webspeedracer
Well-known member
- First Name
- Jason
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2023
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 213
- Reaction score
- 246
- Location
- SLC, UT
- Vehicles
- FS Cybertruck AWD, Rivian R1s MaxPack, 2016 MS75D
A couple updates on my snow tire arrangement:
First, For my wife’s Rivian R1S, the Nokian Hakka R5 SUV was not available locally, and I found a set of Hakka LT3s so installing those asap and will report back.
Second, TLDR; I have the Blizzak LTs on my CT, and they’re not performing as well as hoped, especially in the really salty slush that doesn’t melt. This tread pattern doesn’t clear thick slush as well as other Blizzak patterns, and the ice grip doesn’t seem up to the same standard (maybe this commercial tire compound is different than other Blizzaks?). The tires are still vastly better than the OEM ATs (which hard compound are useless) in snow, but I’ll be getting a different snow tire for next year.
The long answer: The issue is thick salt slush during heavy snow with heavy ski traffic. The snowplows can’t clear the brined snow fast enough because they’re stuck in traffic too. We’ve had some good cold storms lately in Utah with temps hovering around -F/0°F. The road crews have been dumping salt brine but it’s too cold to melt so it becomes an mixture that doesn’t freeze and doesn’t melt. A challenge for any snow tire mfr, to be sure. If you’re in a zone of the country where this happens, I would recommend the Blizzak LT.
With the Blizzak LT in this slush, I’ve found I need to be in Baja smooth Reduced Stability mode with some rear bias in order to use wheel spin to clear the thick slush and keep momentum when ascending the steep canyon road to the ski area here, and to keep the nose pointed where I want to go with the throttle. Of course I love a good drift but the Baja method has also proven to be necessary on the steeper grades when other cars are floundering and sliding off into the ditch. In Non-Off-Road with Slippery checked, the traction control feels no grip and slows me to the point that I can’t maintain upward momentum, hate that sinking feeling! I wish the truck had the Slip Start button on the main screen for quick reaction in mid-ascent in these conditions, like our other Teslas! There are few moments when you can safely stop and go through the sequence of Park- Off-Road Mode - Confirm - Brake - Drive and config the modes, really need a Slip Start/Winter Mode at hand that allows wheel spin on purpose.
!! Be aware that this Baja config paired with rear steer will cause snap oversteer when you recover grip (eg traversing from snowpack to pavement), so wise to disable rear steer in this configuration, AND the throttle is very aggressive in this configuration so requires a very gentle input to maintain grip and keep the drifting inside the recoverable envelope. …(use at your own risk!)
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