I've got a deposit on the Model 3 and having just gone through a blizzard here in NY, I'm wondering if anyone can comment or conjecture on the 3's ability to navigate snow. I've been driving only FWD cars for many years now, and it's been quite some time since I've driven RWD in the snow.
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melindav
☰ 2018
Ken - I would expect it to be very similar to how the Model S handles snow (tons of comment/videos of it in snow you can check for).
Remember also with an ICE FWD car, part of what makes that work in snow is the drive wheels are directly under the weight of the engine, vs an ICE RWD the weight is still over the front wheels, but being pushed from the back wheels. Most report the RWD tesla does much better than an ICE RWD because of the weight distribution, and the dual motors better than an ICE FWD, but search out some videos to see it in action
Remember also with an ICE FWD car, part of what makes that work in snow is the drive wheels are directly under the weight of the engine, vs an ICE RWD the weight is still over the front wheels, but being pushed from the back wheels. Most report the RWD tesla does much better than an ICE RWD because of the weight distribution, and the dual motors better than an ICE FWD, but search out some videos to see it in action
PJFW8
Red Menace may hurt me
Winter tires make a big difference. People forget that they also extend the life of the summer or all season tires. The net cost is modest. The changeover is a minor hastle. Breaking performance is dramatically improved, as well. Check Tire Rack for prices.
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igotzzoom
Active Member
Regardless of front or all-wheel-drive, it's my understanding that it's far easier to modulate throttle on EVs than ICEs through electronics. But I would agree with what the others have said. If you live in an area that frequently gets heavy snow, I'd look at getting the AWD option.
sandange
sandange
We're in Quebec Canada just north of you, 1 hour north of Montreal, in Ski country. We get our fair share of snow. Winter tires are mandatory by law up here.
We're also waiting for the M3.
We've owned a lot of different cars, Rav 4 4wd, K car FWD, VW golf FWD, Mazda Tribute 2wd FWD, etc
Our latest 2 cars are the 2012 Mitsubishi i Miev that we traded for up for a 2014 i Miev
with a total of more than 100,000 miles (160,000 km) to date between the 2 of them.
This is our 5th winter without problems.
The Miev is pretty small & has rear wheel drive with a 16 kw battery.
The weight of the battery is the advantage with the traction in the snow.
I expect the M3 battery should be 3 times the size/weight.
Norway Tesla owners provide the best example of how these cars handle snow;
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Except for regenerative braking. You should turn that to low when there's ice because high regen and ice make for a bad combination.
I might need to do more testing on ice, but I have yet to turn down my regent on snow and ice. The car handles very well in all conditions. I do have winter tires, but have yet to experience any issues. I should note that most travel for me never gets the car warm enough to completely eliminate the yellow dashed line that limits regen but again I have had no issues and in fact I prefer the way in which regen helps me slow down on snow covered slippery roads. No ABS needed, I feel it is better than ABS.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
I was amazed at how well my S performed in the snow here last month. With just the tires that came on it the car stayed planted when the 4WD trucks were sliding all over the road. I expect the Model 3 will be close to, if not as good.
BTW with a FWD car, the weight of the engine over the drive wheels helps, but there are different dynamics at play when the drive wheels were in front. When I had to take Dynamics in college we had to analyze the difference in forces between a FWD and RWD car when trying to get the front wheels over a curb. The whole analysis was completely different for a RWD car and the conclusion was it was far easier for the FWD car to jump the curb.
We didn't do an analysis of the dynamics on snow and ice, but I think FWD has some advantages there too.
BTW with a FWD car, the weight of the engine over the drive wheels helps, but there are different dynamics at play when the drive wheels were in front. When I had to take Dynamics in college we had to analyze the difference in forces between a FWD and RWD car when trying to get the front wheels over a curb. The whole analysis was completely different for a RWD car and the conclusion was it was far easier for the FWD car to jump the curb.
We didn't do an analysis of the dynamics on snow and ice, but I think FWD has some advantages there too.
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