Tesla model 3 slides on sloppy roads in parked position in London snow?

[SpareHeadOne]

As others have noted this isn't limited to Tesla and it doesn't seem to be because it's "heavy" either.

Here's a video of a Fiesta sliding away in snow, complete with misleading caption saying the "driver forgot to put it in park", when we can be pretty sure it's a manual and you can see that the rear wheels do not rotate suggesting that the handbrake is on.

I suspect this is a combination of pressure from the weight of any vehicle, heat from warm tyres and gravity.

The plugged-in Tesla might be heat from the battery when charging, but I don't enough background on that particular story to say, it could just be the same thing.

I work with a guy who told me many years ago that when it snows he has to park on the street as his drive slopes towards his house and he's had a car slide into the garage door on previous occasions, so it's definitely not a new phenomenon.

 

[AndyS3]

It has got foook all to do with the car. Any car will slide if parked on snow on a steep gradient. Why didn't you clear the snow from under wheels or chock securely?

 

[ACarneiro]

It has got foook all to do with the car. Any car will slide if parked on snow on a steep gradient. Why didn't you clear the snow from under wheels or chock securely?

To be fair to the OP, we are not that used to snow and hard ice any more these days. This is a failure mode I wouldn’t have predicted, personally. I had no idea stationary cars could just spontaneous start sliding down a ramp...
I do now!

 

[Glan gluaisne]

In some places it's mandatory to kerb the front wheels to reduce the impact of this happening. Kerbing the wheels means parking at the roadside with the front wheels turned inwards towards the kerb, to reduce the chance of the car sliding too far downslope. I believe that it's normal practice to issue a traffic violation ticket for anyone that fails to park like this is some places.

 

[init6]

A 320's kerb weight is listed as 1510Kg and even a RWD Model 3 is over 1700Kg with the M3P at 1800+.

Yeh, but once you add the 'optional' extras

 

[jbcarioca]

Years ago I lived in Hempstead near the top of a hill. I took delivery of a new Rover 3500 at LHR on arrival from a trip. All was well. Snow ensued. I arrived at my house, parked and watched my new car slide until it stopped against a barrier on Finchley Road. Bizarrely there was zero damage..

in short that had nothing at all to do with Tesla.

 

[PACEMD]

Is it true that in the UK the snow is on the opposite side of the street? If so that might have something to do with it..........

 

[SmartElectric]

(1) My car which was parked which was parked on my house drive which has a slight gradient
(2) a cm of snow/ slush under the tyres
(3) vehicle manual it clearly stated that model 3 is not suitable for parking on slopes under snowy conditions
(4) option of selecting winter tyres. Who would think of taking winter tyres for London!

1+2+3+4=10 You get a perfect 10 score for failing to see the obvious.
Next test will be harder, it will be signing the cheque for the repairs and blaming the pen when you make a mistake on your signature.

 

[Cnixon]

Do any other car makers tell you not to park on a snowy slopes. Or is it because its US regs. Like "when Cruise Control is on you cannot climb in the back for a cup of tea" (in camper van owners manual)

 

[arg]

I wonder if winter tyres will makes any difference to sliding when parked. The car / tyre will simply slide when the grip/friction goes at the point of contact. The grove design with winter tyres which helps disperse snow does not get to act because the wheel is not turning.

The tread design isn't the only feature of winter tyres: the rubber is significantly different also, and that would be the significant effect in this case (or in any situation of packed snow/ice rather than loose snow).

 

[NMahan]

I am attaching the photo the day my car slid and a photo three weeks after the incident. It clearly the car did not roll but slid despite the rear tyres in locked position as you can see the tyre marks,
It was not the ice which was the problem. I have been parking my cars in this drive for years without having any problem

 

[init6]

I would say it was the ice that was the problem. You can clearly see the slide marks in the snow. Can you take a photo directly from the side, looks a fairly steep drive. Not as steep as mine, but I'd never park my car on the drive without first clearing it of ice/snow.

 

[MrBadger]

@NMahan - the clear patch under the car.

Was the car parked before the snow so the clear patch was shielded from the snow - snow drifted beneath such as where tyre tracks are?
or
was the car parked on snow and the clear patch beneath due to it melting?

 

[AudubonB]

My guess would be it’s down to weight and tyres.

There is zero reason to guess - that is exactly and irreproachably what happened. As other posters have noted, the vehicle being a Tesla has absolutely nothing to do with this event. Take those tires (oops ; Alaskan here. tyres) and place atop them a similarly weighted brick, bag of feathers, other vehicle - and precisely the same result will occur.

 

[Peteski]

View attachment 636660 View attachment 636661 I am attaching the photo the day my car slid and a photo three weeks after the incident. It clearly the car did not roll but slid despite the rear tyres in locked position as you can see the tyre marks,
It was not the ice which was the problem. I have been parking my cars in this drive for years without having any problem View attachment 636660

It definitely was the ice. The Tesla may be slightly more prone to this happening than a lighter car, but not much. There are plenty of much heavier cars/SUVs that may also have slid down your drive on summer tyres.

One factor that might make the Tesla slightly more prone to sliding is that it is effectively parked in neutral, so the front wheels are free to roll. If you previously had AWD or FWD cars and parked them in gear then the front wheels might have stopped the car from sliding if they had some grip, instead of just free rolling.

The Fiesta in the post further up has also been parked in neutral. Had it been in gear, it probably would have held with all 4 wheels resisting the slide.

 

[PACEMD]

Take those tyres and place atop them a similarly weighted brick, bag of feathers, other vehicle - and precisely the same result will occur.

I don't think so. We all know a pound of feathers is much lighter than a pound of bricks. That's just science right there.........

 

[AudubonB]

Rats! Caught out again!