Traction control sensitivity

[fourringsrus]

Hi all please excuse the vagueness but here goes,
My father in law has 58 REG TIG 170 TDI MANAUL 4x4
Does anyone know if the sensitivity of the abs and traction control devices are adjustable?
His queery is that when trying to stop on downhills at very low speeds in the recent snow and ice the car just does not stop as well as he would expect.
He has been driving 4x4's for years and is fully aware that limited traction will afford him less efficient stopping ability,but when slowly following some type of BMW recently they both drove down hill to a T junction where the BMW managed to stop relatively easily but the TIG just carried on and nearly hit the BMW
He said that he can feel the abs doing it's thing and the other device(ESP or similar) but the car just ploughs on.
He took the car in to JCB VW in Asford Kent where he had purchased the car from new and explaind his concerns to them and was told that the car was not designed to stop very well on snow/ice or deep sand.
We wondered if the systems are too sensitive and if Vagcom could re-set or adjust the feel for a better performance when driven in these kinds of conditions or that is just the way it is.
If any of you have any clues about this issue or even had similar experiences in the slippery stuff ,we would love to hear about them.
Many thanks in anticipation
Stuart
PS; I believe it has 18" wheels and 6 speed manual box if that's worth noting

[johnloaderuk]

Sounds more of a tyre issue than anything else. There are many threads on the Passat and Golf forum lately saying how bad these cars are in the snow and ice. Normal tyres are obviously not for these conditions, and as the ABS seems to be doing its job, could be a lack of grip meaning the brakes lock up too easily as the tyres aren't biting into the snow enough to slow the vehicle.