M3 Highland RWD Winter Performance

Tesla's handle snow like champs, RWD and AWD alike it's super nice. I've called both my RWD and AWD snowmobiles when I take them on the snowy roads.

If we keep it real for a second here: Anything with proper winter tires will perform good in snow. But I have to agree, the traction control and weight distribution of my RWD Model 3 make it extra enjoyable, which cannot be told of every car with winter tires.

So many people forget their tires are the only thing that actually touches the ground. You put some winter tires on many RWD cars and they are going to do well. You put winters on a RWD electric vehicle.. and the extra weight and smooth power delivery are going to work extremely well. Just 4 days ago, we installed Michelin Cross-Climate 2 on my wife's RWD ID.4 and yesterday we got 15" of snow. I cannot wait to drive that car to see how much of a difference just tire switch alone makes.

EVs are generally quite good in bad weather. Not just Tesla ones. Electric drive train means no ICE engine spool times, very precise and immediate feedback from the electric motors and not a long drivetrain with lots of sloppy joints to induce lag in power.

The ability for the car to cut/add power to the wheels fast is what matters. That's where an EV shines without a long-ass power train setup with tons of different spots for lag to be induced. Moving the tires precisely gets a LOT more out of them than what you imply when you say "only the tires touch the ground". That's disingenuous.

It’s the tires more than the car. I had winter tires on my model Y in Chicago and it could get through anything. I now have cross climate 2 because I got tired of swapping and they did great in the recent snowfall. The original all season tires were fine but definitely got sketchy in freezing temps and heavy snow. Edit: add comment on OG tires.

Put some summer tires on an AWD Tesla and let me know how well that sophisticated traction control works in the snow. I can tell you from my own 1st hand experience.. that my very own 2021 MYSR (Model Y Standard Range RWD) couldn’t even make it up my own driveway.. into my garage wearing Michelin Pilot Sport A/S4 measuring 8/32” tread. I had to leave the car sitting sideways overnight in driveway. I stick by what I said. Tires are the only thing that touch the ground. Plenty of ICE vehicles also perform wonderfully in the snow with winter tires. That includes RWD. They just need some weight over rear axle. Pickup trucks with extra weight in the bed.. have been doing this for decades. Don’t even get me started on snow chains.

what tires are you using for your highland?

I agree. I run on 20’ inch rims on my TM3 SR with Hankook Winter I*cept EVO3 and I just plow through whatever amount of snow, without any problems at all

> With a set of winters tires This is the key, 100%. Put new winter tires on basically any vehicle and you'll feel unstoppable.

Michellin X-Ice Snow XL 18” They have been pretty good so far and I’m happy with the purchase. However, a few weeks ago when it was above 45F they struggle quite a bit with warm weather.

I've only driven in the south. How exactly do they struggle?

I have studded winter tires on my little FWD car. I am not even remotely close to unstoppable on BC mountain roads. Inclines are what get you.

Tires make a huge difference…. I’m in stock tires and all I can say is…. It sucks…

I have these tires too but only noticed issues above 25C. The rubber compound is meant to remain flexible for grip in the winter it therefore is extra flexible in warmer conditions. You can feel this as turn in being less precise.

Check out [Out of Spec Reviews](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwhbIOipXQ) recent video they did on FSD in the snow. It did amazingly well.

I think the best way to describe it is that it feels like driving on flat tires. Turns and lanes changes feel very sluggish, it even struggles to get grip in accelerating from full stop.

Thanks for the answer lol. Was just curious, so I figured I would ask.

My RWD M3 is just as good as my jeep! Why is this so?!

Tbh I don't know how they have tested because it has never done great in my case. Out of spec's video even made me doubt, so I tested again, and ended up in a safety critical disengage nearly instantly (clip on my latest post)

The issue with Teslas is that they bottom out quick. Need to keep momentum going or you will get stuck. 24 inches of snow the other day, with chains, with CC2s (with only 10k miles on them). I crushed through about 7-8in of fresh snow, even on a hill. Anything more than that and I needed to dig myself out a a bit. On the other hand, my fiancée’s VW Taos with CC2s in first gear charges through that shit. Helps that the tires on the VW are slightly thinner so they cut better. (235 vs the teslas 255)

I have a 26 model 3 performance and it wouldn’t slip or drift in 4 inches of snow in Charlotte with a 25 miles sharp turn. I attempted many times on an empty parking lot nearby

Even my M3P crushed snow/ice duty on summer rubber… did better than my AWD GX460 on Wildpeaks.

I have the Michelins too. And I second the warm weather struggle. I think that's true with any winter tire though. During the warm weather I was thinking about going for a performance winter tire for better dry handling. However after all the snow we just got I'm having second thoughts. I'll probably just get whatever is cheaper, which is why I got the Michelins

It's very mushy and you break traction easily. It just all around feels bad to drive. The tradeoff is when it snows you feel unstoppable, which is a great feeling to have. You almost wish for bad road conditions.

Model 3 is also about 1200 lbs more weight than a gas counterpart.