Your car is high-centered in slushy snow, and with your teeth clenched, you mash the accelerator to the floor—but it won’t move.
The wheels are howling, mud and slush are flying from the wheel wells, and the tach needle is bouncing in the red. The driver feels like he’s battling the elements. In reality, he’s methodically draining his bank account.
With a good old manual transmission, at least you’ll smell the clutch burning—a clear hint to stop. But an automatic transmission (whether it’s a traditional torque-converter automatic, a CVT, or an automated manual) dies quietly. And expensively.
The first reason to ease off the gas is simple physics. When a wheel spins at high RPM, it heats up. Snow beneath it instantly melts into water, which then forms a perfectly smooth layer of ice.
It creates a “polishing” effect. The more you press the gas, the deeper and slicker the hole you dig under the car. Studded tires in this situation act like a milling cutter, burying the vehicle to the frame in seconds.
That’s the worst-case scenario. In most cars, there’s an open differential. Its job is to allow the wheels to rotate at different speeds when cornering.
When you’re stuck, one wheel is stationary (blocked by mud or snow), while the other spins wildly (because you’re on the gas).
At that moment, the small spider gears inside the differential are rotating under extreme load. They’re not designed for that kind of abuse. The lubricant overheats almost instantly, and a spider gear can literally weld itself to the pin. The result: the cross pin snaps, punches through the transmission or differential housing, and you’re left staring at a puddle of gear oil under the car. That means a major rebuild or full replacement.
Now imagine this: you’re spinning a wheel like crazy in the air or on ice (your speedometer might show 35–50 mph), and suddenly the tire bites into dry pavement or solid ground.
The rotation stops instantly. The inertia of the engine and drivetrain slams into the CV axles and transmission shafts. It’s like jamming a steel bar into the spokes of a bike wheel at full speed. Most often, it strips the splines on the axle shafts or snaps the belt inside a CVT. CVTs, by the way, hate wheelspin more than anything—scoring on the pulleys happens almost immediately.
In a traditional automatic, the torque converter acts as the clutch, transferring torque through transmission fluid (ATF). When the car isn’t moving and you’re revving the engine, all that energy turns into heat.
The ATF overheats. Clutch packs begin to burn and shed material. That “sand” clogs the valve body—the brain of the transmission—and a month after you “successfully” drove out, the transmission starts jerking and slipping.
If you do get stuck, take a breath. Turn off the music, crack the window (so you can hear the car), and follow a methodical approach.
With a manual transmission, it’s simple: gas–clutch–rollback. With an automatic, doing it wrong can destroy the transmission.
Here’s the right way to rock the car:
The golden rule: shift between Drive and Reverse only when the wheels are completely stopped (foot firmly on the brake). Shifting while the wheels are spinning can destroy the transmission.
If you’re simply stuck in loose snow, turn off ESP (Electronic Stability Program). It cuts engine power at the slightest wheelspin and won’t let you build the momentum needed to break through a rut.
If one wheel is hanging in the air (diagonal wheel lift), turn ESP back on. In many vehicles, it can simulate a limited-slip differential by lightly applying the brake to the spinning wheel and redirecting torque to the wheel with traction.
Textile floor mats will just get spit out or sucked into the wheel well. Rubber mats, on the other hand, can work.
Place them under the drive wheels—but push them deep under the tire.
If you don’t want to sacrifice your mats, keep a bag of cat litter (wood or clay-based) in the trunk. It’s one of the best substitutes for sand: it absorbs moisture and provides excellent traction.
Off-roaders know this, but sedan drivers often forget: lower the tire pressure in the drive wheels to about 14–17 psi. The contact patch nearly doubles, and the car will move through snow like a tank. Just don’t mash the throttle—otherwise you could unseat the tire bead. And reinflate them as soon as you’re back on dry pavement (which is why every car should have a portable air compressor).
Shift the transmission into manual mode (M or S) and lock it in first gear. That prevents the automatic from upshifting to second during wheelspin, which often causes a sudden loss of traction and a harsh jolt.
If your vehicle has a “Winter” mode, use it. The car will start in second gear, applying torque more gently to the wheels and reducing the risk of digging yourself in deeper.