anyone tried to add weight (i.e. sand bag) in the trunk to improve traction for rwd model3 in snow?

[CCIE]

Sounds like a ground clearance issue. Car is too low to plow through a foot of snow, no matter having winter tires.

 

[holmgang]

I haven't resorted to weights yet. I live near sea level and it's mostly fine. But I've gotten stuck sometimes in the higher and icier and lumpier parts of the region.

I carry a liter dispenser jar (meant for spreading gardening seeds) with some rock salt and gravel in it. More for getting stuck whilst parked, of course. Not so practical or if you actually get stuck on the road....which is not an actual problem so far.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

This guy has a video of a RWD on a sheet of ice.

Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive Tested On Sheet Of Ice: Video

I'd say that's conclusive. There's no fundamental problem with traction in a RWD 3 if you have good tyres.

I've found the same on skid pans with various Model 3s and different tyres. It's a completely different matter with the early RWD Model S though.

 

[holmgang]

Better tyres are the answer. Not more weight.

I really don't understand why people are having so much trouble, but we don't have any snow in the UK so I can't easily test it here!

I'd say that's conclusive. There's no fundamental problem with traction in a RWD 3 if you have good tyres.

That doesn't seem conclusive at all. OP drive in Toronto. I drive in Scandinavia. We both have Hakkas. You are invited to test the car on our soils .

Getting a move on in pan flat ice is okay - you only need a tiny bit of momentum to continue.

Imagine going against even a slight slope.
Or, imagine the ground is lumpy -- slush piles + repeated icing cycles -- and your wheels are pitched against those local gradients.
For my case (AWD), having more bias would help

 

[raptor5244]

That doesn't seem conclusive at all. OP drive in Toronto. I drive in Scandinavia. We both have Hakkas. You are invited to test the car on our soils .

Getting a move on in pan flat ice is okay - you only need a tiny bit of momentum to continue.

Imagine going against even a slight slope.
Or, imagine the ground is lumpy -- slush piles + repeated icing cycles -- and your wheels are pitched against those local gradients.
For my case (AWD), having more bias would help

Time to put an order in for the CyberTruck.

 

[outdoors]

Reminds me from 3 decades ago when I couldn’t afford a decent car.

Reminds me of this past weekend when I helped a lady in a Yukon Denali with kitty litter and cardboard. Just off the road a bit and the car was useless. Mall crawler tires and rims were no match, but my little snow kit made the day.

To the OP. 1 foot of heavy snow around/on a stationary Model 3 is no dice for whatever tires you have. Got to dig around it before trying to move it. Otherwise you are just moving it onto a pile of snow. Which just makes it worse. Assuming the car was there before the snowstorm.

 

[AquaMan]

I know this is no help and it's not said in a judgemental way, but I personally wouldn't buy a RWD model if I'd be traveling through snow. My car is RWD and I love it, but it will never be used in snow.

I'm just posting for the sake of other readers who may be considering their next car purchase.

 

[dsgerbc]

NOKIAN
HAKKAPELIITTA R3 winter tire is what I installed last week

How many miles since last week? Most tires need 100-200 miles to scrub off mold release compounds and grip poorly until they do.