No Terrain Mode for Snow??
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"2nd start" is in the Owners Manual for slippery road surfaces, such as on snow.
Can some one ck and see if the "2nd start" switch is changed to a "*" (snow flake) on the new 2020 Heritage Edition? Trigger this button in case of icy start ups.
Can some one ck and see if the "2nd start" switch is changed to a "*" (snow flake) on the new 2020 Heritage Edition? Trigger this button in case of icy start ups.
Awesome thanks. I will try it out this weekend. We are going up to the mountains and it’s going to get a couple feet of snow
I believe that from a stop, the transmission will use different shift points reducing torque to avoid as much wheel spin from a get go if starting from a slippery road. Similar to my wife's ECT Snow Button in the RX350.
Yes 2nd start just starts in 2nd gear. I don’t really notice differant shift points other than that though. As for snow driving in general tires make a bigger difference then any other vehicle factor. And remember the LC is HEAVY so going isn’t the problem, it’s stopping. It’s an amazingly good vehicle in the snow for how big and heavy it is, probably the best truck out there. But most AWD cars will run circles around it: Subaru’s, Audi’s, 4matic MB,...
-ECT (Electronucally Controlled Transpission) PWR (power) button lets the RPMs crank higher before up-shifting...so more acceleration potential.
-2nd Start does what is says—Starts from a stop in second gear (ships 1st) so less prone to wheel spin.
-2nd Start does what is says—Starts from a stop in second gear (ships 1st) so less prone to wheel spin.
@coleAK has nailed it (as you would expect given he is from Alaska!). Keep it simple. VSC (Vehicle Stability Assist) is on by default and that will help you with possible slippage around turns. ECT 2nd is called "Snow Mode" in some other vehicles but for the most part is the same thing. It may not be needed for normal driving in snow but if you find you are having a difficult time starting out, especially starting from a stop going uphill or on a particular slippery place use it. It makes the vehicle start with 2nd gear which is certainly enough to eventually get it going and avoids the 1st gear torgue that will just make you spin. The reason they have this is that "Manual" mode (S mode) can't be used to force the vehicle to use 2nd gear. Setting it to S2 only limits the automatic transmission to no higher than 2nd gear. It will still try to start in 1st while will be too much torque and just make you spin. Now if you are well and truly stuck you can try shifting into 4Lo and using Mud Terrain mode or if that doesn't work, put it in CRAWL with a setting of 1 (slow). Maybe enable Center Diff Lock as well. This is only to slowly get you out of being stuck. Once unstuck then go back to 4Hi and possibly ECT 2nd when starting out.
And most importantly, be sure to have good snow tires and alter your driving style for snow. Braking too fast or too late, taking turns too fast, not anticipating, trying to accelerate too fast on a slick surface. No vehicles out there are a substitute for the necessary adjustments when driving in the snow or ice.
- Thread starter
- #29
Only works in 4lo, got it thank you. Haven’t had a chance to play around with a 200.
I visited a Lexus dealership over Xmas to take a look but all of them have been removed from their lot for the airbag recall.
Anyway, thanks for the info.
I visited a Lexus dealership over Xmas to take a look but all of them have been removed from their lot for the airbag recall.
Anyway, thanks for the info.
- Thread starter
- #30
I run Duratracs on all my rigs, have worked great in the North Dakota winters...(I apologize for the stupid pose, my wife instructed me to, “Do something.”)
Sorry to pollute this 200 thread with non-200 pics. I was simply showing the tires
Love the DuraTracs, best all around tire for someone who frequents the snow (don't live in it)I run Duratracs on all my rigs, have worked great in the North Dakota winters...(I apologize for the stupid pose, my wife instructed me to, “Do something.”)
View attachment 1892713 View attachment 1892714 View attachment 1892716 View attachment 1892717
Sorry to pollute this 200 thread with non-200 pics. I was simply showing the tires
BAY2MTN
SILVER Star
I use "2nd ECT" when stuck in traffic along I-80 going to Tahoe in snow storms. The second gear start helps me from being too aggressive accelerating during the slow grind up to & past chain controls.
Tires are key. I'm running Kumho Crugen HT51 with the mountain snowflake rating. Not a true winter tire, but have kept us on the road this winter. If I lived in the mountains, I would have a second set of tires that were winter-rated (as I have on previous less hardcore suvs)
Tires are key. I'm running Kumho Crugen HT51 with the mountain snowflake rating. Not a true winter tire, but have kept us on the road this winter. If I lived in the mountains, I would have a second set of tires that were winter-rated (as I have on previous less hardcore suvs)
I’ll try it out this weekend. It’s going to dump up there.
BAY2MTN
SILVER Star
Yea, it's going to dump so much, I think I'll stay in the Bay. Unfortunately, my kids will have to miss their race... Will catch the fresh stuff next week...
Mercedes has a W/S switch which is 2nd gear start and maybe a small shift change. "S" means Summer, as in Winter/Summer
I call it Wife/Self, since 2nd gear start is BS.
^^^ This right here. I use 2nd start on snowy icy roads in town and it helps. Winter tires are key - I run Hakka’s in the winter.
In snow and ice, static friction is higher than sliding friction. This true in general but much more important in snow/ice.
So anything to minimize breaking traction
- 2nd gear start to minimize wheel torque
- Open diffs
That latter one is key. With a locked center diff, in a turn because of the different arcs the tires take, will actually force slippage of tires. Hence the earlier mentions of sudden understeer/overstear, as tires break traction losing the advantage of static friction.
In deeper snow where wheelspin and momentum can be an advantage, center diff locked largely to kill traction control (VSC).
In extreme situations of steep uphill/downhill/stuck, crawl control can work it's magic in these situations too.
So anything to minimize breaking traction
- 2nd gear start to minimize wheel torque
- Open diffs
That latter one is key. With a locked center diff, in a turn because of the different arcs the tires take, will actually force slippage of tires. Hence the earlier mentions of sudden understeer/overstear, as tires break traction losing the advantage of static friction.
In deeper snow where wheelspin and momentum can be an advantage, center diff locked largely to kill traction control (VSC).
In extreme situations of steep uphill/downhill/stuck, crawl control can work it's magic in these situations too.
In deeper snow, locking up the tires might actually reduce stopping distances, due to snow building up in front of the tires. Of course, ABS won’t let that happen...