Update: It’s handling much more predictably now. It seems the issue was likely due to the wheel speed sensors not knowing that the tires weren’t properly inflated due to an improper/lacking TPMS calibration. Since there aren’t actual pressure sensors in the tires this car has to make some assumptions that rely on having the tire pressure accurately set and then telling the car to reset it’s calibration. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I bought a 2023 ID.4 last summer and have to say overall I really like it. That said, it’s winter handling on roads and highways might be the worst of any car I’ve ever owned.
It has the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zeroes, and all of the online reviews make these out to be really good all around tires. Tread depth is okay - my depth gauge shows it on the border between green and yellow all around, so about 5/32".
With snow packed roads it slides all over above 30 mph or so. On the highways I can’t go over 40 or 45 if there are slippery patches or the whole car skates sideways and begins to fishtail. Other cars are flying by me, and the other vehicles I own handle the roads more like I would expect.
Could this be due to the material of the tires being harder than other tires? Is the tread pattern not good for ice and snow? I’m really questioning the online reviews but not sure if different tires will be better or not.
Traction control on EVs is vastly superior but mostly has its effect on acceleration. Deceleration is often based on brakes (ABS). With sufficient regen electric cars I’ve driven often don’t apply traction control on regen correctly (might be different on current gen or perhaps I did not notice positives) but that should not be a feeling on a highway where wind dominates slowing down.
For constant speed driving I would look at tires, weight distribution and suspension geometry but not the drivetrain. I’ve also heard anecdotally that the Eniaq (same base setup) is not the most stable with all seasons on the snow. Perhaps they could get the car to behave very well on all other conditions with the low center of gravity, perhaps the factory all-seasons have limited snow capabilities.
Depending on climate I don’t think winter tires are always necessary. If there’s 5 days of snow a year, the winter tires will behave suboptimally for a large portion of the half-year they tend to be on the car. On the ID.4, especially if it feels like it’s losing traction, I’d look at better tires as it’s the obvious to replace and winter tires may be well worth the investment.
Source: enjoy snow driving with RWD cars a lot with summer tires and all seasons and only drive electric now; not a test pilot.