Jump to content
SAU Community

M35 Using Snow Mode For Better Fuel Economy

jpave

By jpave,
in Four Door Family & Wagoneers

 Share

Recommended Posts

jpave Enthusiast

jpave

Posted
Posted

Has anyone tried using the snow mode for better fuel economy.

I have noticed it cuts down the boost?

What else does it do?

Also does anyone know why my stag jumps forward if i have the snow mode on and i turn the car off.

RBPOWA-(TJ) Grand Master

RBPOWA-(TJ)

Posted
Posted

snow mode from what i can work out, doesn't use first gear, so it stops any wheel spin.

so if you are stuck in snow, you can pull out with easy.

jumping forward i wouldn't know. but would driving around on snow mode be good for the car ? some whiz will be here shortly to clear that up :P

andy65b Veteran

andy65b

Posted
Posted

probably has more to do that it is locking the center diff and causing some binding(windup) of the diffs. It is probably releasing this windup as you turn off the car and it releases the diff lock.

lachlanw Veteran

lachlanw

Posted
Posted

it takes off in 2nd gear like someone else said . a lot less traction brreaking torque than first . i wouldnt drive round with it on the whole time . your just riding the torque converter . how do you see it using any less gas than simpley not using your foot better . ?

zei20l Grand Master

zei20l

Posted
Posted

sorry it doesnt take off in 2nd gear. its constant 50:50 torque split. and yes ive noticed that it appears to be pushing forward while in one of the synchro modes. but as andy said, its pressurising the atessa system.

snow mode limits boost, thats why youre seeing less fuel usage. but please note that every atessa mode on an M35 has full range of the gearbox!!

Angus Smart Grand Master

Angus Smart

Posted
Posted
snow mode from what i can work out, doesn't use first gear, so it stops any wheel spin.

so if you are stuck in snow, you can pull out with easy.

jumping forward i wouldn't know. but would driving around on snow mode be good for the car ? some whiz will be here shortly to clear that up :)

snow mode doesnt help you get unstuck haha

but yer driving up the mountian with snow mode on i find it hard so slip.. with it off. i am all over the place when i push the pedal a little bit.

pixel8r Mentor

pixel8r

Posted
Posted
my nav unit already as the fuel economy on the screen

Just wondering if anyone knows what snow mode does and weather its ok to drive around using it

short answer: NO.

Snow mode means ATTESA is driving the front wheels a lot. The ATTESA system is not designed as a full-time 4WD system if that makes sense. Basically if you leave it in 4WD mode all the time eventually the clutch packs will burn out and I'm told they are very expensive to replace.

ATTESA is designed to give traction where its needed, but drive in RWD where the extra traction is unnecessary.

The system most likely wont break if you use synchro or snow mode 1 day a week or something like that...but i wouldn't recommend leaving it on permanently. Just puts more pressure and wear on the clutch packs.

This is all stuff I've gleaned from this forum so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

KiwiRS4T Grand Master

KiwiRS4T

Posted
Posted

I can only speak authoritatively about the C34 although I believe its the same for the M35:

Snow mode cuts out first gear. I have used it for a while to try to get better economy but got bored with it!

Whatever you do to lock the Atessa has no effect once you get some speed up (I am not sure exctly it may be as low as 30 km/hr) and then the Atessa computer takes over again so I don't see any harm can come from leaving it in snow mode (and I am not even sure that it affects the atessa anyway).

iamhe77 Grand Master

iamhe77

Posted
Posted
The only reason i thought it might be good is that when im on the highway and hit the snow switch is my boost drops right back and i thought that would cause me to save fuel

You are using boost while cruising on a highway? What speed do you cruise at???

You should be able to get around 11km/L (or better) from a stock M35 cruising at 100kph.

pixel8r Mentor

pixel8r

Posted
Posted
The only reason i thought it might be good is that when im on the highway and hit the snow switch is my boost drops right back and i thought that would cause me to save fuel

As iamhe77 mentioned, you generally wouldn't be on boost while cruising on the highway. Boost is determined by engine load, not rpm. Unless you're accelerating, the boost guage would likely be showing either 0 or -ve pressure (vacuum).

At 100km/h the revs should be almost exactly 2000rpm when the torque converter is locked (and in 5th gear). To keep it like that, put the gear lever into tiptronic and bump it forward to 5th gear (it will default to 4th when you first move it over from drive but if you move it fowards quick enough the gearbox will stay in 5th). Keeping it in 5th this way will still allow it to change back to 4th at full throttle, but makes the throttle less sensitive so that you wont keep hitting boost etc. You'll find it much easier to keep the revs on 2000rpm this way than when the lever is in drive.

iamhe77 Grand Master

iamhe77

Posted
Posted
Who cruises @ 100kph?

I sit on 110kph, or sometimes accidentally drift up to 118-120.

Our speed limit is 110 though.

:)

I think you missed the point. Even at 110kph, you should be getting around 11km/L as all the hard work is accelerating up to that speed, not maintaining it (unless uphill/ headwind etc)

try taking it to 120kph, then backing off and gently applying a light foot to maintain 110kph. You will be amazed how different your economy is (especially if you can control your right foot after holding your desired speed) when compared to accelerating up to a certain speed and holding it.

pixel8r Mentor

pixel8r

Posted
Posted
:)

I think you missed the point. Even at 110kph, you should be getting around 11km/L as all the hard work is accelerating up to that speed, not maintaining it (unless uphill/ headwind etc)

try taking it to 120kph, then backing off and gently applying a light foot to maintain 110kph. You will be amazed how different your economy is (especially if you can control your right foot after holding your desired speed) when compared to accelerating up to a certain speed and holding it.

I believe you are referring to the torque converter lockup which will occur if you do this. Often it wont lock until you lift the throttle just slightly. You can tell its locked because the revs will drop by about 500-600rpm.

Putting it in 5th using tiptronic helps because otherwise I find it keeps boosting which causes the torque converter to unlock again...

At 110 (118 on my speedo - 110 measured by my portable satnav) my revs are normally around 2300.

A satnav will give you a more accurate speed readout than your speedo provided it has a good signal and you stay at a constant speed.

Interestingly the torque converter on our 5sp auto will lock up in either 4th or 5th gear, when travelling over 80km/h.

LordMidol Collaborator

LordMidol

Posted
Posted
:)

I think you missed the point. Even at 110kph, you should be getting around 11km/L as all the hard work is accelerating up to that speed, not maintaining it (unless uphill/ headwind etc)

try taking it to 120kph, then backing off and gently applying a light foot to maintain 110kph. You will be amazed how different your economy is (especially if you can control your right foot after holding your desired speed) when compared to accelerating up to a certain speed and holding it.

I tend to miss the point alot :blush:

Yeah, i get great fuel consumption on highways. I pretty much average 550km a tank now and I have developed a bit of a lead foot. I would get more if I didn't live on a mountain range.

mxfly Veteran

mxfly

Posted
Posted
As iamhe77 mentioned, you generally wouldn't be on boost while cruising on the highway. Boost is determined by engine load, not rpm. Unless you're accelerating, the boost guage would likely be showing either 0 or -ve pressure (vacuum).

At 100km/h the revs should be almost exactly 2000rpm when the torque converter is locked (and in 5th gear). To keep it like that, put the gear lever into tiptronic and bump it forward to 5th gear (it will default to 4th when you first move it over from drive but if you move it fowards quick enough the gearbox will stay in 5th). Keeping it in 5th this way will still allow it to change back to 4th at full throttle, but makes the throttle less sensitive so that you wont keep hitting boost etc. You'll find it much easier to keep the revs on 2000rpm this way than when the lever is in drive.

That's a very good point and I will try it out next time on the freeway. Last weekend I drove down to Goulburn and did notice the moment you gas it a little, it would gear down to 4th from 5th and hit boost. While it's great to overtake quickly, it will use more fuel on boost for sure. Nevertheless, I can get about 700kms on a single tank when run entirely on the freeway.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      And finally, the front lower mount. It was doubly weird. Firstly, the lower mount is held in with a bracket that has 3 bolts (it also acts as the steering lock stop), and then a nut on the shock lower mount itself. So, remove the 3x 14mm head bolts , then the 17mm nut that holds the shock in. From there, you can't actually remove the shock from the lower mount bolt (took me a while to work that out....) Sadly I don't have a pic of the other side, but the swaybar mounts to the same bolt that holds the shock in. You need to push that swaybar mount/bolt back so the shock can be pulled out past the lower control arm.  In this pic you can see the bolt partly pushed back, but it had to go further than that to release the shock. Once the shock is out, putting the new one in is "reverse of disassembly". Put the top of the shock through at least one hole and put a nut on loosely to hold it in place. Put the lower end in place and push the swaybar mount / shock bolt back in place, then loosely attach the other 2 top nuts. Bolt the bracket back in place with the 14mm head bolts and finally put the nut onto the lower bolt. Done....you have new suspension on your v37!
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      And now to the front.  No pics of the 3 nuts holding the front struts on, they are easy to spot. Undo 2 and leave the closest one on loosely. Underneath we have to deal with the wiring again, but this time its worse because the plug is behind the guard liner. You'll have to decide how much of the guard liner to remove, I undid the lower liner's top, inside and lower clips, but didn't pull it full off the guard. Same issue undoing the plug as at the rear, you need to firmly push the release clip from below while equally firmly gripping the plug body and pulling it out of  the socket. I used my fancy electrical disconnect pliers to get in there There is also one clip for the wiring, unlike at the rear I could not get behind it so just had to lever it up and out.....not in great condition to re-use in future.
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      Onto the rear lower shock mount. It's worth starting with a decent degrease to remove 10+ years of road grime, and perhaps also spray a penetrating oil on the shock lower nut. Don't forget to include the shock wiring and plug in the clean.... Deal with the wiring first; you need to release 2 clips where the wiring goes into the bracket (use long nose pliers behind the bracket to compress the clip so you can reuse it), and the rubber mount slides out, then release the plug.  I found it very hard to unplug, from underneath you can compress the tab with a screwdriver or similar, and gently but firmly pull the plug out of the socket (regular pliers may help but don't put too much pressure on the plastic. The lower mount is straightforward, 17mm nut and you can pull the shock out. As I wasn't putting a standard shock back in, I gave the car side wiring socket a generous gob of dialectric grease to keep crap out in the future. Putting the new shock in is straightforward, feed it into at least 1 of the bolt holes at the top and reach around to put a nut on it to hold it up. Then put on the other 2 top nuts loosely and put the shock onto the lower mounting bolt (you may need to lift the hub a little if the new shock is shorter). Tighten the lower nut and 3 upper nuts and you are done. In my case the BC Racing shocks came assembled for the fronts, but the rears needed to re-use the factory strut tops. For that you need spring compressors to take the pressure off the top nut (they are compressed enough when the spring can move between the top and bottom spring seats. Then a 17mm ring spanner to undo the nut while using an 8mm open spanner to stop the shaft turning (or, if you are really lucky you might get it off with a rattle gun).
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      You will now be able to lift the parcel shelf trim enough to get to the shock cover bolts; if you need to full remove the parcel shelf trim for some reason you also remove the escutcheons around the rear seat release and you will have to unplug the high stop light wiring from the boot. Next up is removal of the bracket; 6 nuts and a bolt Good news, you've finally got to the strut top! Remove the dust cover and the 3 shock mount nuts (perhaps leave 1 on lightly for now....) Same on the other side, but easier now you've done it all before
    • Duncan
      V37 Suspension change

      By Duncan · Posted

      OK, so a bunch of trim needs to come off to get to the rear shock top mounts. Once the seat is out of the way, the plastic trim needs to come off. Remove 2 clips at the top then slide the trim towards the centre of the car to clear the lower clip Next you need to be able to lift the parcel shelf, which means you need to remove the mid dark trim around the door, and then the upper light trim above the parcel shelf. The mid trim has a clip in the middle to remove first, then lift the lowest trim off the top of the mid trim (unclips). At the top there is a hidden clip on the inner side to release first by pulling inwards, then the main clip releases by pulling the top towards the front of the car. The door seal comes off with the trim, just put them aside. The the lighter upper trim, this is easy to break to top clips so take it carefully. There is a hidden clip towards the bottom and another in the middle to release first by pulling inwards. Once they are out, there are 3 clips along the rear windscreen side of the panel that are hard to get under. This is what the rear of the panel looks like to assist:
×
×
  • Create New...