This Tesla Model 3 Performance owner hit the road heading from Salt Lake City, Utah, back to his home in California. While there was no bad weather in the forecast, after he left Reno, Nevada, he headed right into a nasty snowstorm. Unfortunately, the Tesla sedan was still wearing its summer tires.
As you're probably aware, tires can make more difference than anything else when it comes to how a car handles wet roads and snowy, icy conditions. Some people think all you need is a vehicle with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive and you'll be just fine braving the elements. Sure, these features can certainly help, but if you don't have the right tires for the job or your tires are worn out, AWD, 4WD, and the best traction control aren't likely to be enough.
Tesla's dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric vehicles tend to fare quite well in various weather conditions, and we've seen them impress in light snow, heavy snow, and even blizzard conditions. Oftentimes, these cars are shown to perform better than expected wearing all-season tires. Moreover, a Tesla or a rival AWD EV with proper snow tires should handle the worst of conditions just as well as, if not better than, most new cars with all-wheel drive.
With that said, thanks to the summer tires, Tesla Model 3 Performance owner Emery Lindeman eventually got to the point where he couldn't gain speed or maintain control. He actually had to pull over, along with several other vehicles. He tried to move on, but the snow kept getting deeper, and there was no other option than to have the Model 3 towed.
Fortunately for us, Emery just happened to have the camera rolling. As you'll see in the video, the owner and his Tesla are okay. It did turn out to be quite the adventure, which made Emery realize that it's certainly something he wouldn't intentionally repeat without proper snow tires.
Do you own a Tesla or another EV? If so, which model is it, and how does it perform in inclement weather? Have you had the opportunity to drive it in the snow? Let us know how it handled the white stuff and which tires it was wearing.
Source: Emery Lindeman (YouTube)