Alahiri

Our RX350 2010 skidded while driving down from Lassen volcanic national park. It was fresh snow, and there was probably a inch or two of snow on the road. There were three more vehicles in front and since one of them stopped the vehicles including mine applied brakes. Not too hard for we were driving 5-10 miles top speed. However my RX350 skidded and it went to the left across the yellow line to the other lane. There were lots of beeps and even the radio came on. I let off the brakes and the vehicle was back under my control maybe in 5secs or so. Luckily there was no oncoming vehicle on the other side and no one was hurt. However , I am wondering what caused it or is there something I can do to prevent it? How do I know AWD is on in my vehicle. Just before we left for the trip I had done the routine service from the dealer and everything was ok. I am not sure if there are things I should do when driving in such snow conditions in my RX350?

Droid13

Winter tires equipped? An inch or two of snow and downhill do not mix well with summer tires at all! Might as well strap skis on the tires and go for the short cut through the trees. Even with snow tires on, if I'm going down a hill and the roads are snow covered, yea, I'm going to leave a LOT of room to slow down, especially if it's just a light covering that the tracks from other cars have melted, compressed, and refrozen the snow into slick ice. Often for this reason I'll stay out of the tracks of the car in front, depending on snow thickness.

Also under braking, the concern is not AWD but AWB! (ie All Wheel Brakes). AWD just gets you into a bad situation more efficiently, the AWB and right tires are what get you out of trouble. Were you going in a straight line when the brakes were applied and it veered to the left on its own, or were you stopping on a curve? If you were going straight, and there was no obvious snow ridges or piles of slush on the road (which can easily send any vehicle veering off to one side), then perhaps your brakes need some servicing as maybe on one wheel not even braking force, or ABS didn't function properly. Sometimes ABS will let wheels lock up at really low speeds, but shouldn't at speeds above 5mph. If on a curve, the RX is known to under-steer in the snow, even at lower speeds.

Not sure about your "routine maintenance" details. Unless you told them specifically to check with a problem on the brakes pulling, they may have just done a visual inspection. At my dealer, they will just do a visual inspection for the quick service oil change, or for 5X more $ they have the full inspection where they will check everything carefully.

The RX usually does pretty well in the snow, but because of it's under-steer and heavy weight, even with 30 years of generally fear free and accident free snow driving experience, I would be super cautious and admittedly somewhat nervous trying to manage a downhill curve.

JasDmw

The proper way to handle snow/ice with ABS is to pound the brakes on. The ABS system prevents wheel lock up and lets you steer out of a situation. If you didn't apply full pressure, the ABS likely didn't come on.

The other week I slid right through an intersection. It was glare black ice and I was going slowly. Hammered on the bakes and was able to steer, but not stop. Fortunately it was 4 way stop and no one else was coming into the intersection, so I let off and carried on. I do have winter tires, but you can't mess with the laws of physics!

vlad_a

As already mentioned, when it comes to braking, AWD is only a disadvantage due to extra weight needing to stop. It plays no role in the braking event. If you are slipping, that means the tires do not have the grip. Other than deploying a chute, no system can help you in this case. The ABS will prevent the wheel lock-up while the VSC will attempt to point the vehicle where you are steering it by the means of modulating braking power, both can do little if there is no traction. A good set of tires is the way to go. Snow set of tires is the best for icy/snowy conditions.

Clutchless

How many miles are on your tires? How much tread is left on them? I bet they were the major factor in your scare.

Cruiter

Your post doesn't give enough information for anyone here to make a 'for sure' analysis. What got my attention tho is your comment "There were lots of beeps and even the radio came on" indicates the computers weren't very happy with the situation. That alone brings up more questions relating to the settings/something out of whack with the computers/was part of the system possibly turned off?/ etc. I would suggest having it checked out for your own peace of mind.

I've driven my FWD in several inches of snow several times with no unpleasant incidents whatsoever.

Alahiri

Thanks for all the replies. I believe I have winter tires from Michelin for they are marked M and S. I am attaching a photo of my tires in case you are interested.

Alahiri

Also I think I should have tried to switch to snow mode? Anyone has experience with it?

kitlz

Alahiri, I'm glad there was no damage to you or your RX. M and S means mud and snow. Snow tires have a snowflake on the sidewall. Click here for more information about the differences from CL sponsor, Tire Rack. It sounds like you hit black ice hidden under the snow. The same thing happened to me last winter going down a hill. The road had about two inches of snow after it had rained and consequently froze. I was going about 20 MPH, let off the gas to slow down, then pressed on the brake as I approached my turn. Another member's wife went off the road just a few weeks ago after hitting black ice. I'd gladly drive through 10 inches of snow than half an inch of ice. One thing I do when I start driving in snow is hit the brakes when nobody is around me to check the traction and always keep a safe distance from vehicles in front of me. 99.98% of the times they're the ones I have to worry about.

vlad_a

You have regular all-seasons. Snow tire have a snowflake on the sidewall. They are not suitable for summer driving, which is why you will not get them from a dealer.
I traded my Prius with new snow tires and the dealer replaced them with all-seasons. They did give me a hard time about it.

Clutchless

It appears your tires are almost at the wear bars. Lack of adequate tread depth could have been part of your problem. My rear tires (same OEM Michelins) are worn down about like yours and at the most recent Virginia State Safety inspection in Nov. I barely passed with a recommendation from the inspector that I get new tires soon. Waiting until after the first of the year when the budget is better.

Mors

Snow mode in the snow: I say "YES", you should use snow mode in the snow. There are a few threads in here discussing snow mode (example is here:https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...he-snow-3.html). When snow mode is enabled it starts the car in 2nd gear so it doesn't "jump" off the starting line. I haven't used it in my 2015 yet, but in my old 2002 it worked great. I felt safer using it than not when driving in the snow.

raylor4

Anita - Excellent advice!
Ray A.

raylor4

Alahiri - Yes, you are at the wear point where new tires will make a HUGE difference in the way the car handles. I changed my old Michelin Latitude Tours, with this same wear-down, to new tires, same brand/type. The improvement in handling was tremendous. I recommend new tires ASAP.
Ray A.