How Does The Tesla Model 3 Handle Snow?

Is The Tesla Model 3 Good In The Snow? How Tesla's AWD Works

The Tesla Model 3 Mid-Range and Long Range AWD both come with all season tires. The Model 3 Performance comes with summer tires. Either way, ideally you'll want winter tires for snow driving. Tesla offers various options through their website for 18, 19, and 20 inch wheels with winter tire pairings. This video will discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each tire selection, as well as other options.

The AWD system consists of two independent electric motors, each sending power through open differentials to an individual axle (both front and back). There are also differences in ground clearance between the various model 3 variants, which will be discussed. Slip start and track mode will also be tested. How well will the Model 3 handle snow? Check out the video for full details.

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[EngineeringExplained]

Lots of comments saying I'm full of nonsense about open differentials having a 50/50 torque split! And while it's true that I've made plenty of mistakes, this fortunately isn't one of them. Here's some great content clarifying why locked differentials have varying torque splits, and why open diffs are always 50/50.

[lfla]

Porsche owners: where are all the winter tires gone?
Tesla owners: we bought them, they just fit.

[lster]

I love the fact that he is conducting a winter driving demo on a very curvy iced over road with no guardrails to protect from certain death!!!!

[tipoomaster]

Snow tires are definitely number one. As a Professional Canadian™, if you're in a province that doesn't require them you can always see which idiots didn't get them on the first heavy snowfall, slipping every which way, while almost any old car with good snow tires does fine.


A Yaris with winters on will plod up a hill better than a jeep without winter tires. Secondary to that is car weight and other features, and of course driver attention is always important.

[BudrickGaming]

Why am i watching this. I live in Florida, I am 31, and have never seen snow in my entire life...

[rigormortis]

Jason, you failed to mention Winter Driving Factor #4 (the most influential factor of all): The big nut behind the steering wheel!

[drprzulj]

09:33 so you exit on passenger side? :)

[kam_iko]

sidenote: central europe - michelin, pirelli and continental 235/35R20 winter tires are readily available here.

[montgomerybojangles]

Up here in Canada we call what you're driving on slush. It's what happens after the salt/sand trucks and plows have been out.
Ice is what we play hockey on.

[JohnComeOnMan]

Score on the tire treasure hunt! Thanks for sharing.

[DanielPaltinel]

I knew I wanted a Model 3,
18 min later...
.
.
.
Now I really need it :D

[wesrobinson]

This is one of the best Tesla reviews for those of us that use a car in snow. Sometimes when I swap my tires at Halloween, often the tire guys say you don't need it. Then I show them where i drive and on the snow tires and rims go. As a volunteer firefighter, getting stuck in snow is not an option. I had been debating on the model 3, this sold me big time on it.

[BlakeTsuhako]

Thanks for posting this! I bought an M3P last year and live in Utah. Just purchased some new wheels and Nokian winter tires, and great to see that the car is still a ton of fun in the snow

[ecospider]

I got the T sportsline 18" TST Flow Forged Tesla Wheel and Michelin Xice3. I have never been in a car that handles so well in the snow and ice.

There is a 40 foot ice slick on the hill right in front of my house. Most cars and trucks get half way then slide down sideways. My wife has done the same spot over 10 times with not a single slip of the tires. It’s amazing.

[HeidiandFranny]

We have found the same thing... the 3.2 Carrera has the Alpins and they are really good. Great on super cold and dry too (which is most of the winter here). The 996TT has the Pirelli (285s on the rear can be hard to find) and they are pretty good, but I would rank them below the Michelins, We had Blizzaks in the Boxster and MINI and they are the best on black ice, but hard and noisy and wear super fast. Depends a bit on your area a lot. Wow! Really pretty ride :) Super cool to learn more about the Tesla. Great video! Thanks!

[thmountainvet]

Glad you mentioned the importance of tires and clearance.

[ralr]

What a beautiful environment to drive through while filming. Thank you.

[segredosdotiosam]

I lived in New England for 15 years. After I got stuck in a snowstorm I learned a lesson that changed my life. Have a good all-wheel drive car and a dedicated set of rims with snow tires ready to change for the winter. On my second huge snow storm, I was navigating around stuck cars on I-495 driving an Audi A4 Wagon with snow tires. Thing was a tank. Helped an young couple take a baby to the Hospital and an old lady that abandoned her car

[DavidA-tpsp]

im glad i live in florida and can run the same tires all year long

[alexisstarsmith]

Hey I'm dead set sold on Subi AWD!!! no other system covets synergy like it. I haven't watched this vlog yet however I would love to see a worthy contender - and on with me watching this
Thank you so much in advance for this opportunity to review your engineering perspective on Tesla