zbab31

Hello, I am new to this and do not know a lot about cars, but I want to take a simple survey in order to decide which car to drive in a certain situation...The situation: I will be driving from Roanoke, VA to Charleston, WV this weekend and they are calling for snow. The roads are highways and interstate average about 50-70mph and mountainous! Which car should i drive: a 2010 RX 450h AWD with Bridgestone Blizzaks or a 2011 GX 460 Premium with BF Goodrich KO2s? I am very nervous about driving in wintery conditions and have lived in florida for the past 6 years, your input would be appreciated.

tqh

The highways are usually plowed with highest priority so you'll be fine. There's higher chance of getting stuck after you take exits. I think both car will do fine. If it were me I'd take the RX with snow tires. The GX has better 4WD to get you moving but the snow tires has better stopping power.
Since you haven't driving on snow before, try to practice driving on snow in a big parking slot, try braking hard on snow, etc.

Kansas

Those KO2's are rated as true snow tires per the specs I read so they should have the same mountain/snowflake symbol on the sidewalls as the Blizzaks.

Which has more tread depth? At least 5/32" tread depth is needed for snow tires to be effective.

Reduce your speed as much as necessary when driving on snow regardless of how fast the idiots are driving.

Buzzer777

I also like the RX...plz do not forget about stopping! As mentioned, you should be fine with your Blizzaks...We have the High Sierra here and the snow usually closes I-80 ..like today with more to come..BTW, CHP will not allow vehicles without chains or 4WD w/ snows just at Truckee...consider yourself lucky!

MerlinT

Make sure that the threads (tires) are still good (at least 6/32 for winter tires). Blizzaks are great for snow and ice, but "might" have shorter life. My 2¢; you shouldn't buy a car based on their tires (can be easily replaced...), but which vehicle will suit you best . I have Nokian Tyres on mine; best, more expensive but they do last longer.

Good luck!

Chris

zbab31

We own both cars, the GX is my husbands and the RX is mine. He thinks I should take the GX, but the snow tires give me more confidence... so I posted my question here and in the GX forum...we are both surprised at how many differing opinions there are! Its actually making the decision harder, haha!

zbab31

both sets of tires were purchased this year so i think they both have good tread...I guess my theory is that the GX would be better off road and in VERY hairy situations but maybe the RX would be better at high speeds where Ice could be present...I dont know, im very nervous...its gonna be a long 6 hours on the road...Im heading to drill for the Air Guard...should have became a pilot instead of a nurse to avoid the roads, hahaha!

kitlz

zbab, welcome to CL. We have a few threads on the 450h's snow capability including this one. It goes into a few features the RXh has like VDIM and snow mode. The first is automatic, the second engaged by the driver. No doubt the GX is an incredibly capable vehicle but please think about which one you feel more comfortable driving. The snow is going to be enough of a distraction. And forget about speed limits. You're not going to be anywhere near 50-70 MPH if the weather is really bad. More like half that. I'm not familiar with snow tires. Never used them in the 18+ years I've driven RXs. In all that time I wasn't stuck once, and I used to go out in the big storms for fun. Just take your time, try to downshift to slow down (instead of the brake), and you should be fine.

I know Merlin asked about the tires. Just curious, how about the 12V battery? Has it been replaced? Mine was still going strong at 6+ years but that's not something you want to fail given the weather, distance and remote location. And please let us know what you decide to take.

vlad_a

I would take the GX. I really hated RX for being FWD at speed a couple weeks ago when we did a road trip to FL in freezing rain.
This was the first time ever that the VDIM kicked in at speed, keeping the RX on-track as the front wheels fought for traction on ice.
Did it fare? Yes. Was I sorry for not putting snow tires? Sure was. Did it make me consider replacing RX with a GX/4Runner, which is full time AWD? You bet!

One takeaway from the whole situation - watch the weather by the hour. Knowing that it was going degrade on the morning we left, we should have left the night before and spent the night in a hotel outside of the snow area.

zbab31

My 450h is AWD and has snow tires, does this change your mind or do you still think the GX is safer?

vlad_a

My 450h is also AWD, but in reality it is an FWD vehicle. There is some rear assist at slow speeds, particularly when starting from standstill and turning aggressively.
You can see all that in the fuel economy animation menu.
If you do decide on the RX, be sure to put it in the "snow mode".

Even though GX is marketed as a full-time 4WD vehicle, in reality it translates to a full-time AWD.
There is a real limited-slip (torsen) center differential that constantly sends power to all 4 wheels.
In other words, an amazingly capable vehicle designed for some of the worst road conditions out there.
RX is a joke compared to GX when it comes to AWD.

Although snow tires would easily be a deciding factor, those KO2s can hold their own in the snow:

Taking tires out of equation, weight could also be neglected as RX450h is a heavy beast.
However, GX will have an advantage in weight distribution as it is based on RWD platform.
All of above translates to making it easier to regain and stay control of the vehicle, especially in the mountains.

You've got yourself a rig capable of going to the arctic circle. That would be my choice.

MellonC00

Hands down, you should go with the GX. It has a real differential and perhaps a higher ground clearance. It's going to be night and day difference.

zbab31

Wow, thank you for that post, i think it swayed me to choose the GX!

jrfiero

A previous poster recommending downshifting to slow down rather than braking - I disagree with that advice.
As others have stated an AWD RX-450h is basically front wheel drive except at low speeds where the rear electric motor works, so downshifting puts all the deceleration friction on the front wheels, rather than the brakes acting on all four wheels.
Leave it in drive and select Snow Mode.

But I'd take the GX (and still use the brakes).

Jonas

riredale

Just as an aside I drove my 2010 450h a lot during our recent ice event here in Portland Oregon, and on one occasion I approached a dedicated right-hand turn lane with a bit too much gusto. Turned the wheel, locked the brakes, and wham!--the left-front wheel whacked the curb and the entire car bounced back to the right. Some damage to the wheel rim, but not obvious without close inspection. I mention this because I took the car in to Les Schwab for an alignment yesterday and it was still spot-on.

These are apparently solid cars. My curb contact was not gentle.