Snow traction with lighter front end?

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Sctlovr

Member
Mar 15, 2025
12
25
Michigan
Looking for insight on traction with an EV that doesn't have the benefit of the engine weight over the front tires. Also adding the Harvester option and the additional 15 gallons of gas at the rear, will the front end remain stable in ice and snow? So many days this winter i couldn't get out of my long gravel driveway without 4WD.
 
Looking for insight on traction with an EV that doesn't have the benefit of the engine weight over the front tires. Also adding the Harvester option and the additional 15 gallons of gas at the rear, will the front end remain stable in ice and snow? So many days this winter i couldn't get out of my long gravel driveway without 4WD.
Great question I’m curious to know that too.
 
Looking for insight on traction with an EV that doesn't have the benefit of the engine weight over the front tires. Also adding the Harvester option and the additional 15 gallons of gas at the rear, will the front end remain stable in ice and snow? So many days this winter i couldn't get out of my long gravel driveway without 4WD.
Also note that info so far has said gas tank will actually be more over the front axle area. Nothing confirmed but with engine at the rear, tank will have to be somewhere in the front
 
Thank you! I searched prior to starting a new thread, apparently my terms were not precise enough! 😀
Oh I’m always asking questions that may or may not have been answered. I’m glad there’s people on here who can point me in the right direction.
 
In my truck for construction on Saturdays and Sundays, in the winter I put all my tools in the bed of the truck and throw the cover over them. Since in RWD and it’s back side likes to slide around.
 
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I have had far better response in snow and ice with our EVs than I've ever had with non-EV 4WD vehicles. We usually get around 100 inches of snow (which then turns to ice) in our little mountain town, and I grew up in a place with lots of snow and ice.

In the past we've owned two sets of wheels and tires for every vehicle we've owned: one with all-season tires and one set of snow tires. Sometimes the AS tires are touring tires, sometimes the snow tires are mud & snow tires. We have had the Mustang Mach-E for three years, including through one winter with the most snow in recent history. We only had the OEM touring tires because I was too conflicted about which wheels and tires I wanted.

The Mustang is AWD, low clearance, and had OEM AS touring tires on it. It performed fantastically in the snow and ice. Better than I've had gas vehicles with snow/ice specific tires on it.

One of the reasons for this is that EVs can respond up to thousands of times per second to their traction control needs whereas gas engines can only respond at a rate of 10 times per second or so. And an EV with multiple motors can respond even more appropriately. So the Mustang was able to control the slippage of the front and rear tires differently, not just with braking, but also with targeted power when needed. If I ever get around to buying a set of wheels and snow tires, I know I'll have an even better experience in the snow and ice than I've ever had before.

The weight distribution is also much better with an EV because of the battery being large enough in physical size that the weight is about evenly distributed between the front and rear tires. That distribution can be problematic for FWD electrified vehicles (like a Prius), especially when trying to climb a hill, but with an AWD EV, it's fantastic.

The Lightning behaves similarly well. It is not at all like a front-heavy, loosey-goosey gassy pickup truck with a wagging rear end.
 
I have had far better response in snow and ice with our EVs than I've ever had with non-EV 4WD vehicles. We usually get around 100 inches of snow (which then turns to ice) in our little mountain town, and I grew up in a place with lots of snow and ice.

In the past we've owned two sets of wheels and tires for every vehicle we've owned: one with all-season tires and one set of snow tires. Sometimes the AS tires are touring tires, sometimes the snow tires are mud & snow tires. We have had the Mustang Mach-E for three years, including through one winter with the most snow in recent history. We only had the OEM touring tires because I was too conflicted about which wheels and tires I wanted.

The Mustang is AWD, low clearance, and had OEM AS touring tires on it. It performed fantastically in the snow and ice. Better than I've had gas vehicles with snow/ice specific tires on it.

One of the reasons for this is that EVs can respond up to thousands of times per second to their traction control needs whereas gas engines can only respond at a rate of 10 times per second or so. And an EV with multiple motors can respond even more appropriately. So the Mustang was able to control the slippage of the front and rear tires differently, not just with braking, but also with targeted power when needed. If I ever get around to buying a set of wheels and snow tires, I know I'll have an even better experience in the snow and ice than I've ever had before.

The weight distribution is also much better with an EV because of the battery being large enough in physical size that the weight is about evenly distributed between the front and rear tires. That distribution can be problematic for FWD electrified vehicles (like a Prius), especially when trying to climb a hill, but with an AWD EV, it's fantastic.

The Lightning behaves similarly well. It is not at all like a front-heavy, loosey-goosey gassy pickup truck with a wagging rear end.
Thanks for the details.
 
I really don’t think that the Harvester will be as rear heavy as everyone thinks.

A 15 gallon gas tank weighs about 90lbs gas only No Tank Included.

A 120-130kWh battery weighs around 1,200-2,000lbs

Rivian battery pack weighs around 1,756lbs. And Scout Motors has said that the front half would be removed for the EREV, which leaves you with ~878lbs of battery which is possibly shifted a few inches forward, it has a motor(EA211 speculated) in the rear over the axle that weighs around 320 with generator equipment. And the 200-300lbs towards the front axle which would be the gas tank, plus all the extra equipment and we can speculate that the gas tank on the Harvester Powertrain could be anything from a metal or alloy to help balance weight, and since its in the front a metal tank tank would be more safe in an accident than a plastic tank since its burst weight is a-lot stronger. Same reason why Nascar and other racing sports use metal tanks.

Seems pretty balanced to me, now these are my type of numbers lol.
 
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Looking for insight on traction with an EV that doesn't have the benefit of the engine weight over the front tires. Also adding the Harvester option and the additional 15 gallons of gas at the rear, will the front end remain stable in ice and snow? So many days this winter i couldn't get out of my long gravel driveway without 4WD.
North Dakota here. Originally had a RWD Model 3. Last couple years with an AWD Model S. Both have been phenomenal. The battery adds low, centered body weight. Good tires are a key.