Gs450h Winter And Snow Driving

[SW03ES]

Are you sure its a TRAC and VSC off switch or just a VSC off switch?

[ljbad4life]

The nature of the hybrid system makes wheelspin very dangerous for the system, so the trac systems are overzealous and tend to cut traction to such a degree in certain situations that the car won't move at all.

It has nothing to do with RWD, AWD, or FWD, its the hybrid system itself. I agree in most situations the Prius is fine in the snow (we drive ours instead of the Lexus in the snow) but if you get in that certain situation the trac system will have you jammed.

The only time that ever happened with the prius is getting out of a parking spot with more than 6 inches of snow on the ground, honestly I would think the 450h wont use its hybrid system in the snow ( wheel spin is such a concern), since the v6 has plenty of power to move the car alone its.

I honestly dont think wheelspin is the end of the world for a hybrid system. If it were then the RX 400h could not or should not have its awd system setup the way it is. where the ice and electric motor power the front wheels and electric powers only the rear. the rwd part of the system is only activated under low speeds and low traction situations (starting off from a light or in the snow). The fact that it awd lessens the amount of stress that has to be put on the rear wheels, but I've seen 400h where the rear wheels spin more than a little in the snow ( the 400h was pulled over on the shoulder of 95 during a snowstorm in jan, he was trying to get back into traffic and the rear wheels spun for a good 2-3 sec)

[silvercorvette]

The nature of the hybrid system makes wheelspin very dangerous for the system, so the trac systems are overzealous and tend to cut traction to such a degree in certain situations that the car won't move at all.

It has nothing to do with RWD, AWD, or FWD, its the hybrid system itself. I agree in most situations the Prius is fine in the snow (we drive ours instead of the Lexus in the snow) but if you get in that certain situation the trac system will have you jammed.

The only time that ever happened with the prius is getting out of a parking spot with more than 6 inches of snow on the ground, honestly I would think the 450h wont use its hybrid system in the snow ( wheel spin is such a concern), since the v6 has plenty of power to move the car alone its.

I honestly dont think wheelspin is the end of the world for a hybrid system. If it were then the RX 400h could not or should not have its awd system setup the way it is. where the ice and electric motor power the front wheels and electric powers only the rear. the rwd part of the system is only activated under low speeds and low traction situations (starting off from a light or in the snow). The fact that it awd lessens the amount of stress that has to be put on the rear wheels, but I've seen 400h where the rear wheels spin more than a little in the snow ( the 400h was pulled over on the shoulder of 95 during a snowstorm in jan, he was trying to get back into traffic and the rear wheels spun for a good 2-3 sec)

That sounds like driver error to me, I have seen people do that all the time. When the wheels spin they make things worst by hitting the gas more instead of backing off on the gas.

[lucasb7]

Are you sure its a TRAC and VSC off switch or just a VSC off switch?

Just to clear things up I scanned the owners manual. On pg 201 It says "If the vehicle gets stuck in fresh snow or mud, TRAC and VSC may reduce power from the engine to the wheels. You may need to turn the system off to enable you to rock the vehicle in order to free it." "Quickly push and release the button to turn off TRAC." "Push and hold the button for more than 3 seconds while the vehicle is stopped to turn off TRAC and VSC"

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

i simply beg to differ. to my knowledge a RX 400h awd simply has an electric motor driving the rear wheels, (which only operate at low speeds and minimal traction situations) everyone here seems to recommend the 400h for the snow. I own a Pruis and have driven it all of the snow storms here in the north east, including making a trip from nyc to ma during the last snowstorm in feb. So i really dont think the "wheelspin" is a factor at all especially since trac control kicked in along with vsc (while driving the prius). I also drove along the merrit parkway (anyone in ct can testify that road is the hillest and most curvetastic highway in the north east) The only thing i was worried about was the rwd effecting steering in snow. If the 450h drove anything like the prius in the snow i will simply love it (it drove straight, no wheelspin, and it maintained a great speed through out the journey)

The rear wheels deliver power at any speed, turning on how much power demand is required, not just low speed. Having the 400h ~ and using it on MT winter roads sometimes, yes, wheelspin CAN be an issue ... as it can w/ ANY car. Much of it turns on experience the driver has, driving on ice or snow. Someone mention that Lexus says NO chains on the 400h rear, but the Toyota tech (when we asked) said studs are no issue. So we run studs & the ice driving is no better / worse than any other vehicle we've driven.

[SW03ES]

Thats an excellent point about the GS450h's V6 being enough to power the car without the hybrid system, hadn't considered that.

Search snow driving on PriusChat.com and see the responses you get. For most situations its fine for me also (I know how to drive in the snow well) but I can see how the system will do what they say it will do.

[450H_Calgary]

I am a seasoned winter driver and recently purchased the 450H. I put 4 Blizzacks on it and it handles the snow and ice beautifully. With all the tech wiz-bang features, it keeps you out of trouble. The traction control and VSC kick in right about when you expect them too - ie. you know when you are pushing beyond your tires grip capability.

It handles as well as my last vehicle - an Acura TL with snow tires on it.

You'll have no problem with the 450H in the snow, provided you drive reasonably and don't assume you're in an SUV - if you think you're driving an SUV, the TC and VSC won't save you!

[400h08]

I have RX400h. I have not used snow tires for 30 years or so. This time, I felt RX is not driving as well as my ML320, I caved in and put on 4 Blizzaks. Driving to the dealer with all season tires, the vsc, or stabilility light flashes on snowy side streets. Driving back, it was like driving on a dry road. These Blizzaks are good :)

[Patatecuite]

I also own a brand new GS450H that I love by the way but I'm a bit concerned about winter driving. I live in Montreal where winter can be very nasty. So as a 1st winter with a RWD vehicle, I'm wondering which brand of winter tires should I buy? Also, will I see a big driving difference if I pay for very expensive winter tires or low cost would do about the same?

Thanks for your help.

Pat

[pj8708]

Whoa!!!

This has turned into a playground game of "Tag, One ups manship" and is contributing nothing to the true purpose of the LOC. And that is to share information in a helpful, and friendly way, with no derogitory judgments ir negative insinuations. If you two can't get a long, I take you both to the principle's office.

If others are reading this, please feel free to report any problem you think is detrimental to the comraderey of the LOC site. If your unsure of what members agree to when they join the club, simply go to the top of the forum listings, and read the informastion there.

Thanks to every one"

ps ( I have lived in Iowa all my life and feel pretty comfortable. Yeah, Right.....We've owned Three Lexus ES and Just got our ES350 Last December. So no experience with that one so far. Two weeks ago, we bought a new 2013 RX350. We have never had a SUV/Cross over before so am axious to see how it does in snow. I agree fully with the member above who said that people think that just be cause it has four wheel drive it can climb Mt Everest and come back up in the Grand Canyon.

I know I will be back to this forum/threads for help from to time for help.

[Art234]

I have a 2010 RX450h with AWD, and it is not as good in snow or winter weather as my 2011 BMW 535i x drive. We live on a hill, with a 340 foot driveway, and due to the risks of sliding backward out of control if you lose traction, the only way to get up the driveway in winter is to back up. I always turn traction control off, and I see no real benefit of using snow mode.

Unfortunately, the rear wheels are electric driven only, and do not contribute much to snow and winter performance. In reverse there is a critical lack of power, so we have a very hard time making it up the hill. In all fairness it is better than the '06 RX400h which I got rid of in favor of the 450 because the 400 didn't have a switch to disable traction.

I know this is an old topic, but I hope my input is helpful. We do love the RX450h otherwise, averaging 26-30 mpg in normal weather.