Took my P85 Classic over the Willamette Pass today. 32 degrees, snowing, packed snow over ice on the road. Tires: Nokian WRG3. Grip was pretty darn good given the slippery road surface.
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Sweet pictures! I've driven that road, in those conditions. It was not the most fun part of my life.
ilovemycoffee
MS 85D HW1 Late 2015
Great pictures! I just got Nokian WRG3's installed on our car yesterday, thanks to your recommendation. Glad to see you made the trip safely. I take it you didn't have to worry about chains? We were thinking of going over the pass next month ourselves.
The last trip we took with our minivan it was nasty, white knuckle driving, even with chains. :scared:
The last trip we took with our minivan it was nasty, white knuckle driving, even with chains. :scared:
Yeah, no major drama.... or chains. A huge factor in how well this thing drives in the snow is how well balanced it is. If you get a little wiggle it's not a significant event and only requires a very minor correction. To be clear, with all the power this car has, I was able to spin the rear tires at 55mph on that surface but the traction control always stepped in to keep things tidy.
I can only imagine that the dual motor cars would drive over this like it was bare pavement.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
I can attest that the 85D has exceptional performance in snow. I've been driving a fair amount in snow since I got the car last Feb. including a few trips over mountain passes in snow storms with snow and ice on the roads. It really feels like driving on dry pavement. I never have felt the car slip or slide. The weight distribution (low and 50-50), all wheel drive and traction control/stability control all work flawlessly to give a very safe, secure ride. Just another way this in an incredible car.
I did not. It was about 31-32 degrees and most of that stuff just fell off periodically.
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There's a strong likelihood that I will join the dual motor crowd in the future. At the moment we are waiting for my wife's Model X so come at the end of the month. Maybe she'll let me drive it some.
Screwbal
Member
Because I had seen it discussed in another thread around regen and black ice, did you have it in normal mode or the regen set to low to make things less grabby when letting off the pedal?
Normal. I simply modulated the right pedal so as not to transition too hard into regen. In one corner I had to slow things down pretty quickly in order to avoid a snow plow that was about a foot over the center line. I was pretty sure things were going to get ugly but it tracked beautifully.
Hi Lyon,
Are you still using the Nokian WR G3 as an all seaons in the PNW and happy with them? I live in Tacoma, Wa and am thinking of getting them.
The answer is a qualified yes. I just replaced the WRG3s (yesterday) with a set of Hakkapelliita 8 studded tires. I've been driving over the pass to go skiing every weekend since Christmas and I'm going to continue to do so until the end of March. The WRG3s never felt unsafe and I never had any issues with breaking. That said, they require more small corrections than a true snow tire. That combined with just how much snow we've gotten has made those trips tiring for me. Some days I'll ski all day and then drive 150 miles on snow and ice. Basically, if you're going to live in a place where you'll be in snow occasionally and probably not doing a ton of long drives in the snow the WRG3 is the tire you want. If you're going to be in the snow a great deal of the time, I'd recommend the Hakka 8 (studded) or Hakka R2 (non-studded).... if you can find a set.
Thanks, this helps me out a lot. I have a few more questions:
1. Were your WRG3s directional or Asymmetrical/what is your recommendation? (On page 12 of their product guide it looks like they offer both) https://dc602r66yb2n9.cloudfront.net/pub/web/attachments/others/pricelists/NT_US_Product_guide.pdf
2. Also, did you get the car or SUV version? (I've never had a car that weighted this much before).
I'm pretty sure they're asymmetrical (the inside and outside edges of the tire is different) but I was unaware that they had different options in the size for the Model S. I had the car versions in 245/45R19 all around on the Model S. The Model X has the SUV version in some crazy staggered sizes.
Thanks for all your words of wisdom! I'm pretty sure these are the one's I'm getting now. How many miles did you get on them before needing replacement?
I sold them with about 10,000 miles on them and about 70% treat left. I blame a lot of that on the fact that they spend the last couple thousand miles on a P100D in Ludicrous mode. Drive them more normally and you'll get 30,000-40,000 miles out of a set.
Curious what tires your running now? I have about 20k on the WRG3s and am 6/32 on them. Wondering if they'd still be up to some winter action once December comes around. I see there is now a WRG4... Unfortunately, consumer reports just released their tire testing -- but didn't test the WRG4 to compare. I don't quite understand their rating system either...
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