Driving on snow

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barrychan

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 27, 2015
Messages
122
Location
Victoria B.C. Canada
First time driving on snow and it seems to handle quite well so I continue onto the highway (usually condition of the road is better)

True enough it was pretty clear with the odd section has some snow on it.

When I saw my turnoff I let off the pedal and there was some snow on it and the car begin to slide and it went side way so I counter steered and the car sway and turned and slide the other direction, I continued to counter steered and it finally went straight and slow down.

I must have let off the pedal too fast to cause the regen to lock up the wheels?

Is there a way to turn it off?

its quite dangerous for it to lockup on snow and maybe even on wet pavement!

Barry
 
While not recommended, put the car into neutral. Other than that, your foot controls it, but the computer will detect slipping, and disable it as well under some circumstances.

What tires do you have on the car? The tall, narrow tires tend to be ideal in snowy conditions as they tend to bite through snow, but the tread compound has a HUGE effect on grip. If you drive in snow, or cold conditions on a regular basis, the winter tires are almost necessary, and are, IMHO, if you have the summer tread; the all-seasons, might get you through once you learn the car.

This was a MUCH bigger issue when the car was first released as the regen came on immediately, and they had it cranked up to a higher level than is possible now after several software updates. The onset of regen is more gradual, and it peaks at a lower level than originally (mine was built in April 2014 - one of the first sent to the US).

I don't find it much different than being in a manual transmission vehicle, and being in a lower gear...let off on the gas, and the driven wheels now are acting like brakes...at least the computer on the i3 can adjust things.
 
I have the factory original all season tires.

No way I had the time to find the selector and to put it in neutral on my incident. I was too busy to steer.....

Mine is a 2014 as well and has yet for an update!

Barry
 
I just got a CPO 2014 Rex last week. Regen on snow/ice has me a bit worried too. Feels a bit odd to order snow tires when tomorrow's forecast is in the 60's (Washington DC area)! Figured I'd bite the bullet now though and get new rims and snow tires. We may not get a ton of snow here, but the temp does drop below 45 so I figure I'll still benefit from "cold weather" tires.
 
Totally agree with having the proper tires to start with.

I found this video when I was researching winter tires. It really helped me learn how to deal with winter driving.

https://youtu.be/EAi0fes4OC4

@Barry, when the car started sliding, you should have added a bit of power while counter-steering. I have a shortcut in the memory buttons to the menu to turn on Traction Control (switching to traction control lets the rear wheels spin but deactivates stability contol). But that only helps when driving off from a stop. When already moving, the only option to regain control is spin the drive wheels a bit so that the i3's dynamic stability control has something to work with other than locking up the rear wheels.

The guy in Engineering Explained has a nice video on how traction and stability control works.

https://youtu.be/PS95v3ooCkg
 
Thanks for all the info.....I have been thinking for next time when regen took over and the wheels lockup I will give it some throttle that should take the regen off!
 
Thanks for all the info.....I have been thinking for next time when regen took over and the wheels lockup I will give it some throttle that should take the regen off!
 
I posted a similar topic recently. I was going down an icy slope last week.

I let off the pedal too quickly and regen braking came on hard causing the car to slide.

I tried my best to regain control by giving it a bit of gas, no luck, I didn't have too much room to work with, the car in front was getting closer.

Decided to ditch the car into the side of the road, it went sideways, and I ended up hitting the curb head on. At least the car stopped.

Not a fun experience...

I found out after that you can put the car in N while driving by pressing down hard on the selector, there's no need to press on the brake.

Imagine if you have to press on the brake to go to N, it's the same problem all over again...

This should take regen off, and you can slow the car down "normally" like a ICE vehicle by pressing the brake softly, which we are all more familiar with.

I have not tried this method in a similar situation, I don't plan to drive the car again until the snow is completely gone.

It does take some time to learn how to drive this car safely in the snow.
 
Light push on the brakes only has the potential of slowing you down slowly. If you really need to stop, mash them as hard as possible and let the ABS do its thing, making the most of whatever traction you have and the stability control keeping you as straight as possible. If you anticipated the situation, then, a light press can work, or, modulating the regen, whichever works out best for you.
 
ASUN said:
I found out after that you can put the car in N while driving by pressing down hard on the selector, there's no need to press on the brake.

Imagine if you have to press on the brake to go to N, it's the same problem all over again...

This should take regen off, and you can slow the car down "normally" like a ICE vehicle by pressing the brake softly, which we are all more familiar with.
Have you tried this? A couple of years ago, I wondered whether regen occurred when driving in N and discovered that pressing the brake pedal while moving in N caused the Power Gauge to move into the regen area. If that reflects regen as it should, then the rear wheels would still have additional braking force via regen that the front wheels don't have. But maybe this has changed with more recent software versions.
 
jadnashuanh said:
If you really need to stop, mash them as hard as possible and let the ABS do its thing, making the most of whatever traction you have and the stability control keeping you as straight as possible. .

This is the best advice.

On par with the one to equip with winter tires for winter driving. The "all season" tires are incredibly slippery on snow.
If we don't like the braking job the regen is doing, we have to ask the brake to take over. We are no more in the 90s. Push them hard so the computer know we want to stop. He will manage braking dosage and stability. But we have to ask first.

Louis
 
jadnashuanh said:
If you really need to stop, mash them as hard as possible and let the ABS do its thing, making the most of whatever traction you have and the stability control keeping you as straight as possible.

Not possible on an icy downhill with cars in front and the ones parked on the side of the road.
 
alohart said:
ASUN said:
I found out after that you can put the car in N while driving by pressing down hard on the selector, there's no need to press on the brake.

Imagine if you have to press on the brake to go to N, it's the same problem all over again...

This should take regen off, and you can slow the car down "normally" like a ICE vehicle by pressing the brake softly, which we are all more familiar with.
Have you tried this? A couple of years ago, I wondered whether regen occurred when driving in N and discovered that pressing the brake pedal while moving in N caused the Power Gauge to move into the regen area. If that reflects regen as it should, then the rear wheels would still have additional braking force via regen that the front wheels don't have. But maybe this has changed with more recent software versions.

I have yet to try this. My car is staying in the garage until the snow is cleared. I will try that when conditions are better.
 
A sliding wheel cannot also turn. First, one must try to anticipate the situation, second, try to stop, but if you can't, try to avoid hitting something that will hurt someone (the car is secondary if it's got to happen to stop). ABS lets the wheels turn if there's any traction at all and the stability control tries to keep it pointed in the intended direction. Use the tools the car has. There's no way you can pump the individual brakes, nor can you pump them as fast as the computer can. The rare situation when actually being able to lock up the wheels is if the surface is soft enough so that you can dig a rut and essentially make a ramp that is harder to get over...ABS won't let you do that, but that only works in really deep snow, sand, or loose gravel...it does not work on ice or an otherwise slick, hard surface.
 
alohart said:
Have you tried this? A couple of years ago, I wondered whether regen occurred when driving in N and discovered that pressing the brake pedal while moving in N caused the Power Gauge to move into the regen area. If that reflects regen as it should, then the rear wheels would still have additional braking force via regen that the front wheels don't have. But maybe this has changed with more recent software versions.

I finally tried this today. The snow is melting, roads are cleared.

Putting the car in N on a downhill (or anytime) will disable the regen braking.

In this case, it's wise to put the car in N before you go downhill or preparing to stop in snowy/icy conditions.

It should be easier to control thereafter.
 
barrychan said:
I think it needs a regen on off button just like the traction control on most Ice!
I fully agree with this, in fact I started a thread last winter related to this since it was my first winter driving the i3 in slippery conditions. The i3 can be downright dangerous to drive in slippery conditions and I think a selector to turn off the aggressive regen in slippery driving conditions would make the car much safer.

I have tried the N option in a few situations and it has helped, but if you are in a panic situation, like the original post, this may be difficult or your reaction time may not allow it. One situation I used this in was driving on a series of icy hills. This situation defeated the safety of switching to N because when I had to put the car back into D (needed to continue a safe speed because of cars behind me) the rear end slid because my foot wasn't on the accelerator. I was able to quickly apply some pressure on the accelerator to stop the slipping, but this was a frightening experience.

Since this is my second winter with the car I can now anticipate these situations better but the car still is unsafe in these situations, IMO. I appreciate all of the comments about using the sweet spot of the accelerator and not to completely take your foot off of it to prevent this, but In a panic situation when you need to stop as quickly as possible this can be difficult. I still think the safest solution for this is an option to completely turn off regen. Chevy's can adjust regen, why not a BMW? I don't even let my wife drive the i3 in the winter because of this. Any inexperienced i3 driver will surely be an unsafe driver in slippery conditions.
 
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