Hill decent control for going up hill?

[harrisonf15]

The official manual (ios app) says to engage hill decent control when going UP steep hills. Im going to be climbing a steep mountain pass with lots of ice and snow shortly. I assume this must be an error but considering the risk can anyone confirm? See attached screenshot.

[Road Carnage]

My manual shows it for decent speed control, I think it’s a typo.

[1norseman]

edit: Road Carnage reply beat me to it..

I could be wrong, but believe the hill descent control is only for when you drive really slow, and it's really slippery. Like going down an icy steep driveway etc.
At least that's the only time I have engaged it in a BMW (my old 330)
Never had to use it with my X5.

[CatalinP]

What part of the word "Descent" is not clear?

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by CatalinP

What part of the word "Descent" is not clear?

Where OP points out that the official manual (iOS App) says to use it "driving up steep hills"...

[1norseman]

OP, I would not worry about it, since the instructions refers to non hard roads, off road driving. Your question seems to be about use on regular roads, unless I understood your question incorrectly.

Essentially it is a crawl mode, where the computer has some control over the speed, and you just steer and control the brakes, unless the computer decides it needs to brake to keep speed down.
I did state above it was for slippery situations, but I believe I'm wrong. Doesn't say anything about traction. But keeping the speed low, makes it less likely you will lose traction and control.

If it works for uphill, that is still a question though. But I could see the computer limiting the speed if engaged, even if you press the gas pedal. This way there is less chance to spin the tires and get stuck, possibly.
If you find a steep hill, give it a try and let us know!

[CatalinP]

Originally Posted by 1norseman

Where OP points out that the official manual (iOS App) says to use it "driving up steep hills"...

It is obviously a mistake.

The HDC System is using the engine brake to control the speed and counter gravity pulling the car downhill.

Uphill driving needs engine power, not braking, and to prevent tranction loss you have DTC and DSC, not HDC.

[geedup35]

Use the HDC in reverse to go back uphill.

BTW, really messed typo. Would hate for someone to try that

[Qsilver7]

If it works...I can see how it might be something useful when going up a NON hard surface road (dirt/gravel/stone/rock/clay/grass/etc) or OFF ROAD situation. Sometimes in off road situations you may need to think outside the box. If you are trying to traverse a very steep offroad incline (aka "crawl")...you may want a consistent speed that won't cause wheel slippage...especially if the surface is loose.

I'm focusing on the HEADER that indicates the situation is not for a paved road or highway...plus a 32° radiant is pretty steep.

{video of the steepness of a 30° slope}

[TheUltimateDrivingManiac]

Hm. Never used that button. And most probably never will.