This film was made to show off the "new" 740s. Makes me yearn for rear wheel drive. It took 10 minutes to run this video on broadband. The second time through was with out any pauses.

Don't try any of this with a fwd or awd!
Klaus

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And you guys lay your cars up in the winter .... Have a look at this video from VOLVO and see just what you are missing ;-)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SSZLSfBDyhs&search=volvo

Brett
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Brett Sutherland & the 1.5 million mile 122 CANADIAN --- WINDSOR, Nova Scotia the birthplace of HOCKEY
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

well i counted at least 4 written off cars in the first 1/4 - in particualar the blue 740 where the rear creased behind the window.....

bit like the 'italian job' (the original) where i seem to remember they killed 27 mini's...

also interesting to note how much differenc studs make....

Agreed that doing those stunts on paved roads would have written off each car immediately, requiring maybe a dozen stand-ins for each of the four cars.

But remember that these cars in the film were running on relatively softer snow -- packed snow for sure, but still when those tires land, the snow underneath gives (compressing down some for, and also displacing outward to allow the snow under the tires to get out from under the tire. Bottom line, the snow absorbed a lot of the landing impact.

For sure, some cars (like the one you noticed with the crease) might have been written off, but many more probably survived than would have filming a "Dukes of Hazard" movie in some southern state.

Regards,

re: "...also interesting to note how much differenc studs make...."

Don't get me wrong -- I'm an enthusiastic stud user, and I've had them since the early 1970's on all my snow tires -- and back when everyone thought I was crazy putting 4 snow tires on my cars. And I've used Nokian tires (actually starting when it was still Nokia) for almost all this period, the NR-09s in the early '80s, the Hakka's later, and currently the Hakka-2.

But there are conditions when studs (and sipings, too) don't help, and that film depicted one of them. Studs only work when they can "scratch" against a sheet of ice, or sipings against a paved surface -- but no such hard ice was visible. It was all deep, packed snow -- and with this, deep blocks that retain packed snow in them* grip best.

( * it used to be thought that self-cleaning treads -- those they quickly shed the snow to expose empty cleats in the next revolution -- was best, but now it's been learned that the best traction on snow is presented by a tire coated with snow, so you want a tread that holds a layer of snow on the tire.)

I never liked the "airborne" stuff, there is no control while doing that, just showing off. It's all of the 4 wheel drifting and oversteering that got my attention!
People who make commercials never care about the produce, just the visuals.
Besides, I wonder if my R would "handle" well in the snow at 40mph or would it just plow right off the road. The lakes around here were too warm this year to find out.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Right..."splash" in an R would not be the sound you would want to hear.
Amazing video by the way...I tried and tried every way I know to actually download it to my hard drive but no-go. If you know a way, please let me know.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.

Our "lakes" tend to freeze over in December and by January they park tractor trailers on them. The ice is 18" thick, or more. April 15 is our local day for the last ice in the lake. The problem is the ice is usually covered with a layer of snow, so it is easy to get stuck.
The "video" portion is on your hard drive, you may want to delete it because it is 12.8Gig large. It is in your temporary internet files folder.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Excellent! There's nothing like a steering a well-balanced RWD car from both ends, especially on snow.

Front wheel drive is most definitely a compromise. Volvo should have paid attention to what Mercedes-Benz and BMW were doing.

Hi,
You`re right about the RWD(we have an 850 wagon with Hakka`s). I had a 544 back in `75 & recall an unbelievable blizzard around Minneapolis heading west to Alberta. That 544 equipped with Vredestein snows just kept on going, there were cars in the ditch all around us. What a car! I kinda` miss it tho` we do love the "creature comforts" of the 850, guess I`m getting old!
Rich

There are at least four good reasons to choose a front wheel drive car here in Sweden: December, January, February and March ;-)
I wish the snow could go away soon..

Erik,
We just got 30cm of new snow on Monday and the forcast for tonight is for 15cm more. I like winter and snow, but white stuff for 5 months is just too much!

I was trying to teach my daughter how to handle her 850 in the snow and ice, but I couldn't make the back end of the car break loose. ABS and TRACS are great, but I didn't like going over 25 and then trying to teach her skidding tricks. Even on the lakes, we still have to watch out for snow mobiles, ice boats, and fishermen.

Klaus
Minnesota
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Ok, sound as pretty much the same conditions as over here :) Maybe time to plan a trip to Minnesota ;-)
I had the opportunity to drive a V70 on a skidpan last winter, the car was equipped with an external frame with hydraulic controlled support wheels lifting front or rear when the instructor pressed pushbuttons on his control box..
That was an interesting experience, until then I though the V70 was simply not able to skid out of control. But it definitely does once it has passed the limits! ABS and Tracs does not help at all once it is out of control.
The ESP anti-skid system on newer cars makes a difference though but maybe it just moves the threshold upwards to a higher speed. Anyway the instructor spoke to its favour, I felt sad there is no upgrade for a -00 V70... Went home, 200 km driving home in bad snowstorm.. Saw three cars that had skidded off the road, an old lorry, a quite new VW beetle (most likely equipped with ESP) and a very new V70 (definitely equipped with ESP)
So question is, does the new features really improve safety or do they just make people over-confident...?

We, too, have the skid pan devices over here. Unfortunately, they only mimick what could happen if there was no friction on the front or rear wheels.
Besides, in the USA most driver's education is done by the parent, not a professional. We would scream loudly at the cost of a driver's license if we had real education requirements. Instead we rely on bad habits passed down from the prior generation and car manufacturer's implementation of safety devices. Heaven forbid someone loses control and over corrects. And thank goodness that teenagers have quick reaction times.
Still, I learned how to control oversteer and race in a 1963 VW. Snow and ice was never a problem until I got a front wheel drive car with understeer. I am very happy with my awd V70, which allows me to travel in all kinds of conditions. But I can no longer have FUN like in the video clip.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

"But I can no longer have FUN like in the video clip."

Exactly my sentiments.