Besides CT, what Tesla is best in snow/ice?

[MyOtherTruck]

Thinking about getting another Tesla vehicle. Outside the ice covered lights and inability to open my drink or tailgate, the cyber truck is incredible in the snow and ice. It doesn’t have snow mode but slippery is good and off road mode when my hill is iced over works amazing.

But - how are other teslas? Do doors and trucks get iced up? I’m considering the X (and putting it on Blizzaks). I think full wings would be a bad idea tho. Does the X have snow mode?

Any one have both a CT and another product?

Sponsored

 

[llllIIlIIlIlIllII]

My X (with snow tires) is fantastic.

 

[Outdoors]

I would say most Tesla's do pretty great in snow. Assuming one has snow tires. Low CG is one great thing. Another is the reduction of linkages to the wheels. Everything is pretty much direct drive and therefore almost ABS like when it comes to slowing a wheel down or speeding one up.

One caveat would be the original Roadster. I am sure someone has done it, but I would pass on that for the winter time.

S for me is a monster at winter cross country travel. Doesn't like wind drift snow across highway in the dark however.

Even our 3RWD with snow tires does great.

 

[Lasttoy]

In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland they prefer the Y. They have real winters.

 

[webspeedracer]

Thinking about getting another Tesla vehicle. Outside the ice covered lights and inability to open my drink or tailgate, the cyber truck is incredible in the snow and ice. It doesn’t have snow mode but slippery is good and off road mode when my hill is iced over works amazing.

But - how are other teslas? Do doors and trucks get iced up? I’m considering the X (and putting it on Blizzaks). I think full wings would be a bad idea tho. Does the X have snow mode?

Any one have both a CT and another product?

We had an early X and S, both excellent in the snow. The X falcon doors made it very difficult to carry skis on the roof (I eventually mounted a rooftop box on a swingarm Yakima hitch). The falcon doors also suck in bigger storms, when opening the FWD and the rear hatch at the same time, you’ll get snow or liquid dropping into the middle seats from the rear glass. Amazing in snow with legit snow tires though.
The Plaids and Performance Y have Track Mode which can function like CTs off-road modes, and the Plaids have Tri-motor.

 

[HaulingAss]

In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland they prefer the Y. They have real winters.

Wait...I thought EVs were no good in the winter. Why would all the northernmost countries prefer the Model Y, an electric car?

Ha-ha. Kidding, obviously. Seriously, I think the best Tesla in the snow is the the one with the best winter tires. Assuming all models are equipped with tires having the same winter traction, the Model 3 Performance has the least ground clearance but the best performance on snow/ice. That's because it has AWD, it's the lightest AWD Tesla, it has the lowest center of gravity, and it has adaptive dampers for better sensitivity to whatever conditions present. It also has Track Mode if you want to have some fun and fine-tune the power delivery. Of course an AWD Model 3 is just about the functional equivalent, but without the adaptive suspension and track mode.

I've seen people pretend like the flush door handles of the 3&Y are a problem in the winter, but I've had our Model 3's in the most extreme ice storms (with the entire vehicle coated in a plating of clear ice) and never had a problem. I just whack the closed fist of my gloved hand all the way around the perimeter of the door I want to open, and the handle of the door, and it always opens up within 15 seconds. Of course, that is only if I didn't have time to defrost the car first.

For deep winter snow, there is no doubt the Cybertruck is the best. Because ground clearance is king if you want to drive through deep, untracked snow.

 

[BrockN]

I preferred my 2015 Model S (85D) over our '23 Y Dual Motor. Same Nokian winter tires. The wider stance, low center of gravity and what I perceive to be a larger polar moment of inertia, made the S really good on challenging surfaces. Possibly the best vehicle I've ever had in slippery conditions, without including the CT (the Duratracs are good, but they're not Hakka's...).

 

[StanMI]

Our X has been a great Winter vehicle. Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires.

Sponsored