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Winter Driving Experiences
- Thread starter kevincwelch
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
I'm really sad to read all this. I wanted the S to be my only car, but it looks like it can't be. I don't know what to do now when that finalize button appears.
+1...
:crying:
I'm slowly resigning myself to lease another ICE and wait for the X or an improved S...
Yes... It is a Great car and we are all just learning how to deal with some of these issues... (Not giving up as my main all year car... only had it four days!)
I am also sure TESLA will deal with most of these issues... (I had no fogging/ icing probelms in the COLD / snowy Toronto weather today... Just the high KWH values that finally did go away as the weather / traffic improved.)
I am also sure TESLA will deal with most of these issues... (I had no fogging/ icing probelms in the COLD / snowy Toronto weather today... Just the high KWH values that finally did go away as the weather / traffic improved.)
I would be very interested in seeing where the MS is marketed or suggested to perform better than a fwd vehicle in snow and ice. I agree that at least 1/2 of the market area for the MS has snow and ice concerns but high end performance rwd vehicles sell well there as well - with the realistic expectation that they are not going to perform very well in snow and ice. All I am saying is that the MS is not some kind of super car that is going to defy the laws of physics. One car cannot do everything well and there are compromises and trade-offs for performance vs utility vs economy vs luxury etc. - even in an EV as capable as the MS. If that wasn't the case we wouldn't need the Model X or Gen III or future AWD MS option.
I do totally agree that there are other serious winter concerns that the MS will need to address - and quickly.
ModelS1079
Member
Icy, slushy, snowy New England drive today in Model S, day Eleven.
Handled pretty well, I thought - once I learned not to gun the accelerator, to which I otherwise have quickly become addicted.
Real test tomorrow: Heading into 12-15 inches and the mountains. All-season tires. I Shall Return.
Handled pretty well, I thought - once I learned not to gun the accelerator, to which I otherwise have quickly become addicted.
Real test tomorrow: Heading into 12-15 inches and the mountains. All-season tires. I Shall Return.
I'm really sad to read all this. I wanted the S to be my only car, but it looks like it can't be. I don't know what to do now when that finalize button appears.
Hit the finalize button 12/23 and received my pre-MVPA today, but before singing it, I was thumbing through TMC and read all this. Very depressing. Seems like cold winter testing was an afterthought for Tesla, and it surely isn't going to go over well if people continue to have problems with door handles, fogging, doors/windows not closing and poor performance in modest snow.
Probably will hold out until spring to see what develops and how Tesla manages it. Luckily I do not need a new car, so I believe I can wait. I'm really bummed; I wanted this car...
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Report back quickly!
Yes! M_Mike is right. I have and have had many excellent RWD cars, but most higher performing ones cannot compete with a competent 4WD/AWD vehicle in snow and ice. I love my XJ8 but I don't make a practice of driving it in bad winter weather (even with Blizzaks) because I must travel in all weather conditions and therefore have made the wise choice to maintain a 4WD vehicle for those conditions and will do so when I get my MS. It is just a matter of reality that no one vehicle (or person) can be the best at everything.
That's rather overstating things. Negative comments in the forum about driving in snow have arisen from some very major snowstorms, not "modest snow".
Some people are reporting problems with the door handles, but we've already had colder conditions here than the vast majority of Tesla owners will ever see, and I've had no trouble so far.
Defogging could be improved, but you can make major improvements yourself simply by adjusting the HVAC system appropriately (the default settings are no good). Despite a major snowstorm I had no trouble with fogging today.
Doug, there are plenty of people here saying very mixed things about the Model S and its performance in the weather. I think at best the Model S could be described as inconsistently performing in cold weather. It may be firmware. It may be driving dynamics. It may be design. I hardly think it relates to the drivers. I have no reason to believe anyone on this forum is a neophyte when it comes to cold weather driving, and to have to go through some of these hoops just to get a functional vehicle just seems ridiculous. I just hope there are some solutions in the near future to these problems that are coming up.
Jgdixon
Active Member
I should clarify that was before it was shoveled. The snow was about 3-4 inches deep.
I do agree with Doug. It was a pretty bad snowstorm, the roads were still poorly plowed and the driving conditions were poor. I was concerned at the time with the defroster settings and wiper issues. The last few days have been fine. Hopefully Tesla can put some changes into effect.
i do not agree with others on this forum and TM that we should all panic and scare off other potential customers.
I do agree with Doug. It was a pretty bad snowstorm, the roads were still poorly plowed and the driving conditions were poor. I was concerned at the time with the defroster settings and wiper issues. The last few days have been fine. Hopefully Tesla can put some changes into effect.
i do not agree with others on this forum and TM that we should all panic and scare off other potential customers.
Beavis
Model S Signature 991
The Colorado perspective: I drove last night through some unexpected snow at 19F. The defroster worked. The doors worked as they should. I did have some pretty high energy usage as the car heated the battery pack and regen was restricted until the pack warmed up. I guess the only problem I did have was attributable to operator error. It was the first time I used the wipers and forgot the settings so I had to play with it a little. The snow was moderate but I was still a little nervous because I have the 21s on the car. It behaved better than I expected and I had no issues. No fishing, slipping, etc...Got up my driveway easily. The 21s actually had some stick to them in the cold, which I was not expecting. I thought they would be hard as a rock and have no grip at all.
My last car was a RWD Lexus and I used to drive that in the snow with some weight in the back. The S handles much, much better than that did. To me, the S seems to handle as well as a front wheel drive car in snow.
Let's be honest, though. I am not planning on driving the S when it snows since I have an AWD that I use for bad weather. My S is, after all, a rear wheel drive car with summer tires on it so I am not going to make a habit of what I did last night. In my experience, only a 4x4 or AWD with good tires works when the snow gets deep or conditions get icy and that only applies to acceleration or maintaining straight line speed. If you are trying to stop or turn on ice or otherwise slippery conditions, it really doesn't matter what you drive. You're better off staying home or driving a car that you don't care about putting into a ditch.
My last car was a RWD Lexus and I used to drive that in the snow with some weight in the back. The S handles much, much better than that did. To me, the S seems to handle as well as a front wheel drive car in snow.
Let's be honest, though. I am not planning on driving the S when it snows since I have an AWD that I use for bad weather. My S is, after all, a rear wheel drive car with summer tires on it so I am not going to make a habit of what I did last night. In my experience, only a 4x4 or AWD with good tires works when the snow gets deep or conditions get icy and that only applies to acceleration or maintaining straight line speed. If you are trying to stop or turn on ice or otherwise slippery conditions, it really doesn't matter what you drive. You're better off staying home or driving a car that you don't care about putting into a ditch.
My S will (not sure anymore now that I hear all of those stories) have to climb a 5 feet upward driveway every morning since my garage is at the basement level. I was not able to try the car, I was not able to test it in snow and not able to test it going up my driveway. Moreover, I was expecting I could use the car to drive to my favorite Mountain to ski on weekends when no snow was forecasted (I have a 4x4 for these conditions).
Accordingly, any report that leads me to think I won't be able to exit my driveway, defrost/remove fog the inside of the car, get back in the car in the cold unplugged after a day of ski with a decent SoC and all this with a $100K is catching my attention.
My idea is not made up as of yet but I went from "Please send me my paperwork" to "I have until Jan 19th to sign and REQUIRES Tesla to convince me they will act on the many issues we outlined previously".
Accordingly, any report that leads me to think I won't be able to exit my driveway, defrost/remove fog the inside of the car, get back in the car in the cold unplugged after a day of ski with a decent SoC and all this with a $100K is catching my attention.
My idea is not made up as of yet but I went from "Please send me my paperwork" to "I have until Jan 19th to sign and REQUIRES Tesla to convince me they will act on the many issues we outlined previously".
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Pat,
I feel exactly the same way as you. This will be my only car. I don't have a 4x4 as backup. I really don't know what to think now... wait for the X?
Argh.
Folks,
I've decided that I will not post any more updates of my snow experience. I did this to help potential buyers not become frustrated with the car in harsh winter conditions. I'm starting to get criticized (especially on TM board) for doing this and it's the beginning of the end for me. Too many people are saying things in different context. The reality is that I got stuck in the middle of a hill, a Civic and a Saab passed me. If it would have been my wife, it could have been dangerous.
Also, the car fogs, heating is barely non-existant in the back, windows have issues with ice.
Most people I know are buying their Model S as their only car. One thing fore sure is that my close friends in Quebec will wait for AWD and cold weather improvements.
Good luck to you all.
PatP
Tesla Model S Signature owner
Roadster owner - (with full winter usage)
I've decided that I will not post any more updates of my snow experience. I did this to help potential buyers not become frustrated with the car in harsh winter conditions. I'm starting to get criticized (especially on TM board) for doing this and it's the beginning of the end for me. Too many people are saying things in different context. The reality is that I got stuck in the middle of a hill, a Civic and a Saab passed me. If it would have been my wife, it could have been dangerous.
Also, the car fogs, heating is barely non-existant in the back, windows have issues with ice.
Most people I know are buying their Model S as their only car. One thing fore sure is that my close friends in Quebec will wait for AWD and cold weather improvements.
Good luck to you all.
PatP
Tesla Model S Signature owner
Roadster owner - (with full winter usage)
Zax123, Jeeps17 and others
let's wait a couple of days/week to see other reports and see how how TM responds to PatP's story. I am supposed to talk to two current owners between today and next week to get their feeling.
We should all email TM with our concerns and ask them to come up with solutions like a "Snow Driving mode", better defrost capabilites (additional side vent), better information on plugged and unplugged cold management when the car is parked.
let's wait a couple of days/week to see other reports and see how how TM responds to PatP's story. I am supposed to talk to two current owners between today and next week to get their feeling.
We should all email TM with our concerns and ask them to come up with solutions like a "Snow Driving mode", better defrost capabilites (additional side vent), better information on plugged and unplugged cold management when the car is parked.
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PatP,
Please don't fold to the pressure of critics of your criticism. I was clicking finalize up until I read your comments and I think you saved me and potentially many other readers a lot of frustration. I am very grateful for that but very sad that I most likely won't get the S anymore.
Please don't be intimidated by these people. You have the right to describe your truthful experiences and thank you again for doing so.
Rob
There's truthful experience and there's scare tactic subject lines. The TM forum thread is obnoxious, especially before dealing with the issue through Tesla. There are a lot of positive winter experiences, some from the very same area and snowstorm. While there might be an issue with one car, it hardly seems that all cars are at fault. Driving off people because of a single experience seems rude to me. I seem to recall the deep puddle outrage recently that was fixed in firmware and solved by actually contacting Tesla. Perhaps the correct response might have been to get someone from Tesla to bring out another S for comparison or to drive yours in the same circumstance before flying off the handle with multiple cross posts on multiple forums?
Saabs are some of the absolute best 2WD winter cars there is. They are FWD with most of the weight over the front wheels. I would be very surprised if a performance RWD sedan could beat one, EV or not.
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