Model 3 and Rough Dirt Roads

[DirtyT3sla]

@DirtyT3sla lives right up the road. Stay dirty my friend.

Thanks for the tag. Is that Tipsico Lake Road?

Yes OP, I live decently rural and travel ~6 miles of dirt roads every day and have a 150ft gravel driveway. Besides finding some dirt under my car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj78E1dArdI I haven't had any problems in almost 1 year and 28k miles.

I had the same questions about Teslas on dirt roads before I got my car, and there wasn't a whole ton of info I could find. Like do the cameras get covered constantly? Wear and tear? etc. I've found that nothing special happens to my car because of my driving. Just the car and rear cam is always covered with mud I rarely clean any of the other sensors.

 

[outdoors]

Yeah those are BLM and Forest Service roads. Sort of going around in circles here but I would never take my Model 3 on a road so rough that there might be a need for tow points. If you need to attach a tow strap there's a very high chance you're going to be ripping plastic bits off the bottom. I guess it's a hard question to answer since peoples skill level and risk tolerance is so different.

Minute 1:36 kind of describes me as well. Where driven etc.... Good pushing at limits, seems like he paid a price once. Cheap this time, maybe not so much next time. I tend to drive a bit slower over the crazy crap.

 

[Backpacker42]

I was wondering if anyone here has added the MPP spacers? I have a completely stock mid-range RWD Tesla 3 with the 18" aero wheels. An extra 1.75" clearance would be helpful - both for driving the graded FS roads similar to the one below which I have been doing fairly regularly, and also for improving ease of entry. What I want to know is what kind of hit on the mileage did you take by adding the spacers?

 

[hgmichna]

Puddles are a problem, because you cannot see how deep they are.

I think the biggest problem is ground clearance. Teslas can tolerate quite a bit of water, but you don't want to scratch the bottom.

One trick is to watch and select carefully where you put your wheels. Often it is advantageous to drive a little bit to one side to avoid touching the ground.

And there is the ultimate rule, if you aren't sure you can continue safely, look for a detour first to avoid the problem place. If that is not possible, you have to turn back. Do not risk any damage to your car.

I regularly drive all-wheel-drive cars on rough tracks in Africa, and I think in most cases you want a ground clearance of 20 cm ~ 8 inches, better 25 cm ~ 10 inches. Simply speaking, you want as much ground clearance as most other cars have that drive there. Tesla cars do not have that ind of ground clearance, so the track or dirt road has to be well graded, otherwise I wouldn't drive a Tesla there.

 

[scarpiamod3]

The easy solution would be to buy the model Y.

Sounds like you would actually get some use out of having a crossover.

 

[Daniel in SD]

The easy solution would be to buy the model Y.

Sounds like you would actually get some use out of having a crossover.

Has anyone checked to see if the Model Y has any armor protecting the coolant lines into the battery?
The Model Y only has an inch more ground clearance than the Model 3.

I was wondering if anyone here has added the MPP spacers? I have a completely stock mid-range RWD Tesla 3 with the 18" aero wheels. An extra 1.75" clearance would be helpful - both for driving the graded FS roads similar to the one below which I have been doing fairly regularly, and also for improving ease of entry. What I want to know is what kind of hit on the mileage did you take by adding the spacers?

I think there are threads where the efficiency loss question is answered. I don't remember the answer though. I would definitely get the lift if I were driving roads like that with my Model 3.

 

[scarpiamod3]

Has anyone checked to see if the Model Y has any armor protecting the coolant lines into the battery?
The Model Y only has an inch more ground clearance than the Model 3.

I think there are threads where the efficiency loss question is answered. I don't remember the answer though. I would definitely get the lift if I were driving roads like that with my Model 3.

An inch can make a big difference, but he could always get the lift kit from MPP for the model Y, with a lifted model Y he wouldn't be creeping through that road he could drive normally. Probably much more enjoyable in the long run.

 

[Daniel in SD]

An inch can make a big difference, but he could always get the lift kit from MPP for the model Y, with a lifted model Y he wouldn't be creeping through that road he could drive normally. Probably much more enjoyable in the long run.

Model X with air suspension might be a better choice if we're talking about new Teslas.
The Model X also doesn't have coolant lines in the wheel wells.
I'm a big chicken though, I take my beater Lexus GX when I drive roads like that which is obviously complete overkill.

 

[GtiMart]

Others seem to have run their M3 on dirt and gravel roads just fine. My experience was not as good. I drove a few kms on a gravel road that had probably been graded recently but badly: full of washboard type repetitive creases. The ride was harsh even at very low speeds, extreme vibrations were going through the whole car. I've driven on that with other cars before and it wasn't as bad. The M3 suspension's initial response to sharp elevation changes isn't very good. And that comes from someone who was driving a wrx before and likes spirited driving. The M3 suspension isnt sport type hard but the initial bumps aren't handled well.

 

[MountainPass]

Has anyone checked to see if the Model Y has any armor protecting the coolant lines into the battery?
The Model Y only has an inch more ground clearance than the Model 3.

I think there are threads where the efficiency loss question is answered. I don't remember the answer though. I would definitely get the lift if I were driving roads like that with my Model 3.

There is no armor aside from the plastic undertrays in front and behind the battery. A well-placed rock or log could theoretically puncture them, but I am not concerned about the battery itself.