Winter Icy Roads

[joemm210]

driving imiev in winter seems to be a challenge, this is my first electric car so I do not know what features other electric cars may have but to me it seems like a mistake to always have regen brakes coming on some times the road maybe too slippery to be using brakes and sometimes its best to slow down by just taking your foot off the gas on a normal ice car.

if you do this method with imiev your car will put your regen brakes on and could cause you to spin out so wish you could turn it off durring winter storms.

[JoeS]

@joemm210, don't forget you have four levels of regeneration with your shift lever, ranging from zero (Neutral) to maximum (B). Very easy to modulate to match the road conditions.

[TobyGadd]

I’ve driven through several winters now, and the imiev handles slick roads reasonably well. Fresher tires are important, so don’t skimp by driving with heavily-worn treads. But regen in regular drive mode hasn’t ever been an issue, probably because it’s not that strong. Maybe avoid eco mode if you are worried, since it increases regen.

All of that said, the imiev is a small car, with small tires. Slow down, look ahead, and take it easy.

[JoeS]

... Maybe avoid eco mode if you are worried, since it increases regen.

Regen gets progressively stronger going from N to D to Eco to B. B is the maximum but still weak compared to cars like the Bolt or Mini EV. In 2012 regen was much better than the Leaf's which is why I chose the i-MiEV.

Agree with Toby that driving on snow and ice is an exercise in slowing down, looking ahead, featherfooting, and looking out for idiots who don't.

Also, don't forget the switch which disables ASC and can be useful in ooching a car out of a slippery spot.

[jray3]

I’ve been running winter tires in the MiEV for over a decade. My graveyard-shift working wife has beaten the snowplow home many times, and I love beating those silly Subarus with wide summer tires up our seldom-icy hills. It’ll out-climb FWD cars with traction tires too. 6” of fresh snow is no trouble, but more than that really sucks the battery down fast!

Since Mr BEAN is lowered on the front, reversing for more than a couple of car lengths in deep stuff can pack a wedge of snow under the rear tight enough to lift the rear end and lose all traction forward or reverse!

[joemm210]

yea I was pretty new to the car when I posted this now I have some experience with the car in winter and it handles really well surprisingly, drive mode is fine when it is all black ice out regen doesn't cause any issue. winter range is the only down fall and you need to really dress warm when driving this car since it will not give you enough heat on the floor if its -20 or more outside.

[JoeS]

@joemm210, thank you for following up. I just sent you a PM.

[PV1]

Regen isn't a problem with this car. It reacts quickly, and if there is a hint of the rear wheels sliding, regen drops out. There's no issue having regen enabled and using the regular brakes. The car does well to maintain traction in pretty much any conditions. I've only successfully gotten the car into a skid once on black ice (only because traction was zero and the car didn't know it was going sideways by reading wheel speed).

The I-MiEV is an absolute tank in the winter, and it is still my vehicle of choice when conditions are bad (may change once I get some real winter miles on the Tesla). Turn ASC off, though, and it'll spin around on you like a top.