fuel economy with it on or off, just watch the heavy right foot!

[IndianaVX]

well, the whole idea came from my olds silloete, it has traction control, and you can feel it kickin in and out sometimes in the rain,and was thinking the winter might do the same thing, distributinig power, or not.
was thinking that the winter button might be doing the same kind of thing, but actually, the TOD would be.
so you leave the power button on, VehiX, i am still keeping it for special occasions......i have been pampering the vx since ive got it, except for the 1000 miles in 2 weeks......hmmmm....i better start driving the van some......

[nfpgasmask]

Power mode should be on all the time and never shut off as far as I'm concerned. There appears to be no difference in fuel economy with it on or off, just watch the heavy right foot!

That was going to be my question. I just bought a 2001 VX and I was wondering if Power Mode affects gas mileage. As far as I can tell, it doesn't, even though the pick up is a lot better in Power Mode. So, can you explain what exactly Power Mode is doing?

Thanks - Bart

[Anita]

That was going to be my question. I just bought a 2001 VX and I was wondering if Power Mode affects gas mileage. As far as I can tell, it doesn't, even though the pick up is a lot better in Power Mode. So, can you explain what exactly Power Mode is doing?

Thanks - Bart

It adjusts the shift points in the tranny. It doesn't affect the mpg just quicker shifting from the tranny thus more power (optimized rpm). It has been said that it is better on the tranny for it to shift quicker (easier on the tranny belts, less loading, etc).