Performance in snow?

[1yeliab_sufur1]

Personally I’d like the option but I live in az basically a flat desert 🏜 so I don’t really need it but I want it just for the off chance I need something a bit more

 

[skidoofast]

Well Teach your Subaru has likely spoiled you. I have 350 feet of gravel drive that we don't plow since the stones will end up all over. None of our other 4 wheel drive type vehicles over the years could top the Outback. When it was gone, I began buying snow tires for various vehicles and YES they make a big difference. The Slate should get darn good traction over the rear drive and having snow tires will be (pun intended) icing on the cake. I'll for sure get an extra set of steel rims and snow tires, along with the sand bags in the bed and expect to deal with whatever winter can dish out. Winter however can limit your range to the point of 20-30 % loss so those of you in real winter states do need to be aware of that and if you are going to be doing some longer drives, maybe opt for the bigger battery. But for daily driving locally you can top off at home and be ready the next morning.

I like in Minnesota, my wife and both kids have Subarus (pretty spoiled in the winter but safe)

Also live in the county and don’t plow until the first layers of snow are packed into the gravel and freeze so the plow doesn’t dig up the gravel

 

[AZFox]

Searched YT for: Volkswagen Beetle in the snow...



Imagine if he had more snow-oriented 3PMSF (Three-Peak mountain SnowFlake) tires.
And larger-diameter tires.
And ABS.
And Traction Control.

Not convinced yet? Check out the comments on YouTube.

 

[AZFox]

Super Beetle tire size on the left, stock Slate tire size on the right.

VW Bugs had Pizza Cutter tires before Pizza Cutter tires were cool.

 

[moondawg]

No one needs 4x4 for snow unless they're commuting via frozen logging road every day.

It's a trend Ive seen in recent years where people swear up and down they can't own anything not AWD or need a second car because of snow or something. Absolutely pointless. If my lowered 60s muscle car can make it thru 3 brutal midwest winters with a teenager behind the wheel, I'm sure the Slate will be fine

Agreed. there are three main areas that make the biggest difference in the snow:

• tires
• tires
• tires

nothing else really matters if you can’t hook up to a snowy surface.

 

[Letas]

Agreed. there are three main areas that make the biggest difference in the snow:

• tires
• tires
• tires

nothing else really matters if you can’t hook up to a snowy surface.

Tell that to the guys who determine chain control

 

[Trace26]

The Slate is supposed to have a near 50/50 weight distribution and the weight is mostly centrally located and down low. Which should help in the snow.

 

[cvollers]

The Slate is supposed to have a near 50/50 weight distribution and the weight is mostly centrally located and down low. Which should help in the snow.

That and you can add sand bags to the bed if you really need some extra weight on the drive axles.

 

[SLATEchad]

Tell that to the guys who determine chain control

Get some chains and carry them in your vehicle for this circumstance.

Because of the even weight distribution, many auto manufacturers (including Sweden based and safety oriented Volvo) have gone back to doing largely RWD in their non-AWD EV’s. They say this is because of the improved handling that comes with this configuration.

I grew up with the understanding that FWD was way better in slick conditions than RWD, and have found that to be true in the three RWD priority vehicles I’ve owned (‘92 Jeep Cherokee, ‘12 xterra, and ‘21 Tacoma). The Taco was awful in the snow, even with 4wd turned on because there was not good weight distribution and the tires were not great winter tires.

While it may still require some relearning and caution, I’m not worried about the Slate being RWD. If you routinely are driving on unmanaged roads in heavy winter conditions, I could understand your concern and you may want to wait for the AWD option. I live in Colorado Springs and the majority of my driving will be on streets that get cleaned up quickly either by road crews or the beautiful sunshine, but I do plan on occasionally using this for ski trips. I’ll carry chains and likely run a set of dedicated winter tires, but I expect it’ll perform just fine.

 

[Letas]

Get some chains and carry them in your vehicle for this circumstance.

Because of the even weight distribution, many auto manufacturers (including Sweden based and safety oriented Volvo) have gone back to doing largely RWD in their non-AWD EV’s. They say this is because of the improved handling that comes with this configuration.

I grew up with the understanding that FWD was way better in slick conditions than RWD, and have found that to be true in the three RWD priority vehicles I’ve owned (‘92 Jeep Cherokee, ‘12 xterra, and ‘21 Tacoma). The Taco was awful in the snow, even with 4wd turned on because there was not good weight distribution and the tires were not great winter tires.

While it may still require some relearning and caution, I’m not worried about the Slate being RWD. If you routinely are driving on unmanaged roads in heavy winter conditions, I could understand your concern and you may want to wait for the AWD option. I live in Colorado Springs and the majority of my driving will be on streets that get cleaned up quickly either by road crews or the beautiful sunshine, but I do plan on occasionally using this for ski trips. I’ll carry chains and likely run a set of dedicated winter tires, but I expect it’ll perform just fine.

It’s not the carrying chains… it’s installing them at checkpoints for a dusting.

God bless NVDOT for calling chain control but not enforcing it. If it’s so gnarly that I think I actually need chains, i’ll rethink my trip

 

[sodamo]

Agreed. there are three main areas that make the biggest difference in the snow:

• tires
• tires
• tires

nothing else really matters if you can’t hook up to a snowy surface.

I’d add a 4th - Driver.
even the best equipment can be overcome by a poor driver.

 

[AZFox]

[I pulled a Thread Switcharoo so as to not hijack another thread]

Winter driving a Miata is at least as fun as summer driving a Miata. And yes, it involved lots of passing 4WD/AWD that slid off the road. It turns out that while 4WD/AWD helps 'go' better than RWD, it does not help stop better.

The importance of stopping begs a question:

How does regen braking factor in?

If regen only works on the rear wheels, can we expect ABS / Traction Control to apply front brakes simultaneously or something like that?

 

[Trace26]

[I pulled a Thread Switcharoo so as to not hijack another thread]



The importance of stopping begs a question:

How does regen braking factor in?

If regen only works on the rear wheels, can we expect ABS / Traction Control to apply front brakes simultaneously or something like that?

Probably going to want to turn off lift regen and only use braking regen.

 

[Dorbiman]

[I pulled a Thread Switcharoo so as to not hijack another thread]



The importance of stopping begs a question:

How does regen braking factor in?

If regen only works on the rear wheels, can we expect ABS / Traction Control to apply front brakes simultaneously or something like that?

On a RWD EV with one traction motor, the friction brakes are only applied if the braking demand is greater than the regen can account for, in which case the friction brakes are applied in conjunction with regen. So in typical driving scenarios, only the traction motor is decelerating the vehicle

 

[SlatePossible2028]

I think the "do i need AWD for snow" question in the car world is possibly one of the most annoying out there.

Model Ts drove in the snow.

The muscle cars of the 60s drove in the snow.

Every car made in the last 100+ years drove in the snow. For the majority of those years, RWD was the norm.

Yes, your modern vehicle with Every bell and whistle and assist known to man will be absolutely fine in the snow