kitlz

Hi all, I finally had a chance to drive the 450h with Dunlops in the snow yesterday. Work closed at noon because of the storm (20" and counting). The roads didn't look too bad so I decided to take the normal route home which includes an almost mile long hill with turns. By the time I got to the hill, the roads were not so nice - a few inches of wet snow compacted by tires, making it a little icy. I went for it anyway since the slope is long on the way down.

Going up was no problem but I had to take it slow/stop. An Isuzu Rodeo in front of me was fishtailing. The 450h handled it without a problem - no slipping, even in the turns. Fortunately Mr. Rodeo turned off the road. On the way down I used the sport mode to keep the speed in check. Again not even the slightest loss of control.

Overall I'm very happy the 450h did so well. I was concerned because the Dunlops were not my first choice. I'm very picky about my shoes and wanted the Michelins. But it turns out the Dunlops aren't so bad after all. And no, I didn't go out today to test them out some more. I have my limits.

It's hard to tell but here's a picture of the 450h after I got home. I easily backed it in through a foot high by three foot wide pile of wet snow at the end of the driveway. In addition to the front, the wheel wells were caked with slush. Next storm/test might be Wednesday.

TripleL

Nice write up and excellent feedback on your experience. Thanks for sharing as this is a car we are looking into getting for our next family car.

rxets

Great post. I love to see ppl write up such thread to describe their experiences.

Btw, after seeing this pic, I just realized your 450h has LED headlights. Awesome.

wyau01

I have the LED headlights as well, but have to say, it is not as bright as the HID setup. On the other hand, it is definitely cooler.

tnb1

I agree in snow conditions my AWD 450h is very stable and sure footed especially in snow mode.
Terry

tnb1

Here is a pix.
Terry

oscqc

I have Michelin winter tires on my 2010 450RX and they perform flawlessly in our Ontario ice and snow.

However, I cannot see the purpose of the snow mode that is set from the steering wheel. I have tried in ice, in snow, and in rain and cannot see that it makes any difference at all. Any comments?

tnb1

In snow mode the rear electic motor runs continuosly at lower speeds.
Terry

oscqc

So the electric motors run constantly in the snow mode. How does that help the driver?

kitlz

Terry, nice picture. Who says silver (aka tungsten pearl) doesn't look sexy in the snow

Snow mode wasn't used the other day because the conditions didn't warrant it. From my previous experience with the RX, it's reserved for inches of unplowed snow. I was driving on packed, unplowed snow. I pulled out the owners manual to review VDIM yesterday. Lexus put a bunch of safety features into the 450h to make driving in the snow easier. I wish I tried hill assist. Sounds really cool. Another benefit, I wasn't watching the gas gauge deplete at slow speeds. Mileage actually went up Overall, I'd say the 450h drives better than my other AWD RXs.

rxets, the LEDs are awesome looking. But like wyau01 said, they're not as bright as the HIDs I had on the '04. Fog lights help. Might change those though. I don't like how yellow they are next to the LEDs.

rxets

With the snow mode, it's more likly your 450h running like permanent AWD in slow speed. The driver can handle the car better and safer. In snow/icy, any split second may cause the problems, and you don't want your intelligent systems to shift the drive power back and forth during this time. In the regular mode, it seems the RX will engage with the rear electic motors only when the slippery conditions occurs (or any special conditons Lexus has programmed into the systems). Although the systems, in the regular model, will shift the power quickly when RX needs, it seems the snow mode can provide the driver more confidence during the special conditions.

In the 350, the ECT Snow mode, the power will be trimmed and the certain amount of drive power will be applied to the rear wheels constantly. This isn't the same as the All wheel drive lock. AWD lock will make sure the large amount of drive power be applied to all the wheels.

tnb1

It's better when all four wheels have power in slick conditions. Less likely to get stuck.
Terry

rxets

To my understanding, LED headlamps hasn't been the completely well-developed technology, the current LED isn't producing its best yet. LED performance is easily getting affect by varied environmental factors. LED power consumption is almost equal to the traditional halogen, and isn't as bright as HID.

But, I'll buy LED if having the choice.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

glad to know that these handled quite well

Stormforge

i would disagree with your assessment. led power consumption is only a fraction of HID. IF led headlamps aren't well developed technology, they have no business being in the audi R8 or lexus LS600h. with an average life span of 15 years, i would say led performance is strong. if you don't believe me, see what the "experts" say about led headlamps:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1...e-lexus-ls600h