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Does anyone know if the snow button does damage to the car if you have it on for a fair while??

I know it takes off in second, would this be a problem after a while??

Before you all scoff, if you are just cruising around, try it for a while and you can get used to it.

The fuel economy improves heaps and the car pulls a lot lower revs, and when you need to go you can just flick the switch!

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my understanding of engine load is that it is greatest at low rpm in high gears

this means consistent taking off in second gear will put a huge amount of stress/load on the transmission / engine leading to premature drivetrain wear

its up to you but when you think about it, if it was the best and easiest way to do things then it wouldn't be a special button, it would just be the way it was made in the first place. and this is not the case.

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its up to you but when you think about it, if it was the best and easiest way to do things then it wouldn't be a special button, it would just be the way it was made in the first place. and this is not the case.

The thing is, the primary function of that switch is to take off with less tractive effort in low grip conditions. The button's existence isn't about "the easiest and best way to do things" all the time, its about the easiest and best way to do things in a specific situation.

Even if high load at low RPM caused no extra stress on the drivetrain/powertrain, the button would still be there as you don't always want to take off in second gear with a less sensitive electronic throttle.

It'd be like if someone asked if turning up the stereo to a certain point would damage the speakers, and then replying that if the speakers were meant to go that loud then there wouldn't be a volume knob then the stereo would just be made to play that loud in the first place.

I'd agree that it probably does more harm than good, though. Taking off in second does load up the driveline and cause extra wear, and that is a bad thing. The few bucks you save in fuel won't offset the cost of reconditioning your engine because you've made it lug for a lot of its shortened life. Its not like the V35 is a tow vehicle, and first gear is just there to provide more tractive effort while pulling a trailer.

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