Originally Posted by saldous
The "W" (Winter) setting on the tranny just makes it pull away in a higher gear, nothing to do with breaking. The fact you were able to steer means you were not braking, braking and steering at the same time when sliding doesn't work, you continue in a straight line. If you managed to steer you were not braking.
Unfortunately this is not true about the breaking. You absolutely can steer and break at the same time with rear wheel drive cars. ABS makes it even more apt to steer correctly, while the traction control will continue to establish grip. downshifting will not help slow down in snow or ice though, it can create a more volatile situation that can cause loss of control. The safest way to drive is to rely on the ABS to slow you down and the ESP to keep grip. All you need to do in snow is drive slow, think ahead when breaking and accelerate as slow as possible.