raylor4

MRJJP,
You must have chains on all four wheels with AWD in deep snow.
In plowed snow, on the road, city streets, all-weather tires are sufficient, in my opinion.

JT4

I know that snow mode starts the RX off in 2nd gear for better traction.

However, I looked in the manual, checked the forum and can't seem to find if there is a certain speed that shouldn't be exceeded while in snow mode. I am thinking that snow mode may only come into effect starting from a standstill but I'm not sure.

Now granted, I am certainly not planning on speeding in bad weather but I would like to know if there is a certain speed (20, 25) not to exceed while in snow mode.

Thanks

kitlz

JT, I think snow mode turns off around 25 MPH. Like I've said, I don't use it so I can't say for sure.

vlad_a

Snow mode stays ON until the vehicle is restarted and is not speed-limited.
I believe staring in 2nd gear is an old-wife's-tale.
Typically, an Auto in 2nd gear manual mode will still use gears 1-2.

Anyway, I never start in 2nd gear in manual vehicles. It's all about proper throttle modulation, which snow mode retards to begin with. Otherwise, it is just more abuse for the clutch.

RXSF

snow mode remains on but it only tells the car to start in 2nd gear. After that, it doesn't do anything.

On the hybrid, snow mode also remains activated when at higher speeds. The 2nd electric motor usually sends power to the rear only up to ~23mph, but when snow mode is activated, keeps power to the rear wheels up to ~34mph.

JT4

Thanks for the responses...Here is why I was asking.

I was thinking of a situation where my side street is plowed but snow covered and my wife turns on snow mode. Then after driving 3-4 blocks to a main (clear) road she won't have to remember to turn it off.

So I just wanted to make sure that if she turned on snow mode she can just leave it on regardless of the speed.. I guess I shouldn't assume that she'll forget to turn it off.

vlad_a

Mine forgets to turn it ON, LOL.
It does not hurt anything at all, so she can drive anywhere and in any conditions.

RXSF

Not a problem at all. In fact, many Mercedes cars have a comfort/sport switch next to the shifter, where comfort tells the car to start the car in 2nd gear for a more comfortable driving experience. One less gear shift to disturb passengers and also a slower start

JDR76

When snow mode is activated, it will stay on until either it is selected off or until the car is shut off. Upon restarting, you'd default to normal mode and need to reactivate snow mode if so desired.

Agree with vlad about 2nd gear starting.

JT4

Once again, thanks for the replies..

snowy

We have just had our 2010 RX for a couple of weeks but I did test it out in our last snowstorm. We only had about 6 inches of new snow and it worked fine with new all season tires.

Here in Vermont we can get a lot of snow. The biggest factor are the tires. Worn tires perform very poorly on any car. Even a RWD car with good winter tires will do better than an AWD with bad summer tires.

Also there are many types of "snow." New fluffly stuff is easy, slush is much harder and less predictable. Black ice is the worst. Different tires perform differently on these various conditions. In general winter tires (the ones with the snowflake on the mountain) are better than all other types. Even the worst winter tire is better than the best all season tire. For ice studs are best but those are not so good on dry and wet roads. Also you need winter tires to drive in Quebec in the winter. Canadians know something about snow I figure so worth considering.

Hope this perspective from snow country helps!

kitlz

Maybe I was thinking of laser cruise control. Anyway, I can remember my last salesperson saying to reserve snow mode for five or six inches of snow. I maybe turned it on once in the 330. The button was next to the gear shift on previous RXs. But I prefer shifting myself instead when needed. And turn off traction control when stuck in snow. Haven't had to do that yet.