Jamrock27

Great thank you

Jamrock27

Thank you very much but everyone knows to use common sense driving in inclement weather. I am simply trying to determine the ES 300H capabilities as equipped with factory tires

Allegator

No, things haven't gotten better with Toyotas; same experience with my 2011 Camry Hybrid. Totally unusable due to this issue. You can't spin even a tiny drop, in an effort to power forward or to rock yourself out of a slippery spot. My car is worthless in Maryland, with just a few inches of unplowed snow on the ground.

airahcaz

Fwd Camry without snow tires right?

SW17LS

The issue is not "Toyotas" the issue is "hybrid". Wheelspin is quite detrimental to the hybrid system, which is why the traction control system doesn't allow much of it.

Jamrock27

Thank you guys, these are the constructive information I am looking for

mcomer

The Trac Off button will defeat the traction control (but not the stability control) and allow wheel spin. An ES300h in Sport Mode and Trac Off will smoke the tires abundantly...

bootman

So now that the winter is over, what was the overall experience with winter driving and the Lexus implementation of the Toyota hybrid drive?

nacke

Hello!

I'd be also interested to hear winter experiences with this hybrid system. Local car magazine made a winter test with IS 300h in it, otherwise they liked it (good heater and handling), but agressive traction control took power away too much. If you turn it off, electronic differential lock will turn off too.

Of 15 tested cars, IS 300h came fourth in that test btw.

Rileyroo

Hello Everyone - I will be moving from the AZ desert, to the Oregon mountains in my 2015 Lexus ES300 Hybrid. I'm trying to read between the lines, but from what I understand is that the Hybrid does not do well in snow conditions with non-winter tires due to the 'wheelspin' that can cause the car to lock-up due to the traction control. But this can be avoided by having winter tires on the vehicle. Please confirm that I'm on the right track here. Also, with snow tires on, do I leave the car in sport mode or not?

Thanks so much.

Tootsall

Maybe consider starting a new thread. This one was last commented on 9 years ago. As far as driving in snow, I'm guessing you've never had to do that before? If so, absolutely do NOT use sport mode; you want everything including shifts, steering, and braking to be as smooth and gentle as possible. Traction control will not cause the wheels to "lock up" but rather transfer power from a spinning tire to a non-spinning tire. "Stability control" is different but it will not cause you to "lock up" neither. (Most lock-up is caused by drivers panicking and slamming on the brakes). Tires...many people do not realize that the real secret to winter tires is not "just" the tread pattern but rather the compound of the rubber itself...they are designed to be more flexible at temperatures below about 35-40F than summer or even "all season" or "all weather" tires. That is true even when the pavement is bare and dry but the temperature is near, at, or below the freezing point. I drive in temperatures a lot lower than what you'll likely experience in Oregon; I use Michelin CrossClimate II tires for my spring/summer/fall use and have a separate set of Michelin X-Ice on different rims for winter use (about mid-October to Easter "up here"). It (having a separate set of winter tires) is not really an added expense...miles put on your winter tires are miles not put on your summer tires so they'll last longer as long as you store them out of the sun. Certainly a lot cheaper than the deductible on a fender bender insurance claim! I recommend watching a YouTube channel called "Tyre Reviews"; it has many clips of winter driving and tire differences and how they affect traction.