Rx400h In Snow - Newbie Question

[indy727]

Well got my RX400h for just over a week now. been reading the forums without posting

Enjoying the car and trying to get the best MPG as part of my daily game. In fact i was absolutely over the moon............

Then the snow came and my car acted like a sledge at 15MPH sliding a full 60 yards straight (unable to divert!!!) across a junction before scarily coming to a stop via the grass verge. Never before have i driven a car that does that...now i know its not really a proper 4x4 but should it really do that?

Has anyone had any experience like this and if so offer some advice as to what to say to lexus. I have just started the process but feel the car is completely unsafe in snow. I feel some difficult conversations ahead :tsktsk:

[Parthiban]

It's all about the tyres mate, in this type of weather you need winter tyres on to be safe - the RX weighs almost 2 tonnes I think so trying to stop that mass when there's no surface grip is not going to be easy.

I've had the same problem before in my IS, the last time it snowed, was driving down a gentle slope at about 10mph, just touched the brakes and started sliding - only just managed to make the bend at the bottom of the road and that was by turning to full lock so the wheels dug into the snow..........

[indy727]

points noted and its hard not to look like a total loser but trust me in any other car i had more than enough time/speed scrubbed to stop!

car is worst i have ever driven in snow.

[GlynnB]

Also 4 wheel drive is only of use when trying to go forwards it's of no use when trying to stop - and that's when the weight is against you. With the wheels locked the ABS wouldn't have had a chance - or does the regeneration override that? We were out at 4am yesterday but my RX stayed in the garage - we were in my wife's 15 year old Vitara with agressive snow tyres on and no problems whatsoever apart from hatchbacks sitting 6 inch off our back end on the way home at 9 am.

[DJ Wozza]

Did you try cadence breaking or was you foot just hard down on the brakes ? (manual kinda ABS pumping the brakes)

With the RX there is a lot of weight to stop and without proper snow tyres or chains traction/braking will be a major

issue with weather this bad.

[aido]

As a matter of interest what tyres have you got on the RX?

[Steviewevie]

Similar question to that from Wozza. Was the ABS pulsing ? Did you just slide along with the wheels locked ? In which case you might as well have taken your foot off the brakes and tried pumping the brakes as Wozza suggests, locked wheels aren't going to stop you at all, as you found out.

[jsj24uk]

I would also add that in icy conditions it is going to take you ten times longer to stop than in dry warm conditions. Slow down much earlier and far more gentle than you would do otherwyse. I saw a Range Rover, Freelander, Ranger Rover Sport, and a Porsche Cayanne all in ditches round my way yesterday. Ice is ice.

Jim.

[indy727]

Fully appreciate all the responses regarding braking distances and tyres etc...The tyres are dunlop (only had the car a week and thats what was already on it, not sure what model) Yes i did try releasing the brake and trying to steer towards the grass verge, nothing made any difference, if anything the car gathered momentum throughout.

Suppose its hard to quantify but trust me when i say this definitely did not feel like a misjudge of conditions. I was only doing 15MPH!!!! with loads of extra braking distance.

The car went straight back to lexus for a thourough inspection. They have lent me an IS250 which is very nice whilst driving this home i tried to recreate the scenario by driving down icy hills and braking hard but i could not get it even close. I went back to the scene of the accident in my company van the same morning (same conditions) and that also had no problems stopping, Citroen Berlingo outperforms Lexus? I have also driven the IS down the same road this morning (far icier!!) without any problems.....

One thing they have already said is that you do not feel the ABS braking on the 400H due to the regen braking on the motors...dont suppose anyone can confirm this to me can they?

My dilemma now is this, if they return it to me with no fault found, i dont think i have the confidence in the car to feel safe driving it in such conditions. Every car i have ever driven would have performed better in that scenario, so why was my 400h so bad?