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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "highlander problems", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
I realize this isnt a highlander forum but perhaps some of you guys might know. I parked my tundra and drove my wife's highlander in a recent snow. there was about 2": of snow and slush on the road. The Highlander went straight went it was supposed to track around curves, and I almost put it in the ditch twice for a 2 mile drive. I was not going fast. It constatnly went to abs trying to stop and even then did not stop very well. My first thought was tires, and those are Bridgestone duelers with 45, 000 on them but lots of rubber. I am just coming from a chev 1500 4x4 that did not have a problem in this kind of snow. I have rarely drove her Highlander. Is this a tire problem,or because it is all wheel drive and very light? what gives. There is enough rubber on those tires to get grip I would think. It goes forward easy enough no spinning etc which makes me think the tires are fine. Any ideas. ?? thanks.
Well, I could say it is a driver problem but from what you're saying it is not.
Is her Highlander equipped with the AWD or 4WD and was either system on. Does it have VSC or Vehicle Stability Control? Did all of the tires have the proper PSI of air in them? Please, give us more about how the vehicle is configured and what was "on" when you were driving it.
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"Brawn" 2007 Honda Ridgeline RTS
Aberdeen Green Metallic
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Took ownership on 03/10/07
yes it has awd, vsc was on, and the tires had 35 psi
I have an 06 Highlander Hybrid with Michelin Energy 4 tires on it and with these tires it's the worst handling vehicle in the snow I ever had. I blame it all on the tires.
__________________ 06 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited (former ride - 05 Tundra Limited Double Cab, 4x4, TRD Pkg, Trailer Tow, Auto Dimming mirror, Factory Bed Liner, Running Boards, Bug Deflector, Sun roof):
Wife's Car :05 Prius - White, Option package 6, Glass Break Sensor, Mods: Auto door lock, Molded mud flaps, Cargo Net. Not much more you can get on it.
Oh by the way, "Batteries are included" with the Prius & Highlander Hybrids
I would say it's the tires as well. Doesn't really matter how much tread there is on certain tires, a bad tire in the snow, will be a bad tire in the snow no matter how much tread it has. I.E. a brand new set of summer tires will do squat on snow/slush. PSI is very important too. I check my tires monthly or before a long trip.
Did your VSC engage? It's supposed to beep and assist you from getting out of understeering/oversteering.
I have a 2005 HL w/ the standard VSC/TRAC AWD. One snowfall a few weeks ago, a semi-circle entrance ramp was completely covered in ice. I drove too fast into it thinking is was semi-clean, but drifted around the bend for about a hundred feet. VSC was going off and I did perform CPR (catch,pause, recover), but VSC did catch the oversteer before I did. I think!?
I do have the crappy OEM bridgestones on my car. Plan to get better tires sometime this year...
My 05 Highlander came with Goodyear tires that were manufactured in Japan and I had no problems last year in the snow. We had little snow this year so maybe one year is not much of an evaluation. I don't think it would be a problem with the vehicle. I would guess your problem is with the tires.
My 01 Highlander with Michelin Cross-Terrain SUV tires is GREAT in the snow. It's handled unplowed roads with up to 4 inches of snow cover. I credit my Highlander's performance to the tires, that's probably the weak link for yours.
We received our Highlander (2WD V6) late Monday afternoon. I had an appointment with Goodyear at 9:00 AM Tuesday to replace the Duelers. Lucky for me, we received 2+ inches of snow Monday night and it was still snowing when I left the driveway.
The Duelers slipped and VSC came on twice on my way to Goodyear. I was able to drive in almost 4 inches of snow on the LONG way home. I also made sure to turn around and drive where the Duelers had problems.
The Fortera Triple Treads are excellent! Good tires make a positive difference on any vehicle. These tires made a huge difference!
By the way, if the Duelers on your wife's HL were original...she's gotten more mileage out of them than anyone I can recall. Most are replaced between 18K and 38K miles.
35 psi is too high for the 16inch base Highlander tire/rim combo which I believe yu have. Especially in the snow. 30psi is the correct psi(Toyo Spec.). 45k miles means it is time to replace tires when used in extreme conditions. All-Season tires, even if evenly worn and rotated religiously will need to be replaced at 45k miles.
Yu got your moneys worth...buy a new set.
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highlander problems
35 psi is too high for the 16inch base Highlander tire/rim combo which I believe yu have. Especially in the snow. 30psi is the correct psi(Toyo Spec.). 45k miles means it is time to replace tires when used in extreme conditions. All-Season tires, even if evenly worn and rotated religiously will need to be replaced at 45k miles.
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