Does (lack of) traction light ever illuminate?

[WilliamG]

So tonight in my Model 3 I hammered on it at 20mph in the cold and wet to see if I could break traction. Well, something happened and the car took away some power for a split second before resuming warp speed. But nothing illuminated on the dash to indicate I had experienced this loss of traction. Now, I didn’t feel any noticeable amount of wheel spin, - just a retarding of power (it would be like in an ICE experiencing a flat spot in a tune if you pulled timing).

Anyway, do the wheels have to be spinning like crazy (e.g. in the snow) before any light illuminates?

 

[ZOMGVTEK]

You need a lot of wheel slip before the traction light comes on. It’s the classic car sliding picture, and it flashes orange. I’m not sure why it won’t light up in light wheel slip conditions, but that’s how it is for whatever reason. It only shows you when things get real loose.

 

[WilliamG]

You need a lot of wheel slip before the traction light comes on. It’s the classic car sliding picture, and it flashes orange. I’m not sure why it won’t light up in light wheel slip conditions, but that’s how it is for whatever reason. It only shows you when things get real loose.

Thank you for the info!

 

[Nogasmn]

I have seen the traction indicator come quite a few times last time it snowed here. There was quite a bit of snow on the roads and I wasn't taking it easy, however I was in chill mode and I have the Tesla winter tire setup. I could feel the car taking power away while the wheel was slipping.

 

[ilyak]

I see it daily. But then I live in one of the snowiest metros in the US.

 

[Dolemite]

I see it come up often when cornering hard in the wet. It's insanely responsive and difficult to detect with your ass - I've even seen it come up for literally a split second.