LEAF on Snow

[Elco2015]

This is my sixth month into my LEAF ownership and now I am hitting the first problem - snow in Scotland. I put winter tyres on in advance but despite this the car is unusable. At every little hill it skids all over the place and I had to leave (LEAF) it behind and get rescued by my wife in her KIA Rio! It seems there is not enough weight on the front wheels. Any suggestions apart from sitting on the bonnet?

 

[minispeed]

I have nokian hakkapellita R2s which is considered a very good winter tire and it handles great. The car does have a lot of low end torque so it can break the tires loose easily.

My driveway last year had a high curb (it's since been cut) and if the both tires rested on it they would just spin, I'd have to drive forward a bit then back up with some speed or go on a slight angle so both didn't hit at the same time. That was the only issue that I had, but that's an issue with any car in the winter with a big enough bump to go over from a standstill. In terms of handling and braking it was great and that's the true test of safety in a winter tire, getting stuck sucks but most of the time it's safe compared to not being able to turn or stop. Hence why you'll see a lot of 4wd with all season tires flipped/skidded in a ditch.

 

[2k1Toaster]

The Leaf is pretty crap in the snow, but I have some Micheline XICE-3 tires on it and it handles just fine. I can go up and down big hills in any kind of snow. I would say you are correct in that the weight distribution is too far backwards for a FWD vehicle. Perhaps some bags of sand in the passenger seat footwell lol.

I haven't had any issues with the Leaf in Colorado (Rocky Mountain city driving, non-plowed roads generally) after putting on real tires instead of the crap it came with.

 

[knightmb]

This is my sixth month into my LEAF ownership and now I am hitting the first problem - snow in Scotland. I put winter tyres on in advance but despite this the car is unusable. At every little hill it skids all over the place and I had to leave (LEAF) it behind and get rescued by my wife in her KIA Rio! It seems there is not enough weight on the front wheels. Any suggestions apart from sitting on the bonnet?

Did you turn off the traction control in the snow? The manual recommends it to prevent traction control from doing the very thing that you describe. Otherwise, it drives like a differential front end instead of a positraction front end.

 

[garsh]

I've had no issues with my Leaf in the snow while using Bridgestone Blizzak tires. I made it up some hills that had other front-wheel drive cars spinning their tires. I do switch my car to ECO-mode so that the accelerator pedal isn't as "touchy".

I just bought & mounted a set of Yokohama W drive V905 tires for this season. I'm hoping they work just as well.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Never had a problem, with the stock Ecopias, gone through up to a foot of powder, only about four inches of icy slush, up slick hills, never had a skid. It goes slow and steady really well.

 

[knightarmor]

No problems here with my 2013 in the snow. As a matter a fact it's pretty damn awesome. I'm running Hankook I-cept EVO snow tires and they rock too. My Leaf is lowered running 17X7.5 G35 wheels with the winter tires on. I also keep the car in brake mode when driving in snow or on ice.

 

[kubel]

No better or worse than any other front wheel drive car I've owned. It can be unstable when driving through snow that's suddenly deeper than the front bumper.

But overall, I'm satisfied with its winter performance. Just get some good tires for it and keep a cup of non-clumping cat litter just in case you get stuck.

Random dashcam clips:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L6SseqahrE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l86zUmX-Os[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZLsbRImwI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7KlAWMTXpk[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OmvSslrGr8[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1KBTsy17eA[/youtube]

(Intentionally locking rear brakes to make it oversteer a little)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lENYluDtMlo[/youtube]

Here's what you get with no snow tires and bald all seasons:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8LT_blrheQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qfF6cNWGQ0[/youtube]


And in case you're wondering, no, you can't push a high centered 4100 lb sedan free in a Nissan LEAF. If I had cat litter under my wheels, maybe. It definitely has the torque, just not the traction.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKdJdcTc_YQ[/youtube]

 

[knightmb]

No better or worse than any other front wheel drive car I've owned. It can be unstable when driving through snow that's suddenly deeper than the front bumper.

But overall, I'm satisfied with its winter performance. Just get some good tires for it and keep a cup of non-clumping cat litter just in case you get stuck.

Random dashcam clips:

Great clips, thanks for sharing!

 

[XeonPony]

http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/this-winter-dont-blame-the-weather-blame-yourself

This describes what I would have said, just in a more polight way.

in -60c weather and unplowed roads factory tires never a problem, no tire, no car can make up for a lack of skill.

Yes it handles differently, yes it has a unique character, it is your job as a vehicle operator to learn these.

Find a out of the way place with a hill and practice, I find the amazing secret trick is taking the foot off the accelerator works miracles! (Yes I am pissed off and disgruntled at the idiots here locally that don't grasp the soding concept! Especially after they cut me off forcing my to ditch my first brand new vehicle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Slowing down is by far the simplest and most efficient way to keep both traction and control of your vehicle, some times for hills a slow build up of momentum helps, and there are some conditions where nothing but tire cables will suffice.

As a skilled experienced driver living in a country that gets snow and Ice I am sure you naturally have these in your vehicle ready to go! Along with flares a blanket, some basic food preserves and a couple candles for heat and water melting should you be stranded.