RWD vs AWD Cybertruck in Winter Snow and Ice

[sparcs]

Anyone have any opinions on the cybertruck dynamics in terms of winter performance?

I'm leaning towards the RWD due to cost, but hesitant due to winter performance in areas with heavy snow and ice.

It seems like weight distribution is the biggest issue with RWD and that would likely be better in something like a heavy Tesla with the battery pack weight so spread out??

 

[AltLogic]

Ugh. Here is my opinion:

Get AWD if you want this:

You want the improved 0-60 times in dry conditions, more range or more towing.

You need to get somewhere that is at the top of the hill in icy conditions that will improve hours later when you need to go down the hill. Like where you live or work.

You want to regularly drive in deep sand.

You want to do some serious off-roading. Like in conditions that would leave cosmetic damage.

You want to get stuck so bad that it will take hours to get unstuck since you were overconfident in you and the vehicles ability.

You want to be towed out of a ditch by a two wheel drive car since you drove too fast down an icy hill that was easy to go up cuz AWD. My front engine RWD has done this twice. This would have worse weight distribution than the cybertruck.

I like having two wheel drive. The two times while off-roading I got stuck an AWD could get me out without taking more than 10 minutes. Most of the time when conditions require chains or AWD I only see AWD vehicles stuck. I like being able to decelerate at twice the rate I can accelerate in low traction conditions. It makes it easy to exercise good judgement.

 

[sparcs]

Thanks, just put one down for RWD. Sounds like AWD is way more functionality than i need. I don't need the range since I should be well covered by supercharger network by then.

 

[Merle]

4WD/AWD for snow.

The reason why you may see more AWD stuck is that there are more AWD vehicles in the snow.

Even with summer tires, an AWD vehicle will get you going and can alleviate some wear-and-tire on the tires due to conditions (meaning better traction, not less wear). In addition, a lot of getting stuck is the ability to get going and if you have RWD, you have simply cut your ability to go by one-half.

Living in snow conditions (I have 18" in my front yard, and am on a residential street that can see a plow at 10P and then at 10A, meaning 1-2' of snow during storms in that time period) and understand the need for being able to not just get out of your driveway, but down a residential street to a main artery. When it's really bad, we put on snow chains on our 4WD vehicles (due to icy conditions beneath).

We see tons of tourists coming up, not prepared, stuck on the side of the road. Last major accident involved (US50) involved a Subura (AWD) in a head on with a Suburban, and that was simply further up from the cattle truck (18 wheeler) that jacknifed and had cows wandering the highway.

Point is with AWD, you can take the side road to bypass the closure on the highway (instead of being stuck for 4 hours) and can avoid the person crossing over a two-lane highway coming right at you.

It'll also increase the resale value, as those who may be in the market could prefer the AWD package as well, for a variety of reasons.

 

[Eclectic]

I doubt the weight of the battery pack will help snow traction in a RWD pickup. I say this based on my experience with our P85, then P85D. Same basic weight from the battery pack, yet the RWD P85 was actually dangerous in slick weather because of the instant and massive torque. The P85D was nearly impossible to break loose in the same conditions.

Ultimately, though, as with most things that are related to driving in snow, the tires will be the key. Great snow tires in a RWD will usually beat non-snow tires in a 4wd.

 

[richtrav]

The most important reason to get AWD: if you want your truck a year earlier.

 

[keeney]

4wd on slick surfaces does more than just get you unstuck. It keeps you from fishtailing and prevents over-steering when the back end breaks loose. The vehicle is generally more stable. A classic crash scenario in a rwd truck here in iffy MN weather is accelerating coming out of a cloverleaf only to hit frozen slickness on the overpass deck. Its easy to over-correct your vehicle straight into the concrete center divider.

 

[M_D129]

4wd on slick surfaces does more than just get you unstuck. It keeps you from fishtailing and prevents over-steering when the back end breaks loose. The vehicle is generally more stable. A classic crash scenario in a rwd truck here in iffy MN weather is accelerating coming out of a cloverleaf only to hit frozen slickness on the overpass deck. Its easy to over-correct your vehicle straight into the concrete center divider.

MN guy here too, and did exactly this in my Dual Model 3, on the 494/35S interchange. Back end gave out due to ice on the sharp “on-ramp”, under the 494 bridge. Was able to maintain control up front, and bring the tail end around easily from sideways. This was pre-winter tires, and now with winters, the front and rear are grabbing like mad.

 

[Buck Rodgers]

I live in the Snow Belt of NY. We saw a 3' storm a few years back and I've driven in plenty of 2' drifts. Since the year 2000 I have driven d22 Nissan 2wd trucks in the snow successfully without any accidents and drove for a living 8-10 hours a day. With the correct weight distribution (sand bags) and studded snows, it's completely legitimate to consider 2wd in a snow region. I drove a rwd mustang through a blizzard and it's limited slip rear made slipping or doing parking lot donuts very difficult. I've owned more than 20 vehicles over the years and while 4wd is definitely better for poor driving conditions it's not in any way necessary for every driver. That said, the OP wants to know about smart power distribution, not what a 1990 f150 would do with all seasons on ice. I am in the same boat and there is a huge difference between 39k and 69k. But, if the truck is a joke in the snow, that's the difference. 2wd isn't a joke in the snow if it's rigged correctly and driven by an experienced driver.

 

[mongo]

That said, the OP wants to know about smart power distribution, not what a 1990 f150 would do with all seasons on ice. I am in the same boat and there is a huge difference between 39k and 69k. But, if the truck is a joke in the snow, that's the difference. 2wd isn't a joke in the snow if it's rigged correctly and driven by an experienced driver.

Is OP asking about tri-motor (69,900) or just AWD (49,900) versus RWD (39,900)?

 

[Buck Rodgers]

I just read it a few times and it looks like he's asking how the rwd would do in the snow based on price and weight distribution. Seems like he is considering the differences between rwd and awd but asking for thoughts in rwd snow performance. Unfortunately, no real data is available. I'm looking for the same.

 

[chphilo]

I think the OP went with RWD.

For winter driving, AWD, hands down. I have 4wd truck and wife has 2wd van. She is afraid to drive in the winter so she either drives my truck or have me drive her.

Even for those in warmer climate, AWD is always helpful. Apparently, you could get into a pickle if your rear wheel hit the slick part when launching a boat.

 

[Mayonayze]

Nobody with the right rubber and experience ‘needs’ awd or 4wd to drive safely in snow or other extreme conditions. But there is no disputing that awd and 4wd make a vehicle materially more capable than 2wd in every instance; Tokyo drift, notwithstanding.

I wouldn’t expect any unique weight distributions or other design characteristics of the CT to change this paradigm.

 

[DiyEvRepair]

Definitely get AWD. Will hold its resale value better, and more importantly you will be able to sell it faster when the time comes down the road. It's difficult to sell RWD trucks.

 

[azjohn]

I think the OP went with RWD.

For winter driving, AWD, hands down. I have 4wd truck and wife has 2wd van. She is afraid to drive in the winter so she either drives my truck or have me drive her.

Even for those in warmer climate, AWD is always helpful. Apparently, you could get into a pickle if your rear wheel hit the slick part when launching a boat.

I think the driving dynamics will be different than an ICE 4wd truck in the snow, with the weight of the battery pack

 

[chphilo]

I think the driving dynamics will be different than an ICE 4wd truck in the snow, with the weight of the battery pack

That is probably true. But I would think that AWD CT will be better than 2wd CT. I drove 2wd vehicles for most of my life (lived in several snowy states). My current truck is my first 4wd vehicle and I don't think I will ever go back to 2wd.