First Snow!

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Since I bought my 2014 S a few months ago, I have been very happy with it, but always wondering how it will do once the snow hits, (I live in Alaska). Today, with 12 inches of fresh snow overnight, I got my answer... it is AWESOME! This is the best front-wheel drive car I have ever used in the snow. I have owned three Subarus over the years, and I traded in my practically brand new 2016 Subaru to get this used LEAF. So I was concerned that the "no worries attitude" I had when it came to driving in snow would now be a worry with this LEAF. But, while it's not a Subaru, it is terrific for not having AWD. If Nissan ever decides to make a version with a bit more ground clearance and AWD, I am so getting one. As it is, this is a great snow-car, especially with the new Nokian WRG3 tires I recently installed. So fear not to all prospective buyers in snow country, they do wonderfully.
 
Awesome! I too have drove a bit through the snow in my Leaf (last winter being called "Snowmagedon" in the local news paper). I even once got stuck in a parking lot with chains on my Leaf (not that a Subaru or other would have done much better for the circumstances). But other than that, it's done fairly well even without chains or snow tires until it gets much deeper than 10 or 12 inches. I do wish there were a torque biasing differencial (aka Torsen or TBD) available for it. The traction control doesn't seem to put enough brake on the slipping wheel to get the other wheel to grab in every situation and a TBD would be nearly just as good as AWD only without the efficiency penalty.

I don't think the Leaf is quite as good as my 1985 FWD Golf with 155's that I've used to pull out Subarus and even a Ford Explorer out of snow banks. But the low center of gravity in the Leaf makes it awesome once your going down slippery roads! Like always, the main thing is the tires. AWD is nice, but doesn't have much of any effect on braking or cornering. AWD only helps if you are in deep enough snow to get stuck, are going up a steep slippery hill or if you feel you just have to take off faster than everyone else at a slippery stoplight. If I get another car sold I'm going to use the money to get some snow tires for the Leaf.
 
Hi Alaska, Cleveland checking in. This is going to be my new to me Leaf's first winter.

If you have time, could you post your miles per kilowatt efficiency when it gets cold. You know like the negative 10's to oh my gosh, I've lost another toe cold.

Not that we get to your numbers all the time, but -25F has happened a few times.

I guess one benefit of being so far up north is that your lizard pack will hibernate and last forever.

Good luck in the snow and stay warm. :lol: ;)
 
Rxleaf said:
Hi Alaska, Cleveland checking in. This is going to be my new to me Leaf's first winter.

If you have time, could you post your miles per kilowatt efficiency when it gets cold. You know like the negative 10's to oh my gosh, I've lost another toe cold.

Not that we get to your numbers all the time, but -25F has happened a few times.

I guess one benefit of being so far up north is that your lizard pack will hibernate and last forever.

Good luck in the snow and stay warm. :lol: ;)
Hello Rxleaf,

My driving is a bit unique. I live in a very small town and really only use my LEAF to drive back and forth to work which is 6 miles one way, (I have the longest commute of anyone in this town). But the commute is straight up a mountain pass... from sea level to about 2000 feet. Going up the pass in the past few weeks, (it's been in the single digits), my efficiency is about 3.5 and I consume about 20% of the battery charge, and remove about 20 miles from the guess-o-meter. Coming down the mountain the efficiency can really vary, but I'd say around 16+ and I put about 1% back onto the battery and about 15-20 miles back onto the guess-o-meter. Those commutes, along with the little bit of errand running I do in town on level terrain, I'd say I'm averaging 4.5 - 5.0 in efficiency.

We'll see how it does once winter arrives and we get real winter temps, (below zero... right now it's been in the teens and single digits). It's definitely less range now that's it's colder than it was this summer when it was in the 40 and 50s. But 6 miles is as far as I can drive in my town, so I don't have any range anxiety at all, and I might not be the best example for comparison.

Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful winter season. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the info. Any info is better than none.

Just curious, do you charge every day or every few days?

There is much debate as to keeping the pack at 80% max or 100%.

It might be a good idea to keep it plugged in all the time when the car battery temp is in the single digits as the built in battery heater kicks in at about 7 F.

I think the leaf is a really good fit for you.

Alaska is on my bucket list of places to see. I've never seen an Aurora, but I plan on it some day.
 
It might be a good idea to keep it plugged in all the time when the car battery temp is in the single digits as the built in battery heater kicks in at about 7 F.

NO. First, the battery heater turns on when the pack temp is at 7F, not the air temp, so it doesn't run as much as you'd think, especially when the car is in use. Second, it only uses 300 watts or so, and takes a long time - days - to drain the pack a lot even when running constantly. Finally, leaving the car plugged in but not charging can kill the 12 volt battery because the car will keep checking the connection and not recharging the accessory battery. Just charge it to 80%, daily if necessary.
 
You are right. That's what I meant, but not what I said.

Sometimes I get my tongue twisted around my eye teeth and I'm not seeing what I'm saying.
:lol:
 
Rxleaf said:
Thanks for the info. Any info is better than none.

Just curious, do you charge every day or every few days?

There is much debate as to keeping the pack at 80% max or 100%.

It might be a good idea to keep it plugged in all the time when the car battery temp is in the single digits as the built in battery heater kicks in at about 7 F.

I think the leaf is a really good fit for you.

Alaska is on my bucket list of places to see. I've never seen an Aurora, but I plan on it some day.
I charge every couple days... usually when I dip below 50% battery capacity. Right now all I have is an L1 charger, so it takes awhile, but I'm in no rush. I generally charge to about 95%, but I don't keep it plugged in all the time, (maybe I should once it gets colder... I'm just not as knowledgeable as others on this forum, so I'm not the best one to ask if that's the way to go).

I hope you get up here some time to see the aurora. As many times as I've experienced them, it's never old hat... always breathtaking. Here is a link to my website where you can see some photos untill you can see them in person...
http://www.alpenglowphoto.net

Cheers,
Mike
 
LeftieBiker said:
It might be a good idea to keep it plugged in all the time when the car battery temp is in the single digits as the built in battery heater kicks in at about 7 F.

NO. First, the battery heater turns on when the pack temp is at 7F, not the air temp, so it doesn't run as much as you'd think, especially when the car is in use. Second, it only uses 300 watts or so, and takes a long time - days - to drain the pack a lot even when running constantly. Finally, leaving the car plugged in but not charging can kill the 12 volt battery because the car will keep checking the connection and not recharging the accessory battery. Just charge it to 80%, daily if necessary.
Thank you Leftie for the clarification. I still have lots to learn so it's much appreciated.
 
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