Is it ok to drive in snow mode all the time? I did for two days. It saved me gas...It made me speed less...and i really got used to it.

 

interesting question.... anyone wanna chime in?

 

All it basically does is make your transmission skip 1st gear and take off in second gear instead.

You could save gas just as well by being light footed on the pedal. You don't need it to be in snow mode for that.

 

On my IS350 it does not skip 1st gear, it reduces the sensitivity of the gas pedal, and reduces engine output below 1500 to 2000 rpm.

 

if you don't mind doing it, im sure its absolutely harmless. but obviously it would take away from the off the line pickup - actually completely eliminate it! i agree with the previous poster of just babying the gas pedal a little more. sometimes, when i'm really bored on a long drive, i'll look at the tank mpg and try to get it as high as possible by really going easy on the gas and letting the gears do the work. it kind of teaches you how to drive to get the best fuel economy. i would say the difference between snow mode and doing it yourself would be marginal.
do cars generally get better gas milage after they break in after a few thousand miles? it seems like my car was at 22.5 mph for the first 7000miles and very steady. but these last few tanks have all been more than that and i've jumped up to 22.7. what do ya think about that?

 

I think u like to kid.........

 

I went to Tahoe couple months ago and I did use snow mode. It kept the RPM low and feel more stable. Gas wise I'm not too sure.

oh yea, these tires on the 350 is NO NO for snow. I end up have to use my snow chain for a bit.

 

WRONG about skipping first gear. And yes, you could save gas by being light on the pedal. But then again, that wasnt the question.

 

and since I'm forced to use 91 octane, and today it was 3.69 a gallon, I am experimenting with the Snow Mode.

I thought I'd start trying it out today. Other then the person I'm responding to, has anybody else tracked their gas mileage doing this?

 

As you may have already experience the Responsiveness of the car to either overtake or evade an unforeseen event just isn't there.

Don't let a few bucks deter you from your driving habit.

 

as a college student, a few bucks puts dinner on the table! snow-mode BABY!!!!!

 

As a college student, a few bucks puts dinner on the table! Snow-mode BABY!

 

if you are a college student who needs to scrape a few bucks here and there for meals, it probably was imprudent to get an IS350 (with Sport AND ML/NAV, no less) in the first place.