Winter Drive

[vxDAKINECHICvx]

Hey guys,
I hope everyone had a kick *** thanksgiving! Anyway, please help me with this one....
What EXACTLY does winter drive do, and what EXACTLY does power drive do??? It may be too simple of a question, but I just want to be completely sure as its been dumping here in Denver today, having started last night, and so far the VX is going strong on the slick roads but want to see if 'winter' or 'power' will help any more.

Thanks for the input!

[MSHardeman]

VX Chic,

As far as I know Power Drive adjusts the shift points for the transmission, and allows to VX to take off and get up to speed a little faster. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but I know I drive with the Power mode on all the time now. Winter Drive helps only from a complete stop. It revs the engine a little higher and starts the car off in what feels like second or third gear. That way the tires don't slip or spin on take off, and the VX will automatically turn the Winter mode off after it reaches +/- 7mph.

I'm sure others will chime in with a more technical explanation.

We've been getting hammered over here in the Aspen valley too (24" in the last 24 hours) and the VX has been driving like a champ. The TOD keeps the wheels on the straight and narrow, and I have yet to use the Winter driving mode.

Enjoy the snow.

[morgan-tec]

I also get better gas milage with the power drive on, like 30-50 more miles per tank. My power drive has been on since the second week i owned my truck.

[Bimati]

Interesting on the gas mileage....my Power button will be punched tomorrow morning!

Any ideas why the gas mileage would improve? Mama always said more power = less mileage.

[Solitude]

well the motor runs through the sweet spot of the rpm range better with the power button.. so it doesnt lug the motor as much as the regular mode..

is the best way to explain it... more power... better efficiency

[pbkid]

yea the winter mode will allow you to take off and not slip a tire...it accelerates as if your towing something really heavy almost....thats the best i can explain it...ive only used it once and i dont think i needed it, i just wanted to show off my baby =) (towed a lexus up a steep hill on ice without slipping one tire)

[SilverBullet75]

Works very well in ice on a downhill slope! Was slipping a lot without it, but with it, all was good!

[kpaske]

Works very well in ice on a downhill slope! Was slipping a lot without it, but with it, all was good!

Manually selecting your gear instead of putting it in drive helps a lot also. In 4 Lo and 1st Gear the VX can drive over almost anything, especially with wide tires.

[IndianaVX]

hope this isnt a hijack, kinda on subject....
if you use the winter button, do you have to hit it every time you come to a stop???
that is how mine is acting, i tried it out today for the first time. hit the button, took off slow, then it went off when i got up to speed, but when i stopped again, the light didnt come on, and i took off normally. am i makin sense?? is this the way its supposed to work, or is my winter mode messed up and need fixin??
also, well, ill just make a new thread for my other question for search results...

[etlsport]

yep thats how mine works, around 20mph the light goes off and stays off until i push it again (thats why the button doesnt stay down like the power button when you push it)

[SlowPro48]

the VX will automatically turn the Winter mode off after it reaches +/- 7mph.

Actually, Winter Mode doesn't self cancel until you go 21 mph or more for one second or more. It will not turn ON unless you are going 7mph or less with throttle opening less than 8% and transmission in D, N, R or P. There's a transmission oil temp limit too. I've forgotten what it is but if you need Winter Mode you typically won't have to worry about an overheating transmission...

[SlowPro48]

Works very well in ice on a downhill slope! Was slipping a lot without it, but with it, all was good!

Ahh.. you must have those special limited edition downhill Winter buttons! I've heard about those. Wish I had one! ABS can only do so much...