Best snow vehicle ever

[Kevinbringard]

I had a similar experience here in Colorado a few days ago. My 80 year old mom had a 6am flight out of the airport that's normally a 25 minute drive away. Woke up at 3:45 to see a good 16" of overnight snow on the ground and none of the roads had been plowed so she called and asked if I could take her. I considered taking the 4WD Honda Pilot but decided on the MachE. I don't even have snow tires (just have the all seasons which came with it) and the thing was a champ. Used 1 pedal in whisper and just carved tracks in the fresh snow the whole drive. Never had an issue at all.

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[MABachE131]

Agree, car is great in the snow.
Also agree that one pedal is fantastic in the snow. I feel it gives added control.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Kind of how I'm a Sub-Standard Poodle (aka Miniature).

Nah. The one that lives in my house is sub-standard. A Moyen. Miniature is a standard all its own.

 

[buddy3210]

Because there aren’t enough positive threads around here….
Because I don’t care about my resale price on a depreciating asset….
Because no car I’ve ever owned had the speedometer in the center of the dash….
Because I understand the cold temperatures make chemical reactions less effiicient….
And because I haven’t posted anything here in a while….

Here is my car in the snow

I’ve always done well with my GT/PE in the snow(even though I go against the well shared “wisdom” and use one pedal and unbridled). I bought Blizzaks the day after I brought it home a couple years ago and they provide great snow traction. But the story that really sealed it happened last week.

We were having quite the snow and wind storm here east of Lake Ontario. The snow band was over the house and dumping 3” per hour of snow with a 30 MPH wind. The school called and said the busses couldn’t get through the band and could only get the kids to a small town 8 miles north of the house. The fire department was open there as a warming shelter for people that had lost power so the kids would be there whenever us parents could collect them.

I hopped in the car and off I went. Traction was fine with the snow tires on. I had no problem getting through snow drifts on the back roads. The one thing I did find is that the the aerodynamic nose and hood also is directs snow up over the top of the car. Hitting a deep enough drift completely obliterates view through the windshield. I had to keep the speed down to make sure I could see where I was going.

So in short, a giant school bus, sitting up high to see over the snow banks, with large tires to get through snow drifts, couldn’t do it. But the Mach-E is a snow champ. With full time AWD and a well balanced weight distribution, it’s a better option than my F-150. While I can put the truck in 4WD, its weight is still mostly up front and it tends to want to lose traction on the back tires. Bonus points for the Mach-E being bright green, making it easy to find in the snow if I did get stuck in a ditch somewhere.

Absolutely agree! After I got rid of the OEM Pirelli skate tires not to be used under 45 degrees and only ran 17.5k because of it, put on the continental A/S's and what a snow machine. I've passed 4wd pickups on slippery roads. Ever notice how the underside is like a toboggan so for short stretches of deep snow it just goes up and over. A long stretch you be screwed. Think the weight distribution and 1pdr have a lot to do with it.

 

[Tugwaterf]

I'll join the positivity train. Last years weekly Weds snows here in Denver were made much easier and more fun in my 22 Premium AWD. She's an absolute beast in snowy weather.

 

[Phrozen]

This is our second winter daily driving the Mach E--Fairbanks, AK, so you know it's a legit winter. The car's handled the recent -45 cold snap like a champ, and it does very well in snow and ice.

Our tires are Michelin X-Ice studless winter tires. I've driven in AK winters for thirty years, and these tires on this car make it the best snow & ice car I've ever driven. Only time it suffers is with long drifts over a foot or so.

And OP, that lime green car is a beauty.

 

[Subliminal64]

Agreed. I have 18" winter alloy rims with Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires. Great traction for starting although with the weight of the vehicle, it can push through turns and corners if carrying too much speed. The ultimate winter vehicle for me will still be my 2010 Ford Fusion Sport. Ridiculous handling in the snow.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Agreed. I have 18" winter alloy rims with Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires. Great traction for starting although with the weight of the vehicle, it can push through turns and corners if carrying too much speed. The ultimate winter vehicle for me will still be my 2010 Ford Fusion Sport. Ridiculous handling in the snow.

Really makes me wonder what a Focus RS with good tires would do in a SnowCross event.

 

[sockmeister]

Actually, the new Mountain Ice tires are studless and grip better than studs do. Studs are getting outlawed in a lot of countries due to the road surface damage they cause. You can actually see the groves they create in the spring here in NY. Forcing annual resurfacing.

Yes, it's common for them to be outlawed from April to October usually, because they cause road damage if driven directly on asphalt. But there's a reason they exist for extreme weather conditions. I can't see any pure rubber tire gripping better on *ice* than something with studs, or chains.
Edit: Firestone Winterforce tires don't come with studs, they come ready to accept studs which are equally removable.

 

[Unobtanium]

Nice! How does the Ford do on glare ice or when the tires spin? Does it simply modulate it like a performance PTM and maintain yaw control logistics, or does the car take a dump on you and cut power?

 

[Bob W]

While Boulder to Eldora is not a particularly taxing distance, my experience so far with winter driving has been quite positive. I use 1 PD in whisper mode. Recently switched to Michelin CrossClimate2 245's and have been impressed by their grip in the snow and better overall handling. The car behaves well climbing the final steep switchbacks leading to the resort where Jeeps were spinning out. Eldora offers 30 free chargers located nearest to the lifts, which is super convenient (it also provides a great showcase of virtually every EV model available!) My snowboard fits fine in back, but I would like to find a good roof rack that works with the pano roof. The heated seats and steering wheel do a good job of keeping me comfortable. My one complaint might be lack of heating elements in the windshield to help keep the wipers from freezing - in snow the blades tend to get a lot of accumulation compared to my old Outback. Of course coming down the mountain the regen helps keep speed in check and I arrive home with plenty of charge to spare. With all the bad press Teslas in Chicago recently got during the latest cold snap it's worth noting that even in -15 degree weather the Mach E was dependable and comfortable.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Love the positivity on this thread. Glad someone started it.

 

[ArthurDOB]

Agree, car is great in the snow.
Also agree that one pedal is fantastic in the snow. I feel it gives added control.

I never, ever use one-pedal. I just might try it now when we get some snow around here. Not today with a record 52F in January!

 

[dtbaker61]

I never, ever use one-pedal. I just might try it now when we get some snow around here. Not today with a record 52F in January!

I'm curious.... why don't you use 1-p ?

....and you might want to get used to 1-p before trying it on snow/ice. You'll have to re-train yourself to resist the urge to lift your foot off the accelerator to move to the brake. lifting completely can result in TOO MUCH regen braking on slippery surfaces

It takes a while to develop a steady enough foot to hold a partial throttle position to coast or apply light regen braking.

You might want to consider getting a OBD2 ($25)+Carscanner app (free) display on your phone so you have visual feedback on your regen/output power realtime. It's quite educational.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...r-output-regen-charging-and-other-data.33211/

 

[SyNRG]

Really makes me wonder what a Focus RS with good tires would do in a SnowCross event.

Not Snocross, but Team O'Neil took one (stock Focus RS) out at their test facility against a STI....
Team O'Neil - 2016 Focus RS vs STI in the snow

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