Not specifically FL2 related, so posting in off topic.

I have recently moved to a more rural location but will my wife will still need to commute to work in Edinburgh. Most of the journey is A road and so will likely be in reasonable conditon if we get a bad winter. However to get to the A road we need to first travel on a smaller B road. This road has a sharp hairpin going Uphill (or down depending on direction of course).

I'm general, should something like that simply be left alone in icy/snowy conditions or with the right tyres and driving are most things passable?

I intend on putting a set of winters on my FL2 and also using the right TR mode, but am unsure if the snow mode would be suitable for getting up such an Uphill bend.

My wife will also be getting winters put on but drives an Audi A4 estate, front wheel drive.

Thanks all.

A Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

Firstly, I'm in Australia so have little experience or an environment where I have to consider this.
Secondly, I have extensive technical knowledge in working for one of the worlds leading European tyre manufacturers.
The key technology in tyres manufactured for this condition is rubber compounds and tread patterns designed to trap snow as this is the best way to maintain traction. Snow adheares to snow.
Your vehicle is ideal for this purpose, linked with the best M+S or winter tyre you can source. I would trust that LR's TR mode would be ideal for this purpose.
The only way you could optimise your vehicle would be to use a tyre, build for snow/ice conditions where studs can be applied to the tyre but this would affect your "A" road use.
In these conditions a slow and steady approach is advisable to minimise trapped snow ejection from the tread pattern.
Ice conditions predominately require studs to affectly transverse but if you require these on a good tyre then I suggest your in a very challenging environment and assuming you have an appropriate vehicle with appropriate tyres then studs are the only way to optimise.
Hopefully someone will come along with local experience/knowledge of where you are and can advise. MY15
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With winter tyres on the FL2, you would manage it without the snow mode but yes it is there to be used in snow so use it. I currently drive a 2014 Fiesta ST and I put some winter tyres on it. Last year it was superb in the snow but the most important test was when I drove up a steep side street covered in compacted snow and ice at 7am and -5C. I came to a stop to see if I could get going again and after a small amount of wheel spin it went up the hill no problem.  LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Thanks both. The Fiesta thing is reassuring.

Studs would be a no goer - are we even allowed them in the UK? Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

I'd always be more concerned about Icy Downhill Driving than Icy Uphill Driving.  FL2 now gone and have a couple of items left for sale:-

Brodit active iPhone holder + Brodit dash clip,
Bluetooth Music Streaming Module.

Icy uphill can quickly be followed by icy downhill though.  
Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse.

If you get a coating of black ice on an untreated hill, no amount of drive or tyres will be able to stop you going wherever the car wants to go, nothing works, abs, antilock nothing, all the systems rely on one wheel rotating at a different speed so it can detect slip and if all wheels lock you dont have that, and thats he problem with todays drivers, they drive normally in bad conditions thinking they have all the safety systems in the world fitted to stop them crashing, wrong!

Having used winter Continentals and Vreds over the last few winters I have no doubt winter tyres make a difference. However, if you only have ice and no snow I've found you'll still have no traction.
I use a back road which is not often gritted. Even a bad frost is enough to reduce traction dramatically. The road often gets that 'verglass' in sections. That thin layer of imperceptible ice. What matters most then is weight. At least that's my conclusion. Small city cars never seem to have as much problems on those sorts of conditions.
Stuart

Yes, the downhill bit was my worry. I'm going to ask the neighbours how they have coped over the last few winters. Out of 5 houses only one other has a 4x4. Either they all work from home or it isn't a problem.

And I should add, I am technically one of those "today's drivers" which is why I am asking. I have almost no real world experience of needing to drive in bad conditions. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

The FL2 is one of the very best cars available for driving on snow, and on winter tyres will go pretty much anywhere anything else will go - at least until it runs out of ground (snow) clearance.

A fwd Audi, even on winter tyres, won't be in the same league, so don't let the FL set the benchmark for the Audi! That said, a fwd car on winters can go a pretty long way so long as the driver knows what they are doing.

Specifically on up-hill hairpins, watch out for the camber on the road which can cause the nose of the car to fall away (particularly if the wheels start to spin) and leave you pointing back down the way you came. I was once a passenger in a Saab which did that on a hill near here and nearly ended up in the trees - and that with a driver who was very experienced in North-Pennine winter conditions. Once you start sliding it can be difficult to stop! Going downhill take it very, very slowly.

As for the FL2, the snow has to be getting fairly deep (couple of inches or more) before I'd normally bother with GGS mode - normal handles most things with ease. But if you are faced with a climb which you think you might not make, engage HDC before you start - that way if you don't make it you can use the HDC to control your descent back down again. Once sliding backwards down the hill it's too late to start reaching for the HDC control!

That's good advice re the HDC pab
As a general rule - keep it slow and steady, don't over-rev and give yourself time to react OH yeah keep your foot off the brake as much as you dare  No Longer the owner of a 2013MY Fuji White GS

"Fiat Lux" a philosophy not a car

Actually I think better advice is probably, if you are faced with a climb which you think you might not make, DON'T DO IT But sometimes there's no easy alternative, and if it's a case of face the hill or don't get home then most of us would probably try the hill.

We have winter conditions here from November to March with snow, ice and -25c to -30c temps. Nothing stops here whatever the conditions because during these months winter tyres are mandatory. Put proper winter tyres on, those marked with a snowflake symbol or snowflake in a 3 peaks symbol, and you'll be fine. Of course take it steady. Winter rated all-season tyres like Vredestein Quatrac 3 are fine but I'll be using their Wintrac 4 Xtreme this winter. Beware, M&S tyres are not necessarily winter rated. If you're planning on buying winter tyres buy soon before prices rise and UK stocks run out. driving on the right side

come on guys its sunny outside, stop discussing wintry conditions  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

pab wrote:

As for the FL2, the snow has to be getting fairly deep (couple of inches or more) before I'd normally bother with GGS mode - normal handles most things with ease. But if you are faced with a climb which you think you might not make, engage HDC before you start - that way if you don't make it you can use the HDC to control your descent back down again. Once sliding backwards down the hill it's too late to start reaching for the HDC control!