FWD vs RWD vs AWD on snow is a question I get asked a lot about, and as the Tesla Model 3 Performance can (sort of) be all three, I took some time out of a Michelin test to see what the differences are. The Tesla is fitted with the excellent Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 which is one of the best ultra high performance all season tires in snow.

I drive three laps, one in front wheel drive mode, one in rear wheel drive mode and a final lap in 50/50 all wheel drive split to see what the differences are on snow, including see which is fastest and what the balance of the car is like.

Please note we were unable to do traction testing as the Tesla defaults back to AWD when the car is straight, even if it's set to 100% rear wheel drive mode only. This will come at a later date.

Ordinarily the Model 3 Performance fits 20” wheels, Michelin have modified their car to accept the base OE 18” wheels which we used for the testing.

Also, the OE 18” tire size is 235/45R18, whereas we were only able to get 245/40R18 tires in time for this test. We ran the tires at the OE pressure of 42 psi.

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