Winter Driving - So Far So Good

[NavalLacrosse]

Owner Impression Update, Winter Edition

 

TLDR; I talk about my car, and other random thoughts. you've been warned. 

 

I've owned the car for 6 months, and put 12K miles on it. My biggest fear was that I would regret buying this thing... I can proudly say I'm happy. Both me and my wife still enjoy the car. 

 

Now, season's changed and it's winter - and very cold (8 F, -11 C) - and i'm on the dealership's defualt tires- Kumho Solus with the 19" rims. 

Big take aways with winter driving my DJ in the snow:
- The wheels get imbalanced from ice collection.

- The Tires / FWD / traction control leave much to be desired. I knew what I was getting into when i bought it.

-Stability control works well... and ruins the fun of doing e-brake slides- Even when the traction is off.

- With proper defensive driving, and speed management, the stock kumho tires are plenty sufficient for snow... under 6" depth

- The heat works, just don't have the HVAC fan blowing full when the car is cold. Big engine takes a while to heat up. USE the remote start. people complain here that the heat isn't strong enough. I'll tell you, let it warm up more, run the blower at a lower fan setting.

 

Regular Driving notes:

-MPG avg 18. mixed in the snow. 25 at 85mph long haul (dry pavement).

-The fuel gauge is off by two gallons. when the light comes one I've got 80 miles range (estimated). don't base your range on this number- my level sensor must be incorrect because it never goes over 85% full when topped off.

-The DJ car drives smooth. The steering in not too sensitive. By comparison, I drove my dad's '13 Highlander and I felt at high speed it was too touchy on the steering.

 

Side note: 
Those stock tires are awfully expensive. I had a nail, and Tuffy quoted 250 to replace.... Discount Tire then just quickly repaired it for free. 

 

The 'MSRP' on this unit was was $30K in 2011, and I picked mine up for $13,5k in '17. I'm happy with this car, and hope to drive it for a few years.

 

 

[NavalLacrosse]

After reading a few other recent posts, I'll apologize if I sound dick-ish about the heat. I was referring to people who in the fall/autumn were basically complaining about their heat not being as good as they hoped- 

If your heat is/coolant/oil is giving trouble, I hope that you're able to diagnose and resolve those issues in a quick and inexpensive way. -Thanks

Edited December 29, 2017 by NavalLacrosse

[jkeaton]

Never had any issues with my heat. Guess I’m one of the lucky few. 

[N87]

Good report. I like what I am reading. Thank you. Sounds like you have a FWD. I wonder how AWD feels in the snow. 

[lmoore1436]

Good write-up, I especially agree with the steering comment. I drove quite a few vehicles and this one feels the best in terms of sensitivity, I guess it has a lot to do with being hydraulic power steering. It definitely gives more feedback than most other suvs that use all electric. 

[lmoore1436]

3 hours ago, N87 said:

Good report. I like what I am reading. Thank you. Sounds like you have a FWD. I wonder how AWD feels in the snow. 

 

I've tested the AWD out, and I is pretty grippy but you never really notice much happening when it kicks in. There's no light letting you know it's come on, no loud clunk or mechanical noises. It just feels like a normal drive to me. 

[NavalLacrosse]

Yes, I've got the FWD.

 

(TLDR; there's no real difference between AWD, FWD while on dry pavement under day-to-day conditions. My opinions on AWD vs FWD regarding improved on snow handling, and reduced safety while at speed)

 

The first DJ i test drove was a '15 with 15k miles (In the SXT trim, AWD) and I felt a noticeable difference... though, this was in ideal summer conditions. My conclusion to this was that the journey I own "Learned" to be driven by lead foot detroit/warren drivers (Meaning my average throttle use yields a sluggish acceleration, akin to powerful golf-cart), as apposed to the one i test drove in gentle Midwestern town (Where my average throttle response yielded hella-peppy acceleration).

 

I think steeling response is just a tolerance thing between different automakers. maybe it was the short wheelbase I was feeling wobbling that got me feeling less stable in my dad's highlander... regardless, both my DJ and dad's highlander have hydraulic steering.

 

Difference between AWD and FWD on snow- Though I've not driven an AWD DJ on snow, I can theorize that its pros include better day-to-day acceleration on ice, and improved up-hill incline zero-to-going acceleration, along with some minor improved deep snow capabilities.

Call the following red-neck physics, but I feel far safer in a FWD car driving at high speed in slushy/turned snow covered slippery roads, as opposed to AWD. For example, if i'm passing a semi on I-94 in the slush, in FWD there is 'zero' chance that accelerating through a lane-change will cause the back end to break free. A powered FWD lane change just results in the steering wheel 'Bucking' as the left and right tires glide over the slush and contact the pavement again (Remedied by having a firm hand(s) on the wheel)... as opposed to an AWD which might catch/lose traction in the rear at just the right moment to cause a slide... of course that's where the stability computers(?) take over, but I don't like the scenario... (This is just a redneck physics idea regarding FWD causing under-steer by default, and AWD enabling over-steer by rare-but-random chance) feel free to correct me, I might learn something valuable.

[lmoore1436]

3 hours ago, NavalLacrosse said:

Yes, I've got the FWD.

 

(TLDR; there's no real difference between AWD, FWD while on dry pavement under day-to-day conditions. My opinions on AWD vs FWD regarding improved on snow handling, and reduced safety while at speed)

 

The first DJ i test drove was a '15 with 15k miles (In the SXT trim, AWD) and I felt a noticeable difference... though, this was in ideal summer conditions. My conclusion to this was that the journey I own "Learned" to be driven by lead foot detroit/warren drivers (Meaning my average throttle use yields a sluggish acceleration, akin to powerful golf-cart), as apposed to the one i test drove in gentle Midwestern town (Where my average throttle response yielded hella-peppy acceleration).

 

I think steeling response is just a tolerance thing between different automakers. maybe it was the short wheelbase I was feeling wobbling that got me feeling less stable in my dad's highlander... regardless, both my DJ and dad's highlander have hydraulic steering.

 

Difference between AWD and FWD on snow- Though I've not driven an AWD DJ on snow, I can theorize that its pros include better day-to-day acceleration on ice, and improved up-hill incline zero-to-going acceleration, along with some minor improved deep snow capabilities.

Call the following red-neck physics, but I feel far safer in a FWD car driving at high speed in slushy/turned snow covered slippery roads, as opposed to AWD. For example, if i'm passing a semi on I-94 in the slush, in FWD there is 'zero' chance that accelerating through a lane-change will cause the back end to break free. A powered FWD lane change just results in the steering wheel 'Bucking' as the left and right tires glide over the slush and contact the pavement again (Remedied by having a firm hand(s) on the wheel)... as opposed to an AWD which might catch/lose traction in the rear at just the right moment to cause a slide... of course that's where the stability computers(?) take over, but I don't like the scenario... (This is just a redneck physics idea regarding FWD causing under-steer by default, and AWD enabling over-steer by rare-but-random chance) feel free to correct me, I might learn something valuable.

 

Agree, no difference at all in regular driving. However, on FWD models they do still have the traction and anti-skid defenses. In the scenario you mentioned the car would apply the brakes to try and regain traction on any wheel that is sliding or skidding, so regardless of how you are holding the wheel the braking system will more than likely end up slowing you down or could even lock the wheels while trying to pass. In AWD models it will do the same thing, but it is able to regulate power to the rear wheels and detect if there is slippage on either of the rear wheels and determine how much power to send to each wheel. Not to say FWD isn't good in snow, but an AWD system won't make you lose control because the front wheels are slipping. In FWD if you were to pass a car on the highway with slush your only wheels with power are where all the weight is as well as steering so if there is a loss in traction for both front wheels hopefully you hit a dry patch of road really quick. The rear tires on FWD could also slide out on even though they don't have power, but without the AWD system they have to rely on hitting that dry patch of pavement. 

[wildfire]

I'll co-sign on the engine taking a bit to warm up, but as you stated might be more of a V6 vs I4 thing. I also have some driving impressions for the winter as well but i'll spin up a separate thread hopefully later today.

[NavalLacrosse]

On 1/15/2018 at 9:38 AM, wildfire said:

I'll co-sign on the engine taking a bit to warm up, but as you stated might be more of a V6 vs I4 thing. I also have some driving impressions for the winter as well but i'll spin up a separate thread hopefully later today.

looking forward to reading it! (Belated comment!)