What to do with flooded streets? how high?

[Mrcarcrazy]

Seeking advice on driving through water. I have a 3. We often drive on the valley ford franklin school road in Marin, that has water continuously running across road, about 6 inches deep. Is it ok to drive through it, ir just stupid and can long term damage to the underbelly and motors? There is a longer route to avoid it if necessary. Thsnks

If it can be avoided, best practice is to avoid it. 6inches is a decent amount of water. Flat bottom cars love to float...which is all fun and games until you end up where you didn’t want to be and/or dead.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Seeking advice on driving through water. I have a 3. We often drive on the valley ford franklin school road in Marin, that has water continuously running across road, about 6 inches deep. Is it ok to drive through it, ir just stupid and can long term damage to the underbelly and motors? There is a longer route to avoid it if necessary. Thsnks

I looked on a map and can’t find the continuous water crossing.

Are you sure it is 6 inches? That is a lot.

The weather service would tell you “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”

6 inches of rushing water will knock over an adult, and 12 inches will carry away most cars.

Your situation sounds more tame (most of the time) but that’s why I tried to find it on a map.

If it is just a few inches of placid water (not 6 inches), I would just drive SLOWLY through it. You will damage the car and lose aero covers by going through it at speed.

The car assemblies are largely sealed against water intrusion (goretex breathers, etc on the motor units), but it is not a boat.

 

[SammichLover]

Check out this youtube channel Rich Rebuilds if you want to see what happens when the water gets in/above the battery..

Keeping in mind those are older Model S packs. Those, especially the earlier versions, were very poorly sealed. The Model 3 pack is a different beast in a lot of ways, including a lot of the electronic/electric support gear now being sealed inside the pack.

I've driven extended 5"+ of standing water, which means the bottom of the pack and rocker panels were slightly below surface. There were actually road signs ahead warning of the water, and no manhole cover popped potentials, so no "how deep is it" risk. I also had a vehicle ahead of me confirming the depth. It was standing and not temporary flowing, and so was actually clear enough to see the paint lines. The biggest issues are the rear bumper and potentially the Aero caps, both can pop off if you're driving too fast and forcing too much water through them.

I've never found a true "official maximum water depth" number. As others have mentioned though, once you get to the point that it is at the bottom of your pack you're now getting into a large amount of buoyancy meaning you have less grip and if the water is flowing across your travel you risk getting pulled off the road into much deeper water. Also if you can't see through the water you don't necessary now how deep it truly is.

 

[DrDabbles]

Seeking advice on driving through water. I have a 3. We often drive on the valley ford franklin school road in Marin, that has water continuously running across road, about 6 inches deep. Is it ok to drive through it, ir just stupid and can long term damage to the underbelly and motors? There is a longer route to avoid it if necessary. Thsnks

Advice: Don't. Anybody driving any car through 6 inches of water regularly is going to end up needing repairs much sooner than people not driving through water like this. And then you have the danger of actually driving through moving water. It takes very little water to cause a car to drive off course, float, and be washed off the road into deeper water. People die like this. Don't play with moving water, don't drive through standing water unless there's no other choice.

 

[SammichLover]

Advice: Don't. Anybody driving any car through 6 inches of water regularly is going to end up needing repairs much sooner than people not driving through water like this. And then you have the danger of actually driving through moving water. It takes very little water to cause a car to drive off course, float, and be washed off the road into deeper water. People die like this. Don't play with moving water, don't drive through standing water unless there's no other choice.

Yeah, 6" is a good 1" of boat floating displacement going on with a factory configured Model 3. Because of how flat the bottom of the car is that's displacing maybe 190 liters or so, which would make the car the equivalent of just North of 400lb lighter. In motion the water getting forced under your wheels will also lift the car up some. With flowing water it'll also have that 1" ledge along the whole side to push sideways on, and that force adds up fast. Depending on the road crown and such suddenly you can end up getting shoved into the ditch where things can get very bad, to the point of being fatal.

 

[MSP2023]

So, we have a lot of opinions on this topic but opinions are just opinions.
Summer is here and so are the thunderstorms.
What is considered a "safe" level of standing water a Tesla Model 3 can traverse?
Most people buy the Model Y for the space and the higher seating.
I know an added benefit would also be a greater ground clearance which would come in very handy when driving through flooded streets.

Does anyone on this forum know anyone from Tesla with some technical background that could chime in.
Again, please don't reply..." if you think the water is too deep, then turn around".

I'm sure all Tesla owners would want to know if they are going/coming from work and because of traffic or some other situation it is impractical to take another route to avoid going through the water. Also, if driving in traffic on multi lanes it may be impossible to turn around because of the center divide.

I had a Prius and I was leaving work and got caught in flooded waters because of a broken water main which I believe empirically was 7"-8"+ of water. I observed where the water level was in the cars ahead and it was up to the middle of the wheel for some cars. Given that most cars nowadays have 16"+ diameter wheels, half that plus half of a inch and a quarter for the tire, we are looking at over 81/2" !! Fortunately, I successfully drove through the flooded water and eventually had to drive on the sidewalk to avoid deeper water. No issues occurred with the Prius since the battery is inside the car.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks!

 

[SammichLover]

Again, please don't reply..." if you think the water is too deep, then turn around".

Actual; If you have any concern the water is too deep, turn around.

This was fine:

Hey, Hey, My, My

Probably about the limit I'd do for dead still standing water for that much distance. Probably wouldn't do it with significant cross flow, in no small part because it'll be tougher to see how deep it is. You can see from the photos this was like I was taking the train in Spirited Away.

You aren't going to get an official Tesla statement, and the semi-official is "hey, it can function as a boat for a short period" which is even less useful from a safety POV.

The basic physics I laid out above still covers it about as good as it gets. Anything past 5" starts significantly dropping your grip with the road, even when your vehicle is standing still.

My guess is that past maybe 7" for an extended period with forward motion and you're starting to risk getting water water pushed up into the bottom of the cabin, and that's not going to be anything good for the longterm health of your vehicle.

The biggest problem remains that if you can't see at all times how deep it is you don't know if you're about to drive into a sinkhole or the hole where the manhole cover used to be before it got blown out.

 

[fajitamondays]

I've forded deep water once in my Model 3, but wouldn't do it again after seeing how low some electrical connections are to the motors (I know they're likely sealed to be water resistant). In the attached photo, look at the axle shaft for reference. There's also a fair amount of felt panels/trim on the bottom of the car that doesn't look like it would handle the weight of pooled up water very well.

 

[SammichLover]

I've forded deep water once in my Model 3, but wouldn't do it again after seeing how low some electrical connections are to the motors (I know they're likely sealed to be water resistant). In the attached photo, look at the axle shaft for reference. There's also a fair amount of felt panels/trim on the bottom of the car that doesn't look like it would handle the weight of pooled up water very well.

Agreed. Just sitting there isn't a big issue (although for an extended period it is for corrosion). Driving at speed into water can cause hydrostatic pressure which can simulate submersion to a much deeper depth, which is a very different situation than what that water resistance is meant for. You've got that fiber air dam to help deflect but getting in deeper I wouldn't be sure about how the water is going to start swirling in there.

 

[MSP2023]

I've forded deep water once in my Model 3, but wouldn't do it again after seeing how low some electrical connections are to the motors (I know they're likely sealed to be water resistant). In the attached photo, look at the axle shaft for reference. There's also a fair amount of felt panels/trim on the bottom of the car that doesn't look like it would handle the weight of pooled up water very well.

Thanks for the heads up fajitamondays!

This can be quite disconcerting to owners of the Model Y. You purchase a SUV Ev and expect it to perform like a SUV but it cannot.
I was thinking of trading up to the Model Y in a few years when I get tired of having to bend to sit in the car. I currently have a 4Runner and its so much easier to slide into the seat + when it pours I have no concern whatsoever. Maybe I'll consider the cybertruck at that time.
Still waiting to hear from some Tesla expert to provide some good info on acceptable water levels to drive through in our cars.

 

[SammichLover]

You purchase a SUV Ev and expect it to perform like a SUV but it cannot.

You're driving through water up to the tailpipe? Aiieeeee!

Still waiting to hear from some Tesla expert to provide some good info on acceptable water levels to drive through in our cars.

LOL

P.S. I think you're in the wrong forum. This isn't for the Model Y, it is the Model 3 forum. EDIT: And the Model Y isn't really an SUV, it, like the Model X, is more a tall-ish crossover. Of course you could do an $500 aftermarket lift kit to get the Model Y's clearance up to nearly 8.5" if you cared to.