ECT Snow?
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Md
ECT Snow?
A stupid question....our 300 is all wheel drive, when would using the ECT snow mode come in play? The owners manual just gets into how to push the button. If its a all wheel drive why would we need the snow mode? In heavy snow, driving slow?
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 959
Likes: 2
From: New Jersey
ECT button just starts the RX out in second gear to prevent initial slippage. I never needed mine.
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,189
Likes: 16
From: NY/NJ
I've never used it, but I suppose if you ever did get stuck in some situation where you lost traction completely (say snowy/icy incline) and you just could not ease off the gas enough, you could hit the "snow" mode and launch from 2nd gear to try to gain traction.
I think "snow" mode is more for RWD and even then it's really in theory that it should work from 2nd gear. I've found that from snow, it's almost necessary to launch from 3rd gear to get a good throttle to wheel power distribution.
I think "snow" mode is more for RWD and even then it's really in theory that it should work from 2nd gear. I've found that from snow, it's almost necessary to launch from 3rd gear to get a good throttle to wheel power distribution.
CL Community Team
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 16,533
Likes: 1,379
From: Austin, TX
Form manual transmission, one can select 1st or 2nd or even 3rd gear, to control the torque on the driven wheel.
With auto trans, one can not, unless there is a switch that forces launch to be 2nd gear [do not confuse with L,2,3 gear select options as they are Max gear limits .. ie in 2 you will start in Low gear and max out on 2].
The snow mode is that switch, that forces launch in 2 and thus limit torque and hopefully will prevent spinning of the wheels.
Salim
With auto trans, one can not, unless there is a switch that forces launch to be 2nd gear [do not confuse with L,2,3 gear select options as they are Max gear limits .. ie in 2 you will start in Low gear and max out on 2].
The snow mode is that switch, that forces launch in 2 and thus limit torque and hopefully will prevent spinning of the wheels.
Salim
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,507
Likes: 38
From: Bethlehem Twsp. Pennsylvania
I agree^^,I used it once,and I smelled something burning/hot like smell.And I think it does better in regular drive mode.
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i leave the ECT snow mode on for deep snow and ice conditions. with it turned off, all i do is lots of wheelspin and no forward motion (we don't have the optional LSD rear end either
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Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,507
Likes: 38
From: Bethlehem Twsp. Pennsylvania
i noticed this too. i left it on by accident and while i was traveling at highway speeds i started noticing the burning smell
i leave the ECT snow mode on for deep snow and ice conditions. with it turned off, all i do is lots of wheelspin and no forward motion (we don't have the optional LSD rear end either )
i leave the ECT snow mode on for deep snow and ice conditions. with it turned off, all i do is lots of wheelspin and no forward motion (we don't have the optional LSD rear end either
) :
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