Engineering Explained:Why Tesla's Are Bad at Towing

[oil pan 4]

My old leaf can do a good 60 miles when it's 10F out.
I'm looking to battery swap it to a 62kwh battery.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

RWD sucks in Montana, I don't know why anybody wants to torture themselves to try and prove otherwise. I know it can be done, I have bought RWD cars and trucks up here plenty, all toys, and I dive a RWD truck for work everyday.

I haven't driven modern RWD with traction control, but I would guess they are nearly as forgiving as FWD. A RWD Tesla could instantly reduce power when the rear begins to slip, I assume before the rear end begins to step out.

I know in my FWD Acura, I can floor the car and it will just creep along applying only the power that there is traction for.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I expect the RAV4 Prime to do well

The best incentive to purchase a BEV is not reduced title/registration, it's probably the $7,500 federal tax credit. If you polled people and asked if they would rather have no registration/title fee, or $7,500 back in taxes, I bet I know which mostthinking.

Not for $3999 used EV, but I bet free would increase demand

[ME_Andy]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

My old leaf can do a good 60 miles when it's 10F out.
I'm looking to battery swap it to a 62kwh battery.

I want to see that!

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I haven't driven modern RWD with traction control, but I would guess they are nearly as forgiving as FWD. A RWD Tesla could instantly reduce power when the rear begins to slip, I assume before the rear end begins to step out.

I know in my FWD Acura, I can floor the car and it will just creep along applying only the power that there is traction for.

The FWDs that work work because they have the majority of weight on those wheels and having those wheels in front will always keep things straight. A RWD best case will have only 50% of the weight on the drive and always will those tires be fighting to stay right behind the front. Then there is AWD which really makes getting it done when you need to get it done, a done deal. So paying a few thousand more for it is a good deal. On a Tesla it's more like $15,000 more which is tougher to swallow but a necessity as the alternative is 3 season RWD, and around here that one season seems to be more like a 1/3 than 1/4.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

The FWDs that work work because they have the majority of weight on those wheels and having those wheels in front will always keep things straight. A RWD best case will have only 50% of the weight on the drive and always will those tires be fighting to stay right behind the front. Then there is AWD which really makes getting it done when you need to get it done, a done deal. So paying a few thousand more for it is a good deal. On a Tesla it's more like $15,000 more which is tougher to swallow but a necessity as the alternative is 3 season RWD, and around here that one season seems to be more like a 1/3 than 1/4.

I was in Billings a couple weeks ago and it was mid 40s and no snow :P

A small percent of people, even in snowy regions, benefit enough from AWD to justify the purchase of it. As I've said, all cars are 4 wheel stop and 4 wheel corner, so it's only acceleration that AWD helps, and that can get inexperienced people into trouble.

Regarding rear wheel drive; it's superior to front wheel drive in nearly all scenarios given proper traction control because weight shifts to the rear when you accelerate, and asking the front wheels to both steer the car and provide acceleration is asking too much. All things exactly equal, a RWD vehicle in the hands of a sufficiently skilled driver would outperform a FWD car in the hands of an equally skilled driver.

Proper tires is all most people need. Some winter tires for winter and all-season for when it's no longer freezing.

[freebeard]

This is the most relaxing video I've watched in some time. Muting the audio helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2xcmiWH_8Q

[Hersbird]

I suppose Inuit people should have been pushing their sleds for the last 2000 years then.

I totally disagree a RWD with all the gizmos you want in the greatest hands ever will out perform a FWD in the snow in normal town driving. The RWD likely won't even get over the plow berm in front of the house.

I suppose it comes down to two things you want to be able to do. Get going, and stop. They all stop the same, so what gets going better. Even if you had a fictitious 50/50 weight distribution on both the FWD and RWD (the FWD almost always will have more on the drive wheels while the RWD will have less) still the ability of the front wheels digging through the snow is better than rolling front wheels riding up on it creating a never ending hill the back has to overcome. Plus the car will always prefer to follow the drive wheels so better they are in the front. Some claim weight will transfer back to the rear on acceleration, but there is so little acceleration in these cases, there is no weight transfer. Cornering at the limit might be better on a RWD in the right hands, but I'm not talking about a rally race, just normal driving around town, stopping, starting, getting into traffic, going up and down hills stuff.

[Piotrsko]

I might suggest an exception: aircooled VW, particularly the bug with proper chains installed. Noted for superior snow handling up to 9 inches deep.

HERSBIRD: Hadn't thought about swapping ends, but reflecting on it, yup, bugs tried mightily to be FWD.

[Xist]

We had a bunch of ice for a bit and it was aggravating. Stop signs were my enemy. I would come to a complete stop and gently push the accelerator like normal. My wheels instantly spun and my tachometer showed 4,000 RPM while I might be slowly rolling backward. Someone told me that their speedometer said they were going fast while they weren't going anywhere, but I am unsure that my speedometer showed anything.

I was afraid that I would be cited for running a stop sign. "No officer, I came to a full stop, but needed to back up and get a moving stop to get past the stop sign."

I wondered if using chains would help break up the ice and packed snow, but then I saw chain tracks, so I guess not.

They just create potholes. There are so many more now!