Extreme Winter Driving pros and cons with Taycan

[Socket part number 176636]

I drive into the Canadian ski mountains weekly with my Taycan 4S CT and point out the following for those doing winter driving research:

Pro's

• Traction is excellent, better than my Macan. Also observed on my Tesla, the Taycan power deliver seems much smarter that mechanical differentials.
  • You can literally launch control on snowy roads and the car will accelerate straight and smoothly at its traction limit.
• Gravel Mode apparently provides more "wheel lock" so all four wheels deliver more power rather than the one(s) with most traction. Good for snowy hills, getting unstuck etc.
• Preheating is excellent and responsive.

Cons:

• Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation.
• Snow or ice always builds up in the gap where wiper blades rest which can become a problem after a few days.
• The rear window fairing and rear hatch have very tight tolerances leading to binding if ice accumulates here. Need to be careful not to open truck until this area is clear. It seems that it's possible to cause damage.
• Charge port opens sideways so it doesn't create a "roof" for the port. Ice and snow can accumulate in the port area over night.
• Preheat doesn't enable front and rear defrost.

Hope that helps.

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[arijaycomet]

Have been wondering about Gravel Mode in the snow but we only have had 1x real snowy day here in Cleveland, Ohio USA. Have some new A/S tires going on this Friday, and hopeful we'll also get more snow before the season ends, so I can try it out! Thanks for sharing your findings.

 

[Socket part number 176636]

Have been wondering about Gravel Mode in the snow but we only have had 1x real snowy day here in Cleveland, Ohio USA. Have some new A/S tires going on this Friday, and hopeful we'll also get more snow before the season ends, so I can try it out! Thanks for sharing your findings.

Actually super fun four wheel drifting and donuts

 

[McgR]

I drive into the Canadian ski mountains weekly with my Taycan 4S CT and point out the following for those doing winter driving research:

Pro's

• Traction is excellent, better than my Macan. Also observed on my Tesla, the Taycan power deliver seems much smarter that mechanical differentials.
  • You can literally launch control on snowy roads and the car will accelerate straight and smoothly at its traction limit.
• Gravel Mode apparently provides more "wheel lock" so all four wheels deliver more power rather than the one(s) with most traction. Good for snowy hills, getting unstuck etc.
• Preheating is excellent and responsive.

Cons:

• Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation.
• Snow or ice always builds up in the gap where wiper blades rest which can become a problem after a few days.
• The rear window fairing and rear hatch have very tight tolerances leading to binding if ice accumulates here. Need to be careful not to open truck until this area is clear. It seems that it's possible to cause damage.
• Charge port opens sideways so it doesn't create a "roof" for the port. Ice and snow can accumulate in the port area over night.
• Preheat doesn't enable front and rear defrost.

Hope that helps.

I pre conditioned this morning and rear window defrosting was activated. I will check again to be shire.

 

[MissionE]

I drive into the Canadian ski mountains weekly with my Taycan 4S CT and point out the following for those doing winter driving research:

Pro's

• Traction is excellent, better than my Macan. Also observed on my Tesla, the Taycan power deliver seems much smarter that mechanical differentials.
  • You can literally launch control on snowy roads and the car will accelerate straight and smoothly at its traction limit.
• Gravel Mode apparently provides more "wheel lock" so all four wheels deliver more power rather than the one(s) with most traction. Good for snowy hills, getting unstuck etc.
• Preheating is excellent and responsive.

Cons:

• Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation.
• Snow or ice always builds up in the gap where wiper blades rest which can become a problem after a few days.
• The rear window fairing and rear hatch have very tight tolerances leading to binding if ice accumulates here. Need to be careful not to open truck until this area is clear. It seems that it's possible to cause damage.
• Charge port opens sideways so it doesn't create a "roof" for the port. Ice and snow can accumulate in the port area over night.
• Preheat doesn't enable front and rear defrost.

Hope that helps.

I mean the car will be OK, considering it’s incredibly well engineered to endure every conceivable weather condition. It’s the driving dynamics of the person behind the wheel that is at hand.

 

[W1NGE]

I drive into the Canadian ski mountains weekly with my Taycan 4S CT and point out the following for those doing winter driving research:

Pro's

• Traction is excellent, better than my Macan. Also observed on my Tesla, the Taycan power deliver seems much smarter that mechanical differentials.
  • You can literally launch control on snowy roads and the car will accelerate straight and smoothly at its traction limit.
• Gravel Mode apparently provides more "wheel lock" so all four wheels deliver more power rather than the one(s) with most traction. Good for snowy hills, getting unstuck etc.
• Preheating is excellent and responsive.

Cons:

• Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation.
• Snow or ice always builds up in the gap where wiper blades rest which can become a problem after a few days.
• The rear window fairing and rear hatch have very tight tolerances leading to binding if ice accumulates here. Need to be careful not to open truck until this area is clear. It seems that it's possible to cause damage.
• Charge port opens sideways so it doesn't create a "roof" for the port. Ice and snow can accumulate in the port area over night.
• Preheat doesn't enable front and rear defrost.

Hope that helps.

Useful tips. My preheat will enable the rear demister if it deems it necessary - mine did this today and appears to be conditions dependent as it didn't power on yesterday.

 

[McgR]

Useful tips. My preheat will enable the rear demister if it deems it necessary - mine did this today and appears to be conditions dependent as it didn't power on yesterday.

Same for me this morning.

 

[BJCanadaMax]

Actually super fun four wheel drifting and donuts

yeah, 100%. was just a slight controlled drifting in the supermarket parking lot. It was fun.
Continue on this thread. Concur with standing start straight is unbeatable.
But it is heavy. So needs to be super careful to leave lots of space for braking and steering at speed.
On the point of steering, the electric/power steering steals feel of road. For steering feel in snow, my Prius should still beats this hands down. This one, you have to practice a lot to get precision you need, especially for those with optional power steering plus. i think that it's suppose to have different turning angle at different speed?

 

[W1NGE]

yeah, 100%. was just a slight controlled drifting in the supermarket parking lot. It was fun.
Continue on this thread. Concur with standing start straight is unbeatable.
But it is heavy. So needs to be super careful to leave lots of space for braking and steering at speed.
On the point of steering, the electric/power steering steals feel of road. For steering feel in snow, my Prius should still beats this hands down. This one, you have to practice a lot to get precision you need, especially for those with optional power steering plus. i think that it's suppose to have different turning angle at different speed?

Power Steering Plus (PSP) doesn't do that - Rear Axle Steering (RAS) does.

 

[BJCanadaMax]

Power Steering Plus (PSP) doesn't do that - Rear Axle Steering (RAS) does.

ah... so that's what it was. Yeah, very disconcerting.

 

[Jonathan S.]

"Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation."

I was confused at first on Sunday when I was driving home in a snowstorm and my hood stayed all snowy ... then I remembered, oh yeah, no engine up there!

Otherwise, no complaints.

Here's a pic of my CT in the snow when we returned from backcountry skiing to the trailhead.
The entirely unplowed trailhead parking lot, with about a foot of snow.

You can see how the front end has been acting like a plow as I pulled into the lot, in Gravel Mode with the Lift height setting.

Super easy though blasting out (with 20" Michelin CrossClimate2 tires).
TikTok here from my social media consultant (i.e., our teenage daughter), with skiing so good that a friend came all the way from Richmond Virginia!
(Actually, he came all that way for the ski mountaineering race I had organized the prior day, but he *stayed* for the powder!)

 

[BJCanadaMax]

"Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation."

I was confused at first on Sunday when I was driving home in a snowstorm and my hood stayed all snowy ... then I remembered, oh yeah, no engine up there!

Otherwise, no complaints.

Here's a pic of my CT in the snow when we returned from backcountry skiing to the trailhead.
The entirely unplowed trailhead parking lot, with about a foot of snow.

You can see how the front end has been acting like a plow as I pulled into the lot, in Gravel Mode with the Lift height setting.

Super easy though blasting out (with 20" Michelin CrossClimate2 tires).
TikTok here from my social media consultant (i.e., our teenage daughter), with skiing so good that a friend came all the way from Richmond Virginia!
(Actually, he came all that way for the ski mountaineering race I had organized the prior day, but he *stayed* for the powder!)

Dude. Just about to ask around if anyone had on purpose hit the snow with their bumper. I broke my Prius bumper twice being stupid to think that the bumper is invincible. I was debating to test my Gravel ride height against snow just when i head out. And ruled against it at the last few seconds. I think that i did still run over some snow/ice/slush but think that was that. need to check bumper later. With the Cross Turismo, unless absolutely have to, i will stay clear of thinking the front is invincible.

 

[Jonathan S.]

This was freshly fallen (and falling) snow, i.e., not the far denser snow of, say, a plowed snowbank.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

“Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. “

Pedantically, this is not quite/fully correct. The heater and passages that direct warm air into the cabin are under the hood, behind the frunk. Snow accumulation on the hood starts melting at that location (roughly between the front suspension top mounts). Here is an older pic, to exemplify.

No disagreement on other areas - front air dam, side vents etc.

By contrast, the headlights on the Macan are much more predisposed to icing and becoming obscured by accumulating snow; the projector is far behind the lens, and whatever heat it produces is insufficient to melt the ice.

 

[snstevens]

"Unlike an ICE car, it never heats up on the hood, undercarriage etc. This can lead to snow build up in wheels, on hood and other cracks and crevices since there is no melting while driving. After three days of wet snow during day and freezing at night there was considerable accumulation."

I was confused at first on Sunday when I was driving home in a snowstorm and my hood stayed all snowy ... then I remembered, oh yeah, no engine up there!

Otherwise, no complaints.

Here's a pic of my CT in the snow when we returned from backcountry skiing to the trailhead.
The entirely unplowed trailhead parking lot, with about a foot of snow.

You can see how the front end has been acting like a plow as I pulled into the lot, in Gravel Mode with the Lift height setting.

Super easy though blasting out (with 20" Michelin CrossClimate2 tires).
TikTok here from my social media consultant (i.e., our teenage daughter), with skiing so good that a friend came all the way from Richmond Virginia!
(Actually, he came all that way for the ski mountaineering race I had organized the prior day, but he *stayed* for the powder!)

Wouldn’t the air vents in the front get clogged with snow when you plow through the snow?