e-Golf Winter Chains, Range and Driving

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tslabc17

***
Joined
Aug 16, 2019
Messages
6
Hello,

I am currently in the market for an e-Golf but had a few questions about regarding winter chains, range and driving.

Which chains are the best on the e-Golf (and to get around the ladder restriction with CalTrans)?

What would my range look like during the winter months (<32 degrees Fehrenheit)?

How is the driving in the winter snow with the e-Golf?
 
There's some range hit in cold weather, but the milder the winter the lower the hit. Are you looking at an e-Golf with or without the heat pump? In Canada, it's standard. In the U.S., I think only the SEL trim has it. Having the heat pump minimizes the winter range hit, as does having the heated seats and the zone heating. My SEL has the heat pump, and over the past winter in New England, I averaged around 3.6-3.7 miles/kWh (versus around 5 in the spring/summer/fall). I drive mostly on local roads (not a lot of highway driving). So I'd say my range fall off from the EPA rating of 125 miles was about 10-15% overall for the whole winter. Much worse when temps were below 15F, much better at or above freezing. Of course, in the summer, range is more like 150-160 miles.

I bought snow tires (Nokian Hakkepelitta R3) and the e-Golf did great on snowy days. It sits pretty low to the ground, so you're not going to be plowing through any big snow drifts, but the car is heavier than an ICE Golf (and most other compact cars) and with a lower center of gravity, so it handles the snow quite well with snow tires. Can't say what the stock tires would be like on snow, but given how slippery they are during fast acceleration on pavement, it's hard to imagine they'd be all that great on snow and ice.

Don't have tire chains, so have no information about them on an e-Golf.

Good luck!
 
manybees said:
There's some range hit in cold weather, but the milder the winter the lower the hit. Are you looking at an e-Golf with or without the heat pump? In Canada, it's standard. In the U.S., I think only the SEL trim has it. Having the heat pump minimizes the winter range hit, as does having the heated seats and the zone heating. My SEL has the heat pump, and over the past winter in New England, I averaged around 3.6-3.7 miles/kWh (versus around 5 in the spring/summer/fall). I drive mostly on local roads (not a lot of highway driving). So I'd say my range fall off from the EPA rating of 125 miles was about 10-15% overall for the whole winter. Much worse when temps were below 15F, much better at or above freezing. Of course, in the summer, range is more like 150-160 miles.

I bought snow tires (Nokian Hakkepelitta R3) and the e-Golf did great on snowy days. It sits pretty low to the ground, so you're not going to be plowing through any big snow drifts, but the car is heavier than an ICE Golf (and most other compact cars) and with a lower center of gravity, so it handles the snow quite well with snow tires. Can't say what the stock tires would be like on snow, but given how slippery they are during fast acceleration on pavement, it's hard to imagine they'd be all that great on snow and ice.

Don't have tire chains, so have no information about them on an e-Golf.

Good luck!
The e-Golf I was thinking of getting is the 2015 e-Golf SEL Premium (with the heat pump) but its impressive to see how much range comes off of one. I do appreciate the recommendation into the Nokian Hakkepelitta R3 and was thinking about it when I get the car, if winter hasn't hit already.
 
We got a set of studded Nokian Hakkepelitta 9's with VW stock iron rims for the winter. Will report numbers & handling this winter. We've seen what New England winters do to aluminum rims. Don't tell me to clean em when we do not see it above 0 'F for 3 weeks & it never is above 32 (AT ALL) from Christmas til end of March.

VT uses brine often on the interstate & we reside in a very hilly city. We had the stock slicks from delivery & it traveled "meh" in snow. Crap for traction, had to turn off the spin time out feature & let the wheel SPIN!. Spring/Summer/ Fall, they are fine, but I am already exploring their replacement when they wear out.

The car is a commuter car & errand runabout for us. We will have it plugged in, but not charging in the winter months, yet use the HVAC feature to pre-heat the cabin & get the car ready to go in the AM for its 2 mile commute. Unless I take it for my 50 mile round trip commute. Forethought on the battery pack management is key.

I've used studded Hakkapelittas 7, then 8, on my 05 Toyota Sequoia for the last 10 years. Now I have the R3's on that rig. Always been pleased with Nokians. We had eNtyre 2.0's on our RAV4 & those were excellent in New England winters (surprisingly).
 
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