Winter Road Conditions

[StillWaitingForMachE]

Preface: This is not a complaint about my range suddenly being 230 miles! ?

While driving to work this morning, I had to drive on some fairly slick roads for the first time since getting my car. I was driving in whisper mode with 1PD on.

I definitely felt much safer in my Mach E than I would have in my previous car. However on some of the slickest roads I noticed when I slowed/stopped there was a rapid fire clicking noise. Is this the ABS or something else? It sounded different than abs sounds I've heard in other cars, but maybe that's due to Regen braking and the lack of engine noise?

Sponsored

 

[jhalkias]

Not sure what your noise was (although it sounds like ABS) - it may have been stability control using the brakes to keep the car going in a straight line. Everyone has their own preferences, but while I usually drive 100% in 1pd, when winter conditions are bad, I switch 1pd OFF.

Why? On ice, when I take my foot off the accelerator, I do NOT want the car to brake and initiate a slide. I want it to coast.

There were a multitude of accidents here yesterday with people hitting the brakes on black ice on bridges when they panicked.

 

[Earplug]

I had this happen on a slushy, icy road. With 1PD on it feels like antilock braking and regen braking are fighting each other and did make a lot of noise. Now it is always 1PD Off when icy roads.

 

[mikeinet]

just thinking out loud...

when regen kicks in, is it actually holding the tires to slow them down? is it physically the same concept as braking?

wondering if its better to use 1PD and slightly take foot off pedal to try to just regen but not enough to tell the car it needs to fully brake?

 

[RickMachE]

just thinking out loud...

when regen kicks in, is it actually holding the tires to slow them down? is it physically the same concept as braking?

wondering if its better to use 1PD and slightly take foot off pedal to try to just regen but not enough to tell the car it needs to fully brake?

"holding the tires"?

Regen has the exact same impact as gently pushing on the brake pedal, it slows the rotation of the wheels.

Similarly, if you are doing 60 and come off the pedal in 1PD, you get aggressive regen. That's similar to hitting the brake pedal. Too aggressive and you lose control on snow and ice. That's why people turn off 1PD in snowy conditions, and follow Ford's advice to use Whisper mode (it's in the manual).

 

[Vulnox]

Does regen use both front and rear motors on AWD to regen? I assumed it did, but wondered if for safety reasons they only did the rear for regen so you didn't have front tire slippage in icy weather.

 

[RickMachE]

Does regen use both front and rear motors on AWD to regen? I assumed it did, but wondered if for safety reasons they only did the rear for regen so you didn't have front tire slippage in icy weather.

Yes.

 

[mikeinet]

"holding the tires"?

Regen has the exact same impact as gently pushing on the brake pedal, it slows the rotation of the wheels.

Similarly, if you are doing 60 and come off the pedal in 1PD, you get aggressive regen. That's similar to hitting the brake pedal. Too aggressive and you lose control on snow and ice. That's why people turn off 1PD in snowy conditions, and follow Ford's advice to use Whisper mode (it's in the manual).

Thx for the explanation. Wasn’t sure if there was an aspect of “coasting” and catching some resistance for regen somehow when only lightly taking foot off the pedal

 

[ctenidae]

If you're on ice in 1PD and let off the pedal the car won't let regen lock up the tires (physics-ly impossible to "lock" the wheels with regen, really). I would expect the regen system to be much more delicate and nuanced than a physical ABS system would be- I never had any issues at all with the Tesla.

Granted, I don't know how this car will behave in snow, so like I do with all cars with the first snow I will hit the parking lot at the park near my house and make the car do all the stupid things I might need it to do in slippery conditions. 20 minutes to familiarize yourself with the car's behavior is invaluable, I think.

Plus, it's a little bit of fun, and if a cop says anything you're just testing it out in the safety of a parking lot, not on the road. Never got to use that one when hooning around in high school, that's for sure.

 

[Mach-Lee]

This is what the ABS sounds like, which is normal:

BTW the stock tires suck in snow. If the wheels lock up in regen the ABS will take over even if you aren’t pressing the brake pedal.

 

[StillWaitingForMachE]

This is what the ABS sounds like, which is normal:

BTW the stock tires suck in snow. If the wheels lock up in regen the ABS will take over even if you aren’t pressing the brake pedal.

That's the sound I was hearing! Doesn't sound like the ABS on my other vehicle. Maybe it pulses more rapidly, or it's just easier to hear because of the lack of engine noise.

 

[Mach-Lee]

That's the sound I was hearing! Doesn't sound like the ABS on my other vehicle. Maybe it pulses more rapidly, or it's just easier to hear because of the lack of engine noise.

Yeah it’s pretty loud since the ABS module is bolted to the firewall right in front of you. On other cars it might be further away in the engine bay.

Sponsored