Snow/Ice driving settings?

[JayhawkCRNA]

So we just picked up our MYP, with Michelin all-seasons. I grew up in Kansas driving in ice and snow in everything from FWD cars to AWD Subaru and 4x4 Pickups without any problems. I only say this to mean I am used to it. Are their any settings you should drive with in ice/snow? I have noticed with our recent snow and subsequent ice pack roads here in the PNW that the MYP slips a lot more than any vehicle I have ever driven. On slight inclines it almost crab walks then grips again. I have been very gentle when letting off the accelerator but it seems the regen braking is causing the slipping. I’m used to feathering the accelerator and almost never hitting the brakes in other cars. Any tips that are particular to Teslas?
A “Snow” mode may be nice if there are settings that work better.

 

[Doublea88]

This will be my first winter with the MY, but for getting out of stuck or icy conditions, there is an option called slip start under settings you can toggle on and off to help free yourself. But as for a setting for driving the rest of the way in normal snow conditions, i think it's just an automatic awd.

 

[Calliope]

Try the "Off Road Assist" function - I use it in ice or snow, particularly on inclines, when I'm getting more slippage. I think it shifts the power to 50:50 front and rear motors.

Also, ditch the AS tires and get some real winter tires for low temperatures (below 45F) for even better performance. Snow is not the deciding factor for winter tires, temperature is.

 

[JayhawkCRNA]

Try the "Off Road Assist" function - I use it in ice or snow, particularly on inclines, when I'm getting more slippage. I think it shifts the power to 50:50 front and rear motors.

Also, ditch the AS tires and get some real winter tires for low temperatures (below 45F) for even better performance. Snow is not the deciding factor for winter tires, temperature is.

I will try the Off road assist. I have never had winter tires on any cars and the Kansas weather was much colder than this weather. It just seems like the lack of being able to “coast” is problematic with the Tesla. With ICE cars and ice conditions you never hit the brake but that isn’t possible with the tesla bc as soon as you even change the accelerator it starts to brake.

 

[nicpottier]

There's a few threads on this if you search. Half the people agree with you that it isn't fantastic in snow due to the regen braking, the other half will tell you you are doing it wrong.

As usual truth is probably a bit of both. One new recent option is to get the aftermarket "sexy" buttons which let you turn off regen even on new cars.

 

[davraker]

Whatever combination of settings you choose (I use chill, off road assist, reduce regen breaking, and even my seating position is adjusted), try making a separate profile that you can switch to easily. My ”Snow” profile saves time and thought trying to find each of what I want selected as road conditions change.

Just a thought.

 

[andaconda]

Whatever combination of settings you choose (I use chill, off road assist, reduce regen breaking, and even my seating position is adjusted), try making a separate profile that you can switch to easily. My ”Snow” profile saves time and thought trying to find each of what I want selected as road conditions change.

Just a thought.

Good idea. Can you use off road assist even at highway speeds? On the highway is where it scares me. I have to be ever so gentle with the throttle.

 

[davraker]

Good idea. Can you use off road assist even at highway speeds? On the highway is where it scares me. I have to be ever so gentle with the throttle.

For highways, I don’t think off road assist is needed/wanted. Chill helps though reduce that sudden burst of speed we so enjoy when road conditions are better.

 

[damonbrodie]

Good idea. Can you use off road assist even at highway speeds? On the highway is where it scares me. I have to be ever so gentle with the throttle.

If you're getting scared on the highway with snow/ice then you should definitely get snow tires.

 

[Rshephorse]

You have to remember that the torque that this car generates at low speeds is higher than anything you have ever driven before. So Chill Mode is mandatory. I have always been an aggressive snow driver [Vermont/Skier] and find that the traction control is very active. I used to be able to 'power slide' my WRX, but the Tesla keeps fighting the slide somewhat successfully. This means that the car is safer, but not as much of a thrill as the Subaru was. Snow tires DO make a huge difference and are absolutely necessary if you want good performance in the snow. Buy carefully- some are much better than others. Off-Road assist- the main thing this does is to make the care more of an AWD rather than the RWD bias that it usually uses. This does help some, but not huge because it also allows more slip before the traction control system kicks in. I often drive up a steep mountain road in bad weather to ski and commute - I regularly pass other cars having trouble on the road as much if not more than i did in my WRX which was my former 'best snow car'. This car is definitely a heavy car. A really light car like my old Honda CRX was so light you could count on the resistance of the snow itself in a slide to affect the car... the MY, in a slide, behaves more like a Landcruiser- LOTS of momentum- things like snowbanks vaporize in you path! In the land-cruiser that was sometimes fun, in the MY- this would be terrifying because of the low clearance and my worry about damaging the battery so there is a bit less room for error on a slippery downhill.

 

[andaconda]

I do guess that part of my problem is that I came from a stream of 10 or 12 Subaru's over the past 2 decades. The Subaru drivetrain was hard to beat. They were all sure footed even with the A/S tires that came with them. By the time the warranty was up I would buy another one. I only replaced the tires on ONE of them, and that was a BAJA that my wife wouldn't part with.

 

[RIc Wood]

You have to remember that the torque that this car generates at low speeds is higher than anything you have ever driven before. So Chill Mode is mandatory. I have always been an aggressive snow driver [Vermont/Skier] and find that the traction control is very active. I used to be able to 'power slide' my WRX, but the Tesla keeps fighting the slide somewhat successfully. This means that the car is safer, but not as much of a thrill as the Subaru was. Snow tires DO make a huge difference and are absolutely necessary if you want good performance in the snow. Buy carefully- some are much better than others. Off-Road assist- the main thing this does is to make the care more of an AWD rather than the RWD bias that it usually uses. This does help some, but not huge because it also allows more slip before the traction control system kicks in. I often drive up a steep mountain road in bad weather to ski and commute - I regularly pass other cars having trouble on the road as much if not more than i did in my WRX which was my former 'best snow car'. This car is definitely a heavy car. A really light car like my old Honda CRX was so light you could count on the resistance of the snow itself in a slide to affect the car... the MY, in a slide, behaves more like a Landcruiser- LOTS of momentum- things like snowbanks vaporize in you path! In the land-cruiser that was sometimes fun, in the MY- this would be terrifying because of the low clearance and my worry about damaging the battery so there is a bit less room for error on a slippery downhill.

Have you experienced any hydroplaning??

 

[jsargevt]

Rshephorce has the right information here. I will 100% agree that in snow, the Tesla MY is like a tank - it flatly refuses to slide. If it detects any slipping it will compensate and try to get traction to all of the wheels. Having grown up in VT and being a fellow aggressive snow driver the Tesla is a bit of an adjustment. I have an early MY and can reduce the regen to low, which I do when it is slippery just so I feel like I have a bit more control rather than having the car "brake" at times when I'd prefer not to have the brakes applied.

I did rock the all seasons and when they get low the car is much less forgiving than my other vehicles. I am pretty sure that Winter tires on this thing would make it more or less unstoppable - the only limitation will be the reduced range in the cold! I have a Subaru which is a great winter rig so I might not make the investment for winter tires and just drive the Subaru when the weather is total crap.

Ric Wood - I have not experienced hydroplaning with the stock All Seasons in the MY. The contis are OK but I do look forward to swapping them out for something a little more northeast friendly or for an all season with M/S on them if I decide not to go winter tires.