Hello Everyone,
So happy to see many of you posting your experience with your TM3 with this winter.
I only had my Model 3 LR since mid December as I traded in my beloved 2011 Highlander Hybrid.
This is my very first rear wheel drive vehicle and I’m so happy that I made the right decision to put on winter tires immediately rather than wait it out till next year.
I got the Hankook W320 ICept Evo2 as I felt that in Toronto, it made more sense to go with performance winter tires rather than wintery winter tires.
I drove this Saturday evening and got a chance to feel the character of rear wheel drive + winter tires = fish tailing even on chill mode.
Because the roads on Saturday late afternoon to evening were still unplowed, going up gentle gradients from stop or low speeds, or even turning left on a flat road seemed like a potential challenge with rear wheel drive, as I never got this kind of anxiety with front wheel drive w/winter tires.
I never once got stuck regardless (maybe with the stock Michelin Primacy’s would have been hell) and was rather impressed with the winter tire + rear wheel drive handling.
Just as I was about to reach home, something happened that never happened to me in all my driving life (driving over 25 years, primarily on the West Coast).
My windshield wipers just stopped working! Wouldn’t budge!
Thankfully, I was only 3 minutes from reaching home without the ability to use my windshield wipers.
Got home, and found out that my windshield wipers froze in it’s resting place!
Hopefully the motors have electrical auto cut off when you try to operate the wipers while the wipers have 100% resistance, therefore not risking burning out the wiper motors….
This is when I did googled and found out that Model S has winter package that includes heated front windshield where the wipers rest…..sigh, if only Tesla made a winter package for Model 3’s.
Also, I couldn’t open my trunk when I pulled into my garage! The melted snow from the rear defroster caused the slush to slide down towards the trunk and freeze!
So I needed my hair dryer to unlock my groceries when I got home!
I’m sure this past Saturday is prob one of the more challenging winter conditions that I’ll face with the Model 3, unless anyone here can tell me that freezing rain/snow is common in Toronto winters? =p
Also, does anyone notice that when your heater is on, all of a sudden you feel a cold draft, like the heater conked out, only to return minutes later?
And anyone else here have their air vents make a whistling noise like your good ol fashion hot water kettle (but on permanent low pitch)? This is when operating the vent that blows towards your face specifically that the whistling sound comes and goes.
Hope to hear if anyone else got their trunk and/or windshield wipers frozen (while driving!).
So happy to see many of you posting your experience with your TM3 with this winter.
I only had my Model 3 LR since mid December as I traded in my beloved 2011 Highlander Hybrid.
This is my very first rear wheel drive vehicle and I’m so happy that I made the right decision to put on winter tires immediately rather than wait it out till next year.
I got the Hankook W320 ICept Evo2 as I felt that in Toronto, it made more sense to go with performance winter tires rather than wintery winter tires.
I drove this Saturday evening and got a chance to feel the character of rear wheel drive + winter tires = fish tailing even on chill mode.
Because the roads on Saturday late afternoon to evening were still unplowed, going up gentle gradients from stop or low speeds, or even turning left on a flat road seemed like a potential challenge with rear wheel drive, as I never got this kind of anxiety with front wheel drive w/winter tires.
I never once got stuck regardless (maybe with the stock Michelin Primacy’s would have been hell) and was rather impressed with the winter tire + rear wheel drive handling.
Just as I was about to reach home, something happened that never happened to me in all my driving life (driving over 25 years, primarily on the West Coast).
My windshield wipers just stopped working! Wouldn’t budge!
Thankfully, I was only 3 minutes from reaching home without the ability to use my windshield wipers.
Got home, and found out that my windshield wipers froze in it’s resting place!
Hopefully the motors have electrical auto cut off when you try to operate the wipers while the wipers have 100% resistance, therefore not risking burning out the wiper motors….
This is when I did googled and found out that Model S has winter package that includes heated front windshield where the wipers rest…..sigh, if only Tesla made a winter package for Model 3’s.
Also, I couldn’t open my trunk when I pulled into my garage! The melted snow from the rear defroster caused the slush to slide down towards the trunk and freeze!
So I needed my hair dryer to unlock my groceries when I got home!
I’m sure this past Saturday is prob one of the more challenging winter conditions that I’ll face with the Model 3, unless anyone here can tell me that freezing rain/snow is common in Toronto winters? =p
Also, does anyone notice that when your heater is on, all of a sudden you feel a cold draft, like the heater conked out, only to return minutes later?
And anyone else here have their air vents make a whistling noise like your good ol fashion hot water kettle (but on permanent low pitch)? This is when operating the vent that blows towards your face specifically that the whistling sound comes and goes.
Hope to hear if anyone else got their trunk and/or windshield wipers frozen (while driving!).