First experience winter driving in Wisconsin with my i3 REx

[Rizi3]

On November 15th, the first snow and dropped 2-3 inches. I knew that people forget how to drive in this conditions. My son wanted to go to a late night movie with his friends and it was still snowing. As we approached the theatre, we saw about five police cars warning drivers to slow down and use caution on the hill. There were four cars in the ditch. We managed to go around them down the steep hill. Wondering how to go to the theatre, we had to go back up that hill. We saw four more cars spinning up the steep hill, one of which slid down to hit a stuck SUV sitting on the hill. I was following a Civic, but it too got stuck 3/4 up the hill.

I put the i3 in reverse and back down the hill about half-ways. I put the car into Eco Pro+ and I couldn't believe it.....it made it all the way up (passing the stuck cars, all front-wheel drive)!! I don't have any snow tires on the i3. I stopped at the top of the hill and helped push the rest of the cars up with my son and his friends.

Some pointers I observed when driving the i3 REx in snow:
1. When stepping off the accelerator, the regenerative braking (RB) wants to grab the rear wheels and the i3 will slide. It's best to slowly release your foot of the accelerator to prevent this from happening.
2. When coming to a STOP sign, it's best to anticipate stopping early before getting to the sign. The RB will make the rear wheels slide and I step on the brake. This seems to engage the front brakes and even out the i3.
3. Comfort mode has too much torque and I observed the i3 spinning the rear wheels.
4. Eco Pro and Eco Pro+ modes produces less initial torque, therefore less spin-out. I felt safe driving in this mode.
5. No down-shift, I put the car in Neutral and coast down the hill. I observe that the car didn't want to move forward and prevented sliding. Although, this is hard to when the i3 is moving.

Not sure if having snow tires would prevent the i3 from sliding in the RB.

Suggestion: BMW should have some way of shifting the i3 in low gear or adjusting the RB.

 

[RJSATLBA]

Interesting thanks, and great to hear how well the REx performed. I was quite concerned at how the regen might destabilise the i3 in snow, particularly downhill, and asked the question. One obvious concern was that short of left foot braking, you can't bring the front brakes into use until you are already at max regen by virtue of having taken the right foor completely off the accelerator. This was passed on to BMW technical and the answer was as follows:

"The BMW i3, like all BMW’s, is extensively tested in all conditions including snow and ice to ensure that the vehicle performs as intended and provides the most grip possible during these varying conditions. This includes testing the brake energy regeneration. Due to the number of potential variables in terms of grip, road condition, road surface, gradient etc we are not able to provide exact details of how it will perform due to these variable but given the question is referring to stopping without the use of the brakes at all it is worth noting the following. The brake regeneration is not a complete substitute for mechanical braking with the brake pedal and this should be used in conjunction with the brake energy regeneration. Therefore, lightly applying the brake pedal is advised on a downhill in conjunction with the brake energy regeneration to help slow the vehicle sufficiently, depending on road surface, weather, condition of the road, traffic situation etc which is for the driver to determine in each situation. The vehicle features a range of technologies to help ensure grip include automatic stability control, ABS and traction control. The BMW i3 features systems such as these to help monitor traction and reduce the likelihood of the vehicle locking up under braking, either through brake energy regeneration or through use of the brakes."

The final sentence implies that traction control should generally moderate the regen to prevent the rear wheels sliding.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Some people really hate the tall, narrow tires on the i3, but they are there for many significant reasons, one of which is that they work very well in snow! THe other is that they present less drag and still provide a decent footprint for traction. The 19" wheels on the i3 have about the same footprint as the much smaller, but wider performance tires on the Mini. A narrow tire tends to 'float' less, and can slice down onto the pavement better than a wider one, and does the same thing on a wet, rainy day.

The winter tires are better in the snow, but I haven't had a real chance to test mine out. Some of the videos that have been posted of the i3 on nasty surfaces show that it is quite good when the going gets lousy.

 

[HomelessDude]

On November 15th, the first snow and dropped 2-3 inches. I knew that people forget how to drive in this conditions. My son wanted to go to a late night movie with his friends and it was still snowing. As we approached the theatre, we saw about five police cars warning drivers to slow down and use caution on the hill. There were four cars in the ditch. We managed to go around them down the steep hill. Wondering how to go to the theatre, we had to go back up that hill. We saw four more cars spinning up the steep hill, one of which slid down to hit a stuck SUV sitting on the hill. I was following a Civic, but it too got stuck 3/4 up the hill.

I put the i3 in reverse and back down the hill about half-ways. I put the car into Eco Pro+ and I couldn't believe it.....it made it all the way up (passing the stuck cars, all front-wheel drive)!! I don't have any snow tires on the i3. I stopped at the top of the hill and helped push the rest of the cars up with my son and his friends.

Some pointers I observed when driving the i3 REx in snow:
1. When stepping off the accelerator, the regenerative braking (RB) wants to grab the rear wheels and the i3 will slide. It's best to slowly release your foot of the accelerator to prevent this from happening.
2. When coming to a STOP sign, it's best to anticipate stopping early before getting to the sign. The RB will make the rear wheels slide and I step on the brake. This seems to engage the front brakes and even out the i3.
3. Comfort mode has too much torque and I observed the i3 spinning the rear wheels.
4. Eco Pro and Eco Pro+ modes produces less initial torque, therefore less spin-out. I felt safe driving in this mode.
5. No down-shift, I put the car in Neutral and coast down the hill. I observe that the car didn't want to move forward and prevented sliding. Although, this is hard to when the i3 is moving.

Not sure if having snow tires would prevent the i3 from sliding in the RB.

Suggestion: BMW should have some way of shifting the i3 in low gear or adjusting the RB.

Was this on the 19in all season tires?

 

[stockysnail]

On November 15th, the first snow and dropped 2-3 inches. I knew that people forget how to drive in this conditions. My son wanted to go to a late night movie with his friends and it was still snowing. As we approached the theatre, we saw about five police cars warning drivers to slow down and use caution on the hill. There were four cars in the ditch. We managed to go around them down the steep hill. Wondering how to go to the theatre, we had to go back up that hill. We saw four more cars spinning up the steep hill, one of which slid down to hit a stuck SUV sitting on the hill. I was following a Civic, but it too got stuck 3/4 up the hill.

I put the i3 in reverse and back down the hill about half-ways. I put the car into Eco Pro+ and I couldn't believe it.....it made it all the way up (passing the stuck cars, all front-wheel drive)!! I don't have any snow tires on the i3. I stopped at the top of the hill and helped push the rest of the cars up with my son and his friends.

Some pointers I observed when driving the i3 REx in snow:
1. When stepping off the accelerator, the regenerative braking (RB) wants to grab the rear wheels and the i3 will slide. It's best to slowly release your foot of the accelerator to prevent this from happening.
2. When coming to a STOP sign, it's best to anticipate stopping early before getting to the sign. The RB will make the rear wheels slide and I step on the brake. This seems to engage the front brakes and even out the i3.
3. Comfort mode has too much torque and I observed the i3 spinning the rear wheels.
4. Eco Pro and Eco Pro+ modes produces less initial torque, therefore less spin-out. I felt safe driving in this mode.
5. No down-shift, I put the car in Neutral and coast down the hill. I observe that the car didn't want to move forward and prevented sliding. Although, this is hard to when the i3 is moving.

Not sure if having snow tires would prevent the i3 from sliding in the RB.

Suggestion: BMW should have some way of shifting the i3 in low gear or adjusting the RB.

The owners manual says when in winter conditions to turn off the traction control, which doesn't actually disable it, just allow a little more slip it seems from what I've read and videos I've watched. I'm guessing you didn't do this? I have a hill I climb to get to work every day so if it gets icy I'll need to pay attention to this thread as I don't have the winter tires. I have the base 19" Mega with all seasons.

 

[jadnashuanh]

You have the ultimate control over the RB by where you push the pedal...and, as viewed on the display, you can essentially coast by centering the indicator, if you wish and let drag slow you down.

 

[RJSATLBA]

You have the ultimate control over the RB by where you push the pedal...and, as viewed on the display, you can essentially coast by centering the indicator, if you wish and let drag slow you down.

"But officer I was coasting under complete control when I [choose from] killed the pedestrian/hit the car in front/failed to negotiate the bend and went through the wal/went through the red light."

 

[Rizi3]

I have all seasonal 19" tires that came standard on the Mega World REx. I think they handle just fine in the snow.
The weather forecast later in the week calls for a Wintery mix of rain/snow. I'll post my experience on handling in that stuff.
-----------
Riz
(October) i3 REx Laurel Gray

 

[rtanov]

Riz, thanks for sharing and please do continue posting your experience, I find it very valuable. I have the same model as you (including color ) and am planning on getting a winter set but not until next winter - I want to have the two sets age with a bit of offset, hoping that this will give me some flexibility in Spring and Fall when mostly handling wet pavement.

 

[colinfwi]

Here in Ontario Canada we have had 2-3 inches of snow for each of the last two days; yesterday the snow came after some rain so the roads were really slick. I have 20 inch wheels for which there are no snow tires. I found my i3 REx almost impossible to control during slow downs and stops - vehicles behind must have wondered what was going on as I waggled around the road trying to keep the car under control. I think the biggest problem is the regen braking - traffic was only going at about 25mph (35 - 40 kph) so the regen kicked in to slow the vehicle and it was difficult to get to a point where I could use the brakes at all. At such a low speed it is also difficult to modulate the pedal to keep the vehicle coasting rather than slowing under the force of the regen. Frankly it was nail biter of a trip but I did make it home where the car is now stuck in a snowdrift on my driveway. Getting out of a snowdrift seems to be a challenge as the wheels apparently will not turn at all once the car is stuck.

So I have ordered the 19inch wheel snow tire package and hope that it provides some significant performance improvement in snowy weather.

Colin

 

[BrianStanier]

There have been suggestions that you could try some left foot 'real' braking while using right foot regenerative braking. Probably rather tricky!

 

[lturcotte]

what about switching to dynamic traction control (DTC ) instead of DSC
In the manual they suggest switching to DTC in snow or slippery condition.

does the DTC mode also modify the regenerative braking ?

 

[user 1096]

Here in eastern upstate NY, we're expecting about 10" tomorrow and Thanksgiving Day. I have the BMW winter wheel package and live at sea-level on the banks of the Hudson--so it's ALL uphill from here. I'll report any anomalies.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Changing the mode could help if you are essentially stuck, since sometimes, spinning a wheel(s) can help. Normally, I just leave things in 'auto'. We may also get some of that snow tomorrow, but I don't have a reason to go out for now...things could change, and if I do, I'll throw in my observations.