Trac Control

akewlguy · May 11, 2005

Right now I am debating between two 92/93 LS400's. One has TRAC and the other does not.. Both about the same price.. 92 has 98k and 93 has 165k.. Both have been garaged and taken care of..

The TRAC control stands out because I live in the north.. Any one have experience with this system?

Or any experience with the Blizzard tires? Or what ever they are I hear they are great in the snow? As usual thanks..

1990LS400 · May 11, 2005

I've used Blizzak snow tires on my current LS the last two winters - really great traction. When choosing snow tires make sure you are comparing "apples with apples". Blizzaks are heavy duty snow tires and have the "mountain/snowflake" logo on the side wall. Many tires sold as snow tires are labeled as all season tires.

I drove my first LS, a 90, through 13 Kansas/Missouri/Iowa winters without TRAC and I never got stuck once -- even one time driving through over 10 inches of fresh unplowed snow. The VSC system on the 98-up LS is completely different from TRAC and much more effective in snow.

I want to suggest that you go with the lower mileage 92 but the 93 had huge improvements - larger brakes, wheels and tires; in-dash CD changer; a fully adjustible front passenger seat (more inportant than it sounds). I think 93 was the first year that the headlights used H4 bulbs too. The headlights on my 90 were awful and the same ones were used in 91 and 92. And front passenger airbag, a bit beefier lower body cladding - a really big list of improvements.

Read the sticky "Used Ls400 Buying Guide"!

bossman · May 18, 2005

With a 4.0 L V8 engine producing 260 horsepower and rear wheel drive, the combination is not the best for winter driving. I have TRAC on my '97 LS400 combined with Kumho Izen Stud winter tires and this gets me through the Canadian winters just fine. The TRAC kicks in if I'm too heavy on the gas. The snow tires make a big difference, as I did try a winter with just all seasons and it was a bit too slippery for my liking. I certainly don't see too many corvettes or mustangs with similar horspeower out in the winter up here :)

kshgl87 · May 19, 2005

I have a 91 ls400 and personally I cant stand the traction control. The traction control system seems to totally cut power which doesnt allow you to accelerate. I guess it does help when cornering in slippery conditions but for me whenever i turn the car on the first thing I do is turn it off.

Lexusfreak · May 19, 2005

If you have the choice, I'd personally go with the car that has the Traction control. As far as winter tires are concerned, they might be a wise idea considering the car is RWD. What is the exact tire size you need as there might be better & less expensive winter tire choices other than the Blizzak's. B)

:cheers:

wwest · May 19, 2005

Traction control on a RWD vehicle is utterly and totally useless provided you know to quickly release and then feather the throttle when wheelspin/slip occurs.