SR+ stuck in snow

[Zacster]

It started snowing this afternoon where I am in western MA and accumulated to about 3-4 inches unexpectedly. I had my car parked at my in-laws house which is ever so slightly tilted downward and I had to back out. I could only get a few feet before STOP came up on the console. I tried slip-start mode, went back and forth, tried having 3 people push and nothing could get me out. It wasn't all that much snow but I just couldn't get it up the little hump and the car kept sliding further over. The tires are the stock that come with the stock wheels. Inflation was normal when I left NYC to come up here but when I got here they were showing as low, all 4 at 36psi, possibly due to the cold. It wasn't like a gas car where you could gun it and spin the wheels, the car has controls that seem to prevent that, but that also makes pushing ineffective because the wheels stop turning.

The big worry was that even if I could get the car out the lack of traction would have been treacherous on the hill down to the main road, which itself was pretty icy.

I eventually just gave up and borrowed my mother-in-law's car, a Suburu all wheel drive and it had no problem at all. All of my prior cars were front wheel drive and didn't have much trouble either, but I didn't go in the snow much, and I was under the impression that with the battery weight the car would still have traction on the rear. I'm disappointed by it all.

 

[sjg98]

Keep some salt and mini shovel in your car

Last winter (3rd winter with the LR AWS Model 3) I got myself near-stuck a few times and fully stuck once in a rural area.

The problem I was having is that he car is fairly low to the ground and was bottoming out on intersection snow banks if I slowed down too much..

 

[Sam1]

It started snowing this afternoon where I am in western MA and accumulated to about 3-4 inches unexpectedly. I had my car parked at my in-laws house which is ever so slightly tilted downward and I had to back out. I could only get a few feet before STOP came up on the console. I tried slip-start mode, went back and forth, tried having 3 people push and nothing could get me out. It wasn't all that much snow but I just couldn't get it up the little hump and the car kept sliding further over. The tires are the stock that come with the stock wheels. Inflation was normal when I left NYC to come up here but when I got here they were showing as low, all 4 at 36psi, possibly due to the cold. It wasn't like a gas car where you could gun it and spin the wheels, the car has controls that seem to prevent that, but that also makes pushing ineffective because the wheels stop turning.

The big worry was that even if I could get the car out the lack of traction would have been treacherous on the hill down to the main road, which itself was pretty icy.

I eventually just gave up and borrowed my mother-in-law's car, a Suburu all wheel drive and it had no problem at all. All of my prior cars were front wheel drive and didn't have much trouble either, but I didn't go in the snow much, and I was under the impression that with the battery weight the car would still have traction on the rear. I'm disappointed by it all.

Slip start only lets the tires turn over once or twice before the car nerfs the power. But, lucky for you, MPP Partybox - Mountain Pass Performance

 

[tezlam3]

SR is rear wheel drive so winter tires would be very helpful, you can try to keep some cat litter also, i hear that helps get out when youre stuck. also as another poster said, a shovel is also a good idea.

 

[Baluchi]

It started snowing this afternoon where I am in western MA and accumulated to about 3-4 inches unexpectedly. I had my car parked at my in-laws house which is ever so slightly tilted downward and I had to back out. I could only get a few feet before STOP came up on the console. I tried slip-start mode, went back and forth, tried having 3 people push and nothing could get me out. It wasn't all that much snow but I just couldn't get it up the little hump and the car kept sliding further over. The tires are the stock that come with the stock wheels. Inflation was normal when I left NYC to come up here but when I got here they were showing as low, all 4 at 36psi, possibly due to the cold. It wasn't like a gas car where you could gun it and spin the wheels, the car has controls that seem to prevent that, but that also makes pushing ineffective because the wheels stop turning.

The big worry was that even if I could get the car out the lack of traction would have been treacherous on the hill down to the main road, which itself was pretty icy.

I eventually just gave up and borrowed my mother-in-law's car, a Suburu all wheel drive and it had no problem at all. All of my prior cars were front wheel drive and didn't have much trouble either, but I didn't go in the snow much, and I was under the impression that with the battery weight the car would still have traction on the rear. I'm disappointed by it all.

Thanks for posting your experience. This does not bode well for anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line. To mitigate I'm planning to carry a bag or two of rock salt plus a small shovel in the truck anytime snow/ice is in the forecast. In addition to the salt being useful for melting ice or snow in front of the tires, it'll also put some extra weight over the rear axle. I also bought some lightweight snow chains off Amazon to carry in the trunk if I get in a spot like you were in. Not sure if any of this will help, but it can't hurt (except for a little bit of range loss from the extra weight of the salt).

 

[Sam1]

Thanks for posting your experience. This does not bode well for anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line. To mitigate I'm planning to carry a bag or two of rock salt plus a small shovel in the truck anytime snow/ice is in the forecast. In addition to the salt being useful for melting ice or snow in front of the tires, it'll also put some extra weight over the rear axle. I also bought some lightweight snow chains off Amazon to carry in the trunk if I get in a spot like you were in. Not sure if any of this will help, but it can't hurt (except for a little bit of range loss from the extra weight of the salt).

As a tip, floor mats work better than salt because you don't have to wait for the ice to melt.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Thanks for posting your experience. This does not bode well for anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line. To mitigate I'm planning to carry a bag or two of rock salt plus a small shovel in the truck anytime snow/ice is in the forecast. In addition to the salt being useful for melting ice or snow in front of the tires, it'll also put some extra weight over the rear axle. I also bought some lightweight snow chains off Amazon to carry in the trunk if I get in a spot like you were in. Not sure if any of this will help, but it can't hurt (except for a little bit of range loss from the extra weight of the salt).

Or get snow tires and be conservative with the change over.

There are other things you can do to help traction, shoveling out, cat litter or pieces of cardboard.

 

[Baluchi]

Or get snow tires and be conservative with the change over.

I'm in Missouri, so it's usually just about a week or two out of the year I have to deal with really bad road conditions. For that reason, I'm hoping I can get by without purchasing/installing/storing a second set of tires. I may totally change my tune later this winter, and maybe by next winter I'll be sporting a set of snow tires. If I were in the northeast, I'd definitely suck it up and get the extra gear though.

 

[Zacster]

I eventually got out the next morning, not by using any of the tricks mentioned, but by clearing the parking area of other cars and just going forward and out. As I looked I could see it was a big hump that I was trying to go over, and there was a car right next to mine limiting the wiggle room.

But I think the car locked up at seeing the snow behind it and didn't want to back into it. It was just a few inches of fluffy snow and any car would go right through it.

When it snows here in NYC we just leave the cars where they are and take the subway. The biggest problem is finding parking anywhere you go because it is all filled with snow, on the street and even parking lots.

 

[Leeclanual]

I eventually got out the next morning, not by using any of the tricks mentioned, but by clearing the parking area of other cars and just going forward and out. As I looked I could see it was a big hump that I was trying to go over, and there was a car right next to mine limiting the wiggle room.

But I think the car locked up at seeing the snow behind it and didn't want to back into it. It was just a few inches of fluffy snow and any car would go right through it.

When it snows here in NYC we just leave the cars where they are and take the subway. The biggest problem is finding parking anywhere you go because it is all filled with snow, on the street and even parking lots.

Buy an Autosock and throw it in your frunk… perfect for the situation you describe. They are designed to get you out of trouble so that you can get to a better road to dive on.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MS96JK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4MVCBEEF4Z0AVX3QCHQR

 

[Park2670]

My Model 3 is a RWD, and I have never gotten stuck in the snow (live in SLC, Utah). Always run snow tires, and always have run snow tires in the winter. Regardless of AWD, RWD, or FWD. Dont blame bad tires on the car, it does great with correct tires.

Saying the car is bad in the snow is like saying walking in flip flops in the snow was terrible and its the flip flops fault.

 

[Zacster]

My Model 3 is a RWD, and I have never gotten stuck in the snow (live in SLC, Utah). Always run snow tires, and always have run snow tires in the winter. Regardless of AWD, RWD, or FWD. Dont blame bad tires on the car, it does great with correct tires.

Saying the car is bad in the snow is like saying walking in flip flops in the snow was terrible and its the flip flops fault.

It isn't that it is bad in the snow, it is that I couldn't even push it out with 3 big guys trying because it wouldn't turn the wheels.

It is a big waste to me to have snow tires since I don't usually drive in the snow. I like the idea of the Autosock mentioned above for emergencies. Or chains. When I had chains I used them once in the years I had that car. And as I already said, in NYC I just don't take my car if it snows. I'm retired and have no need to ever go out in it. And even when I was working I took the long silver EV to work every day that I wasn't biking.

 

[zannman]

Sounds like you might have just been in a stuck situation where something like DYNO mode might have turned off enough electronic nannies to get you out.

What's lost on most posters is that the NYC climate (and mine) will have 5-10 days a year of potential driving on snow/ice pack. Hard to justify any snow tire solution with that little exposure.

 

[Park2670]

Sounds like you might have just been in a stuck situation where something like DYNO mode might have turned off enough electronic nannies to get you out.

What's lost on most posters is that the NYC climate (and mine) will have 5-10 days a year of potential driving on snow/ice pack. Hard to justify any snow tire solution with that little exposure.

The way the climate is going, that is the same thing happening here in SLC. I used to need my snow tires often, now its a few times per year. But they are very useful when the snow finally does fall.

 

[android04]

It started snowing this afternoon where I am in western MA and accumulated to about 3-4 inches unexpectedly. I had my car parked at my in-laws house which is ever so slightly tilted downward and I had to back out. I could only get a few feet before STOP came up on the console. I tried slip-start mode, went back and forth, tried having 3 people push and nothing could get me out. It wasn't all that much snow but I just couldn't get it up the little hump and the car kept sliding further over. The tires are the stock that come with the stock wheels. Inflation was normal when I left NYC to come up here but when I got here they were showing as low, all 4 at 36psi, possibly due to the cold. It wasn't like a gas car where you could gun it and spin the wheels, the car has controls that seem to prevent that, but that also makes pushing ineffective because the wheels stop turning.

The big worry was that even if I could get the car out the lack of traction would have been treacherous on the hill down to the main road, which itself was pretty icy.

I eventually just gave up and borrowed my mother-in-law's car, a Suburu all wheel drive and it had no problem at all. All of my prior cars were front wheel drive and didn't have much trouble either, but I didn't go in the snow much, and I was under the impression that with the battery weight the car would still have traction on the rear. I'm disappointed by it all.

Like others on here, I also have a RWD Model 3 LR and have no issues in the winter (about to drive in my 4th winter) because I have winter tires. I figured that I loved my car and myself and wanted the best traction no matter the conditions. Don't have issues even when going up a hill to my work parking lot when it's icy and it hasn't been salted yet. Just see the traction control light flash a few times and the car just keeps going. The tires make a huge difference unless. Only problem is deep snow.

As for the "STOP" that showed on your screen, that's part of the parking alerts and distance display that comes from the sonar sensors. The "STOP" is a suggestion to the driver to stop because it detects an obstacle, but it will not actually stop you from moving. Driving through taller grass will also display the alerts and "STOP", but never stopped me from going. It is possible that Tesla recently changed the behavior with an update, in which case the Obstacle Aware Acceleration setting might be killing some power to the motor when you see "STOP". My recommendation would be to turn off Obstacle Aware Acceleration in the settings. You can make a different driver profile for winter driving with Obstacle Aware Acceleration turned off. Some people like to also turn on Chill Mode and turn regen braking to "Low" if available.

Someone mentioned MPP's Party Box as a way to turn off traction control, but that's expensive (meant for track use). A cheaper alternative is to use the Ingenext Bonus Module or SR Module for the added Drift Mode. But you might as well just get winter tires. They cost more up front, but will cost the same in the long run because you are reducing the wear on your all-seasons during the winter. Finally, if you want a no-cost mode of turning off traction control in a pinch and temporarily, you can do that by unplugging one of the wheel speed sensors on the car. One of the front ones is probably the easiest to reach by turning the wheels so the way to the right and unplugging the driver side connector behind the wheel.

 

[ThomasD]

Hopefully the cybertruck will have a switch to turn traction control off

 

[tlr1000]

Moral of the story: use snow tires in the snow. Many people think it's ok to not use snow tires and can get by fine. That is only true if you keep your car parked when there's snow on the ground. If all-seasons give you the ability to move your car, it is a false sense of safety and will be noticed if you need to make emergency maneuvers. Having the proper snow tire in snowy conditions could mean the ability to stop several feet shorter which can make a difference.

Cost is one of the reasons many choose to forego snow tires but don't forget that for every 1000 miles you put on your snows is a 1000 miles of wear and tear you save on your summers so in the longterm the cost is nominal. What you will get is safety...worth the extra initial investment in my books. Off my soapbox.

 

[Ngothean]

I've driven a Civic and then a Camry for about 20 years in Canada (10 years in Calgary, 10 in Saskatoon), I got stuck in the snow once, but I could easily get out by myself with a shovel and some patience (about 2 hours). I bought my Tesla 3sr+ in March 21, up until Dec 21, it was wonderful. Since then I was stuck in snow 4 times, and when that happened, it was terrible. It took 4, 5 people to help me to push it out, once I even needed a tow truck. Even in the conditions where a lot of other sedans could go through easily, my car just sunk deeply in the snow and got stuck there, the snow was packed under the floor of the car. The problem is the low clearance and the weight. I do have winter tires but that did not help. I lived in a residential area, so the city will clear the snow only when the situation become extremely bad. My wife just cancelled her model Y. We decided to stick with her SUV until we can have the cybertruck (who knows when). I am always a fan of Tesla, but I don't think their cars (other than the cybertruck) was made for places like Saskatoon, unless you live in at least a collector road and don't have to go into a residential area.

 

[sjg98]

@Ngothean agreed
I think this is one of many legacies of sunny California based engineering team at Tesla..

 

[Zacster]

The thing that happened to me that annoyed me the most was that the car actually fought me from getting it out of the snow. It saw a small mound of snow behind it and it just stopped when any other car would've plowed right through it.