Limited Slip - Winter Driving - Mazda 6 Forums : Mazda 6 / Mazda Atenza Forum

sxr800 · 10-05-2009, 05:52 PM

Hey everyone,
Winter's almost here for us up in ND and the plains and I'm wondering about driving around in the snow. Does our car have the LSD or something like that? I know on my '09 v6 gt I have the dsc which I'm guessing is electronically controlled but don't want to get in a snow pile I don't want the tire with traction to stick and the other flying freely out of control. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks.

sxr800

Ernie · 10-05-2009, 10:27 PM

If you know what an LSD is, you know that VERY FEW cars have them.

No. We have DSC. It's a combination of brakes and rev limiters . . . apparently for people who can't countersteer :/ Seriously though, it's a hyped up version of traction control and you should TURN IT OFF when you get in heavy snow.

Subaru is the only set of cars I know where you shouldn't turn of stability control in the snow.

Get snow tires if you're really concerned. Fortunately, you are in an area that gets enough snow that people know how to drive in it, and the townships should know how to deal with snow. A FWD car is fine as long as you know one rule of physics and obey two driving rules, you're not all that bad . . .
You only slide when changing direction or speed
- slow down before you have to turn
- get as much momentum as possible before climbing a hill

Good luck.

-Ernie

20zoom6zoom09 · 10-08-2009, 01:17 AM

I went through all last winter with my 09 6. I never turned the DSC off at all in the winter unless I wanted to have some fun haha. With the DSC on IMO you had to try pretty hard to get to sliding around at all, it felt very stable and safe with the DSC on. But I came from a 02 Eclipse where traction in the snow was just nonexistent so maybe just having traction at all is good enough for me haha.

CometCKO · 10-21-2009, 12:33 PM

My gripe with DSC is that it works by applying braking on the slipping wheel which causes the differential to apply more torque to the wheel with grip. Fine in theory, but when climbing a slippery hill, anything that slows you down in the slightest way is a bad thing. I live on the other side of a big hill, and all the cars I've had with DSC have failed to make the hill at one time or another in slippery Northeastern conditions. In that specific situation, I have better results turning the DSC off.

Most of the time, however, DSC is really helpful and highly recommended. I'd still rather have a nice progressive limited slip. My '91 Nissan Sentra SE-R has viscous limited slip (FWD) and that thing was a beast in all kinds of snow.

rickdarris2004 · 01-11-2010, 04:11 PM

So I'm not the only guy from ND on the boards, thats always nice to know! Where are you located? I am in the Fargo area, not much for second Gen 6's around these parts, very few and far between. I love this thing in the snow, heck, even the stock tires are decent. Better than my last car ever was. This last storm we had it trudged through 6" of snow like no ones business, though I wouldn't recommend doing that too much! But in all reality, this is one of the better cars I have had for winter driving.

sxr800 · 01-11-2010, 09:40 PM

I know right! Woohoo for the ND! From the bizzo originally, going to school now. I know, that's one of the reasons I love the car, not everybody has one, including the mom around the block (no offense to the great moms on here.) Came out of my house the other day and saw 2 parked on the same block though and thought it was the invasion of 2nd gen's but they were just in town for the weekend. Tires are phenomenal for how big and wide the stance of the car is. The blizzard was nothing to it. You're right, the DSC is really nice for the occasional black ice event, but really dislike it trying to start up a hill from a stoplight. But, best car I've ever owned and think I'll be a Mazda guy for a long time, unless college pays off great and I upgrade to BMW status

10-05-2009, 05:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
sxr800 Drivers License Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: 0 reviews	Hey everyone, Winter's almost here for us up in ND and the plains and I'm wondering about driving around in the snow. Does our car have the LSD or something like that? I know on my '09 v6 gt I have the dsc which I'm guessing is electronically controlled but don't want to get in a snow pile I don't want the tire with traction to stick and the other flying freely out of control. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks. sxr800 __________________ 6 Club or 6 Crew? I love 'em both! - Flyin' High in the Clear Blue Sky - '09 Mazda 6 V6 GT

10-05-2009, 10:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ernie Track Racer Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brookfied, CT Posts: 263 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader: 0 reviews	If you know what an LSD is, you know that VERY FEW cars have them. No. We have DSC. It's a combination of brakes and rev limiters . . . apparently for people who can't countersteer :/ Seriously though, it's a hyped up version of traction control and you should TURN IT OFF when you get in heavy snow. Subaru is the only set of cars I know where you shouldn't turn of stability control in the snow. Get snow tires if you're really concerned. Fortunately, you are in an area that gets enough snow that people know how to drive in it, and the townships should know how to deal with snow. A FWD car is fine as long as you know one rule of physics and obey two driving rules, you're not all that bad . . . You only slide when changing direction or speed - slow down before you have to turn - get as much momentum as possible before climbing a hill Good luck. -Ernie __________________ Car Domain Page with all Mods and upgrades: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3386678 (Not sure why it gets lower ratings than stock and rims-only cars . . . maybe I need a "TYPE R" badge) Personal Page (stereo changeout writeup): http://www.cynicalivy.com/MAZDA6/

10-08-2009, 01:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
20zoom6zoom09 Learners License Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: 0 reviews	I went through all last winter with my 09 6. I never turned the DSC off at all in the winter unless I wanted to have some fun haha. With the DSC on IMO you had to try pretty hard to get to sliding around at all, it felt very stable and safe with the DSC on. But I came from a 02 Eclipse where traction in the snow was just nonexistent so maybe just having traction at all is good enough for me haha. __________________ ------------------------ 2009 Mazda6i Touring w/ Bose & Convenience Packages ------------------------- -------------------------------------------------Mods-------------------------------------------------- 17" ADR M-Classic Wheels Nokya Hyper Yellow 2500k Foglights Stock Spoiler

01-11-2010, 09:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
sxr800 Drivers License Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: 0 reviews	I know right! Woohoo for the ND! From the bizzo originally, going to school now. I know, that's one of the reasons I love the car, not everybody has one, including the mom around the block (no offense to the great moms on here.) Came out of my house the other day and saw 2 parked on the same block though and thought it was the invasion of 2nd gen's but they were just in town for the weekend. Tires are phenomenal for how big and wide the stance of the car is. The blizzard was nothing to it. You're right, the DSC is really nice for the occasional black ice event, but really dislike it trying to start up a hill from a stoplight. But, best car I've ever owned and think I'll be a Mazda guy for a long time, unless college pays off great and I upgrade to BMW status __________________ 6 Club or 6 Crew? I love 'em both! - Flyin' High in the Clear Blue Sky - '09 Mazda 6 V6 GT

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10-21-2009, 12:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
CometCKO Learners License Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 21 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: 0 reviews	My gripe with DSC is that it works by applying braking on the slipping wheel which causes the differential to apply more torque to the wheel with grip. Fine in theory, but when climbing a slippery hill, anything that slows you down in the slightest way is a bad thing. I live on the other side of a big hill, and all the cars I've had with DSC have failed to make the hill at one time or another in slippery Northeastern conditions. In that specific situation, I have better results turning the DSC off. Most of the time, however, DSC is really helpful and highly recommended. I'd still rather have a nice progressive limited slip. My '91 Nissan Sentra SE-R has viscous limited slip (FWD) and that thing was a beast in all kinds of snow.

01-11-2010, 04:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
rickdarris2004 Learners License Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 16 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: 0 reviews	So I'm not the only guy from ND on the boards, thats always nice to know! Where are you located? I am in the Fargo area, not much for second Gen 6's around these parts, very few and far between. I love this thing in the snow, heck, even the stock tires are decent. Better than my last car ever was. This last storm we had it trudged through 6" of snow like no ones business, though I wouldn't recommend doing that too much! But in all reality, this is one of the better cars I have had for winter driving.