how come RWD SR+ drift and fish tail a bit while driving in straight line on HWY speed on snow day?

[rpiotro]

My understanding is that testing has shown that regen is reduced after slippery surface is detected. So, after the first instance of slip, the regen automagically becomes low. Bjorn the YouTuber has a video showing SMT and how the regen reduces.

True!! I can report from first hand experience that is true. My only experience so far on a lightly snow covered but slippery road at 45 MPH is that the car will squirm a bit but I never felt like I was going to lose control. Impressive stability control! Of course, nothing like a full set of Hakkas like my last car had. I'm retired now so if it gets bad enough I just stay home.

I'm speaking from 56 years of experience driving in Wisconsin.

 

[coolmanfever]

With the new cars Regen can’t be changed to low.

Chances are you started to slip while using Regen.

Yesterday was my first drive in snow with this car. When using aggressive Regen the arse of the car fishtailed back and forth maybe a half foot~ 1 foot to each side then traction control took over. No biggie just need to be aware of it.

I tried hitting the brakes hard and went in a straight line, tried pounding the accelerator and the car acted like it was in chill mode till it had proper traction.

All in all a positive first experience with this car. My last RWD was in the early 80’s unless you count pick up truck and they are horrible in snow.

"
I tried hitting the brakes hard and went in a straight line, tried pounding the accelerator and the car acted like it was in chill mode till it had proper traction. "

how does hitting the brake hard will help the car moving in a straight ? Does it activate traction control faster?

 

[RLEE]

Get snow tires to drive in snow. The stock all seasons are mediocre for snow. If you want to replace them with other all-seasons, consider Michelin CrossClimate2(assuming they are made in the right size for the 3.

Stock mxm4 are horrible in the snow. I have run the oem mxm4, vikingcontact 7 (similar to your r3s) and crossclimate2 on rwd model 3. I also run r3 on my subaru.
The model 3 rwd traction control is great and super quick to respond. I think you and several other responses here are right, you were probably pushing slush around causing some side motion. There isn't much to be done about that, just drive slower. This is true in any car.
I've driven the viking contact 7 on my rwd model 3 through some heavy stuff and it's been really great. I've had no issues. The heavy car also help to push slush away. Only minor complaint is the low ground clearance, fairly easy to get hung up.
I would not drive on the mxm4 in snow or ice again. They are bad.
I've switched to cc2 for year round use. I really like not swapping wheels twice yearly. They aren't dedicated snow tires but gives better performance in most conditions (dedicated snow tires on the freak 70f days in winter is costly and almost dangerous) and more than adequate in snow. With that said... if I didn't have the subaru with r3 snow tires, I'd still run dedicated snow tires on my model 3.
I'm in the Philly area for reference when I say snow/ ice.

 

[KenC]

In a modern car with really great stability and traction control that cannot be disabled, how exactly do you do this?
People think their car looks like this when they are driving it and it gets a touch slippery, but if you saw it from the outside you'd hardly even notice. When you actually drive like this, you're looking out the side windows.

Ha, in my extended family, the niece and nephew get the old handmedown cars.

 

[Heckraiser]

I would not drive on the mxm4 in snow or ice again. They are bad.
I've switched to cc2 for year round use. I really like not swapping wheels twice yearly.

Agreed. I got embarrassingly stuck (like on a perfectly flat city street) with the mxm4 tires, even with plenty of tread. Had to take running starts at my driveway, lol. I've done the winter/summer tire hustle and also don't particularly care for it, which is how I ended up with the Nokian Encompass AW01. Similar to the Cross Climates, designed to actually be used in the snow, but a bit cheaper than the Michelins.

 

[CaptainKrunch]

well then you are driving too fast for the conditions

 

[jrweiss98020]

Hello all,

Model 3 SR+ is my first RWD car. I have snow tire for my SR+. But yesterday while driving on HWY straight line on a snowy and icy road, it just drift and fish tail a bit almost out of my driving lane. I was driving around 56 mph. Good thing that there is no other cars around but it was a surprise experience. Anyone had similar experience? Is it because torque of RWD is all coming from the rear wheel so it may slip when road is icy? Wondering what is best way to avoid this experience in the future. Thank you.

Well, just learn how to drive on "a snowy and icy road"! Usually, that does NOT include driving at 56 mph! If you insist on driving that fast - ESPECIALLY in a RWD car - expect some fishtailing, and maybe a complete wipeout!

 

[Randy-12]

"
I tried hitting the brakes hard and went in a straight line, tried pounding the accelerator and the car acted like it was in chill mode till it had proper traction. "

how does hitting the brake hard will help the car moving in a straight ? Does it activate traction control faster?

Hitting the brakes could have put the car into a skid or spin. I was trying to see how the car reacted. I always do this on the first snowfall with all my cars. Been doing this since I started driving in the 70’s.
Need to know learn how a car will react.

 

[ThomasD]

Slow down a bit. You could try putting a few traction bags in the trunk

Quikrete 60 lb. Tube Sand 115960 - The Home Depot

Quikrete 60 lb. Tube Sand is designed to provide weight for tire traction during snowy conditions. It can be placed on wheel wells or in the trunk or the bed of a truck to provide additional weight for

www.homedepot.com

 

[gearchruncher]

You could try putting a few traction bags in the trunk

Ahh yes, always a good idea to increase the polar moment of inertia on a car in slippery conditions.

Hitting the brakes could have put the car into a skid or spin. I was trying to see how the car reacted. I always do this on the first snowfall with all my cars. Been doing this since I started driving in the 70’s.

When was the last time you had a car that hitting the brakes in the snow put it into a spin? At least in the USA, ABS and stability control have been required for 15 years now.

 

[Randy-12]

Ahh yes, always a good idea to increase the polar moment of inertia on a car in slippery conditions.


When was the last time you had a car that hitting the brakes in the snow put it into a spin? At least in the USA, ABS and stability control have been required for 15 years now.

About 10 years ago did loops up an exit from the highway when hitting black ice when there was an an accident happening 200 feet away. I stopped feet before , I was tbe lucky one

I used to drive 50,000 km’s per year. When you’re on r the road that much all kinds of thing happen and you see all kinds of thing. Snow and ice is 6 month adventure here.

 

[rwiegand]

Slow down in snow/ice conditions! If the car feels squirrelly you're going too fast for the conditions. You can go faster and have it feel OK in an all wheel drive vehicle than in an RWD, but remember that when you hit the brakes there's no difference. Test your stopping distance as road conditions change and remember that ice can be lurking where you don't necessarily expect it.

 

[blackT3$!@]

But yesterday while driving on HWY straight line on a snowy and icy road,

Tesla's are great vehicles, but unfortunately Elon still hasn't deployed the "snow plow" and "road ice removal" features yet. Maybe in the cybertruck. The best traction control system is still going to slip in the snow and icy.

 

[emptyspaces]

You can have 100 wheel drive and if you're on a low or zero friction surface, you're at the mercy of physics. If you live somewhere with frequent icy roads, you may want to consider studded tires, but of course if you hydroplane over slush, you're going to have no stud contact with a solid surface, so you'll have the same result. It's not the cars fault, it's physics!

 

[indyjaco]

Welcome to forced regen, I wish you could turn it off in the snow.

 

[jrweiss98020]

Just keep your foot on the accelerator!

 

[GtiMart]

As someone said, in those conditions there is very little grip to work with. Going slower always helps. It's easy to go above available grip because of the high torque of our motors, and high regen. The car will definitely adjust regen and traction/stability controls will do their work. Still, traction control must go over the limit to find the limit so you will feel slight slipping as the car adjusts. It's nothing to worry about but it takes some getting used to.
On an AWD the car will start using the front motor more for both acceleration and regen when slipping happens.

I've been deported to another lane on multiple occasions over the 30+ years I've driven in Quebec winters, on all sorts of cars. Sometimes heavy snow / slush will prevent the tires from going straight. The only solution is to go slower to get back under the traction limits.

 

[nate704]

OP: why is my car slipping/fish tailing on slippery road?
me:..........

 

[RLEE]

Slow down a bit. You could try putting a few traction bags in the trunk

Quikrete 60 lb. Tube Sand 115960 - The Home Depot

Quikrete 60 lb. Tube Sand is designed to provide weight for tire traction during snowy conditions. It can be placed on wheel wells or in the trunk or the bed of a truck to provide additional weight for

www.homedepot.com

I'm not sure this would help much. The RWD Model 3 is really well balanced front to rear. Adding weight to the back is for RWD cars that have a heavy motor up front and little in the rear. We don't really have that issue on the Model 3 RWD.

 

[toolman335]

56 mph in snow and ice in a RWD vehicle. You answered your own question bud!