Driving EV in snow

[fnegroni]

I have not had many issues on the stock conti premium contact c on my mg4 recently.
Even below zero the tyres seem to warm up quickly and give decent grip.
At times reducing the regenerative braking to 2 helps it with grip on slippery roads
I just bought some Autosock just in case of snow.
My other car has Michelin Cross Climate 2 and they are definitely better but I’m unlikely to have them fitted to the mg4

 

[siteguru]

At my recent service my tyres were reported as being 5mm tread depth all round. (Not sure what the original tread depth was - I've done 5k miles). So I'm unlikely to need tyres any time soon.

However when the time does come I may well go for all seasons of some description.

 

[fnegroni]

At my recent service my tyres were reported as being 5mm tread depth all round. (Not sure what the original tread depth was - I've done 5k miles). So I'm unlikely to need tyres any time soon.

However when the time does come I may well go for all seasons of some description.

Same here. Just over 3k miles and at between 5 and 6mm
I think new these are 7mm

 

[siteguru]

Hmm - that's only 10k miles down to 3mm (based on ~2.5k miles per mm), not much over 13k down to legal minimum.

Mind you a quick Google suggests the as-new tread depth is 6.5mm, so that would suggest a mileage life of 17k miles - not great really. (I'm used to 20k miles as a minimum - and on my old Golf GT I got over 40k miles from a set, by rotating the tyres front to back at one of the services).

 

[Funchameleon]

About driving in snow.
Good tyres are your best friend.
Electric vehicles have a lot of torque from the beginning so it makes the driving more difficult. So easy throttle control.
Also it seems that ICE cars turn a little bit better than evs because the nose heavy structure.
I would also point out that strictly from safety point of view you should put better wheels in the back. It isn't fun to lose your rear when going 50mph or more.

Put regen to lowest setting because in slippery conditions it can throw your back end to the side.

I've struggled with my marvel r slipping and sliding but it could be that it came with one of the cheapest tyres you can buy. So I'll see the difference because I'm going to change them to better ones.

I also have a foldable shovel in the car for tricky situations.

Feel free to ask anything

Sincerely
A Fin ?? with 20+ years and about 5 months every year in the snow

Oh and i usually drive about three winters with the same tyres and then change. We also have mandatory winter tyre law in Finland.

 

[ozzz]

Nice & flat ?
I've been pleasantly surprised how well the traction control works in my mk1. Stock tyres (Michelin's iirc).
Pair of snowsocks in the boot currently for the get out of jail option ?

Looking at the pictures, I would move how do u live in that cold with reduced km from battery, was 38°C here yesterday. A bit hot but better than ice.

 

[Archev]

Timely reminders as winter deepens or for any other eventuality where you might need help. Over a foot of snow being talked about between now and Christmas in some corners. ONE. Have you got the “What Three Words” app on your phone.
Imagine a scenario - you’ve run out of juice / broken down / need mountain rescue / or want to summon help or tell folks where to meet you.
Look up the app and give them the three word code that covers the very ten foot by ten foot square of the world you are in whether it’s Peterhead , Paris, Pontypridd or Patagonia. Police and fire and rescue all use it to specify exactly where you are. When they get to that ten foot square they won’t need too much searching to find you. In short VERY USEFUL.
TWO. Also, if you have a 12 volt battery “ jump starter” have you checked it for charge lately ? They don’t lose much if unused for a while but worth a check.
THREE. Have you got a spare tyre ? Checked its inflation pressures lately ??
FOUR. Windscreen washer bottle full and some spare fluid ??
FIVE. Charge cable and Granny plus suitable extension all stowed handy ready for action ?
SIX. Emergency rations and hot flask available?
SEVEN. Blanket or better still a sleeping bag for each person with you on the journey??
You’ll probably never need them and it’ll cost a watt or three to lug them about but it’s no fun (after the first two snowball fights) being stranded.

 

[Ian Key]

TWO. Also, if you have a 12 volt battery “ jump starter” have you checked it for charge lately ? They don’t lose much if unused for a while but worth a check.

Keep the charger somewhere warm in the cold weather and if you are visiting friends or the theatre etc take the charger with you.
I topped up mine a couple of weeks ago when it was below freezing and taking it straight from the car's glovebox to charge it inside it was showing no charge and that there was a fault.
After letting it get to room temperature it was back to normal showing 75% and ready to be topped up.

 

[Captain]

Winter tyres....then enjoy ?

 

[Archev]

Keep the charger somewhere warm in the cold weather and if you are visiting friends or the theatre etc take the charger with you.
I topped up mine a couple of weeks ago when it was below freezing and taking it straight from the car's glovebox to charge it inside it was showing no charge and that there was a fault.
After letting it get to room temperature it was back to normal showing 75% and ready to be topped up.

Now that’s very interesting. I’ve had mine for about two years and checked it perhaps four or five times. It’s a NOCO unit from Halfords. I’ve only ever needed to charge it for 20 or thirty mins for it to indicate full.
I still store it in the cloth bag and in the fairly substantial cardboard box it was supplied in and I keep it tucked under the passenger seat where it fits beautifully. That must keep it cosy and content ? but then the car’s parked alongside an old poorly insulated house so that side of the car never freezes.

 

[SteveRW]

Be interesting to calculate the drop in battery wattage if stuck in a blizzard situation and choosing between the heated seats or heated cabin to keep warm?

 

[Archev]

Timely reminders as winter deepens or for any other eventuality where you might need help. Over a foot of snow being talked about between now and Christmas in some corners.
SIX. Emergency rations and hot flask available?

Just thinking about that - do you know what emergency rations are??
They’re the nutritios items that will keep for a while that you don’t really enjoy. This ensures that you’re less likely to munch away on them whilst just charging the car at a remote charger in a glen somewhere or dip into in a traffic jam.
You’ll ONLY eat them in an EMERGENCY ??

 

[Rolfe]

Be interesting to calculate the drop in battery wattage if stuck in a blizzard situation and choosing between the heated seats or heated cabin to keep warm?

Unless you were at a pretty low state of charge to start with you should be OK whichever.

 

[Gomev]

Be interesting to calculate the drop in battery wattage if stuck in a blizzard situation and choosing between the heated seats or heated cabin to keep warm?

Have a look at this video for your answers. (spoiler, I'd rather be in an EV than an ICE).

 

[Rolfe]

This one is quite a test. Although admittedly he had insulation for the windows.

 

[fnegroni]

I find the mg4 cabin is quite well insulated and retains heat well.

Also I decided to keep the stock tyres during winter to test them out at subzero temps, which so far has been fine but roads have been mostly clear. I’ve been through a flood at the limit of what is deemed safe (up to the wheel hub) for a very small section of a dirt road and they performed well enough.
I am under no illusion there will handle the snow so I decided to buy two pairs of snow tyre socks (AutoSock) which I’ll put in the boot when the weather gets colder.

 

[Rolfe]

Apparently the MG4 that swam through Buttsbury Wash (probably about 2 ft 6 in) is fine.

 

[SH58]

As long as they're the same on the same axle then you should be OK. Just be wary of the comparatively reduced grip on the rears in case the back end lets go.

The back will let go way before the fronts, and will likely result in a crash.
I did set an ICE car like that many years ago, and it was a nightmare to drive in low grip conditions. The front was rock solid and the back was way too tail happy.

 

[5teep]

Timely reminders as winter deepens or for any other eventuality where you might need help. Over a foot of snow being talked about between now and Christmas in some corners. ONE. Have you got the “What Three Words” app on your phone.

What three words is literally a life saver, did a first aid course early this year and the instructor there was expounding on it.

 

[OriginalBigAl]

What three words, Phone Battery Dead and Forgot USB Lead.