Frozen snow / ice blocked my headlights last night

[mongo]

Unsure you can put the chains safely in the front. I know on some other Teslas the control arm and knuckle appeared to be in the way. You dont want your chain caught on anything mechanical. I cant say this for certain but it'd be something to explore before chaining up your front wheels. Cheers,

Indeed!
The store page for the Tesla chains says rear only.

Note: Snow chains should only be installed on the rear wheels of Cybertruck 20" tires. The use of alternative snow chains has been shown to cause suspension and vehicle damage.

As does the owner's manual
https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/...DFC-1AD8-4BF9-AD23-929F4AD3F8BB.html#D1E15267

Sponsored

 

[CoHAP]

Heavy blowing snow and slush froze over my headlight bar last night. It was very difficult for me to see while driving. Turning on the brights had no effect.

I turned on my hazards and followed the road's tire tracks *very slowly* to get home.

Anyone else experience this? What's the solution?

I am in Colorado. We had a wet heavy snow last week. I had the exact same issue with my Rivian and now the Cybertruck. I had many cars with LED lights, But never had this issue with any of them. This is not acceptable.

 

[Pops]

2x of these bad boys, with a control box that turns them on/off so they do not reach 220°. Problem solved. There is a 48v accessory feed in the frunk.

 

[oldsagejoe]

Heavy blowing snow and slush froze over my headlight bar last night. It was very difficult for me to see while driving. Turning on the brights had no effect.

I turned on my hazards and followed the road's tire tracks *very slowly* to get home.

Anyone else experience this? What's the solution?

Hydrophobic coatings like Rain-X or TopCoat f 11 will help. A fresh coat of RainX worked wonders against flying slush beading off the windshield glass over Donner Pass in my Peterbilt. My CT is coated with F 11 but I haven't driven it in snow conditions.

 

[cofree]

This was the result of us driving for an hour on I70 on Friday in light snowfall.

We had fun clearing the bumper camera using the squirter from the camera display, which worked, except when I left it for a while and it iced over. The main camera up high was fine.

The windshield itself was perfectly clear once I figured out the method:
* keep wiper heater on (I had to turn it on every 10 minutes or so because it automatically turns off)
* Every 10 minutes turn on the front windshield defrost in high (red) mode by clicking on it twice, but just for a minute each time, to keep the windshield warm.
By doing this the visibility in the snow was better than in our 3 or Y.

Feature request:
When it is snowing and I'm driving (FSD should autodetect, and otherwise have a button for snow mode on the climate display):
Run the front window defrost in heat mode for 1 minute every 5 minutes, do the front camera squirt every 5 minutes, have the front windshield heater and mirror heater on similarly.

A heater would be nice for the front headlights.
(I'll put feedback on the winter wheels and tire package in that thread)

 

[CactusPilot]

Yeah, the entire front of CT was covered up with snow & slush. Didn't know until I got off the interstate when I realized I couldn't see the road.

Cybertruck's entire front-end was *packed* with frozen slush from the interstate. I couldn't remove it with my bare hands when I pulled over on a back road.

Next time I'll have to be better prepared....

"Next time I'll have to be better prepared...."

 

[firsttruck]

This was the result of us driving for an hour on I70 on Friday in light snowfall.
......

Someone else suggested using a hydrophobic coating like Rain-X or TopCoat F 11 applied to the headlights.

I don't think a hydrophobic coating is going to help much when there is a entire bumper shelf opening in front of the headlight (headlight NOT light bar) for the ice and snow to build up on.

As a former downhill & cross country skier I have driven in many blizzards.

The headlight being recessed is the problem.

Having to use battery capacity (electricity) to melt snow/ice off headlights seems less than optimal when range is already reduced by cold weather. The physical design should have been to reduce chance of this happening.

 

[Lasttoy]

My solution

 

[HaulingAss]

Someone else suggested using a hydrophobic coating like Rain-X or TopCoat F 11 applied to the headlights.

I don't think a hydrophobic coating is going to help much when there is a entire bumper shelf opening in front of the headlight (headlight NOT light bar) for the ice and snow to build up on.

As a former downhill & cross country skier I have driven in many blizzards.

The headlight being recessed is the problem.

Having to use battery capacity (electricity) to melt snow/ice off headlights seems less than optimal when range is already reduced by cold weather. The physical design should have been to reduce chance of this happening.

Manual removal has worked on every vehicle I've ever owned and I love driving in blizzards at night, except for the tendency to be hypnotized by headlights reflecting off snowflakes. It can get pretty hypnotic.

If it's really dark out, I find the headlights shine through the snow building up on them in a more diffuse way. Very little light is needed or desired when everything is white, headlights actually work better when they are diffused by some snow. Couple this with the fact that speeds in blizzards are quite slow, so you're looking for a nice glow to light the immediate area up, rather than a strong beam of light bliding you as it reflects off the flakes. A bright headlight in a blizzard creates a "wall of white" that you can't even see through.

I can only guess that people worried about this have very little experience driving through blizzards on a pitch black night.

 

[firsttruck]

Manual removal has worked on every vehicle I've ever owned and I love driving in blizzards at night, ....

The manual removal itself is NOT the main problem.

The main problem are the reckless drivers who are also out there.
They have a habit of running into the back of stopped vehicles even those on the side of the road ( shoulder / breakdown lane / emergency stopping lane ).

The fewer times I have to stop the lower the chance of one of them killing or injuring me.

It has happened to me several times in perfect weather and they did almost kill me twice.

----------------------------

Driver Miraculously Survives Rear-Ending Semi, Then Flees.
CHP Ventura officers responded to a report from a semi truck driver who was rear-ended on the shoulder of the northbound 101 Freeway just north of Camarillo Springs Rd.
Feb 17, 2022
ONSCENE TV


----------------------------

Van Smacks Back Of Parked 18-Wheeler | INDUSTRY, CA 7.24.21
Chasing Reality OSTV
Aug 13, 2021


----------------------------

North Dakota trooper escapes injury in crash after blizzard
The interstate was closed when the crash happened, according to authorities.
February 15, 2023
https://www.grandforksherald.com/ne...rooper-escapes-injury-in-crash-after-blizzard

.....
The officer’s vehicle was parked in the apex of the road and exit ramp with emergency lights flashing as two vehicles approached at 75 mph, the patrol said.

One vehicle slowed down before reaching the trooper, but the second vehicle “veered around the first vehicle and into the path of the patrol vehicle,” the patrol said.

No one was injured in the crash. The trooper was in his patrol vehicle with a seat belt on at the time of the collision, the patrol said.

----------------------------

Illinois state trooper survives after being rear-ended by semi-truck on I-70 shoulder
Sep 27, 2021
Eyewitness News WTVO WQRF (MyStateline)


----------------------------

** Even huge snowplows

Police: 3 killed after SUV crashes into back of snowplow
Jan. 3, 2022
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation...led-after-suv-crashes-into-back-of-snow-plow/

One dead after car strikes back of snow plow during Level 3 snow emergency
by: Orri Benatar
Posted: Dec 24, 2022
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-ne...ng-level-3-snow-emergency-in-crawford-county/


Woman, Age 20, Dies in Crash into Back of a Snow Plow
Feb 25, 2023
https://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2...ween-dempster-st-and-busse-rd-mount-prospect/


2 injured when tractor-trailer crashes into back of state snowplow on I-81
Published: Dec. 29, 2020
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/...shes-into-back-of-state-snowplow-on-i-81.html

----------------------------

 

[ModelXer]

I was wondering when this issue was going to pop up in the winter time. There were discussions after the CT release that this may be an issue in the winter especially with snow build-up in the headlights areas. However I don't recall if there was a solution found for the concern.

Go back to incandescent? jk

 

[mongo]

2x of these bad boys, with a control box that turns them on/off so they do not reach 220°. Problem solved. There is a 48v accessory feed in the frunk.

Those look pretty opaque, or are you mounting them on the bumper like a hot shelf?

Transparent ITO film might work.

 

[HaulingAss]

The manual removal itself is NOT the main problem.

The main problem are the reckless drivers who are also out there.
They have a habit of running into the back of stopped vehicles even those on the side of the road ( shoulder / breakdown lane / emergency stopping lane ).

The fewer times I have to stop the lower the chance of one of them killing or injuring me.

It has happened to me several times in perfect weather and they did almost kill me twice.

----------------------------

Driver Miraculously Survives Rear-Ending Semi, Then Flees.
CHP Ventura officers responded to a report from a semi truck driver who was rear-ended on the shoulder of the northbound 101 Freeway just north of Camarillo Springs Rd.
Feb 17, 2022
ONSCENE TV


----------------------------

Van Smacks Back Of Parked 18-Wheeler | INDUSTRY, CA 7.24.21
Chasing Reality OSTV
Aug 13, 2021


----------------------------

North Dakota trooper escapes injury in crash after blizzard
The interstate was closed when the crash happened, according to authorities.
February 15, 2023
https://www.grandforksherald.com/ne...rooper-escapes-injury-in-crash-after-blizzard

.....
The officer’s vehicle was parked in the apex of the road and exit ramp with emergency lights flashing as two vehicles approached at 75 mph, the patrol said.

One vehicle slowed down before reaching the trooper, but the second vehicle “veered around the first vehicle and into the path of the patrol vehicle,” the patrol said.

No one was injured in the crash. The trooper was in his patrol vehicle with a seat belt on at the time of the collision, the patrol said.

----------------------------

Illinois state trooper survives after being rear-ended by semi-truck on I-70 shoulder
Sep 27, 2021
Eyewitness News WTVO WQRF (MyStateline)


----------------------------

** Even huge snowplows

Police: 3 killed after SUV crashes into back of snowplow
Jan. 3, 2022
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation...led-after-suv-crashes-into-back-of-snow-plow/

One dead after car strikes back of snow plow during Level 3 snow emergency
by: Orri Benatar
Posted: Dec 24, 2022
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-ne...ng-level-3-snow-emergency-in-crawford-county/


Woman, Age 20, Dies in Crash into Back of a Snow Plow
Feb 25, 2023
https://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2...ween-dempster-st-and-busse-rd-mount-prospect/


2 injured when tractor-trailer crashes into back of state snowplow on I-81
Published: Dec. 29, 2020
https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/...shes-into-back-of-state-snowplow-on-i-81.html

----------------------------

Yeah, I'm a life-long motorcyclist, I think I understand roadside dangers. Always be hyperaware and minimize the time of your stop. Know how and where to pull over. Winter driving is dangerous, not as dangerous as sport-riding, but dangerous enough that no one should take it too lightly. Fortunately, vehicles move slower in conditions likely to slowly obscure your headlights. I've found the reduced light output is generally not a problem, that I can make it to my destination before I need to clear the snow away (and traffic levels are greatly reduced during winter storms). If I do need brighter lights, I know where and how to do it safely.

I'm surprised some people are so worried about headlights getting dimmer in a blizzard. Yeah, it's been happening since people drove cars in blizzards. Just bring on a blizzard so I can deal with it! I can't think of a safer (or nicer) vehicle to in a blizzard in.

 

[devdrone6]

"Next time I'll have to be better prepared...."

This is the solution - mount one or two to the front.

 

[Crissa]

No chains on the front? That's just... Dumb.

If you can't put traction devices on all four, you shouldn't be on the roads sometimes (California law).

-Crissa

Sponsored