WINTER DRIVING
GEARSHIFT POSITION

WE NEED THIS! WHY WON'T AUTOMAKERS PROVIDE IT?

What is it?

It is a setting on an automatic transmission that leaves out all gears with a ratio higher than 1.60:1. This keeps the wheels from spinning when in the car is on a low-traction surface such as ice or snow. It was available in several different forms over the years:

• GM offered it as the "D2" position on the gearshift in the 1950s.
• In the 1990s and on certain later cars, GM called it "Second Gear Start." It was selected with a switch on the dashboard or center console.
• Several European makes call it "Second Gear Start" or "Winter Driving." A switch also enables these.
• Before 2006, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and Kia had a "2" position on the gearshift that gives nothing but second gear. It was necessary to manually shift to "D" once the car left the slippery spot.
• The only Chrysler cars with this feature were the ones with the dual gate manual/auto shifter, and a few cars with a winter driving control made after 2000.
• The old cars with 2-speed transmissions had a low gear near 1.60:1. They automatically had this feature.
• Newer cars with a manumatic (manual/auto) transmission let you select the gear if they do not take control away from you (such as "sport" models downshifting by themselves).
• Newer cars with a transmission mode control let you choose the transmission settings for the road conditions. These work well if they have a WINTER mode.

Most other brands do not have this feature.

Note that the "2" position on other makes (especially GM, Chrysler, and Nissan) provides a selection that shifts between first and second gear. Some GM cars have "S" instead of "2."

Why is it needed?

In winter driving, the standard operation of an automatic transmission often causes the wheels to spin, because the transmission automatically provides the maximum amount of torque it can. The driver does not normally have any way to limit torque, other than by backing off the throttle.

The problem is that sometimes enough power is needed to go up a hill, but the torque must be limited because the surface is slippery. Without a winter driving position, the driver has no way to control torque without also throttling back.

Does it work?

The page author has in the past owned two different cars with this feature. The reason he can not buy one now is that the Cash for Clunkers program removed most of the cars with this feature from the used car market. So he modified a car (see "Build your own" at the bottom of this page). The feature has gotten him through conditions that could cause a wreck with an ordinary car.

Many others swear by this feature. It has gotten many people out of conditions where they would have otherwise been stuck, off the road, or in a crash. And the purpose of the feature is in the owner manuals of the cars that have it.

What is an example of how well it works?

There was a sudden ice storm in the page author's hometown in 2003. The author had just bought a used 1995 Ford Windstar 3 months earlier. He was leaving a shopping mall, and was confronted with a scene of cars sliding off the road everywhere in front of him. There were more cars in the ditch and on the grass than there were on the road. This was on a flat road. The page author put his gearshift in the "2" position. With that, and the antilock brakes, the author had full control of his van.

The road then went up a steep hill which was the only way to get out of that area. While most of the other cars were spinning their wheels trying to get up the hill, the author was able to drive up the hill normally. He had no wheel spinning, no fishtailing, no loss of control. Several other drivers ended up off the road.

At the top of the hill, the author turned off of this main road, not because of any handling problems, but because he was concerned that other cars would crash into his. He drove on less-used roads to avoid most other cars until he arrived home.

Are there other methods?

There are systems called "Traction Control" which many makes started using instead of the Winter Driving function. There is also a differential that can lock up when a wheel is spinning.

What is the Problem?

With the advent of smaller engines and 6 or 8 speed transmissions, nobody is now providing a winter driving function. Many of the new transmissions have manual shifting features. But none of them allow the car to start moving in a gear with a gear reduction ratio less than 1.60:1.

What do automakers provide?

They are using traction control. But it does not work as well, because traction control acts only after wheel spin has already begun. Also, when more power is needed to climb a hill, the traction control gives up, and turns itself off.

How do the different methods work?

How do the different methods compare?

What if all three of these features are installed on the same car?

How expensive is a winter driving position to add to a design?

All it requires is either an electrical switch or another gearshift position, and some software changes in the computer controlling the drive train. Only if the design is already inadequate would some parts need to be strengthened and would the cooling system need to be improved.

In the case of the 6-speed or 8-speed transmissions with manual shift capability, change the software to allow starting to move the car in a high enough gear (ratio less than 1.60:1). Many already do so.

Are there any drawbacks to a winter driving position?

Some idiots use it for drag racing and damage the transmission. But racing voids the warranty of the entire car.

The driver may forget to turn it off, making the transmission run hotter.

Why won't automakers provide this valuable tool?

This is a mystery. It might be one or more of the following reasons.

• Marketing "experts" don't think it would improve sales.
• Engineers are interested in getting more power out of the engine, not less.
• The "image" of the car looks worse if it needs a winter driving position.
• This is only very rarely useful in the southern states.
• The return in sales is not worth the cost of development.
• Some idiots use it for drag racing and damage the transmission.
• Most people would not pay extra for it.

What can you do about it?

Try the following:

• Ask dealers for a winter driving position that starts the car moving in a gear near 1.50:1.
• Write car manufacturers, asking for a winter driving position that starts the car moving in a gear near 1.50:1.
• Write to car magazines (but not racing magazines), asking why this valuable feature is not provided.
• Ask government why this safety device has been removed from cars.
• Build your own: Add this feature to GM cars after 1994 with 4-speed automatic.

Links

• Winter Driving
• Unusual Traffic Problems