In the ditch - close call
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 908
Likes: 59
From: Lincon, CA
Glad no one was hurt and your trade-in is unblemished. Thanks for the updated reports. Just installed new Latitude Tour HP's. Very happy with the quiet ride, but I will not count on them for traction on ice or in snow. Based on the ditch photo, I would say only winter tires would have made a difference in the ditch. Thanks for the tip of turning off traction control to get more traction when stuck.
My edit: BTW, after posting this, I saw the word "tires" came up in blue. I clicked on the word "tires" and it took me to a Wal-Mart ad. I did NOT do this. Jeez, what next?
My edit: BTW, after posting this, I saw the word "tires" came up in blue. I clicked on the word "tires" and it took me to a Wal-Mart ad. I did NOT do this. Jeez, what next?
Driver
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 100
Likes: 12
From: CA
Please tell me about proceedure ??
Wife was driving back home from an errand, hit black ice, and no tires or VDIM was going to defeat the laws of physics. RX oversteered and into the ditch.
Luckily the RX just missed the wooden fence post.
She called me in a panic and I gave her the Lexus Roadside Assistance. She called them up with a promise of a 45-60 min wait. No show. At that time, I decided to leave work early, got there an additional 45 mins later and still no promised tow truck. 
After a few minutes/attempts of rocking the RX, changing steering angles, locking the AWD and disabling the traction control, I managed to dig out of the muddy, grassy, and snow filled ditch over the slope and finally onto the road.
Impressions. This has been the most serious we ever got stuck in with the RX. Despite 50% worn All-Season Michelin Latitudes (not very good in snow/ice when new, let alone now), the RX impressed me getting out after only a few attempts. Trick was locking the diff and disabling traction control so all power was 50/50 split and unimpaired. Without doing this, wife's prior attempts were fruitless. Now if only we had better A/S or winter tires, we'd be out in no time (or perhaps never in the ditch in the first place).
Luckily the RX just missed the wooden fence post.
She called me in a panic and I gave her the Lexus Roadside Assistance. She called them up with a promise of a 45-60 min wait. No show. At that time, I decided to leave work early, got there an additional 45 mins later and still no promised tow truck. After a few minutes/attempts of rocking the RX, changing steering angles, locking the AWD and disabling the traction control, I managed to dig out of the muddy, grassy, and snow filled ditch over the slope and finally onto the road.
Impressions. This has been the most serious we ever got stuck in with the RX. Despite 50% worn All-Season Michelin Latitudes (not very good in snow/ice when new, let alone now), the RX impressed me getting out after only a few attempts. Trick was locking the diff and disabling traction control so all power was 50/50 split and unimpaired. Without doing this, wife's prior attempts were fruitless. Now if only we had better A/S or winter tires, we'd be out in no time (or perhaps never in the ditch in the first place).
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Compaq
RX - 1st Gen (1999-2003)
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Feb 20, 2003 01:34 PM