Lowered in snow?

[StarscreaM3]

Thinking about putting Eibach lowering springs on my Tesla M3LR to reduce some of the wheel gap, however, I live in Canada (Ontario) and we often get quite a bit a snow in the winter.

Has anyone experienced driving a lowered Tesla in snow? Is it manageable? Will the car lose range more quickly (battery closer to the floor, colder)?

The car has the upgraded 19” sport wheels, and will also have winter tires on of course.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tm1v2]

Having high-sided cars in the snow with more ground clearance than a stock Model 3, I suggest staying stock height if serious snow driving is a concern.

I have not, however, driven my M3P in the snow yet as I no longer live where it snows. I would love to throw some proper snow & ice tires on it and go chasing snowstorms again someday!

 

[RayK]

No experience driving a lowered 3 in snow country but I'd recommend getting some aluminum skid plates.

 

[StarscreaM3]

No experience driving a lowered 3 in snow country but I'd recommend getting some aluminum skid plates.

will look into this, thanks!

 

[StarscreaM3]

Having high-sided cars in the snow with more ground clearance than a stock Model 3, I suggest staying stock height if serious snow driving is a concern.

I have not, however, driven my M3P in the snow yet as I no longer live where it snows. I would love to throw some proper snow & ice tires on it and go chasing snowstorms again someday!

not too worried as it’ll be mostly city / highway roads where its usually plowed, but there will be snow! I guess I was more concerned about the battery, but I like the idea of the skid plate from the other comment.

hope you get to enjoy some snow driving in your M3P some day!

cheers!

 

[Soul Surfer]

Thinking about putting Eibach lowering springs on my Tesla M3LR to reduce some of the wheel gap, however, I live in Canada (Ontario) and we often get quite a bit a snow in the winter.

Has anyone experienced driving a lowered Tesla in snow? Is it manageable? Will the car lose range more quickly (battery closer to the floor, colder)?

The car has the upgraded 19” sport wheels, and will also have winter tires on of course.

Thanks in advance!

While this might seem like a "good idea at the time", you will probably soon regret it as you try and overcompensate with winter rims and higher profile tyres. The clearance is also set in order to protect the battery pack from road impact too and lowering, can and will increase that risk.

As a former Corvette owner, my car was lowered to the max. When I sold it to my best mate in Montreal, I had the car raised to the max because of the notorious poor rods there. Despite this, he still managed to hit an obstacle and punch a hole in the ceramic coated headers.

If it is more of a vanity thing, then do it.

 

[StarscreaM3]

While this might seem like a "good idea at the time", you will probably soon regret it as you try and overcompensate with winter rims and higher profile tyres. The clearance is also set in order to protect the battery pack from road impact too and lowering, can and will increase that risk.

As a former Corvette owner, my car was lowered to the max. When I sold it to my best mate in Montreal, I had the car raised to the max because of the notorious poor rods there. Despite this, he still managed to hit an obstacle and punch a hole in the ceramic coated headers.

If it is more of a vanity thing, then do it.

I don't plan on lowering to the max, just a bit to reduce the wheel gap a bit - but lowering is lowering!

Also considering coilovers so I can raise the height in the winter, and drop it again when the weathers nice.

cheers!

 

[Soul Surfer]

I don't plan on lowering to the max, just a bit to reduce the wheel gap a bit - but lowering is lowering!

Also considering coilovers so I can raise the height in the winter, and drop it again when the weathers nice.

cheers!

I think coilovers would give you a broader range of flexibility. Just my 2¢.

 

[tm1v2]

Coilovers could give you a major handling upgrade, which you surely won't get from putting lowering springs on the crappy stock dampers.

Adjusting the height twice a year seems like a big unnecessary hassle though.

Is wheel gap really that big a deal? I'd just set the height to something practical and then leave it alone. That's just me!

 

[StarscreaM3]

Coilovers could give you a major handling upgrade, which you surely won't get from putting lowering springs on the crappy stock dampers.

Adjusting the height twice a year seems like a big unnecessary hassle though.

Is wheel gap really that big a deal? I'd just set the height to something practical and then leave it alone. That's just me!

Thanks for the input! I can see adjusting the height twice a year being an unnecessary hassle.

Wheel gap isn’t that big of a deal, but I do really love the look of the reduced wheel gap.

I think finding that sweet spot, setting it and forgetting it would be great!

Thanks!

 

[ACPark]

I have a 2018 M3P which is lower from the factory. I assume not as low as you're looking to go. I'm in Alberta and I have plowed slow with the front end following heavy snow falls. Not ideal but it can be done. This would be lower speeds, on community streets.

I've also pretty much skied the car down a rural lane (100 m) at a cabin. There's no damage to the vehicle but I knew I only made that one because there was a gentle down slope. Dug out a three point turn to turn around next to the cabin. Called a nice neighbor to plow the lane with a large tractor. Spent the weekend snowshoeing.

There is one venue who's put in ridiculous speed bumps which I can only traverse at a 45° angle using both sides of the street. That's a one of situation.

 

[pnwadventures]

If you’re actually planning on driving in snow, I wouldn’t do it. I went with coilovers on my last car (A4 Avant), and the lower height left me perpetually anxious any time I went off the beaten path.

I’m actually considering raising my LR AWD (with the MPP spacers) just to reduce the nail biting when I drive on rough roads to trailheads.

For fun, here is what you can expect when driving in snow once you’re wearing proper snow tires:

 

[texas_star_TM3]

having bottomed out on multiple occasions (parking garage ramps, steep driveways) in a stock model 3 AWD ... "lowering" is probably the last mod I'd do. The Rocker panel plastic covers have already barely enough ground clearance the way it is and as others have said ... less clearance - less battery protection.

 

[StarscreaM3]

If you’re actually planning on driving in snow, I wouldn’t do it. I went with coilovers on my last car (A4 Avant), and the lower height left me perpetually anxious any time I went off the beaten path.

I’m actually considering raising my LR AWD (with the MPP spacers) just to reduce the nail biting when I drive on rough roads to trailheads.

For fun, here is what you can expect when driving in snow once you’re wearing proper snow tires:

thanks for sharing this!

 

[StarscreaM3]

having bottomed out on multiple occasions (parking garage ramps, steep driveways) in a stock model 3 AWD ... "lowering" is probably the last mod I'd do. The Rocker panel plastic covers have already barely enough ground clearance the way it is and as others have said ... less clearance - less battery protection.

damn, bottoming out at stock height??

 

[android04]

Thinking about putting Eibach lowering springs on my Tesla M3LR to reduce some of the wheel gap, however, I live in Canada (Ontario) and we often get quite a bit a snow in the winter.

Has anyone experienced driving a lowered Tesla in snow? Is it manageable? Will the car lose range more quickly (battery closer to the floor, colder)?

The car has the upgraded 19” sport wheels, and will also have winter tires on of course.

Thanks in advance!

Being slightly lower to the ground will have zero effect on making the battery colder. If anything it will have a very tiny (almost zero) effect in making your car more aerodynamic and using less energy. The concern is in reducing ground clearance and making it more likely to get high-centered or hitting debris that could damage components on the bottom of the car.

 

[rotarypower101]

Possible anyone has seen a good thread detailing the limits of what a Model3 or ModelY is capable of coping with in terms of deeper snow/powder/slush with good snow specific tires, even chains when necessary?

 

[tm1v2]

Possible anyone has seen a good thread detailing the limits of what a Model3 or ModelY is capable of coping with in terms of deeper snow/powder/slush with good snow specific tires, even chains when necessary?

@Rotarypower From what I've read, the biggest limitation might be how strict the nannies are, outside of the M3P's track mode. Sometimes wheelspin is very useful to keep moving and control your direction in deep snow, especially when it's deep enough that stopping is a serious risk of getting stuck high-sided.

The lack of front or rear limited slip diff is not ideal either but I don't have a good sense of how limiting that will be in practice in the snow. My last AWD car had 3 limited slip diffs, including a fully lockable center diff, and it was a beast in the snow and ice with good studless snow tires. It was notably better than a previous fulltime AWD car without such a good set of diffs.

I've zero Model 3 snow driving experience yet as mentioned. So this is just my best guess of the car's limitations based on my past snow driving experiences + my experiences with the Model 3's nannies in the dry and wet + the snow driving experiences I've read here.

I plan to use Track Mode for any intense snow driving in my M3P, if I ever do such driving again.

 

[pnwadventures]

Possible anyone has seen a good thread detailing the limits of what a Model3 or ModelY is capable of coping with in terms of deeper snow/powder/slush with good snow specific tires, even chains when necessary?

Well, this is just an anecdote, but… I’m an avid wintersports enthusiast and put thousands of miles a year driving winter roads in the Washington Cascades every year (always with snow tires, never with chains). Prior to Tesla, I had a Torsen Audi Quattro for nearly 15 years. The AWD Model 3 is almost as sure-footed in the snow as the Audi. With snow tires, you can own the road in all snow conditions. Slip Start is effective at breaking out of really deep snow on ruts & slush. I’ve only needed it once.

Off-topic, I’ve used Dunlop Wintersport, Bridgestone Blizzak, and (currently) Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3. All good.

 

[dmd2005]

Thanks for the input! I can see adjusting the height twice a year being an unnecessary hassle.

Wheel gap isn’t that big of a deal, but I do really love the look of the reduced wheel gap.

I think finding that sweet spot, setting it and forgetting it would be great!

Thanks!

Get taller side walls to reduce wheel gap a bit. 255/45/18 or 255/40/19 will reduce the gap a bit with meatier tires. I’m lowered on my P3D and scrape my aftermarket sideskirts on uneven surfaces in the summer…less than 4” from ground to skirts and probably closer to 3.5” of ground clearance, but looks great.

I take my lifted Toyota Tundra with studded tires in the winter with any questionable winter weather.