At first i was cursing my LS for not being any good in the snow. On my way home from work lastnight in this sort of blizzard the dc/md/va area got hit with and was doing an ok job in light traffic on a main road. Came up to a slight upgrade and immediately got worried when i saw hazzards and snow trucks that had gotten stuck. The only way for me to make it was not to slow down and to keep goin. Surely enough, the #@$ hole in a 300C in front of me slowed down a began to spin out which naturally made me slow as well. He eventually reverses into a side street which was his fatal mistake because the streets were untouched since the snow started to fall earlier. With him out of the lead, i'm looking like the culprit to all of the cars and suvs behind me. I'm spinning and spinning but goin nowhere. Some guys on foot that were pushing another cars came to help push me but to no avail. With all the suv's and some cars passing me, i started to really curse at my "surfer". Stuck for about 10mins now and tried just about everything from snow mode to 1st gear but all i get is nowhere and the damn trac dash indicator flashing. AHHH TRACTION CONTROL IS ON YOU IDIOT! I pushed the switch off, put the trans in 2nd gear and as soon as i hit it, she started to "surf" her way, sideways mostly, up the incline to my amazement. I'm sure the people behind me were wandering what took me so long as they watched me disappear over the hill. Made it home safely with TRAC off and mostly between 2nd and 3rd gear. Oh yeah when the trac was on, VSC saved me numerous of times from concrete barriers and other cars. Just had to share/vent to you guys. WHEW!

 

I thought the VSC switch *was* the traction control switch. Is there another switch labeled 'trac' that I haven't found yet?

 

Sorry! Meant to say when it was on it saved me those times. Thanks for the catch, Adams! It edited now.

 

My first weekend out with my LS I almost got stuck on a slight grass/mud incline. In a grass/mud parking lot I parked on a slight slope to the right. The back end of the car slid down the hill.

First gear/VSC off didn't help me at all. Reverse in a rear wheel drive sedan works better than forward when you get stuck. I left 20 feet of muddy tire tracks in the grass, but I eventually got back to level ground.

 

Alot depends on the tires. I went on a trip to poconos right after a snow storm. To my surprise my new Michelins Pilot Sport A/S Plus held up very well. I never got stuck anywhere, incline or not.

 

Yes, interestingly enough, with the TRAC on, the computer is programmed in such a way that it has to get traction or it won't rev beyond 2000 rpm or so. I tried on a hilll once, basically on an icy surface and the engine actually would not rev beyond 2000 rpm, and the wheels had to traction so it just basically did nothing. Once I turned the TRAC off, the engine would rev on and on, but still no power since I was on ice...

Strange that the way to work the TRAC seems to work counter intuitive... when stuck, turn it off.

 

I know, right! The switch should have two modes: "Trac on" and "Stuck". I guess Trac is good for when you are on the move and the wheels start to spin, the engine limiter will kick in. It is very helpful when it is on because the VSC kept me from damaging my car on numerous occasions. Come to think about it, that was the first time that it activated in a real-life situation other than me playing around in parking lots. So far most of the features on this car are working as advertised. Nothing seems gimmicky about the added safety features. Lets just hope the primary safety features like airbags and seat belts do they job if the time ever comes. Hope i wont have to find out.

 

All the electronics really do scare me some times when I'm just sitting and thinking about the car. From the electronic throttle (which might be Toyota's real current issue, not the mechanical aspect), to electronic brake assist, to airbags, and all others. You wonder with a "computer" controlling all these things what would happen if it does fault, or you go through some really strong magnetic field? I'm sure it's shielded and all that, but what if it's not?

I really hope I never have to use the airbags in my LS, because knock on wood thus far, I have not had to use it on any car I've had thus far.... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK !!!!

 

I believe and i hope that this car has some sort of redundancy in case the electronics fail so that the car is still controllable. My only worry would be the DBW systems. Think i'll install a safety switch on the circuit that controls the DBW placed right near the gear shift so that if anything crazy happens, which i honestly doubt, a flip of the switch and down comes the throttle.

 

Isn't that safety switch called the "ignition" and it's already pretty close to the gear shift?

 

Actually, are the brakes all electronic, or just electronic assist as in there is an electrical component, but the mechanical of stepping on the pedal and a physical mechanism still goes to the master cylinder? It would have to be a total catastrophic failure like in those horror movies like Final Destination, but imagine you drive-by-wire fails, then your electronic shifter fails too so you can't shift to neutral, and you brakes fail, plus on top of that you can't turn the ignition off? Holy smokes, the whole connection of man to motor is totally lost now... very scary when you think too much about it.

Maybe machines taking over man is right. Not like Terminator via a post apocalyptic war, but that they'll gradually take over our lives slowly through the electronics we use..

 

wait a sec. I have a trac off switch but no VSC switch. my trac off switch is on the console by the ETC switch. To sound even more ignorant, what is the difference between traction control and VSC? If my car has a trac button, does it automatically come with VSC? I would assume it would be standard on all LS's but I could be wrong.

 

ETC switch? I don't have one of these. My VSC switch is near the transmission "power/snow" switch. That's also where the air suspension controls would be on a UL.

 

Per Lexus (in 2004 LS brochure):

"Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) can sense the onset of traction loss in a turn and automatically reduces throttle and applies the proper brakes to help keep you on track. " Also, "it integrates ABS and TRAC". (There is a disclaimer stating that VSC is not a substitute for safe driving practices, considering speed, road conditions, etc.)

"On a slippery surface, if one rear wheel starts to spin, all-speed Traction Control (TRAC) can brake that wheel independently, automatically redistributing power to the wheel that has better grip."

Both VSC & TRAC were standard on 2004's.

Walt

 

I was referring to the ETC switch as the "power/snow switch" I believe it stands for electronically controlled transmission or throttle" Hmm, Now I'm going to have to go down to the car and investigate.

Okay- On my 05, my switch is labeled TRAC OFF. When it is pressed, it says TRAC OFF on the dash. There is no VSC button anywhere. However, There is a graphic on the dash that lights up when the car is first started. It is a picture of a car that is skidding. This is the VSC test indicator....SO I must have VSC. I assume now that the VSC and TRAC are all covered with the use of that one "TRAC OFF" switch........It was nice excuse to go down to the garage and sit in her for a little while and grab the manual. Too bad I don't go for pointless joy rides anymore. At least not with this beast. I would not only burn through gas, but I'm sure murphy's law would try to bite me. Who know's maybe when the weather gets nice I will be eating my words! HAHA!