steverhode

As I wait until Dec 4th for my color combo 400h to come in, I have been pouring over the details of the brochure.

I noticed that the 350 AWD is 4-wheel drive all of the time, while the 400h AWD is 4-wheel drive only when it needs it.

Now being in the Silicon Valley where we get no ice or snow and only rain, these differences aren't particularly importmant. But I do have 2 questions about the 400h.

On the oft chance that we do got to the mountains where there is snow:

1) How will the 400h AWD do in snow?

2) Will I be required by the Highway Patrol to use chains?

3) And, regardless of the answer to #2, would chains to a good idea or a necessary idea?

hfiennes

Kinda have the same questions myself; I just got an '08 400h from Pleasanton (Smoky gray/gray leather/black wood) as a replacement for a Subaru WRX wagon. A friend of mine has had a 400h in Telluride for the last few years and he has no problems with snow, so I'm not expecting any driving issues, but who knows what the chain controls will say... an AWD sticker might be nice to point at.

The owners manual says you can fit chains to the front wheels (same recommendation as the Subaru), and I'm planning to buy a set just as soon as it starts to snow. I carried chains in the Subaru - never needed them, the all-season tires did just fine. It's just a safety thing really, along with the shovel & large supply of clif bars in flavors that I don't like... emergency food. You never know when you might need it.

These were the ones I got for the Subaru: http://www.scc-chain.com/index.html (btw, you can get these from Amazon - SZ135 seemed to be the right size for the 18" 235/55R18 tires on the 400h)

silvervett

NO Never NeverNeverNeverNeverNever use chains. I had a new 1973 Cadillac that I put chains on. I drove about 12 miles to work and on the return trip home one of the links of the chains broke and beat the heck out of the side of the car. I was nearly in tears after I removed the chains and drove home. It cost hundreds of dollars back then to fix the damage from the chains and to would probably cost thousands in today's dollars. The funny thing is that I haven't used chains in over 30 years and I have never been stuck. I have learned that using good driving technique will keep you from getting stuck. and if it is real deep stay home. Call and check ahead if the police require chains where you plan on going. If they do stay home because the roads will probably be so bad you will wind up getting hurt or killed in an accident.

nobuddy

1). It does great. I took our 2007 up skiing 4 times last year. Twice on dry roads, once on lots of snow, and once on icy roads. The 400h really surprised me, it was that good. Never put a foot wrong the entire time.

2). No, you will not. As you go through chain control, simply hold up 4 fingers to let them know you have 4wd.

3). Chains are, as another poster pointed out, evil. Don't use them unless you are forced to, and even then....


hope this helps,

nb

steverhode

Can anyone enlighten me -- not being a 4-wheel-drive-knowledgeable guy -- what the effective differences are between the traction capabilities of the 350 AWD and the 400h AWD since one is 4WD all of the time and the other is some of the time?

I noticed that the brocure made the point that the 400h is not meant for off-road use but made no such warning about the 350. I'm not going to change my mind on which car to get. I just want to learn more about my soon to be arriving 400h.

hfiennes

That depends, obviously - if the chain control says you must put chains on, you either put chains on or turn around and go home (not really an option if you want to go snowboarding, when the only reason you're out at all is because the snow is really deep and it's still dumping down like there's no tomorrow). The only reason I've got an RX is to go to Tahoe - the Prius is just perfect for non-snow transport (though, rather shamefully, every time we get up to the parking lot at Kirkwood, there's usually a couple of chained-up Prius'es who got there before we did).

Some thoughts though...

a) Use the best chains you can get. Things have moved on a lot in 30 years; properly fitted chains don't even scratch your alloys when you fit them right. It's really no point saving $20 by getting a cheap set of chains - they'll just be a pain to fit. The Super-Z ones I listed above are actually steel cables on the tire surface.

b) Practice fitting the chains BEFORE you have to (ie, make sure you're not reading the instructions in a snowstorm on a dark road), and keep some warm but not overly thick gloves in the car so you can actually fit them correctly.

c) Don't exceed either the rated speed for the chains. If you're going too fast for the chains then conditions almost certainly don't warrant having them on the car. Exceeding the speed limit makes them much more likely to fail.

d) Take them off when you don't need them anymore. Obvious, but you still see people thrashing down clear roads with chains on. This just heats them up, damages your tires and again can cause failure.

If you don't like chains, use a spider setup (used these on my GTI to go up the Alps when I lived in the UK and was very glad of them). Spiders attach to the wheelnuts and hold tightly onto the tire. Very quick to fit, but pretty expensive.

silvervett

I never buy cheap anything. All my tools are either Snap-on or Dewalt. I bought the best chains that were made in 1973 when I bought the car, I put the chains on he night before I went to sleep.. There was no problem with the way they were installed. The old saying a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link proved true that day. One link broke while I was only doing 30 MPH or less and the remainder of the chain whipped around and tore the heck out of my car. If you have 4 wheel drive you should be able to get through the snow without chains without a problem. I have always had two cars since 1978 at least one was a 4 wheel drive car and I have never gotten stuck and I never needed chains, If I was forced to put them on by the police I probably would turn around. I just moved from NY to SC so I won't have too deal with snow but I will drive up to NY for Christmas and I won't use chains if it snows. If you know how to drive in the snow you won't get stuck with 4 whell drive. But If you do sometingh stupid in the snow you will get stuck reguardless of if you have chains on or not.

Ps I a retired cop that has spent 20 years driving in all kind of weather and I have even jumped behind the wheel of someones car that was stuck and usually I was able to get them unstuck.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

don't even worry bout snow, it will do fine, here in new york we get a MUCH MUCH MUCH greater amount of snow then you do, my dad had a rear wheel drive benz before, and without snow tires he was fine, you should have no problem in the rx, no chains needed, they just tear up the road and the car

silvervett

We get a lot of snow in NY but if you go up into the high elevations in CA it gets pretty deep there. The point is why choose to drive into a blizzard where you will need to nave chains? Do the smart thing and wait till the storm is over and drive up the following week when the roads are clear but the snow will still be on the ski trails and you can ski and snowboard all you want to

nobuddy

You are never forced to use chains in California with 4WD. If the conditions are that bad, they close the road. I've been skiing in California for over 10 years and have never been forced to use chains on a 4WD vehicle. I've driven through some pretty intense storms too.

The RX400h is very safe and very secure, even in fairly extreme conditions. The only problem I had with the RX the last trip was severe buildup of ice on the windshield. I had to stop a couple of times to clear it off.

You do have to watch out for all the California drivers who haven't a clue how to drive in snow/ice... so drive defensively.

nb

steverhode

Will the all-season tires that come on the car be fine? Given how rarely -- once a decade? -- I venture to the snow country, I sure am not going to have a second set of tires.

herbvdh

I have not used snow tires since my 1976 Corolla The all weather work fine for my intent. Get to and from work. I had a 2000 RX300 drove off from work in at least eight inches of snow (got that in 2 hours) had no trouble at all and that was with good all weather tires. On the highway I had a 5 MPH advantage over a front wheel drive. If I deem it unsafe driving to work I will turn around and I have twice now. 1) Car in front of me totaled 2) Visibility was only several feet.

nobuddy

Yes, they will be fine. That's what I have on my RX and they work very well in snowy/icy conditions.

nb

P.S. You seem a bit nervous about driving in snow. If you get a chance, find a snowy parking lot and practice in order to gain confidence.

steverhode

I lived over a decade on the east coast and gots lots of snow but that was years and years ago. My skills are rusty, and I wasn't driving on mountainous inclines. which adds complications.

Actually, 85% of the time when using my 400h AWD, I'll be driving on dry roads. 15% of the time I'll be using my AWD to make it a bit easier in the rain. .001% I'll be in the snow. I was just curious. I should have asked about whether I'll notice any help in the rain since I WILL be driving in that some.

herbvdh

I finally got an answer to snow handling today although we had about an inch I was coming down a grade into a red light only car was far enough in back of me I edged into the snow and SLAMMED on the brakes from 30 MPH I got a smooth controlled stop. Then coming away from the light i SLAMMED the pedal to the metal briefly and I got smooth fast acceleration up to about 30 MPH with the slippery lite lit briefly ( I do not reccomend any one do this as it is your risk)