Winter driving advice, winter tire choices, etc.

[SMAlset]

Thanks for the reply and link to the article. For me the issue isn’t with the glass freezing to the rubber seal. It’s frozen shut and won’t even roll down.

Yes, my window wouldn’t roll down either when somehow I managed to get the door opened first (and temporarily couldn’t roll up). Don’t recommend trying to open the door with the window frozen in place. Suppose you could break or chip the window or do damage to the car frame. Recall door handle probably frozen in place too but I did get it open. It had been cold and rainy as I recall around this time when temps dropped. However I can say for me the window was initially frozen up to the rubber seal and so couldn’t go down (see photo). One thing I learned from driving back East in really cold weather is not to keep trying to use your frozen-in-place wipers or you’ll burn out the motor. Same I assume for window motors. Let them defrost.

I stupidly managed to get the door open with the glass up in place and then realized I couldn't close it with the glass down. Hadn’t done any pre-conditioning at all and so sat in car with heat/defrost going and door closed as close as possible to the side of the car to keep as much warm air inside. Aiming the very powerful vents toward the side windows like in an ICE car during cold weather would still be recommended.

As mentioned my driver door handle was hard to open as well. Another reason to precondition the car with some venting towards the door side of the driver. I’m sure advice from more cold-weather areas of the country will be helpful. Lots of Tesla owners in very cold northern climates in U.S., Canada and Europe who deal with this situation often. Did want to chime in to make SF Bay area new owners aware they are not immune to windows and door handles freezing in place for them too. Need to do a little pre-planning before parking the car the night before (adjusting the vents position and fan speed) and then pre-conditioning with enough time the next morning when parking your car outside (mine’s in driveway each night) and using the rubber sealant on the door seals.

From Feb 5 & 6th this year:

 

[SMAlset]

Also mention with cold weather anticipated don’t let your charge get too low. First winter with the car and not thinking about winter temps and such I guess. Not sure what my SOC was when parked that previous night when I checked my app at 7:15am it was at 56 miles and the snowflake alert was present on the app. I did manage to go get coffee once my car was defrosted and returned home to plug in. My car at 8:05am (36F) plugged in (remember car in driveway) had a SOC of 34miles at that point (probably due to heater/defrost running and short drive for coffee) and it was going to take a long time charge to 90%. 13 min later it reached 40 miles range (29 mi/hr charging rate) so slow going that morning between the frozen window and SOC.

 

[KenC]

Yes, my window wouldn’t roll down either when somehow I managed to get the door opened first (and temporarily couldn’t roll up). Don’t recommend trying to open the door with the window frozen in place. Suppose you could break or chip the window or do damage to the car frame. Recall door handle probably frozen in place too but I did get it open. It had been cold and rainy as I recall around this time when temps dropped. However I can say for me the window was initially frozen up to the rubber seal and so couldn’t go down (see photo). One thing I learned from driving back East in really cold weather is not to keep trying to use your frozen-in-place wipers or you’ll burn out the motor. Same I assume for window motors. Let them defrost.

I stupidly managed to get the door open with the glass up in place and then realized I couldn't close it with the glass down. Hadn’t done any pre-conditioning at all and so sat in car with heat/defrost going and door closed as close as possible to the side of the car to keep as much warm air inside. Aiming the very powerful vents toward the side windows like in an ICE car during cold weather would still be recommended.

As mentioned my driver door handle was hard to open as well. Another reason to precondition the car with some venting towards the door side of the driver. I’m sure advice from more cold-weather areas of the country will be helpful. Lots of Tesla owners in very cold northern climates in U.S., Canada and Europe who deal with this situation often. Did want to chime in to make SF Bay area new owners aware they are not immune to windows and door handles freezing in place for them too. Need to do a little pre-planning before parking the car the night before (adjusting the vents position and fan speed) and then pre-conditioning with enough time the next morning when parking your car outside (mine’s in driveway each night) and using the rubber sealant on the door seals.

From Feb 5 & 6th this year:

View attachment 476493

View attachment 476497

Great idea to direct the vents toward the windows for winter defreezing. Hadn't given it any thought after setting it originally.

 

[PVAndy]

I bought a set of aftermarket rims with Michelin X-Ice shows at Town Fair tire. Excellent performance and relatively quiet. Free changes every winter

Andy

 

[ggies07]

Alrighty guys, need your help. I'm from Dallas and haven't experienced extreme cold weather with my 3 yet. We are going on a trip to Pagosa Springs, CO the day after Christmas.

My question:

Will my car survive being outside, trickle charging (we are staying at a condo) with lows in the single digits and highs in the 30/40s?

There is a L2 charger in the city, so I could go use that to maintain the battery around 50% if need be, I'm just wondering if the battery charge is too low, then the trickle charge will not be effective in that extreme cold.

What say you?

 

[dennisvab]

Alrighty guys, need your help. I'm from Dallas and haven't experienced extreme cold weather with my 3 yet. We are going on a trip to Pagosa Springs, CO the day after Christmas.

My question:

Will my car survive being outside, trickle charging (we are staying at a condo) with lows in the single digits and highs in the 30/40s?

There is a L2 charger in the city, so I could go use that to maintain the battery around 50% if need be, I'm just wondering if the battery charge is too low, then the trickle charge will not be effective in that extreme cold.

What say you?

I’m guessing you mean charging via 120v when you say trickle charger. That should still be effective. Your car will definitely survive. If you did not plug in, you will lose some range while the car is sitting in the cold, and you will have get the snowflake icon which will restrict the available capacity even further. If you plug in you will still gain range.

 

[Colgate2004]

I’m guessing you mean charging via 120v when you say trickle charger. That should still be effective. Your car will definitely survive. If you did not plug in, you will lose some range while the car is sitting in the cold, and you will have get the snowflake icon which will restrict the available capacity even further. If you plug in you will still gain range.

Hmm, I’m not sure about that.

I tried charging my Model 3 on 120v power when I was at my parents’ house in Maine overnight once (where it was chilly, but nowhere near as cold as ggies07 will be), and it literally didn’t charge at all.

The amperage of the 120v circuit matters: if it is a 20A circuit it may gain some usable range being plugged in, but with a more typical 120V 15A circuit, I doubt it will gain any usable range at all in those temperatures.

ggies07, I would strongly suggest you use the supercharger in your destination city to charge the car (to at least 30-40%, if not more) before leaving the car on a 120V charger for several days in those temperatures.

(And since you’re going to the supercharger anyway, just spend the extra 20 minutes or so to get a full* charge!)

*: “full” in this case meaning whatever you typically charge your car to... I almost always charge to 80%.

 

[ggies07]

I’m guessing you mean charging via 120v when you say trickle charger. That should still be effective. Your car will definitely survive. If you did not plug in, you will lose some range while the car is sitting in the cold, and you will have get the snowflake icon which will restrict the available capacity even further. If you plug in you will still gain range.

Hmm, I’m not sure about that.

I tried charging my Model 3 on 120v power when I was at my parents’ house in Maine overnight once (where it was chilly, but nowhere near as cold as ggies07 will be), and it literally didn’t charge at all.

The amperage of the 120v circuit matters: if it is a 20A circuit it may gain some usable range being plugged in, but with a more typical 120V 15A circuit, I doubt it will gain any usable range at all in those temperatures.

ggies07, I would strongly suggest you use the supercharger in your destination city to charge the car (to at least 30-40%, if not more) before leaving the car on a 120V charger for several days in those temperatures.

(And since you’re going to the supercharger anyway, just spend the extra 20 minutes or so to get a full* charge!)

*: “full” in this case meaning whatever you typically charge your car to... I almost always charge to 80%.

Thanks guys! yep, it would be the standard outlet that's outside of the condo. There is no Supercharger in the city, but there is a L2 destination charger. So I guess if I charge there when we get there and have at least 50% battery, then plugging in would at least keep the battery from discharging too much, right? I just don't want it to get bricked.....

 

[Colgate2004]

Thanks guys! yep, it would be the standard outlet that's outside of the condo. There is no Supercharger in the city, but there is a L2 destination charger. So I guess if I charge there when we get there and have at least 50% battery, then plugging in would at least keep the battery from discharging too much, right? I just don't want it to get bricked.....

Oh the destination charger is definitely more of a PITA than a supercharger...

anyway, yeah, if you charge to some moderate percentage (30% or so) and you make sure the car isn’t keeping the heat on or whatever during those couple of days (remember to shut off sentry mode if you have it on; sentry mode contributes to phantom drain), you’ll be totally fine.

 

[OkAjay]

Useful, thanks. Also in Boston and travel to VT all winter, this will be first winter using Mo3.
To clarify, did you buy direct from Tesla?

I have been trying to not reply to the winter tire threads as I will never be able to stop; I am beyond pro snow tires that being said I cannot ignore.

My understanding they are basically the same, just geared towards studded or studdless. The 9 is studded (and last I knew could be bought studdless), thus the tread design is more geared towards working with studs and in a stud environment. The are the general non-studded designed tread. Both are amazing tires. I have experience with them on everything from Toyota 86 (small RWD sports car) to a 4WD F150, and everything in between (probably had friends or family mount them on pushing 10+ cars). My opinion is both sets of tires are amazing. Studs work best in packed snow and ice, studdless in heavy snow. Thus if you live somewhere that gets tons of deep snow, that does get well plowed, studdless. If you live somewhere that road treatment is lacking and there is a lot of packed snow or ice, studded. I live in Boston and travel all over NE (I am at about 6,000 miles in 6 weeks) and always run studded. My logic is when it snows, I know and can adapt, but black ice you can easily miss and studded could really help out. The noise on studded is very minimal to me to know I have the best traction. Cons of studded are obviously the noise, a bit less traction in the dry and rain when pushed hard.

As FYI, my winter setup (installed once tires are off backorder....): are ForceOne3 Black 19x9.5 wheels and Hakka 9 studded. I bought 5 and will be rotating on a 5 tire schedule with a fuller size spare and rim in trunk.




TL;DR: Hakka 9 - If youwant studded. R3- if you want studdless. are great studded tires, with treads geared a bit more to working with studs, R3 are studdless and tread designed to be studdless. Both are amazing. (Disclaimer - I am just a fan and not responsible for any misinformation or issues caused by any recommendations).

 

[SeacoastT]

I live in New England and this is the first winter with the M3. I'm wondering if it's pretty much mandatory to put winter tires on it as I head into the season. I've browsed several forums, threads, and sites and can't really get a consensus on whether it's necessary, nor is there any agreement as to the best brands and sizes to use if I do change them out. I'd appreciate hearing about owner's experiences who live in climates with a prolonged snow season. Thanks.

 

[DirtyT3sla]

Michigan here.

I had winter tires on my last car, and while they are phenomenal and make driving in the snow fun instead of stressful, I would not call them necessary. Did you have them on previous cars? In this regard it's just a car, so it'll be the same as cars before.

In certain states and countries winter tires on mandatory by law, so when they are optional for us, these people think we're absolutely insane.

I am skipping winter tires on my TM3 this year, but I did buy them for my wife's equinox as it's not nearly as capable in the snow.

 

[gecko10x]

I do not have first-hand experience to answer you with, because last winter I avoided taking mine out in the snow.

However, I have heard that the MXM4s are awful in the cold.

Also, I can point you to this crazy resource that someone on Reddit created:

 

[augkuo]

If you have a performance model, I would definitely get winter tires/wheels - I didn't know that the tires that came with the car weren't supposed to be in snow! No wonder we were all slipping and sliding around

From Tire Rack:
The Pilot Sport 4S is Michelin's Max Performance Summer tire developed in cooperation with some of the most demanding vehicle manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche to utilize key technologies engineered during competition in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was designed for serious drivers looking to maximize the performance potential of their sports cars, performance sedans and powerful luxury vehicles. The Pilot Sport 4S excels in warm dry and wet conditions, so like all Max Performance Summer tires, is not intended to be serviced, stored nor driven in near- and below-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

 

[640k]

As the winter months are upon us, so are lower tire pressures. If you have not checked your PSI in a while, and seem to be noticing reduced range, check it out.

I hadn't touched mine since delivery mid-July and my tires were down to 40 PSI. I noticed a huge decrease in range in mid 40° temperatures (30-40%) and was getting frustrated. I topped my tires back up 45 PSI and my range is similar to pre-winter months.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

As the winter months are upon us, so are lower tire pressures. If you have not checked your PSI in a while, and seem to be noticing reduced range, check it out.

I hadn't touched mine since delivery mid-July and my tires were down to 40 PSI. I noticed a huge decrease in range in mid 40° temperatures (30-40%) and was getting frustrated. I topped my tires back up 45 PSI and my range is similar to pre-winter months.

How could I forget? the car won't shut up about it....

warning me about that one tire that's down to 40psi....but not warning me about the one that's 38........

 

[Ol'Blue]

Sounds like preconditioning you’re car for your commute is needed too. This time of year your range is affected by more then just the tires.

On a cold day, the range loss you are reporting sounds more like battery conditioning then just the tires alone. Do you garage your car?

Don’t get me wrong, a 5psi deficit will have a profound effect but not 40%. More like 15ish%

 

[coleAK]

As the winter months are upon us, so are lower tire pressures. If you have not checked your PSI in a while, and seem to be noticing reduced range, check it out.

I hadn't touched mine since delivery mid-July and my tires were down to 40 PSI. I noticed a huge decrease in range in mid 40° temperatures (30-40%) and was getting frustrated. I topped my tires back up 45 PSI and my range is similar to pre-winter months.

It’s not the tire pressure decreasing your range. It’s running the heat.

 

[640k]

It’s not the tire pressure decreasing your range. It’s running the heat.

increasing my tire pressure by 5 PSI had a dramatic impact on my wh/mi. my heat stays at 67.

 

[Longymire]

Please tell me it is. 92 isn't bad but this is my average from the past few days.
Any and all input is welcome and ways to get better miles. I spend a majority on the highway. Seat heaters and ac on 1 because of mad condensation.

The following is turned off:
Sentry mode
Overheat
Summon
Trip planner
Navigate beta
And a few other things.