P85D Going To Lake Tahoe

[bomquito]

So I'm thinking of driving to South Lake Tahoe next week with our P85D from the Inland Empire (SoCal). First time it will hit the snow. Any advice for the trip? Any supercharging stations to avoid? I am not sure I need snow tires or chains.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[Lloyd]

So I'm thinking of driving to South Lake Tahoe next week with our P85D from the Inland Empire (SoCal). First time it will hit the snow. Any advice for the trip? Any supercharging stations to avoid? I am not sure I need snow tires or chains.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Carry chains. It will be snowing saturday and sunday.

 

[kev1n]

account for the uphill climb, i used like 2x more kwh

 

[bomquito]

Carry chains. It will be snowing saturday and sunday.

Thanks for the heads up. I was looking at the snow chain on Tesla shop and noticed that there is only an option for the 19 in wheel. Where can I shop for the 21 in version? Model S Snow Chain - Trak Sport
"Chains should only be installed on the rear wheels of the Model S and only on 19" tires. The use of non-recommended tire chains has been shown to cause suspension and other vehicle damage."

 

[Lloyd]

See also post........ Snow chains

 

[commasign]

How about I-80 on the way to Reno?

 

[bomquito]

See also post........ Snow chains

Good to know. In this case, as long as we are not crossing the border, we should be ok without chain or snow tires right?

 

[SaveOurPlanet]

Does not matter you take 50 or 80, does not matter you cross to Nevada, when chain control is in effect they will check you. Realistically with an AWD S you do not need chains, for SUV they generally will ask if your car is 4WD and let you pass, but the S being a sedan they will likely ask whether you have chain in the car. You need Mud and Snow rating tires regardless.

 

[Flyguy]

I went to Tahoe from the bay area this spring in a MS 75 RWD. Was snowing when I left Squaw valley. When I got to 80, chain control asked if it was all wheel drive and I said yes. They did not ask if I had chains. It was nerve-racking driving RWD, but I never lost traction in the snow. Fortunately traffic never came to a complete stop. I was driving on the OEM goodyear all season tires. They did well in the snow.
Whenever you are driving in snow, I recommend chill mode and Low regen. Have a great trip!

 

[SaveOurPlanet]

I should add that stock Tesla tires are Mud and Snow rated. Are you going to resorts in the South Shore or casinos? If you are just going for skiing or snowboarding, Mammoth might be a better choice and easier drive, no chain control most definitely.

 

[ucmndd]

The law says unambiguously you must carry chains.

You probably won’t need them. That said, if it’s actively snowing even moderately I wouldn’t want to be on US 50 in a Tesla with wide 21” all seasons.

 

[Lloyd]

O

Does not matter you take 50 or 80, does not matter you cross to Nevada, when chain control is in effect they will check you. Realistically with an AWD S you do not need chains, for SUV they generally will ask if your car is 4WD and let you pass, but the S being a sedan they will likely ask whether you have chain in the car. You need Mud and Snow rating tires regardless.

Rules have changed this year! Read the regs for Nevada!

 

[cpa]

You also might consider taking 395 (if you aren't already doing so).

The most common snowy areas start about 30 miles or so north of Bishop (Sherwin Summit) and continue to the Nevada line. However, usually there are only intermittent locations where the snow needs to be considered: Mammoth Junction north and over Deadman Summit; at Lundy Lake Road/SR167 over Conway Summit to Bridgeport; near the junction of SR108 and north. This road is not heavily traveled most of the time; certainly a lot less traveled that driving through the Valley and over the Sierra on 50 or 80.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[bomquito]

You also might consider taking 395 (if you aren't already doing so).

The most common snowy areas start about 30 miles or so north of Bishop (Sherwin Summit) and continue to the Nevada line. However, usually there are only intermittent locations where the snow needs to be considered: Mammoth Junction north and over Deadman Summit; at Lundy Lake Road/SR167 over Conway Summit to Bridgeport; near the junction of SR108 and north. This road is not heavily traveled most of the time; certainly a lot less traveled that driving through the Valley and over the Sierra on 50 or 80.

Good luck and have fun.

Yes I will be taking the 395 going up there. Thank you for the advice!

 

[cpa]

Yes I will be taking the 395 going up there. Thank you for the advice!

Get the CalTrans Quick App for your phone. That provides up to date info on chain requirements and other road situations. They also have all the message boards available to see what they are reporting to drivers. There is also an app that shows all the traffic cameras throughout the state. These cameras will reflect the current state of the roads that you will be driving on--although on 395 there are not that many: Coso Jct., Mammoth Jct., and Conway Summit are the only ones. The cameras are great during daylight, but most are in total darkness at night.

 

[BrokerDon]

I should add that stock Tesla tires are Mud and Snow rated.

Hmmm... I don't think stock Tesla 21" tires that came on P85D's were Mud and Snow rated since they are Summer High Performance tires.

We install a set of Tesla Cyclone 19" wheels and Michelin All-Season Mud and Snow rated tires for our P85D's road trips, especially in snow. They worked fabulous in February snow in Breckenridge. No need for chains unless the snow is so deep the car high centers... which if the snow is that deep the road will probably be closed soon anyway or you'll spend you time stuck behind other vehicles stuck on the road.

 

[Joelgjr]

I always find it fascinating west coast has chain requirements. We get feet upon feet of snow for months at a time in the northeast - and have huge mountains up in NH ME VT and you can legally drive on rwd summer tires without chains. Drivers just know how to handle snow.

My point is not that we’re better drivers but rather educate yourself on driving in snow. AWD is useless for anything except accelerating. It won’t help you maintain control in turns or downhills. Chains really do help but no one in the northeast uses chains where we get real snow. What does that say...chains are used as a handicap in these warmer climates. Educate yourself how to safely drive in snow and don’t rely on chains

 

[Eevee]

I always find it fascinating west coast has chain requirements. We get feet upon feet of snow for months at a time in the northeast - and have huge mountains up in NH ME VT and you can legally drive on rwd summer tires without chains. Drivers just know how to handle snow.

First off, MOST states have chain laws. It's not just a 'west coast thing'. And even Vermont does have some chain laws. Chain Up Law | Department of Motor Vehicles

Just because you experience a lot of snow driving that doesn't require chains doesn't mean that requiring chains over Donner Pass area is somehow unreasonable and it's just a bunch of bad California drivers.

 

[ucmndd]

I always find it fascinating west coast has chain requirements. We get feet upon feet of snow for months at a time in the northeast - and have huge mountains up in NH ME VT and you can legally drive on rwd summer tires without chains. Drivers just know how to handle snow.

My point is not that we’re better drivers but rather educate yourself on driving in snow. AWD is useless for anything except accelerating. It won’t help you maintain control in turns or downhills. Chains really do help but no one in the northeast uses chains where we get real snow. What does that say...chains are used as a handicap in these warmer climates. Educate yourself how to safely drive in snow and don’t rely on chains

Chain control is generally an event-driven thing on major highways that connect the low elevation cities to the mountains. The low elevation population centers are generally temperate and warm - definitely not an environment like the northeast where a critical mass of the population switches over to winter tires and lives in the cold for the entire season. Chain requirements are a logical control in environments like that where the vehicles are generally ill-prepared and the need is time-bound around a weather event.

 

[Joelgjr]

Chain control is generally an event-driven thing on major highways that connect the low elevation cities to the mountains. The low elevation population centers are generally temperate and warm - definitely not an environment like the northeast where a critical mass of the population switches over to winter tires and lives in the cold for the entire season. Chain requirements are a logical control in environments like that where the vehicles are generally ill-prepared and the need is time-bound around a weather event.

I agree with everything you said except the part about critical mass switching over to snow tires. I know people in all NE states and besides myself I actually don't know anyone else that uses winter tires. They are an added expensive most can't or won't purchase and are seen as a luxury by some and unnecessary by most.

I can't find statistics on NE snow tire purchasing habits, but I did find these: only 5% of tires purchased nationally are snow tires, yet 38.6% of the US population lives in the NE and Midwest. So if you assume that even 75% (not sure what you consider a critical mass) of people in the Midwest and NE own two sets of tires i.e. snow tires and regular tires, that should mean that around 14% of tires sold in the US should be snow tires. If we drop that to 50% of people in the midwest and NE, we're looking at 7%. This is assuming that they have BOTH snow and regular tires. If you assume they only have snow tires you jump up to 28% and 14% respectively