2021 LEXUS RX450h tires

2934-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
length)
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 front tires only.
Do not install tire chains on the rear tires.
●Install tire chains on fr ont tires as tightly as
possible. Retighten chains after driving
1/4 1/2 mile (0.5 1.0 km).
●Install tire chains following the instruc-
tions provided with the tire chains.
To enable the windshield wipers to be
lifted when heavy snow or icy condi-
tions are expected, change the rest
position of the windshield wipers from
the retracted position below the hood
to the service position using the wiper
lever. ( P.208) 
Specific design characteristics give
it a higher center of gravity than
ordinary passenger cars. This vehi-
cle design feature causes this type
of vehicle to be more likely to roll-
over. And, utility vehicles have a sig-
nificantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles.
 An advantage of th e higher ground
clearance is a better view of the
road allowing you to anticipate
problems.
 It is not designed for cornering at
the same speeds as ordinary pas-
senger cars any more than
low-slung sports cars are designed
to perform satisfactorily under
off-road conditions. Therefore,
sharp turns at excessive speeds may
cause the vehicle to rollover.
Regulations on the use of tire
chains
NOTICE
■Fitting tire chains
The tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters may not function correctly
when tire chains are fitted.
Windshield wipers
Utility vehicle precautions
This vehicle belongs to the utility
vehicle class, which has higher
ground clearance and narrower
tread in relation to the height of its
center of gravity.
Utility vehicle feature
WARNING
■Utility vehicle precautions
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:

2944-6. Driving tips
Your vehicle is not designed to be
driven off-road. However, in the event
that off-road driving cannot be
avoided, please observe the following
precautions to help avoid the areas
prohibited to vehicles.
Drive your vehicle only in areas
where off-road vehicles are permit-
ted to travel. 
Respect private property. Get
owner’s permission before entering
private property.
 Do not enter areas that are closed.
Honor gates, barriers and signs that
restrict travel.
 Stay on established roads. When
conditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or travel
delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
 Avoid driving on very steep, slippery
roads and other surfaces, such as
sand, where the tires are liable to
lose traction. Your vehicle may not
perform as well as conventional
AWD on-road vehicles on these
surfaces.
■Additional informatio n for off-road driv-
ing
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
WARNING
●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
always fasten th eir seat belts.
●Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers, if at all possible.
Failure to operate this vehicle correctly
may result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover causing death or serious
injury.
●Loading cargo on the roof luggage
carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high
speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneuvers,
otherwise it may result in loss of con-
trol or vehicle rollover due to failure to
operate this vehicle correctly.
●Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
Because of its profile and higher cen-
ter of gravity, your vehicle is more sen-
sitive to side winds than an ordinary
passenger car. Slowing down will allow
you to have better control.
●Do not drive horizontally across steep
slopes. Driving straig ht up or straight
down is preferred. Your vehicle (or any
similar off-road vehicle) can tip over
sideways much more easily than for-
ward or backward.
Off-road driving
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the road. Do
not take unnecessary risks by driving in
dangerous places.

355
6
6
Maintenance and care
Maintenance and care
.6-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehi-cle exterior ................................ 356
Cleaning and protecting the vehi- cle interior ................................. 359
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements........................................................ 362
General maintenance ............. 363
Emission inspection and mainte- nance (I/M) programs ......... 366
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precautions........................................................ 367
Hood............................................... 369
Positioning a floor jack............ 369
Engine compartment................ 371
12-volt battery............................. 376
Tires ................................................ 380
Tire inflation pressure .............. 387
Wheels........................................... 389
Air conditioning filter...............390
Windshield wiper inserts........ 392
Electronic key battery ............. 393
Checking and replacing fuses ........................................................ 395
Headlight aim.............................. 397
Light bulbs .................................... 399

3656-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
•There should not be any strange sounds
coming from the
steering wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors oper-ate smoothly?
Engine hood
•Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
•There should not be any signs of fluid
leakage after the
vehicle has been
parked.
ItemsCheck points
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to
the maintenance
schedule?
•The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wip-
ers/rear window
wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear win-
dow without streak-
ing or skipping.
ItemsCheck points

3806-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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 indicators is
shown by a “TWI” or “ ” mark, etc.,
molded into the sidewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indica-
tors are showing on a tire.
■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 repe atedly or cannot be
properly repaired due to the size or loca-
tion of a cut or other damage.
If you are not sure, consult with your Lexus
dealer.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked
by a qualified technician even if it has sel-
dom or never been used or damage is not
obvious.
■Proper storage of the spare tire
(RX450hL)
As an improperly stored spare tire may
cause damage to the wire cable that holds
it, check that the spare tire is stored prop-
erly on a daily basis.
●If the stored spare tire appears to be
slanted or rattles while driving, the spare
tire may not be properly stored. Store the
spare tire again by performing the follow-
ing tire change procedure correctly:
1 If the spare tire is slanted, the hoist
assembly may be stuck in the wheel
opening. If the spare tire rattles while
driving, it may not be fully raised. Lower
the spare tire to the ground and make
sure that the hoist assembly is perpen-
dicular to the wheel opening.
2 Raise the tire slowly and steadily until a
click is heard and the jack handle skips.
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, the wire
cable may be severed. Have the vehicle
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accor-
dance with maintenance schedules
and treadwear.
Checking tires
A
B
C

3816-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
inspected at your Lexus dealer.
■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, which-
ever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification Label.
For the maximum load of the tire, see the
load limit at maximum cold tire inflation
pressure mentioned on the sidewall of the
tire. ( P.471)
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance
tires 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
roads, the use of snow tires is recom-
mended. 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,
however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in
heavy or loose snow. Also, all season tires
fall short in acceleration and handling per-
formance 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 tires of the
same size, construction and load capacity
as the originally instal
led tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equip-
ment, make sure your snow tires also have
radial construction. Do not install studded
tires without first checking local regula-
tions for possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installe d on all wheels. (P.291)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to
parts of the drive train as well as danger-
ous handling characteristics, which may
lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes,
models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably
different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those
recommended by Lexus.
●Do not mix differently constructed
tires (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and
snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used
on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know
how they were used previously.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a com-
pact spare tire installed.

3826-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Rotate the tires in the order shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend tire life,
Lexus recommends that tire rotation is car-
ried out at the same interval as tire inspec-
tion.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure
warning system after tire rotation.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure warning system that uses tire
pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters to detect low tire inflation pressure
before serious problems arise.
The tire pressure detected by the tire pressure warning system can be
displayed on the multi-information
display. (
P.88)
The illustration used is intended as an
example, and may differ from the image
that is actually displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
 If the tire pressure drops below a
predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a screen display and a
warning light. ( P.422)
The illustration used is intended as an
example, and may differ from the image
that is actually displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not
replace routine tire inflation pressure
checks. Make sure to check tire inflation
pressure as part of your routine of daily
vehicle checks.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving on
roads with loose surfaces or potholes.
These conditions may cause losses in tire
inflation pressure, reducing the cushion-
ing ability of the tires. In addition, driving
on rough roads may cause damage to
the tires themselves, as well as the vehi-
cle’s wheels and body.
■If tire inflation pres sure of each tire
becomes low while driving
Do not continue driving, or your tires
and/or wheels may be ruined.
Tire rotation
Tire pressure warning system

3846-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
For vehicles sold in Canada
When replacing tires or wheels, tire
pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning 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 initialized. Have tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter ID codes reg-
istered by your Lexus dealer.
Installing tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters