Page 322 of 636
322 4-6. Driving tips
RC F_U
Vehicles with front and rear tires of the same size except for vehicles with
LDH and 19-inch tires
Use the correct tire chain size when mounting the tire chains.
Chain size is regulated for each tire size.
Side chain
(0.12 in. [3 mm] in diameter)
Cross chain
(0.16 in. [4 mm] in diameter)
Vehicles with front and rear tires of di ffering sizes and vehicles with LDH and
19-inch tires
Tire chains cannot be mounted. Snow tires should be used instead.
Tire chains cannot be mounted. Snow tires should be used instead.
Regulations regarding the use of tire chains vary depending on location and type
of road. Always check local regu lations before installing chains.■
Tire chain installation
Observe the following precautions when installing and removing chains: ●
Install and remove tire chains in a safe location. ●
Install tire chains on the rear tires. Do not install tire chains on the front tires.●
Install tire chains on rear tires as tightly as possible. Retighten chains after driving 1/4
1/2 mile (0.5 1.0 km).●
Install tire chains following the instru ctions provided with the tire chains.Selecting tire chains (RC350/RC300) 1
2
Selecting tire chains (RC F)
Regulations on the use of tire chains
Page 323 of 636
3234-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
RC F_U 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 vehi cle control and cause death or serious injury.●
Use tires of the specified size. ●
Maintain the recommended level of air pressure.●
Do not drive in excess of 75 mph (120 km/h ), regardless of the type of snow tires
being used. ●
Use snow tires on all, not just some wheels. ■
Driving with tire chains
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so may result in the vehicle being unable to be dr iven safely, and may
cause death or serious injury. ●
Do not drive in excess of the speed limit specified for the ti re chains being used, or 30
mph (50 km/h), 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 cu rve to ensure that vehicle control is main-
tained. ●
Do not use LDA (Lane Departure Alert with steering control) system.
NOTICE ■
Repairing or replacing snow tires
Request repairs or replacement of snow ti res from Lexus dealers or legitimate tire
retailers.
This is because the removal an d attachment of snow tires affects the operation of the
tire pressure warning va lves and transmitters.■
Fitting tire chains
The tire pressure warning valv es and transmitters may not function correctly when tire
chains are fitted.
Page 375 of 636
375
Maintenance and care
6
RC F_U 6-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior ................ 376
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle interior................... 381
6-2. Maintenance
Maintenance
requirements ............................384
General maintenance.............. 387
Emission inspection and
maintenance (I/M)
programs ....................................390
6-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service
precautions................................. 391
Hood ............................................... 393
Positioning a floor jack ............ 394
Engine compartment ............... 397
Tires ...................................................412
Tire inflation pressure............... 420
Wheels ........................................... 423
Air conditioning filter ............... 425
Electronic key battery .............. 427
Checking and replacing
fuses .............................................. 429
Light bulbs..................................... 432
Page 389 of 636
3896-2. Maintenance
RC F_U 6
Maintenance and care Vehicle exterior Items Check points
Doors/trunk • Do the doors/trunk operate smoothly?
Engine hood • Does the engine hood lock system work properly?
Fluid leaks • There should not be any si gns of fluid leakage after
the vehicle has been parked.
Tires • Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or excessively
worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the mainte-
nance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers •The wiper blades should no t show any signs of crack-
ing, splitting, wear, contamination or deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield without
streaking or skipping.
WARNING ■
If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before performing
maintenance checks.
Page 412 of 636
412 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC F_U Check if the treadwear indicators are showing on the tires. Also check the tires
for uneven wear, such as excessive wear on one side of the tread.
Check the spare tire condition and pressure if not rotated.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator The location of treadwear indicato rs is shown by a “TWI” or “ ” mark, etc., molded
into the sidewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
Vehicles with front and rear tires of the same size
Rotate the tires in the order shown. To equalize tire wear and extend tire life,
Lexus recommends that tire rotation is
carried out at the same interval as tire
inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure
warning system after tire rotation.
Vehicles with front and rear tires of differing sizes
Tires cannot be rotated.Tires Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance schedules and tread-
wear.
Checking tires
Tire rotation 1
2
3
Front
Page 413 of 636
4136-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC F_U 6
Maintenance and care Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses tire pres-
sure warning valves and transmitters to detect low tire inflation pressure before
serious problems arise. ●
If the tire pressure drops below a predet ermined level, the driver is warned by
a screen display and a warning light. ( P. 455, 477)●
The tire pressure detected by the
tire pressure warning system can be
displayed on the multi-information
display. ( P. 103, 118)The illustration used is intended as an
example, and may differ from the image
that is actually disp layed on the multi-
information display.
◆ Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pr essure warning valv es and transmitters
must also be installed.
When new tire pressure wa rning valves and transmitters are installed, new ID
codes must be registered in the tire pressure warning computer and the tire
pressure warning system must be initia lized. Have tire pressure warning valve
and transmitter ID codes registered by your Lexus dealer. ( P. 414)
◆ Initializing the tire pressure warning system ■
The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the following circum-
stances: ●
When rotating the tires. ●
When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when changing travel-
ing speed. ●
When changing the tire size.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire inflation
pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.Tire pressure warning system
Page 415 of 636
4156-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC F_U 6
Maintenance and care ■
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 enou gh 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 your Lexus dealer. ■
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 20 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 syst em does not replace routine tire inflation pressure checks.
Make sure to check tire inflat ion pressure as part of your routine of daily vehicle checks.■
When rotating the tires
Make sure that the engine switch is off. If the tires are rotated while the engine switch is in
IGNITION ON mode, the tire position information will not be updated.
If this accidentally occurs, either turn the engine switch to off and then to IGNITION ON
mode, or initialize the system after checking th at the tire pressure is properly adjusted.■
Low profile tires
Generally, low profile tires will wear more rapidly 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.
Page 416 of 636
416 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC F_U ■
Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replacement tire is greater than 1/2 of the Gross
Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the rear axle, whichever is
greater.
■
Tire types ●
Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance ti res best suited to highway driving under
dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same traction performance as
snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for driving on snow-covered or icy roads. For
driving on snow-covered roads or icy road s, the use of snow tires is recommended.
When installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.●
All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to be adequate for
driving in most winter conditions as well as for use year-round. All season tires, how-
ever, do not have adequate traction perfor mance compared with snow tires in heavy
or loose snow. Also, all season tires fall short in acceleration and handling perfor-
mance compared with summer tires in highway driving.●
Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using snow tires. If
you need snow tires, select ti res of the same size, construction and load capacity as the
originally installed tires. Since your vehicle has radial tires as or iginal equipment, make
sure your snow tires also have radial cons truction. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for possible restrictions. Snow tires should be installed
on all wheels. ( P. 320)■
If the tread on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tire s as snow tires is lost.For the GAWR, see the Ce rtification Label. For
the maximum load of the tire, see the load limit
at maximum cold tire inflation pressure men-
tioned on the sidewall of the tire. ( P. 557)
