Low gear for driving in snow

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peterkronenberg

New Member
So without a traditional low gear (or at least a simulation), other then putting in in Econ mode, is there anything else we can do for driving in snow?
 
I haven't driven the Clarity yet in the snow. With the Volt, the Regen was nice, albeit a little too aggressive (I have the 2012 with only Max Regen setting with shifter in L setting and just taking your foot off the accelerator would cause some loss of traction). With the Clarity, I think I would try the Sport setting (so the Regen stays on) and set the Regen at about 3/4 and see how that works. Gentle with the accelerator since in Sport mode, but it should let you keep from having to use the brakes very much.
 
Regen is a brake wihich can't be disabled by ABS as quickly as friction brakes. I would bet that Honda cuts out the regen when slippage is detected. I know from experience that it turns off cruise control, but I'd rather try not to encourage regen if I think traction is limited.
 
So, I've very little experience with the Clarity in snow yet (maybe tomorrow!). But, with the Ford Fusion Energi we ran through last winter, it was definitely preferable for control on snow/ice to use the brakes and to minimize regeneration as much as possible. The brakes act on all 4 tires and regen acts on only the front tires. That makes a huge difference in control, both because of the number of tires is double and because it's good to have the rear tires doing their share (less chance of a spin-out). For me, I plan to run in ECON mode to minimize throttle tip-in and regen, and use my brakes all winter. It's a trade-off with EV range, of course, but one that is worth it for me.
 
Alright. I've only got experience with the Volt in one snowstorm, so I'm going to yield to the majority. Forget using regen and use the Econ mode as default. I liked the immediate slowing when I got off the accelerator completely. If the Clarity handles anything like the Volt, it should do well.
 
ECON Mode's less-aggressive accelerator mapping gives you more control for driving in snow by reducing the chance of spinning the front tires in the slippery white stuff (or slippery dirty stuff, depending on when it fell).
 
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