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.
Heavier should be an asset though, right? Higher torque seems like it could be a problem, but traction control should theoretically help adjust power to the wheels as needed.
The tires were all well below recommended settings, and I learned that the ID.4 uses wheel speed sensors to infer tire pressure, so I wasn’t getting notified of the low pressure because (I assume) the system hadn’t been calibrated. It’s a simple matter of properly inflating the tires and then pressing a button on the screen, so maybe that also impacts traction control. I’ll test it over the next couple of days and see if I need to get the dealer involved.
Best of luck!