2004 Lexus GX470 wheel

DRIVING TIPS
450
OPERATION IN FOREIGNCOUNTRIES
If you plan to drive your Lexus in another country...
First, comply with the vehicle registration laws.
Second, confirm the availability of the correct fuel (unleaded
and minimum octane rating).
TIPS FOR DRIVING IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds. This will allow you
much better control.
 Drive slowly onto curbs and, if possible, at a right angle.
Avoid driving onto high, sharp-edged objects and other
road hazards. Failure to do so can lead to severe tire
damage such as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps or travelling on a
bumpy road. Otherwise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
 When parking on a hill, turn the front wheels until they touch
the curb so that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the parking
brake, and place the transmission in Pº. If necessary, block
the wheels.
 Washing your vehicle or driving through deep water may get
the brakes wet. To see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you and then press the pedal lightly.
If you do not feel a normal braking force, the brakes are
probably w et. To dry them, drive the vehicle cautiously while
lightly pressing the brake pedal with the parking brake
applied. If they still do not work safely, pull to the side of the
road and call a Lexus dealer for assistance.

DRIVING TIPS
453
OFF-ROAD DRIVINGPRECAUTIONS
When driving your vehicle off-road, please observe the
following precautions to ensure your driving enjoyment and to
help prevent the closure of areas to off-road vehicles.
a. Drive your vehicle only in areas where of f-road vehicles are
permitted to travel.
b. Respect private property. Get owner's permission before
entering private property.
c. Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers
and signs that restrict travel.
d. Stay on established roads. When conditions are wet,
driving techniques should be changed or travel delayed to
prevent damage to roads.
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining to driving your
vehicle off-road, consult the following organizations.
 State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
 State Motor Vehicle Bureau
 Recreational Vehicle Clubs
 U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
CAUTION
Always observe the following precautions to minimize
the risk of serious personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take
unnecessary risks by driving in dangerous places.
 Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving
off-road. A bad bump could jerk the wheel and injure
your hands. Keep both hands and especially your
thumbs on the outside of the rim.
 Always check your brakes for effectiveness
immediately after driving in sand, mud, water or
snow.
 After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand,
rivers, etc., check that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from the
underbody. If the vehicle is used with these materials
trapped or adhering to the underbody, a breakdown
or fire could occur.
 In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing
a seat belt. Therefore, the driver and all passengers
should fasten their seat belts whenever the vehicle is
moving.

DRIVING TIPS
455
NOTICE
If driving through water, such as when crossingshallow streams, first check the depth of the waterand the bottom of the river bed for firmness. Driveslowly and avoid deep water.
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure thatwater damage to the engine or other componentsdoes not occur.
Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe
engine damage.
Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings,causing rusting and premature failure, and may alsoenter the differentials, transmission and transfercase, reducing the gear oil's lubricating qualities.
Sand and mud that has accumulated in brake drumsand around brake discs may affect braking ef ficiency
and may damage brake system components.
Always perform a maintenance inspection after each day of off-road driving that has taken you throughrough terrain, sand, mud, or water. For scheduledmaintenance information, refer to the Owner'sManual Supplement/Scheduled Maintenanceº.

DRIVING TIPS
458Do not use your parking brake when there is a possibility
it could freeze.
When
parking, put the transmission into Pº and block the front
wheels. Do not use the parking brake, or snow or water
accumulated in and around the parking brake mechanism may
freeze the parking brake, making it hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders can make steering
difficult. During bad winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving, we recommend you
carry some emergency equipment.
Some of the thi ngs you might put in the vehicle are tire chains,
window scraper, bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
DINGHY TOWING
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed (with four
wheels on the ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four wheels on the ground. This may cause serious damage to your vehicle.

DRIVING TIPS
464
NOTICE
Do not use axle-mounted hitches as they can causedamage to the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels ortires. Also, never install a hitch which may interfere with
the normal function of an Energy Absorbing Bumper.
Trailer ball
Follow these easy steps to properly determine the correct
trailer ball for your application:
1. Determine the correct trailer ball size for the trailer coupler.
Most couplers are stamped with the required trailer ball size.
The sizes you'll most likely find stamped on the coupler are:
Trailer Class
Typical Trailer Ball Size
III 2 in.
II 2 in.
I 1 7/8 in.
2. Select the appropriate trailer ball to match or exceed the
gross trailer weight rating of the trailer. The trailer ball load
rating should be printed on the top of the ball.

1Trailer ball load rating
2Ball diameter3Shank length
4Shank diameter

DRIVING TIPS
468
Tires
Ensure that your vehicle's tires are properly inflated. Adjust
the tire inflation pressure to the recommended cold tire
inflation pressure indicated below.
Tire inflation pressure: 220 kPa (2.2 kgf/cm
2 or bar, 32 psi)
 The trailer tires should be inflated to the pressure
recommended by the trailer manufacturer in respect to the
total trailer weight.
Trailer lights
Your vehicle is equipped with a wire harness stored in the rear
end underbody. Use either of them to connect and operate the
trailer lights. However, the trailer lights must comply with
federal, state/provincial and local regulations. See your local
recreational vehicle dealer or rental agency for the correct type
of wiring and relays for your trailer. Check for correct operation
of the turn signals and stop lights each time you hitch up. Direct
splicing may damage your vehicle's electrical system and
cause a malfunction of your lights.
Break-in schedule
Lexus recommends that you do not tow a trailer with a new
vehicle or a vehicle with any new power train component
(engine, transmission, differential, wheel bearing, etc.) for the
first 800 km (500 miles) of driving.
Maintenance
 If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent
maintenance due to the additional load. For this
information, please refer to the scheduled maintenance
information in the Owner's Manual Supplement/Scheduled
Maintenanceº.
 Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after
approximately 1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.

DRIVING TIPS
470
Trailer towing tips
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will handle differently
than when not towing. The three main causes of
vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed
and improper trailer loading. Keep these in mind when
towing:
 Before starting out, check the operation of the lights and all
vehicle-trailer connections. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and connections. Practice
turning, stopping and backing with a trailer in an area away
from traffic until you learn the feel.
 Backing with a trailer is difficult and requires practice. Grip
the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right
to move the trailer to the right. (This procedure is generally
opposite to that when backing without a trailer.) Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time, avoiding sharp or
prolonged turning. Have someone guide you when backing
to reduce the risk of an accident.
 Because stopping distance may be increased,
vehicle-to-vehicle distance should be increased when
towing a trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of speed, allow
at least one vehicle and trailer length between you and the
vehicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as you may skid,
resulting in jackknifing and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces. 
Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
 Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns. The trailer could hit
your vehicle in a tight turn. Slow down before making a turn
to avoid the need of sudden braking.
 Remember that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will
be closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
Therefore, compensate for this by making a larger than
normal turning radius with your vehicle.
 Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling
of your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention to
the rear from time to time to prepare yourself for being
passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying happens, firmly grip
the steering wheel and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. If it is necessary to
reduce speed, brake slowly. Steer straight ahead. If you
make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes,
your vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
 Be careful when passing other vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget
the length of your trailer and be sure you have plenty of room
before changing lanes.
 In order to maintain efficient engine braking and electrical
charging performance, do not use overdrive. Transmission
must be 4º position.

DRIVING TIPS
471

Because of the added load of the trailer, your vehicle's
engine may overheat on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85 F]) when going up a long or steep grade with a
trailer. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in
use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
See If your vehicle overheatsº on page 486.
 Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and trailer
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly. Put
the transmission in Pº. Avoid parking on a slope with a
trailer, but if it cannot be avoided, do so only after performing
the following:
1. Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle
and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into Pº and turn off the engine. When restarting out after parking on a slope:
1. With the transmission in Pº position, start the engine. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into the 3º, 2º, Lº or Rº position.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull
or back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply your
brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blocks.
CAUTION

Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing
speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability
(swaying) of a towing vehicle-trailer combination
usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding
72 km/h (45 mph) may cause loss of control.
 Slow down and downshift before descending steep
or long downhill grades. Do not make sudden
downshifts.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or too
frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking efficiency.