Would the Model Y Fishtail with the acceleration?

[Best_EV]

Agreed, but for skilled drivers in snow conditions always going a bit sideways, if one wishes to, is just so much fun!

 

[Midnightsun]

Agreed, but for skilled drivers in snow conditions always going a bit sideways, if one wishes to, is just so much fun!

Problem is the nanny takes over so skilled driving is useless because you are no longer in control. In my younger years my fun was to go out in the worst and biggest snow storms just because I love driving in the snow. Even did a few controlled 360's on the highway at about 60 mph, hand brake, steering wheel input and throttle and a bit of knowhow was all it took. Obviously did this when no one was around. Today that would be impossible as the roads are full 24/7 and we are uber nanny protected.

 

[Tha_Ape]

Agreed, but for skilled drivers in snow conditions always going a bit sideways, if one wishes to, is just so much fun!

I would always take my RWD car to a parking lot and turn off TC then have some fun during the first decent snowfall of the year (or torrential rain). It's good to practice car control and know what your (and your cars) limits are.

I think it's slightly more reckless to do on public roads, but I'd be lying if I said I've never done it.


Looking forward to the first snow fall this year. Gonna put the tesla in dynomode and have fun

 

[DanDi58]

I typically default to operator error when I read stuff like that Reddit post. NO car will rescue someone doing stupid stuff - driving too fast, doing donuts on public roads, etc. That's why you see these 4WD trucks off the road all the time in icy conditions. The driver assumes that the 4WD is going to be just fine in ice. Know your car's capabilities and adjust your driving style appropriately.

 

[mark95476]

People have been driving Teslas in snow and ice for years before the first MY was delivered.

Someone on here, or elsewhere, recommended creating a snow or bad weather driving profile with the proper settings (low reg, chill). I did so.

Having driven in the snow for over 45 years I must say the Y is the quirkiest of any AWD vehicle I have ever driven. Since the rear takes off slightly all the time if one accelerates too quickly on snow cover roads it is rather unnerving at first. Once one gets used to it no issue as the nanny control really does a good job of correcting in no time at all. Most people will not get used to this, the system is flawed. Best bet is to use chill mode and the least amount of regenerative braking possible. This issue would easily be resolved if it had a snow mode which would change the bias to front slippage as oppose to rear IMHO.

 

[roblab]

Problem is the nanny takes over so skilled driving is useless because you are no longer in control. In my younger years my fun was to go out in the worst and biggest snow storms just because I love driving in the snow. Even did a few controlled 360's on the highway at about 60 mph, hand brake, steering wheel input and throttle and a bit of knowhow was all it took. Obviously did this when no one was around. Today that would be impossible as the roads are full 24/7 and we are uber nanny protected.

One of my favorite memories is watching a Porsche do a total 360 on the highway next to me while driving in winter in Missouri, though it didn't look quite controlled. White faced with hands frozen to the wheel, he ended up facing the right way and still on the road. One thing I noticed was that one continues in the same direction when that happens, no matter which way the car is pointed, so he didn't interfere with the rest of the traffic.

 

[acarney]

Stop being cheap and put good tires on your $50k+ car. All season tires do NOT work well in winter weather. All season tires are mainly for low temperatures. Get a lot of water on the road or any amount of slush and snow and they just don't work nearly as well as everyone thinks. If you have standing water on the road you need to seriously slow down, especially with any tire designed for an EV, they just don't have the large deep tread blocks to pump that water away. If you are hydroplaning your car is literally not touching the road surface so to expect it to handle better in that condition is just kind of a joke. In addition, the Model Y tires are fairly wide, so you're more susceptible to hydroplaning and plowing through slush and snow. The car isn't "set up" wrong for winter or engineered poorly or anything, it's people not spending a little extra cash on the only part of the car that actually touches the ground.

The car is heavy, the tires are wide, and the car has a lot of power and torque. Get a good winter tire that can control those things. I run Michelin xIce SNOW for winter tire (any time I see average temps dropping below like 35F) and they're fantastic. Yes if you floor it off the line in the dry you'll get a half second or so of traction control every now and then, but largely you can drive like normal even with the soft and deep tread blocks. Get some water, slush, or snow on the road and the tires are great and very sure footed. You probably can't be speed racer still in those conditions, but honestly I don't even need to put the car into chill mode, I just drive like a normal human in those conditions and see very little difference. I'm even fine with full regen in most conditions. Occasionally coming up to a stop sign with regen with day or two old snow that's been glazed over the car will get a little unsettled, but that's for maybe a couple feet. It doesn't rotate and it doesn't lose control, you just can feel a little loss of traction over a couple spots (that likely are polished smooth packed snow/ice).

Even if you don't get snow every day a second set of winter wheels and tires are worth it. This isn't a $3,000 car that you barely can pay for so something like tires will break the bank. These are expensive cars; people should be able to afford $1,000 to $1,300 for a winter set of tires that will last 4+ years.

Trust me, all season tires just do not hold up in bad weather conditions. I don't care if they have the mountain and snowflake on them, all seasons are constantly poor performers in bad weather. If you adjust your driving style a lot then the all season tires might get you past a day or two of bad weather but if you have any kind of winter (at least a handful of snow days a year and weeks of temperatures down near freezing) invest in winter tires.

(Again, I consider all season tires to be a tire that is designed to not be damaged in winter conditions. Summer tires actually can NOT be used in freezing temperatures. The rubber compounds get too stiff and become a serious safety issue with lack of traction. In addition the compound can get damaged [crack] in the cold temperatures and this will damage the tire. All seasons have a compound designed to not be damaged in low temperatures and remain "safe enough" to drive. They work hard to get some specific wet and snow performance out of them, but that's just a little bonus, not the main point of the tire.)

 

[Midnightsun]

Trust me, all season tires just do not hold up in bad weather conditions. I don't care if they have the mountain and snowflake on them, all seasons are constantly poor performers in bad weather. If you adjust your driving style a lot then the all season tires might get you past a day or two of bad weather but if you have any kind of winter (at least a handful of snow days a year and weeks of temperatures down near freezing) invest in winter tires.

FYI, only dedicated snow tires have the mountain and snowflake on them however now we are seeing a new breed called "all weather" tires that have been approved for winter use and do carry the mountain/snowflake symbol. Never on an all season tires though. I run Nokian HAKKAPELIITTA R3 SUV dedicated winters on dedicated wheels by the way. Regardless, here in Quebec, Canada it is law to have winter approved tires on all fours come Dec 1st. Honestly feel much safer knowing the guy behind me can actually come to a stop about the same as I can when need be.

 

[avs007]

All season tires do NOT work well in winter weather. All season tires are mainly for low temperatures. Get a lot of water on the road or any amount of slush and snow and they just don't work nearly as well as everyone thinks. If you have standing water on the road you need to seriously slow down, especially with any tire designed for an EV, they just don't have the large deep tread blocks to pump that water away. If you are hydroplaning your car is literally not touching the road surface so to expect it to handle better in that condition is just kind of a joke.

This is a little misleading. Not all A/S tires are the same. Many are actually quite terrific in wet conditions, and have very good hydroplaning resistance.
Here is a video from one of my favorite tire reviewers, comparing the Michelin X-Ice Winters, with Pilot Sport 4S Summers and Pilot Sport A/S 4, all on the same car... The Pilot Sport A/S 4 is actually pretty decent in the snow, and not as terrible as you make A/S out to be. Still not a replacement for a winter if you really have a lot winter conditions to deal with, but for the folks that only see snow for a few days out of the year, it is more than sufficient.

X-Ice vs Pilot Sport A/S 4 vs Pilot Sport 4S

 

[acarney]

Those are still pretty bad. For an experienced driver on snow and ice (and honestly ICE is where these tires really should be tested, or hard packed and glazed snow, not powder) the Pilot Sport A/S (which already are better than the stock A/S tires) probably are fine. However, if you're inexperienced and coming from a vehicle that's much lower in power and torque I can see where even a good A/S would make for scary times. You don't want the car to step out when you're pulling away or anything like that, a full snow tire will go MUCH further to keeping the car stable. Honestly it shouldn't be that hard to get used to the throttle and adjust your driving for the snow, but say a spouse just takes the car out a couple times a year on bad winter days because it's AWD and their car isn't, I could see them getting into a lot more trouble with A/S than if it had snow tires.

Again, I kind of look at all season as good enough to get you out there and into trouble. If you're experienced with the snow and deal with it year in and year out (even if it's only a couple days a year) and you're used to the weight, power, and torque of the Model Y, sure, A/S is perfectly fine. If you're not used to it, or normally stay in even if there is only a little snow coming down and on the road but today you just HAVE to go out so you jump in the AWD Y instead of a little Ford Fusion, well the A/S might be pretty stressful for you.

I look at keeping the car ready for whatever. If you're in SoCal you probably don't need winter tires, but if you're up north where it's freezing or below from November to February, even if it's a dry area most times, just get some good winter tires. It'll keep you set for if you need to travel across some mountains to visit family, if you have a very wet winter out of the blue with a lot of snow, or if you decide you want to go skiing or something.

In my area of Washington state we usually only get about 3 to 4 inches of snow a year and that often melts in a day or two. But every now and then we get a bad winter with snow on the ground for a week or two and like 10 inches. In addition if I need to get to the otherside of the state for any reason we have some rough mountain passes to cross in the winter. This year I might need to cross it a bunch due to unexpected medical issues with a family member. Knowing I have some great winter snow tires just is one less thing to worry about, even if 90% of the winter is just cold dry roads. It's a bit of a hassle switching them, but you'll extend the life of your all season or summer tires and you'll have the best for the winter time. To me for expensive cars where the owners should be able to budget in something like $200/year to have a tire shop change over the tires and the upfront cost for a second set of tires for winter months it's so worth while, so so so worth while.

 

[avs007]

Just a matter of perspective... If it's cold and dry most of the time, winter tires tend to do worse than all season tires, so just because you're rolling on winters doesn't mean you have the "best" for winter, if there is no snow on the ground. I've also seen tests where winter tires can also do worse in wet/rainy conditions than an all season, But again, my main point earlier, is that not all tires are the same, regardless if it's A/S or winter, so simply saying like you did earlier, that A/S do not work in winter, was misleading. That was the only point I was making.

I live on the top of a hill, and have driven in plenty of packed/glazed snow on our hill over the years. I have NEVER needed to chain up to get up our hill. For the past 15+ years, I've mostly been rolling on some iteration of the Conti DWS. I even have a coworker that has the exact same car that I used to have, and he used to always lament about how he goes thru so many sets of chains just to make it up our hill. He's always been rolling on OEM A/S tires, or more recently the Eagle F1 Asymetric A/S or the older Pilot Sport A/S, both of which suck in the snow. I have also driven to Mt Hood to ski many times, even when there were carry traction devices/chain mandates. I haven't actually had to chain up yet. One time I even had to pull over, to let my friend following me chain up becuase they got stuck near the resort and couldn't make it up the hill.

Like I said, it doesn't snow enough around here for me to justify getting a dedicated winter tire. I see lots of people around me running studded tires from Oct thru March... Sure you can plan for the unexpected, but I personally think it is dumb to put on tires to make it so you can get better performance for the 2 days you might need it, while giving yourself worse performance for the rest of the time (mostly speaking about studded tires)... Every year, come halloween, I see everyone and their brother putting on studded tires on their cars, and then keeping it on until spring. One time it was still right before the cutoff for when you couldn't use studded tires, and the fool next to me at my kid's karate was running on studded snow tires, when it was sunny and almost 70 degrees outside, but still within the allowed time restrictions for studded tires...

For Cold/dry and Cold/Wet, A/S tires are perfectly fine, as well as the occasional snow, given you choose a good A/S. (100% of the people I've helped on our hill that got stuck, didn't have any idea what tires they had on their car. It was always whatever was cheapest, or whatever it came with). Honestly, if it only snows for a few days out of the year, you're better off just staying home anyways, regardless if you have winters... It's not so much what YOU are running, it's what EVERYONE ELSE is running that worries me when it snows. But regardless, I always carry chains just in case, which many around here don't even do that. Everything is a trade off... I'd rather just run a good A/S and carry chains just in case it gets too hairy, then swap to a winter tire and give myself worse performance for a good chunk of time just in case I need better performance for a tiny slice of time.

But of course, if you are planning on regular drives in snowy conditions, especially thru passes, then by all means, Winters make sense...

 

[avs007]

Also, you're in eastern Washington, so your weather is not as moderate as us plebes in the valley, so YMMV.

 

[acarney]

Just a matter of perspective... If it's cold and dry most of the time, winter tires tend to do worse than all season tires, so just because you're rolling on winters doesn't mean you have the "best" for winter, if there is no snow on the ground. I've also seen tests where winter tires can also do worse in wet/rainy conditions than an all season, But again, my main point earlier, is that not all tires are the same, regardless if it's A/S or winter, so simply saying like you did earlier, that A/S do not work in winter, was misleading. That was the only point I was making.

I live on the top of a hill, and have driven in plenty of packed/glazed snow on our hill over the years. I have NEVER needed to chain up to get up our hill. For the past 15+ years, I've mostly been rolling on some iteration of the Conti DWS. I even have a coworker that has the exact same car that I used to have, and he used to always lament about how he goes thru so many sets of chains just to make it up our hill. He's always been rolling on OEM A/S tires, or more recently the Eagle F1 Asymetric A/S or the older Pilot Sport A/S, both of which suck in the snow. I have also driven to Mt Hood to ski many times, even when there were carry traction devices/chain mandates. I haven't actually had to chain up yet. One time I even had to pull over, to let my friend following me chain up becuase they got stuck near the resort and couldn't make it up the hill.

Like I said, it doesn't snow enough around here for me to justify getting a dedicated winter tire. I see lots of people around me running studded tires from Oct thru March... Sure you can plan for the unexpected, but I personally think it is dumb to put on tires to make it so you can get better performance for the 2 days you might need it, while giving yourself worse performance for the rest of the time (mostly speaking about studded tires)... Every year, come halloween, I see everyone and their brother putting on studded tires on their cars, and then keeping it on until spring. One time it was still right before the cutoff for when you couldn't use studded tires, and the fool next to me at my kid's karate was running on studded snow tires, when it was sunny and almost 70 degrees outside, but still within the allowed time restrictions for studded tires...

For Cold/dry and Cold/Wet, A/S tires are perfectly fine, as well as the occasional snow, given you choose a good A/S. (100% of the people I've helped on our hill that got stuck, didn't have any idea what tires they had on their car. It was always whatever was cheapest, or whatever it came with). Honestly, if it only snows for a few days out of the year, you're better off just staying home anyways, regardless if you have winters... It's not so much what YOU are running, it's what EVERYONE ELSE is running that worries me when it snows. But regardless, I always carry chains just in case, which many around here don't even do that. Everything is a trade off... I'd rather just run a good A/S and carry chains just in case it gets too hairy, then swap to a winter tire and give myself worse performance for a good chunk of time just in case I need better performance for a tiny slice of time.

But of course, if you are planning on regular drives in snowy conditions, especially thru passes, then by all means, Winters make sense...

Yes, I'll totally give you that braking distance and handling usually is worse with full winter compounds compared to A/S. Personally I feel like those are more predictable situations than being on the snow with a vehicle that's unstable under acceleration etc. For someone like you that seems pretty educated with the tires than I think A/S are good. I guess I'm just sick of people that don't want to research or learn and just doesn't want a tire that slips when there is snow or ice. Those are the people I just try to shove towards a name brand snow tire (Bridgestone, Michelin, Conti, etc).

You clearly know your vehicle and how to adjust for conditions. Honestly, even with kinda crappy A/S tires you should be able to modulate the acceleration to avoid most fishtail situations when pulling away from stop lights and stuff... but if people are having those kinds of issues I just suggest full winter, lol.

 

[mypsandiego]

I've found that I've been able to kick the rear end out even in good conditions, tires and pressures. I was trying to though. I feel like I'm probably going much faster on said road than I would've in any fwd or rwd.

 

[Tha_Ape]

This is a little misleading. Not all A/S tires are the same. Many are actually quite terrific in wet conditions, and have very good hydroplaning resistance.
Here is a video from one of my favorite tire reviewers, comparing the Michelin X-Ice Winters, with Pilot Sport 4S Summers and Pilot Sport A/S 4, all on the same car... The Pilot Sport A/S 4 is actually pretty decent in the snow, and not as terrible as you make A/S out to be. Still not a replacement for a winter if you really have a lot winter conditions to deal with, but for the folks that only see snow for a few days out of the year, it is more than sufficient.

X-Ice vs Pilot Sport A/S 4 vs Pilot Sport 4S

all seasons are great in wet... not sure about cold and snow, but I felt like a god on the road course (not in my Tesla) when it rained and many others were using performance tires... passing people left and right... until a Subaru blew by me There's always a bigger fish!