I lived in California my whole life and now I am in Saint Louis, Missouri where it snows.

When winter comes, do you need anything special for your car to drive in the snow? I heard people say you need antifreeze windshield wipers or something. Please advise since I never lived anywhere where it snowed before.

MY CAR: 2004 RX330 AWD with stock wheels.

 

You'll be fine with what you have.

Just use wiper fluid that doesn't freeze (will say on the label) and buy yourself a window scraper/brush and you'll be fine. Maybe want to keep a blanket in the car as well just in case.

 

You might want to carry a flame thrower, a pair of skis, some sled dogs... just kidding.

You can 'winterize' you RX by making sure that the antifreeze is up to spec. Get an antifreeze hydrometer (about $5) and check to make sure the protection range is below the temp. that you'll experience in MO. Any wiper fluid should protect down to about 20F below zero. The stores in your region should sell ones that protect even lower, if necessary for your region.

As for tire, if you have aggressive tread tires (ie. Michelin Cross Terrain) then you should be fine for the winter. If you have the OEM Intergrity, you may want to change those. My experience with those was that they didn't track very well on snow, and the rear end slid a lot, even with AWD.

They sell these small shovels that you can easily throw in the back. You'll probably never need it, but it's a nice to have if you do get stuck. It will help to dig some snow from under your RX to give it some more traction.

Make sure wipers are new, or fairly new, because the snow and road salt really takes it's toll on the wipers. I've gone through one pair from just two months of snow and salt.

Short of these, I don't see anything that someone with a RX would need. You should be just fine with the RX through winter.

 

There are winter windshield wiper in stores. They cover up the entire wiper blade assembly with a thin layer of rubber. Not necessary IMO. (I'm in Colorado, used to be a New Yorker.)

Your anti-freeze coolant should be fine if serviced at dealer. For the windshield fluid, just use the regular blue one. That'll protect you down to minus 20F.

The Goodyear Eagle should do OK in snow and ice. Just watch for black ice at intersections after an ice storm. Stop at least 50 feet short of intersection, then slowly roll up to the white line.

Car trouble always happens when the weather is at its worst. So it's also a good idea to keep a winter kit in your RX: snow jacket, snow pants, chocolate, snack, soda pop in plastic bottles (water will freeze easily,) an orange color cloth (for SOS,) a small shovel, and some cat litter for traction. If you are on medication, keep a small supply in the glove box.

 

You will see a lot of ice and a decent amount of snow. Get a good ice scraper/snow brush and be careful that you don't scratch your paint when you use it. Get an oil change and check your antifreeze protection. Refill your windshield washer fluid with something rated for winter and check and/or replace your wiper blades with new ones, especially the rear wiper blade. Use RainX on your rear window as the Lexus RX330 doesn't clear the window worth a darn. Check your tires for thread depth and keep them inflated properly. For every 10° F the temperature drops your tires will drop one pound of pressure. Give yourself a lot of extra time when you travel in ice and snow. Watch out for black ice. Black ice is ice that looks like the road is just wet but has frozen and is extremely slippery. Black ice usually appears on bridges and overpasses first. Don't tailgate. Watch out for salt trucks. You don't want to follow one if you want to keep your paint in good shape. Give your RX a good wax before the cold weather arrives and wash off the salt in touchless washes periodically. Don't let the AWD give you too much confidence as your RX won't stop any faster than a FWD vehicle. Wear warm, layered clothing. Usually a couple times a season there are horrible traffic problems due to ice, snow and related accidents. It is usually best to avoid the freeways in these times. You can spend hours to go a few miles at these times so again keep your gas tank at least a quarter full at all times. Occassionally it gets really cold. When it does take care not to get frostbite. Wear a hat and get a good pair of gloves.

Welcome to the midwest.

 

I would add a small bag of kitty litter for traction. You may not need it (or you may) but it's also useful to help out your office co-worker who is stuck. Also, a can of fix-it-flat just in case you don't want to change your tire in 20 degree weather.

(Edit: Oh HarrierAWD already mentioned the kitty litter.. so I'll just add my vote for it as well)

 

Outstanding advice for those of us born and raised in the South! One additional comment from someone who sees snow and ice only on a rare vacation, but is more than familiar with liquid precipitation and the asssorted tropical tempest:

Keep an ear attuned to the local weather forcast. If the weather guy is talking about "the worst __(insert seasonal storm here)__ in twenty years", STAY HOME. It's amazing how many people destroy their cars - some, their lives - while suffering from "get-there-itis", a serious disease that is too often terminal. How many people have severely damaged their cars - or lost them altogether, just driving to or from the office? Some have lost their lives while sightseeing during incredibly bad weather, driving into doorhandle-deep water or breaking trail where they think the road should be. No job is worth risking your life for, no trip so important that it can't wait just one day.

Cave men knew that this was no time for hunting, better to stay home and tinker with their new invention, fire !