Club Lexus Forums - View Single Post - 1st Test Snow driving with VDIM vs. AWD VSC

Rockville · 02-24-05, 08:38 PM

After I made that post I took an '05 GX470 out on the lot to see how it took the turns as it has a 40%/60% rear wheel power bias and it was very similar to the GS300 AWD. The GS 300 AWD has a 30%/70% rear wheel devotion of power. I will predict that the new RX400h with VDIM will do much better in the snow than the RX330 with VSC. VDIM takes over during extreme situations. On the GS430 no matter how poorly I steered and stomped on the gas it never got flustered or lost control. I can imagine some of my more challenged customers being saved by the VDIM. The AWD GS got much more traction and acceleration coming out of the hole so that is why I believe it would win a wager in say an eighth of a mile straight line. When taking turns the VDIM will do whatever is needed to maintain overall stability and will cut speed as a precaution. The AWD will let you take it a little farther before it decides enough is enough and intervenes. I didn't attempt any left foot braking techniques as I am quite rusty at them. With a little practice the AWD would make a fun rally car. I try to visit Bend, Oregon each year to go skiing with my friend Tom Hamilton. He is a ski instructor and ex rally driver and the drive up to Mt. Bachelor with him in his Audi 5000 Quattro is almost as fun as the skiing. Last year unfortunately after having some work done at the local Audi dealer it caught fire in front of his house! I would like Tom to drive the GS300 AWD up the mountain with snow specific tires like he had on his Audi. Coming down the hill one day a snowmobile launched from the side of the road from a drift and hit a van full of skiers after a day on the slopes. You have to be ready for anything in the wilderness. Most AWD SUV's and cars have a tendency to understeer which is when you are headed straight at something while your wheel is turned. The SUV's will flip easily if they get back on dry pavement and very suddenly veer. The GS300 AWD feels more like a RWD car to me. The AWD definitely can take you up the steeps and the VDIM can keep you in check in the curves. These are both a lot of fun to take out in the Tundra. BTW on the way home a RWD pick up truck started swinging wildly back and forth in front of me and then headed over to the guardrail and slid along it until it came back on the road again and he just kept on driving! He's going to have some paintwork to do on that passenger side... Do I attract this stuff or what? Now if he'd had VDIM.......

02-24-05, 08:38 PM	#8
Rockville Lexus Test Driver Trader Score: (0) Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MD Posts: 1,167	More testing needed.... After I made that post I took an '05 GX470 out on the lot to see how it took the turns as it has a 40%/60% rear wheel power bias and it was very similar to the GS300 AWD. The GS 300 AWD has a 30%/70% rear wheel devotion of power. I will predict that the new RX400h with VDIM will do much better in the snow than the RX330 with VSC. VDIM takes over during extreme situations. On the GS430 no matter how poorly I steered and stomped on the gas it never got flustered or lost control. I can imagine some of my more challenged customers being saved by the VDIM. The AWD GS got much more traction and acceleration coming out of the hole so that is why I believe it would win a wager in say an eighth of a mile straight line. When taking turns the VDIM will do whatever is needed to maintain overall stability and will cut speed as a precaution. The AWD will let you take it a little farther before it decides enough is enough and intervenes. I didn't attempt any left foot braking techniques as I am quite rusty at them. With a little practice the AWD would make a fun rally car. I try to visit Bend, Oregon each year to go skiing with my friend Tom Hamilton. He is a ski instructor and ex rally driver and the drive up to Mt. Bachelor with him in his Audi 5000 Quattro is almost as fun as the skiing. Last year unfortunately after having some work done at the local Audi dealer it caught fire in front of his house! I would like Tom to drive the GS300 AWD up the mountain with snow specific tires like he had on his Audi. Coming down the hill one day a snowmobile launched from the side of the road from a drift and hit a van full of skiers after a day on the slopes. You have to be ready for anything in the wilderness. Most AWD SUV's and cars have a tendency to understeer which is when you are headed straight at something while your wheel is turned. The SUV's will flip easily if they get back on dry pavement and very suddenly veer. The GS300 AWD feels more like a RWD car to me. The AWD definitely can take you up the steeps and the VDIM can keep you in check in the curves. These are both a lot of fun to take out in the Tundra. BTW on the way home a RWD pick up truck started swinging wildly back and forth in front of me and then headed over to the guardrail and slid along it until it came back on the road again and he just kept on driving! He's going to have some paintwork to do on that passenger side... Do I attract this stuff or what? Now if he'd had VDIM....... Last edited by Rockville; 02-24-05 at 08:48 PM.