No Terrain Mode for Snow?? (3 Viewers)

[084runnerltd]

I currently mainly have a 100 series and previous to that, a 80.

We are getting ready to sell my wife’s 4Runner and plan on replacing it with a 2016 or newer LX570.

I have been watching a lot of videos on it and it appears that terrain select mode doesn’t offer a snow mode?

To me, that seems like it would be one of the first modes I would think of offering in a system like terrain select. I am not saying that sand and rock are useless, but besides us crazies on mud, I think a lot more owners of the 70k plus vehicles are driving them in snow vs rock crawling...??

What am I missing here? Do you guys just leave it in standard mode when driving on snow/ice??

I live in ND in the NW corner near Canada and Montana....we get lots of snow and drifts. We don’t use salt which is good for our vehicles, but bad for traction....

Maybe I have overlooked something, however, even on the Lexus website it listed the terrain modes and snow was not one of them...??

What gives?? Are these modes only used in four low at crawling speeds? We got rock, dirt, mud, mogels, loose rock and sand...??

Thanks in advance.

 

[mcgaskins]

Multi terrain select is only active in 4 low, so a snow mode would be largely pointless. If you’re wheeling off road in the snow in 4 low, mud would be the best setting, but that doesn’t sound like what you’re looking for.

 

[Union]

This is from the Tacoma manual. Mud & Sand mode for snow covered roads. You also had to be in 4LO to engage MTS in the Taco.

 

[M1911]

As others have pointed out, multi terrain select only works on 4 lo. We get plenty of snow here in MA. In 15 years of driving 4WD Toyota SUVs, I’ve never been tempted to use 4 lo in snow. YMMV.

 

[Markuson]

My 08 doesn’t have terrain selections at all.

Crawl control has three modes, but all are based on speed. Basically 1, 2, 3mph. Not something use simply driving in snow.

Center diff lock and go. Or if mild (super grippy snow) just drive.

 

[M1911]

Center diff lock and go.

I haven't driven my 200 extensively in the snow. In my old '03 4Runner, I found that locking the center diff in the snow resulted in it being very tail-happy. I'm not talking about the fact that traction control is turned off (which it was on the 4Runner). Instead, I'm saying that moderate applications of the throttle tended to result in significant, sudden oversteer.

I learned to drive in the 1970s in Chicago in rear-wheel-drive cars in the snow. So I'm comfortable with power-on oversteer.

But I found the 4Runner to be easier to control in snow with the center diff unlocked. While locking the center diff on the 4Runner turned off traction control, it didn't turn off spin control (ESP), and the spin control acted early and with a heavy hand. So the rear would step out and then the hand of God would shut down the throttle suddenly and the rear slide would jerk to a stop. For those of us used to smoothly controlling the rear when it steps out, that really sucked.

 

[JOFS]

If you have lots of snow get snow tires and don't worry about the terrain mode. You can search as there are varying opinions about dedicated snows.

I have used mud setting once pulling out of an area where I was plowed in and the snow was really deep and thick. I don't use the modes any other time in the snow.

Just drive, the modes are only crawl so the usefulness is limited.


John

 

[KLF]

Don't forget about the "2nd gear start" mode. I've never tried it but it's supposed to be useful in snow conditions.

Our Highlander has a "snow" button on the console, I've never been able to actually determine what it does, but I believe it probably is a 2nd start setting and it changes the shift points in the trans. The salesman told me such a whopper of a made up answer, I just looked at him and said "you don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?"

 

[M1911]

Don't forget about the "2nd gear start" mode. I've never tried it but it's supposed to be useful in snow conditions.

Our Highlander has a "snow" button on the console, I've never been able to actually determine what it does, but I believe it probably is a 2nd start setting and it changes the shift points in the trans. The salesman told me such a whopper of a made up answer, I just looked at him and said "you don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?"

Is it a "snow" button or an "S" button? If it is an "S" button, it might be "sport" rather than snow. That is, it might change the transmission shift points, but not in the way you expect.

 

[KLF]

Is it a "snow" button or an "S" button? If it is an "S" button, it might be "sport" rather than snow. That is, it might change the transmission shift points, but not in the way you expect.

No, it actually says "SNOW MODE" on it.

 

[Big Timber]

As others have pointed out, Land Cruisers (and LX's) don't have a "snow" mode in 4 hi nor do they need any of the fancy selectable terrain modes other SUVs offer (just marketing IMO). The LC terrain modes are only for 4 lo, for when you are really in the s***. Get snow tires and just drive it in 4 hi.

 

[M1911]

No, it actually says "SNOW MODE" on it.

Gotcha. I think my wife's C-class has a button with "S" on it and I've got no clue whether it means "sport" or "snow", which would likely change the shift points in opposite directions...

 

[Bendcruiser]

Gotcha. I think my wife's C-class has a button with "S" on it and I've got no clue whether it means "sport" or "snow", which would likely change the shift points in opposite directions...

Sometimes it just means select?

 

[coleAK]

2nd start Probably should be labeled “snow mode”. I use it when the ice at intersections gets really bad.

And I’ll add I’m in Alaska and drive on snow/ice most winters more than half the year. I don’t think it needs any additional snow mode. I have a ‘13 LX on Hakka 7’s.

 

[coleAK]

Gotcha. I think my wife's C-class has a button with "S" on it and I've got no clue whether it means "sport" or "snow", which would likely change the shift points in opposite directions...

In our E class the S is sport

 

[M1911]

In our E class the S is sport

Which I assume will hold the engine in gears longer, using higher rpms, which is exactly what you don’t want in snow.

 

[kreiten]

the "terrain select" is just allowing you to tweak or fine tune the ATRAC system, that's all you're doing, I pay no attention to the "titles" given, i.e. mud, dirt, rock etc... I look at it simply how much wheel spin do I want the ATRAC system to allow before it kicks in giving the terrain I'm in. Just look at it as 1 thru 5, "mud and sand" is 1, this will allows the most wheel spin prior to the ATRAC kicking in, "Rock" 5 allows the least amount of wheel spin prior to ATRAC kicking in.

 

[coleAK]

Which I assume will hold the engine in gears longer, using higher rpms, which is exactly what you don’t want in snow.

Exactly, You got it.

 

[40Man]

I haven't driven my 200 extensively in the snow. In my old '03 4Runner, I found that locking the center diff in the snow resulted in it being very tail-happy. I'm not talking about the fact that traction control is turned off (which it was on the 4Runner). Instead, I'm saying that moderate applications of the throttle tended to result in significant, sudden oversteer.

I learned to drive in the 1970s in Chicago in rear-wheel-drive cars in the snow. So I'm comfortable with power-on oversteer.

But I found the 4Runner to be easier to control in snow with the center diff unlocked. While locking the center diff on the 4Runner turned off traction control, it didn't turn off spin control (ESP), and the spin control acted early and with a heavy hand. So the rear would step out and then the hand of God would shut down the throttle suddenly and the rear slide would jerk to a stop. For those of us used to smoothly controlling the rear when it steps out, that really sucked.

Agreed. I find that with the center diff locked you can get oversteer when making sharp turns and understeer when making smaller turns. Sometimes when driving with center diff locked in a straight line on snow when I turn I get understeer like it takes a bit longer to change directions. I also recall VSC turns off when the diff is locked which is probably best to leave on when street driving. If driving in deeper snow I like to have the CDL locked as I feel like the VSC takes away a lot of power needed to push through, but for normal street driving I leave it open (other to exercise the CDL from time to time). Interested to hear if others feel different.

 

[FerzLC]

2nd start Probably should be labeled “snow mode”. I use it when the ice at intersections gets really bad.

And I’ll add I’m in Alaska and drive on snow/ice most winters more than half the year. I don’t think it needs any additional snow mode. I have a ‘13 LX on Hakka 7’s.

What exactly does the 2nd start button do. Sorry for the stupid question