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3494-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
WARNING
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in a loss of vehicle control and cause death or serious injury.
●Use tires of the specified size.
●Maintain the recommended level of air pressure.
●Do not drive at speeds in excess of the speed limit or the speed limit specified for the
snow tires being used.
●Use snow tires on all, not just some wheels.
●Do not use LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering control) system.
■Driving with tire chains (excep t vehicles with 18-inch tires)
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in the vehicle being unable to be driven safely, and may
cause death or serious injury.
●Do not drive in excess of the speed limit spec ified for the tire chains being used, or 50
km/h (30 mph), whichever is lower.
●Avoid driving on bumpy road surfaces or over potholes.
●Avoid sudden acceleration, abrupt steering, sudden braking and shifting operations
that cause sudden engine braking.
●Slow down sufficiently before entering a curve to ensure that vehicle control is main-
tained.
NOTICE
■Repairing or replacing snow tires
Request repairs or replacement of snow tires from any authorized Lexus retailer or
Lexus authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer or legitimate tire retailers.
This is because the removal and attachment of snow tires affects the operation of the
tire pressure warning valves and transmitters.
■Fitting tire chains (except vehicles with 18-inch tires)
The tire pressure warning valves and transmitters may not function correctly when tire
chains are fitted.
Page 512 of 676

5127-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to expose the fabric, and
bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size or location of
a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult any authorized Lexus retailer or Lexus authorized repairer, or
any reliable repairer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not registered, the tire
pressure warning system will not work proper ly. After driving for about 10 minutes, the
tire pressure warning light blinks for 1 minu te and stays on to indicate a system malfunc-
tion.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even if it has seldom
or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not re place routine tire inflation pressure checks.
Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Low profile tires
Generally, low profile tires will wear more ra pidly and tire grip performance will be
reduced on snowy and/or icy roads when comp ared to standard tires. Be sure to use
snow tires or tire chains
* on snowy and/or icy roads and drive carefully at a speed appro-
priate for road and weather conditions.
*: Tire chains cannot be mounted on the 18-inc h tires. Snow tires should be used instead.
■If the tread on snow tires wears down below 4 mm (0.16 in.)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.
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5137-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not operate properly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may not operate properly.
• If non-genuine Lexus wheels are used.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not an OE (Original Equipment) tire.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.
• Tire chains etc. are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported run-flat tire is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehi cle, particularly around the wheels or wheel
housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extr emely higher than the specified level.
• If tires not equipped with tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters is not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio station, large display, air-
port or other facility that generates st rong radio waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless communication device
●When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to start or go off could be
extended.
●When tire inflation pressure declines rapi dly for example when a tire has burst, the
warning may not function.
■The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out initialization af ter adjusting the tire inflation pressure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before carrying out initialization or tire inflation pres-
sure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the engine swit ch off during initialization, it is not neces-
sary to press the reset switch again as init ialization will restart automatically when the
engine switch has been turned to IGNITION ON mode for the next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not necessary, adjust the
tire inflation pressure to the specified leve l when the tires are cold, and conduct initial-
ization again.
■Warning performance of the tire pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure warning syst em will change in accordance with the con-
ditions under which it was initialized. For this reason, the system may give a warning even
if the tire pressure does not reach a low enough level, or if the pressure is higher than the
pressure that was adjusted to when the system was initialized.
Page 523 of 676

5237-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
When replacing wheels, care should be taken to ensure that they are equivalent
to those removed in load capacity, diameter, rim width and inset
*.
Replacement wheels are available at any authorized Lexus retailer or Lexus
authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer.
*: Conventionally referred to as “offset”.
Lexus does not recommend using the following:
●Wheels of different sizes or types
●Used wheels
●Bent wheels that have been straightened
●Use only Lexus wheel nuts and wrenches designed for use with your alumi-
num wheels.
●When rotating, repairing or changing your tires, check that the wheel nuts are
still tight after driving 1600 km (1000 miles).
●Be careful not to damage the aluminum wheels when using tire chains.
●Use only Lexus genuine balance weights or equivalent and a plastic or rubber
hammer when balancing your wheels.
■When replacing wheels
The wheels of your vehicle are equipped with tire pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters that allow the tire pressure warning sy stem to provide advance warning in the event
of a loss in tire inflation pressure. Whenever wheels are replaced, tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters must be installed. ( P. 510)
Wheels
If a wheel is bent, cracked or heavily corroded, it should be replaced. Other-
wise, the tire may separate from the wheel or cause a loss of handling control.
Wheel selection
Aluminum wheel precautions
Page 546 of 676
546
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)8-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a problem with your transmission. Contact any
authorized Lexus retailer or Lexus authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer or
commercial towing service before towing.
●The engine is running but the vehicle does not move.
●The vehicle makes an abnormal sound.
If your vehicle needs to be towed
If towing is necessary, we recommend having your vehicle towed by any
authorized Lexus retailer or Lexus au
thorized repairer, or any reliable
repairer or commercial towing service, using a wheel-lift type truck or flatbed
truck.
Use a safety chain system for all towing , and abide by all state/provincial and
local laws.
Situations when it is necessary to contact dealers before towing
Page 548 of 676
5488-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
If your vehicle is transported by a flat-
bed truck, it should be tied down at the
locations shown in the illustration.
If you use chains or cables to tie down
your vehicle, the angles shaded in black
must be 45.
Do not overly tighten the tie downs or
the vehicle may be damaged.
If a tow truck is not available in an emergency, your vehicle may be temporarily
towed using cables or chains secured to the emergency towing eyelets. This
should only be attempted on hard surfac ed roads for at most 80 km (50 miles)
at under 30 km/h (18 mph).
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer and operate the brakes. The vehicle’s
wheels, drive train, axles, steering and brakes must be in good condition.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing
Page 549 of 676
5498-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
Take out the towing eyelet. (P. 588, 602)
Remove the eyelet cover using a
flathead screwdriver.
To protect the bodywork, place a rag
between the screwdriver and the vehi-
cle body as shown in the illustration.
Insert the towing eyelet into the hole
and tighten partially by hand.
Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a wheel nut wrench
or hard metal bar.
Securely attach cables or chains to the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehicle body.
Enter the vehicle being towed and start the engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode.
Shift the shift position to N and release the parking brake.
When the shift lever cannot be shifted: P. 214
Emergency towing procedure
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Page 550 of 676

5508-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS200t_EE(OM53D77E)
■While towing
If the engine is not running, the power assist for the brakes and steering will not function,
making steering and braking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is installed in the trunk. (P. 588, 602)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
■While towing
●When towing using cables or chains, avoid sudden starts, etc. which place excessive
stress on the towing eyelets, cables or ch ains. The towing eyelets, cables or chains
may become damaged, broken debris ma y hit people, and cause serious damage.
●Do not turn the engine switch off.
There is a possibility that the steering wheel is locked and cannot be operated.
■Installing towing eyelet to the vehicle
Make sure that towing eyelet is installed securely.
If not securely installed, towing ey elet may come loose during towing.
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all four
wheels raised off the ground. If the vehicle is
towed with the tires contacting the ground, the
drivetrain and related parts may be damaged
or an accident may occur due to a change in
direction of the vehicle.