digijay Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Today we had our first snow storm of the year. While most people were pissed and frustrated, I was excited. Finally I had the chance to test out the Titanium with 4wd. I started off in my neighbourhood, moved onto main roads, then into some "mountainous" territory. Here is a breakdown. - Starting from a dead stop in the snow/ice. With a normal acceleration, the 4wd kicked in right away and I had little to no slippage. The vehicle accelerated smooth and straight. I tried punching it off the line and it caused a light fishtail as all 4 tires spun, but didn't take long to straighten out once the drive-assist kicked in. - Taking corners. Driving at "normal" speeds, it took corners quite well, a tiny bit of a slide as I took the corner, but very easy to control. By reducing the speed just slightly, I avoided any slip or slide at all. Taking the corners at higher speeds caused the drive-assist to kick in and reduce power to the wheels, causing the vehicle to slow. - Stopping. Keeping in mind that I have the stock Continental tires on, I thought it performed very average. The roads were quite icy, so hitting the brakes instantly caused the ABS to kick in. I didn't play with the ABS much, so I can't tell you how well it works to steer. - Hills. I decided to stop-start on a hill (about 20% grade). Even with the grade (facing up hill), a slow acceleration cause little to no slippage. Again.. this was in quite icy/snowy conditions. I took it up a VERY steep hill. I had to get up to a good speed to make sure that I would make it up. I was very nervous, because I knew if I didn't make it, then I would be in a ditch. Actually I was scared *sh#$less* but I made it up the hill with no problems. As soon as there was the tiniest bit of slippage, the 4wd kicked into full gear seamlessly and performed like a dream. The only way I knew how the 4wd was performing was by watching the info screen. - Coming down the hill was even scarier than going up, due to the severity of the slope and the curves, I had to go slow enough to steer and maintain control, but I couldn't lock the brakes because that would have put me into a slide (and into the ditch). In the end, I steered around two ditched cars and a stuck Flatbed tow truck and made it down the hill without issue. I subsequently gave the tow truck driver a ride home as his truck was not going anywhere until the the road was plowed/ salted. Overall, I'm very happy with the performance, but I would still highly recommend a good quality set of snow tires if you live in a frozen tundra (such as Canada or northern US). The combo of a good set of tires, but the technology of the Escape would make it a very safe and reliable vehicle in all weather conditions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscalzo Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Plus common sense when driving in those conditions. most of the vehicles we pulled out in snow/ice conditions were 4wd types. The drive train can only do so much. My 08 and 10 Escape were significantly better in snow than my 99 Explorer. Seems they keep making improvements to the traction sensing systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digijay Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Plus common sense when driving in those conditions. most of the vehicles we pulled out in snow/ice conditions were 4wd types. The drive train can only do so much. My 08 and 10 Escape were significantly better in snow than my 99 Explorer. Seems they keep making improvements to the traction sensing systems. Common sense applies to any vehicle... I just wanted to post my experiences and thoughts for others that may be considering the Escape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscalzo Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I was most interested in your experience coming down the slope which accou8nts for more loss of control incidents that going up the slope.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PajamaGuy Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 We had one morning where there was about 1-2" snow over icy road. I had to force it to get wheeks slipping at launch, and the traction control took over instantly. Same with braking, unless I stomped on the brake pedal, I wouldn't have known there was ice on the road. Caution, prudence, and common-sense are still required, maybe even more-so, because (as said by others) a lot of folks believe 4WD means "tank" - and it doesn't. However, with that being said, I sure feel a whole lot better about my wife driving around this winter in the Escape. Now, bring on the blizards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boudhaquebec Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Yep, I agree. Last week with like 1-2 inches on the ground, I couldn't wait to try my Escape with the 4 brand new winter tires on... Wow is all I can say...Hard as hell to do a fishtail.... It wont let you.... Take offs from street corners felt just like my Ranger on 4 wheels but without the need to switch back manually to 2 wheels when on dry land...I really like that... Bring more of that white stuff, enough with the fu------g rain allready...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie411 Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Drove today for the first time in freezing rain, possible black ice and light slush on the road. The 4WD Escape handled great. I kept the 4WD indicator screen up because I was interested to see how often it would engage. It actually only went on a few times (mostly when changing lanes or making a sharp turn. I felt much safer driving the Escape in this weather then my previous car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inswva Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I had my first experience in the Escape today with frozen precipitation. I drove about 30 miles on slush/ice/snow covered roads through some moderately hilly terrain. The car never missed a beat. Granted, the precipitation never accumulated more than an inch or so but it was pretty nasty stuff. Oh, yeah, my car is not AWD. The combination of FWD, new tires, and traction control made the drive pretty easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 - Stopping. Keeping in mind that I have the stock Continental tires on, I thought it performed very average. The roads were quite icy, so hitting the brakes instantly caused the ABS to kick in. I didn't play with the ABS much, so I can't tell you how well it works to steer.. . . Overall, I'm very happy with the performance, but I would still highly recommend a good quality set of snow winter tires if you live in a frozen tundra (such as Canada or northern US). The combo of a good set of tires, but the technology of the Escape would make it a very safe and reliable vehicle in all weather conditions. Actually, I think the average driver would be better off with good winter tires and FWD than regular tires and AWD/4WD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digijay Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 I spent my morning pushing about a dozen stuck cars... some of them had winters, but none of them were 4wd... so I would have to disagree. 4wd+winters is absolutely ideal. Regardless, winter tires are important if you are driving in winter conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM4EVR Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I picked up mine right away with winter tires and yeah it's peace of mind for sure. Handles and drives great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie411 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Second snow day since I've had my Titanium 4WD, Was only an inch or so on the ground and the side streets around me were not plowed. The Escape handled flawlessly. Now can't say as much for this huge SUV that almost t-boned me. Luckily I swerved just in time, the Escape didn't skip a beat, even on the slippery road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtenthusiast Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I have a FWD with snow tires, but right now I am driving an 4WD rental, and my FWD easly outhandles it because of the crappy OEM Continentals on the rental----they are downright dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transpower Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD. Years ago I replaced the stock Continental Eco tires with Pirelli Scorpion ATR's, and then with Nokian WR G2 SUV tires. These latter are all-season M+S and also certified for severe winter conditions (there's an extra symbol on the tire). They are the best I've had in the rain, snow, and ice. The asymmetric tread does the trick. Also, I would never buy a vehicle without AWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScapeTom Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I'd be interested in more reports of how the FWD Escapes are performing. I live in an area that doesn't get much snow, but we do get it. Had a nice 6-8 incher 2 years ago. I drove my 4WD truck during that mess, which was very sure-footed (as expected) with its big, knobby M&S/AT tires. My thought is that if the Escape performs well in those conditions, I might consider selling off the truck and replacing it with a moderately-sized trailer (5 X 10 ft, maybe). For all the hauling I do, the truck is overkill. Yes, it'll tow 9000+ pounds, and it is potent (Dodge Hemi), but it also gets about 12-13 mpg and I really don't drive it much because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjyi Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Got to test my 2014 Titanium AWD for the first time in about 2-3 inches of snow yesterday. Overall opinion - the jury is still out. I had a 2007 Mariner AWD previously and bought the 2014 Escape when the Mariner got totaled last year. The Mariner did great in snow and had not trouble whatsoever. However, the Escape seemed to be very touchy. In the neighborhood, the ABS seemed to kick in almost immediately when I stepped on the brakes -- from slow speed -- and the TC would come in when trying to move from a stop. That with all the "dings" going off without any details on the IP made me wonder what the heck was going on. Anyone else have similar situations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Sounds like you have the wrong tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I have a 2013 Escape Tit 2.0EB AWD, and still stock Continental 19" tires on it. The anti-lock doesn't go on any more than my 2007 Mercury Montego FWD does. Most of our winter is compacted ice/snow in North Dakota. Taking off in the Escape is so UN-eventful, I had to turn on the info display to see that the AWD was doing it's job. The Escape's behavior is way better than my 2003 SCrew 4x4. I'm so pleased with the performance, I'll be sticking with the Conti's. Now on my Montego, I put some Bilizzak WS3 new snow tires all the way around. These are a brand new model from Bridgestone with new rubber compound. My FWD gets through the ice and snow as well as my Escape now. It's not quite as well behaved, but damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 It could also be a flaky wheel speed sensor being too sensitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnjyi Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'm leaning towards a squirrelly wheel spin sensor. I'll have to try it out again when the next snow hits and see what happens. Have a good one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 If it only happened when you hit the brakes or started from a dead stop, tires would be more likely than a bad sensor. All all-season tires are not created equal when it comes to snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 AWD is still no match for FWD and 4 winter tires ! I don't know about current production Escpaes, but earlier versions with the 19" or 20" wheel had tires that were NOT "all-season" rated (although the tire industry does not have a good definition of what "all season" really means). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimna01 Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 inhave need driving in snow my entire life from 70's rear wheel to all sorts of FWD, a 2004 RWD Cadillac CTS. If you drive a lot in snow, but snow tires . Worth their weight in gold. That being said I replaced the stock Continentals with Michilen Latitude All Season last fall. They were much better in the snow. The don't get quite the gas mileage of the continentals and are a tad bit noiser but the traction both wet and snow is much better. As far as ice traction , I stay home . Life is to short to drive in freezing rain . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmuratides Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Wanted to get some inputs on whether snow tires make that much of a difference on solid ice with 4wd escape. Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Wanted to get some inputs on whether snow tires make that much of a difference on solid ice with 4wd escape. Thanks for any input. Snow tires no. WINTER tires YES !! There is a difference. Winter tires have a softer compound than snow tires and DO give superior traction on ice and hard packed snow. WINTER tires have this symbol on the sidewall Some basic info on winter tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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