2003 VW Jetta is trash in the snow?

Sooo... I live in Canada, and freaquently visit family in the northern-y areas of Thunder Bay/Winnipeg. I own a 1.8 2003 VW Jetta with a turbo (it’s a manual), it is NOT TDI, but I could not find anywhere else to turn for knowledgeable VW community, and the problem I’m having I doubt is related to diesel/gasoline. Any help would be much appreciated.

This is my first winter with the car, and we JUST got our first huge snowfall today (6” in under 4hours). The Jetta has lousy, and I really mean non existent traction in the slush/snow. It took me over 25 minutes to make a 7 minute drive home today and had traffic honking and passing me the whole while. I couldn’t get it up over about 25kmh without it fish tailing all across the road, and even under that it was still flashing traction control warning light and back end sliding. I know it wasn’t “just weather” because all the traffic around me was easily doing about 50kmh and didn’t seem to have any trouble except in the deep slush at intersections and driveways.

It does have winter tires, not all seasons on it.

I’ve read the front wheel drive on the Jetta is actually good for winter driving. So this makes me assume something is off with the car.

The only thing I know that’s wrong with it is it’s shot suspension. It has one brand new strut(replaced last month), and one original (being replaced in January), and “under par” rear suspension.

I don’t know if the suspension is what’s causing all this rediculous sliding, but if it’s not I seriously need to know what is. If it is the suspension, i think I would just like someone more knowledgeable to tell me it’ll get better in 2 weeks time. No way I can drive 25kmh all winter!

Any help is MUCH appriciated!!! Thank you!

boodles said:

It does have winter tires, not all seasons on it.

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Which ones, and what are they inflated to?

Vince Waldon said:

Which ones, and what are they inflated to?

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Thanks for the reply. Can’t remember the make, I’ll have to check when I go down to the car tommorrow but they are practically brand new, only about 3,000km on them, and they are matched leftside-left side, right side-right side with the car. And inflated to ~45psi I believe, as per what’s written on the tire.

From one Canadian to another... the type is important, as there are average winter tires and good winter tires... and great winter tires.

Next: if they are a directional design mounting them so that they are pointing in the right direction is *very* important... so worth double checking. If they are a directional design there will be an arrow labeled "Rotation" molded into the tire that should point in the direction the tire spins when the car is moving forward. They will grip poorly if mounted backwards.

Finally: inflation is super-important, particularly for winter grip. In this case, if you've truely inflated them to the value listed on the side of the tire you've mistakenly inflated them to the maximum allowable pressure according to the tire manufacturer. The correct running pressure is determined by the car manufacturer, who knows the weight distribution of the specific vehicle etc, and is listed on the sticker on the inside of the gas filler door. Probably about 10 psi less than what they are currently set at... which should help the tires grip much better.

Properly equipped and set up these cars handle very very well in Canadian snow... so keep at 'er... you'll figure it out.

If you’re tires are not aligned properly it can feel like you’re on a skateboard. I have just replaced some front end parts on my van. Inner tie rods, sway links and bushings. We received about an inch of slushy snow and I couldn’t keep it in a straight line. I’ve never had that issue before with this vehicle, I have an alignment scheduled for Thursday.

If you’re suspension is shot you’ll need to address that issue first and then get an alignment. It won’t do you any good to get an alignment with worn out suspension components.

As a temporary measure you might try turning off the anti-skid feature if your car has that, and I assume it does since you said it’s flashing on the dashboard. Mine has a switch called esp right beside the heated seat and flasher switches.

As stated several times, it's all about tires-to an extent. The first Jetta TDI I bought in Florida and drove it home to northern Minnesota. Brand new tires were installed prior to purchase and they looked great. They were aggressive looking, but a "rain" pattern. Typhoon something and ran great....until the first snow. I was scared in the car. In desperation I tossed on the project cars all season Goodyear Eagles. It simply transformed the Jetta and made it stable and almost superior to my daughters all wheel drive Fusion.

However, the TDI is much better in the slippery stuff than a 1.8T. (I've had three 1.8's-a 5 speed wagon, a 5 speed sedan and an automatic sedan). Tdis (four Jetta manual sedans to date) have much better low rpm manageable power, a bit heavier on the front end and milder shift points that allow the driver to maintain traction easier.

Recommended inflation pressures are labeled on the inside of the fuel door, although I've never used less than 32psi, even in winter conditions.

45psi seems awfully high. I would bring it down to the mid 30's. I turn off my ESP because I prefer to have full control of my acceleration if that makes any sense.

You can't use the tire pressure written on the sides of the tire as a guide as to what YOUR car requires. That PSI on the tire is generally the "safe" max tire pressure for the tire's speed rating. Look at the sticker on the driver's door column for the manufacturer's recommended tire pressures for the car.

As said above, in snow it may make sense to run a slightly lower pressure for added road contact ara.

i had a 85 Honda FWD accord POS in 2013-2015 and it did epic in the snow on $20 barn yard find tires (all seasons) Winter tires are EPIC if installed right. 45psi? WOW thats way to high. try driving around with 25psi, then 20, then 18 and if its REALLY BAD SNOW and your not going to go that fist, under 40 you can go down to 15. 45psi means the tire has NO way to grip the slush its just a knife trying to push away the slush and snow. This is 90% the issue you had here if you have a good alignment. FIY this is what i do on ALL my cars and works very well. It can also help to put 100 lbs of bagged sand or a few logs in your front seat and your trunk. 200 lbs is a great spot but any amount will help with traction.

UPDATE
Ok, thank you many helpful people, I have been checking through things one at a time here and this is what I’ve found out:
The tire brand is TOYO. They have Left/Raifht written on the tire and they ARE on the right on the right sides of the car. They look like they have arrows, but are facing the wrong way? I don’t know how this could be fixed though, since this is how they were bought and are each the same, unless they are on the rims wrong? But that’s the sellers fault then. I added a picture below.
FRONT BACK

Additionally, I checked the pressure and it is high, the sticker recommends about 10psi less so I’m going to bleed some out when I get off work and see if that helps on the way home.

And also, about the alignment, I had it in and they said it looks pretty good but didn’t want to hook it up until the second strut goes in. Fortunately that won’t be long, and then I will have the alignment done.

arrows pointed in the wrong direction to forward rotation of the tire means it will not provide much if any grip in the snow, should be able to remove and reinstall the wheels in the correct orientation on the vehicle yourself

If they are directional tires and are pointed in the wrong direction just swap sides. Left tire to right side and right tire to left side.

Keeping your tire pressure on the low side of the recommended range increases traction, especialy in snow! eg. 29psi in the front and 26 in the rear.....check your fuel door sticker.

Quality snow tires make these cars awsome to drive in the snow....as long as the snow isn't so deep that the car's underbody rides on top of the snow and the tires can't reach down to solid pavement.
Best snows that I have had on these cars is the hakkapalitta R's...
https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-r2/

As stated above, proper alignment makes a big differance.....you don't want the tires already "skidding" when driving in a straight line.
Also a dragging brake or brakes, especially on the rear can cause huge traction issues, obviously.

^^ those are decent tires, but bridge stone have been the best i have ever had yet.

OP, just flip them around to the other sides. take the wire pressure to the 25Psi and see how you like that. this will be a huge difference.

There is a difference in snow for sure. Those Toyo's are heavily siped but tread dense. They do better in ice or light snow. Sluch and deeper snow need a more open tread design like a Nokian.

AL so its important to note that you get snow tires in a less wide tire size. For example if the tire you have is a 105/75/16 you would get say a 95/75/16, Just an example and just about all tires whops and cars have the tire size for what you need. Tirerack.com has this automatic for you too.

The OEM size for the "standard" wheel is a 195/65/15 and in a decent tread pattern do a great job in the snow.

Hi everyone, thanks for all the tips, looks like 90% of my problem is probably the directionality of the tires and their pressure.

Will have to see if I can find anyone tommorrow to swap the tires for me as I have nowhere and no tools to do it myself, plus it’s -20 below to be doing it in a parking lot on all four tires right now.

Just to be clear, does it matter if the “Left” labelled tire ends up on the right side of the car, and vice versa? Or just that the arrows are front/forward facing.

Yep, lefts go on rights. as long as the arrows point the right way, your good. What area you in, maybe one of us can give you a hand? if you were close enough to me i would help you out. A trick to jack up your car. look in the trunk, find the jack that is in the spare tire. now go drive to a car wash and do it under the shelter of that. OR just Bring a 6 pack of beer and 2x $20 ($20 for each guy if its two of them) bills to a local tire shop ,not a chain like NTB or Mr. Tire, some gas station mechanic and ask the guys in the shop, not the guy in the front, if they can swap your tires around. I used to work in a tire shop and i have seen stunts like this happen a few times now and again.

The shop i was at would do stuff like that for free as they value return business. no shop ever makes money on tires and tire service. its all the mark up crap like brakes, filters, and what not so its adventitious for them to do things like this for free or for a few bucks. I know $20 plus $7 for beers is a bit much for this but its cold as hell, snow, and its worth it IMO for being able to drive safe ASAP as your in a jar of frozen pickles!

boodles said:

Hi everyone, thanks for all the tips, looks like 90% of my problem is probably the directionality of the tires and their pressure.
Will have to see if I can find anyone tommorrow to swap the tires for me as I have nowhere and no tools to do it myself, plus it’s -20 below to be doing it in a parking lot on all four tires right now.
Just to be clear, does it matter if the “Left” labelled tire ends up on the right side of the car, and vice versa? Or just that the arrows are front/forward facing.

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Before you swap the tires side to side, a photo/s less zoomed in, that shows more of the car (but still shows the arrows) would be helpful. I'd just reduce the pressure to 30 psi until you get confirmation that they are indeed on backwards.

What model of Toyo tires are these? Some manufacturers are making winter rated tires that are both directional and asymmetrical- sort of an all season and snow tire hybrid. They are probably not as good in the snow as a dedicated, directional only snow tire.

I just put a set of Nokian Nordman studded snows on my golf, and they are AMAZING in deep snow. Even better than the Hakkapeliitta's I've had in the past. They're a bit loud on clear pavement, but the noise is worth the winter performance, imo.

Unfortunately I’m heading out of town tonight. I’m located in Toronto, Ontario, and headed up to Thunder Bay to visit family for the holidays tonight as soon as I get off work. Hopefully as you said I can find a shop that will swap them real quick before I leave but it being Boxing Day a lot is closed unfortunately.



Here’s a bit of a backed of picture, hopefully you can still see the tire markings, that’s the right front.

Look at the tread. If you draw a line around the circumference, is the left side of the tire, the same as the right? If they aren't, then they are asymmetrical and should be put on the correct side of the car in the correct rotational direction.

That looks like the front left/driver side to me. I can't quite make out the arrows in that photo though.

Maybe they are not arrows but just graphics. If the tire says mount on left or right side of vehicle, that is where they belong.

So sorry yes that’s the front left lol

I’m not sure what you mean about the tread... I know right is on the right but those arrows are the wrong way. Could they be on the rims, i dont know, inside out?

I agree with jmodge. Those look like graphics to me too. Any arrows I've seen on tires are unmistakably arrows.

Did your picher get reversed? That looks like the left to me also.

KLXD said:

I agree with jmodge. Those look like graphics to me too. Any arrows I've seen on tires are unmistakably arrows.

Did your picher get reversed? That looks like the left to me also.

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no way. im 100% sure that is a directional arrow. My Michelin exalto's had the same arrows on them. i worked for 3 years at a tire shop in 2009 to 20011 and i have seen plenty of variations on the arrow design.

Maybe but if the sidewall says right or left it doesn't need an arrow.

Mongler98 said:

no way. im 100% sure that is a directional arrow. My Michelin exalto's had the same arrows on them. i worked for 3 years at a tire shop in 2009 to 20011 and i have seen plenty of variations on the arrow design.

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I really hope it is, and I looked up the brand/model and it says they are supposed to be directional. If not i can’t see what else causes the car to slide 4ft info traffic at the tinniest patch of slush. I’ve hopefully found someone to take a look and swap them tonight. Fingers crossed.