Driving In Snow

[apezam]

I am quite disappointed driving in first snow. This is my first winter and I drive LS 96's.

Previous owner, I bought the car in the spring 2005, assured me that he put all weather tires and they will be fine in the winter. But car handled horribly in the snow. Even heavy sand bag in the trunk was little help.

Does anybody has to buy snow tire for these cars or there are some type of all weather tires that work? Please advise.

Ross

PS

My car does have traction control.

[ArmyofOne]

I am quite disappointed driving in first snow. This is my first winter and I drive LS 96's.

Previous owner, I bought the car in the spring 2005, assured me that he put all weather tires and they will be fine in the winter. But car handled horribly in the snow. Even heavy sand bag in the trunk was little help.

Does anybody has to buy snow tire for these cars or there are some type of all weather tires that work? Please advise.

Ross

PS

My car does have traction control.

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www.discounttiredirect. Put in your car and size and it will give you several options. Go with the Falken Zeix ZE512. cost of $60-$75 a tire...thats SUPER CHEAP. they are excellent, read my winter review int he wheels and tires forum.

[blake918]

I read a lot of great things about Blizzaks. There is a lot of info in this forum as well as the tire forum. ;)

[SW03ES]

Save your money on the Falkens and buy snow tires. Its the only way to make your LS drivable in the snow.

Its a heavy RWD car and it is not a good snow car, I have heard however that with good snow tires it can be very drivable.

[sv7887]

Hi All,

I've been driving my Lexus cars for over 10 years in Boston winters. Buy yourself a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 tires. I used them on my 92 LS and now my 05 LS430. They are dynamite in the snow, I've never had a problem with them..

I do find that it is necessary to turn the Traction Control off when you are going up hills, as the Trac just cuts the power so you just sit there.

Hope this helps,

Sam

[ZINFANDEL22]

Hi All,

  I've been driving my Lexus cars for over 10 years in Boston winters. Buy yourself a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 tires. I used them on my 92 LS and now my 05 LS430. They are dynamite in the snow, I've never had a problem with them..

  I do find that it is necessary to turn the Traction Control off when you are going up hills, as the Trac just cuts the power so you just sit there.

Hope this helps,

Sam

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I agree go with a winter tire . My opinion tirerack.com has best prices,the bizzak ws 50 is a good tire but I would look at the dunlop winter sport m3 only because its scores are great.

[wwest]

It actually will help a lot if you turn the Trac system off and learn to "feather" the throttle yourself when on the slippery stuff.

[ArmyofOne]

It actually will help a lot if you turn the Trac system off and learn to "feather" the throttle yourself when on the slippery stuff.

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If you INSIST on going with a winter tire (I live in the northernmsot part of NY, where 24 inches of snow in one night is not uncommon and i swear by the falkens. Plus they deliver a quiet ride. But search and you will find my feelinsg on them, i wont bore everyone else with the redundancy :) ), then Look for Nokian Hakkapalita. Studded if they allow it in your area.

[Kennyr]

I have used Dunlop Graspics here in Colorado for many years. If your on black ice and on an incline forgetaboutit. Nothing will help much with a rear wheel drive car. I get by, but a couple times I've found myself sitting and slipping. It's not a good feeling with cars behind you. Last winter I didn't use snows. I wont this year either. You just gotta hate rear wheel drive cars in the snow and ice. It does make life a little more exciting I guess. Not knowing if your going to take off from a light or just sit there and spin. My wife keeps telling me to get a real car that runs in any climate but I'm not giving up my LS that easy, unless to swap for a 98 or 01. My friend has an Audi A6 quattro I work on and drive at times. Runs good on ice but It's the biggest piece of crap ever built. Sorry Audi fans but the truth must be told.

[VBdenny]

I put four Dunlop Graspics on my daughters Corolla. It is great in snow with them on. I can't speak for the LS400 since mine sits in the garage on the rare occasions it snows here. The LS also has posi so that gives it more traction but will cause the car to fishtail easily.

ANyone who lives in a snowbelt should use snowtires. ALL season does not mean winter, it means fall, summer, and spring.

I bought mine at the tirerack.com Great price, great service. I had them delivered to my house in two days. Even if you don't buy from tirerack.com, the site offers actual reviews from people who bought the tires and drive on them.

[1990LS400]

I use four Blizzak WS-50's on my LS - a 00 - and it blazes past 4WD SUV's on uphill inclines in heavy snow. My first LS (a 1990) was far more difficult to drive in the snow - I used four snow tires (but not Blizzaks) on it too but got stuck occasionally - mostly from high centering in drifts. I have a hard time imagining trying to drive a pre-98 LS in the snow without four full blown (mountain/snow flake logo) snow tires.

[nc211]

Dude, buy this, buy that. Snow tires are snow tires, and you obviously need some. So, go buy some. There is not the "A-Team" version of tires. I like tires that these ole' boys would burn me down for "Continential". You've got a rear wheel drive car, in of all places N. Mich. So, eitherway you look at it, you're screwed! A LS400 isn't a Subaru. So go buy a pair of knobbies, and have a pair of chains in the trunk just in case, and motor on amigo. Will you get stuck? YES! Is it because of the tires? NO. It's because it's a rear wheel drive car. A 1991 BMW 318 will do the same thing. My only advice to you is to make sure you put it in N when sitting at a stop light, so the motor torque won't introduce you to the bumper in front of you. ;)

[dcfish]

Dude, buy this, buy that. Snow tires are snow tires, and you obviously need some. So, go buy some. There is not the "A-Team" version of tires. I like tires that these ole' boys would burn me down for "Continential". You've got a rear wheel drive car, in of all places N. Mich. So, eitherway you look at it, you're screwed! A LS400 isn't a Subaru. So go buy a pair of knobbies, and have a pair of chains in the trunk just in case, and motor on amigo.    Will you get stuck? YES! Is it because of the tires? NO. It's because it's a rear wheel drive car. A 1991 BMW 318 will do the same thing. My only advice to you is to make sure you put it in N when sitting at a stop light, so the motor torque won't introduce you to the bumper in front of you. ;)

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Any one of these tires will do, Buy them where ever you want, You will be glad you did. Done dealio ;)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=2

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=3

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=1

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=0

[VBdenny]

Having grown up in Central New York and going to college on Lake Ontario I feel fairly qualified to comment on snow driving. Obviously a four wheel drive vehicle is the best and many new cars offer all wheel drive options. In leiu of all wheel drive, rear wheel drive is supior in snow to front wheel drive. While front wheel drive cars certainly beat rear wheel drive cars on acceleration, they have wicked torque steer and far poorer control options. There is nothing like a nice V-8 powered rear drive car with positraction for winter driving fun. I think because these LS400's sit so low they will drag. I saw the comment about the problem of center drift. That is where the snow gets so deep in the center of the road that it actually lifts the car off the ground. It is not much fun and I speak from multiple experiences.

I would park the Lexus in the garage for the winter and do what we always did as kids. Buy a "Winter Rat" go find some miled out 4wd buv and buy it cheap. Put 4 new snow tires on it and run it until spring. Wash it up and sell it for maybe more than you paid for it. Why drive your $50,000 Lexus around in salt and ruin it?

[lenore]

The only good rear wheel drive car in snow is a VW bug or a corvair. Both do very well in the snow and never get stuck. Oh sorry they are quite old, older than some of the fans on this site. Heh, Heh. ......

[Lexusfreak]

Save your money on the Falkens and buy snow tires. Its the only way to make your LS drivable in the snow.

Its a heavy RWD car and it is not a good snow car, I have heard however that with good snow tires it can be very drivable.

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I think I am going to have to agree with sw on this one.......I would go with 4 winter tires on the LS as well. What are the current all seasons on your LS now lenore? The Falken's are a very good choice & so is the Goodyear Triple Treads, but because the car is RWD, I'm leaning towards winter rubber I'm afraid. B)

[sv7887]

nc211,

I must respectfully disagree with you. I've been driving Rear Wheel Drive cars for over 35 years in places like Scotland, Buffalo, and now Boston. A RWD car fitted with snow tires will do the job, and rather well. I am bemused with sudden onslaught of AWD marketing. They make it sound as if you'll be stuck in your home if winter strikes..Much like a Pilot makes the Airplane, a Driver makes the car. If the driver is poor (As many are in my home city) all the technology and AWD are not going to help you. Keep in mind the majority of Taxis and Police cars are still Ford Crown Victorias. These are all RWD and probably lack the sophisticated tech that our Lexus cars have.

I have all the confidence in the world in the winter performance of my 92 LS400 and my new LS430 Provided they are fitted with the proper snow tires!

Sam

Dude, buy this, buy that. Snow tires are snow tires, and you obviously need some. So, go buy some. There is not the "A-Team" version of tires. I like tires that these ole' boys would burn me down for "Continential". You've got a rear wheel drive car, in of all places N. Mich. So, eitherway you look at it, you're screwed! A LS400 isn't a Subaru. So go buy a pair of knobbies, and have a pair of chains in the trunk just in case, and motor on amigo.    Will you get stuck? YES! Is it because of the tires? NO. It's because it's a rear wheel drive car. A 1991 BMW 318 will do the same thing. My only advice to you is to make sure you put it in N when sitting at a stop light, so the motor torque won't introduce you to the bumper in front of you. ;)

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[nc211]

Sam, I respectfully agree with your disagree . I feel the need to note that I am not a snow-bird in any manner. NC does not get that much snow very often, infact the eastern part of the state actually closes down on a 20% prediction of snow! Infact, anyone who is on here from my neck of the woods will probably agree that snow down here is actually an event that we "good ole' boys" celebrate in true southern fashion.......donuts in the intersections and some Dukes of Hazzard style driving. So I am not the best to comment. I agree about the AWD marketing too. We had one day of snow here last year, and they freakin' sold out of Subaru Outbacks because of it! One freakin' day!!! My LS actually did pretty well. We get more ice than snow, and well, nothing can help you on sheer ice, except steel studs.

nc211,

  I must respectfully disagree with you. I've been driving Rear Wheel Drive cars for over 35 years in places like Scotland, Buffalo, and now Boston. A RWD car fitted with snow tires will do the job, and rather well. I am bemused with sudden onslaught of AWD marketing. They make it sound as if you'll be stuck in your home if winter strikes..Much like a Pilot makes the Airplane, a Driver makes the car. If the driver is poor (As many are in my home city) all the technology and AWD are not going to help you. Keep in mind the majority of Taxis and Police cars are still Ford Crown Victorias. These are all RWD and probably lack the sophisticated tech that our Lexus cars have.

I have all the confidence in the world in the winter performance of my 92 LS400 and my new LS430 Provided they are fitted with the proper snow tires!

Sam

Dude, buy this, buy that. Snow tires are snow tires, and you obviously need some. So, go buy some. There is not the "A-Team" version of tires. I like tires that these ole' boys would burn me down for "Continential". You've got a rear wheel drive car, in of all places N. Mich. So, eitherway you look at it, you're screwed! A LS400 isn't a Subaru. So go buy a pair of knobbies, and have a pair of chains in the trunk just in case, and motor on amigo.   Will you get stuck? YES! Is it because of the tires? NO. It's because it's a rear wheel drive car. A 1991 BMW 318 will do the same thing. My only advice to you is to make sure you put it in N when sitting at a stop light, so the motor torque won't introduce you to the bumper in front of you. ;)

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[dcfish]

nc211,

  I must respectfully disagree with you. I've been driving Rear Wheel Drive cars for over 35 years in places like Scotland, Buffalo, and now Boston. A RWD car fitted with snow tires will do the job, and rather well. I am bemused with sudden onslaught of AWD marketing. They make it sound as if you'll be stuck in your home if winter strikes..Much like a Pilot makes the Airplane, a Driver makes the car. If the driver is poor (As many are in my home city) all the technology and AWD are not going to help you. Keep in mind the majority of Taxis and Police cars are still Ford Crown Victorias. These are all RWD and probably lack the sophisticated tech that our Lexus cars have.

I have all the confidence in the world in the winter performance of my 92 LS400 and my new LS430 Provided they are fitted with the proper snow tires!

Sam

Dude, buy this, buy that. Snow tires are snow tires, and you obviously need some. So, go buy some. There is not the "A-Team" version of tires. I like tires that these ole' boys would burn me down for "Continential". You've got a rear wheel drive car, in of all places N. Mich. So, eitherway you look at it, you're screwed! A LS400 isn't a Subaru. So go buy a pair of knobbies, and have a pair of chains in the trunk just in case, and motor on amigo.   Will you get stuck? YES! Is it because of the tires? NO. It's because it's a rear wheel drive car. A 1991 BMW 318 will do the same thing. My only advice to you is to make sure you put it in N when sitting at a stop light, so the motor torque won't introduce you to the bumper in front of you. ;)

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sv7887, I have to agree with you on the rear wheel drive in the snow and that the driver is the difference, I have been driving in the snowbelt all my life [30 years in Wisconsin, Minnesota ] and there is technique when driving in the snow+ a good set of snow tires and pretty much nothing will stop you when driven properly. I prefer my GS in the snow over the ES and they both have the same winter tires: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...re1=yes&place=1

[ArmyofOne]

Having grown up in Central New York and going to college on Lake Ontario I feel fairly qualified to comment on snow driving.  Obviously a four wheel drive vehicle is the best and many new cars offer all wheel drive options.  In leiu of all wheel drive, rear wheel drive is supior in snow to front wheel drive.  While front wheel drive cars certainly beat rear wheel drive cars on acceleration, they have wicked torque steer and far poorer control options.  There is nothing like a nice V-8 powered rear drive car with positraction for winter driving fun.  I think because these LS400's sit so low they will drag.  I saw the comment about the problem of center drift.  That is where the snow gets so deep in the center of the road that it actually lifts the car off the ground.  It is not much fun and I speak from multiple experiences.

I would park the Lexus in the garage for the winter and do what we always did as kids.  Buy a "Winter Rat"  go find some miled out 4wd buv and buy it cheap.  Put 4 new snow tires on it and run it until spring.  Wash it up and sell it for maybe more than you paid for it.  Why drive your $50,000 Lexus around in salt and ruin it?

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Your crazy unless you got that backwards, FWD in the snow is superior in EVERY WAY to RWD. why?

you have the option to STEER for one. if you dont have good traction in one place you can move sideways to another spot.

2 friends of mine have a blazer and jeep grand cherokee, both 4x4, both have more trouble in the snow than my escort.

if you know hwo to drive a FWD, some of them handle better than corvettes (in summer conditions) and than subarus in winter conditions. mine is pinned to the ground, even with the falkens. I lived in Anchorage Alaska for 18 years, my family had all kinds of cars, i gauruntee they saw more snow than anywhere else in the US most of the time, and to make it worse, no salt was ever used (they dont use it there, because people know how to drive). we had an 86 chevy astro that was RWD, that thing was horrible, even with snow tires. didnt get around well at all. we had an old impala (comparable in weight to the LS) and with snow tires it sucked too. my dads dodge dakota 4x4 did...ok...just ok. but my contour, I never got stuck. ever. I drove that car in alaska for 2 years, never got stuck, my dad had it before be for about 5years, and never got it stuck either.

I havent been stuck yet in the escort.

[dcfish]

B)

Having grown up in Central New York and going to college on Lake Ontario I feel fairly qualified to comment on snow driving.  Obviously a four wheel drive vehicle is the best and many new cars offer all wheel drive options.  In leiu of all wheel drive, rear wheel drive is supior in snow to front wheel drive.  While front wheel drive cars certainly beat rear wheel drive cars on acceleration, they have wicked torque steer and far poorer control options.  There is nothing like a nice V-8 powered rear drive car with positraction for winter driving fun.  I think because these LS400's sit so low they will drag.  I saw the comment about the problem of center drift.  That is where the snow gets so deep in the center of the road that it actually lifts the car off the ground.  It is not much fun and I speak from multiple experiences.

I would park the Lexus in the garage for the winter and do what we always did as kids.  Buy a "Winter Rat"  go find some miled out 4wd buv and buy it cheap.  Put 4 new snow tires on it and run it until spring.  Wash it up and sell it for maybe more than you paid for it.  Why drive your $50,000 Lexus around in salt and ruin it?

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It really is the driver and his/her experience. If you grew updriving front wheel cars then you will be able to get around in the snow better than rear wheel and the same goes for the rear wheel, They didn't even have front wheel drive cars when I started driving, So I tend to drive better with rea wheel drive. Driver experience is a huge part of this discussion. Anyway it snowed here the last few days and I'm going for a ride.

Your crazy unless you got that backwards, FWD in the snow is superior in EVERY WAY to RWD. why?

you have the option to STEER for one. if you dont have good traction in one place you can move sideways to another spot.

2 friends of mine have a blazer and jeep grand cherokee, both 4x4, both have more trouble in the snow than my escort.

if you know hwo to drive a FWD, some of them handle better than corvettes (in summer conditions) and than subarus in winter conditions. mine is pinned to the ground, even with the falkens. I lived in Anchorage Alaska for 18 years, my family had all kinds of cars, i gauruntee they saw more snow than anywhere else in the US most of the time, and to make it worse, no salt was ever used (they dont use it there, because people know how to drive). we had an 86 chevy astro that was RWD, that thing was horrible, even with snow tires. didnt get around well at all. we had an old impala (comparable in weight to the LS) and with snow tires it sucked too. my dads dodge dakota 4x4 did...ok...just ok. but my contour, I never got stuck. ever. I drove that car in alaska for 2 years, never got stuck, my dad had it before be for about 5years, and never got it stuck either.

I havent been stuck yet in the escort.

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Alot has to do with the drivers experience, I grew up driving rear wheel drive cars and tend to drive them better in the snow [ Front wheel drive cars were not even in production when I started driving ] So I drive better with rear wheel over front wheel [ I feel more comforrtable with rear drive ] coupled with great tires and I have never been stuck although I went into a ditch with my ex-girlfriends 89 berretta 15 years ago. So to each his/her own as far which is better for the individual. I'll stick with the rear wheel drive , That is one of the reasons I bought the car[ GS ] in the first place.

[lenore]

My contintion is that the engine over the drive wheels gives substantial traction as shown in the Swiss alps hill climbs in the winter, the front wheel drive cars were usually always the winnners. By the way I no longer live in the snow belt, but I wear Michelin cross terrains. I used to live in North Dakota and South Dakota, I remember my dad was out to work while the rest were struggling, he drove VW bug and Corvair. Great in the snow, little cold on the feet and interior (air cooled). Oh what a lost past!!!!!

[akewlguy]

BLIZZZZZAAAACCCKKK!

Rated the best snow tire in the world. Why save 80 bucks to get some sub par snow tire. That is what 1.5 tanks of gas?

Price is 550 at Firestone and they will install and replace at the start and end of winter for life. They also rotate for free if you buy their regular tires.

I will buy some in about 2 weeks so I will let you know how they work.

I will drive the LS throughout the winter since I love my car. Also it does not snow everyday in New England, just every other day. :)

Cheers to LEXUS

[Lst400]

I have a 45,000 mile yearly commute in New England with my 2000 LS that includes daily 150 mile travel on an interstate. I'm interested in a great snow tire that will last me two seasons. I'm researching what I think are the two best winter tires, Nokian Hakkapellitta RSI and the new Bridgestone Blizzak Revo1. I can't find a head to head comparison of these two as Revo1 is very new. I'd like any opinion on which is better and would last longer under the strains of such a commute. I would use them between mid December and early March. Thanks for your attention.

[ArmyofOne]

I have a 45,000 mile yearly commute in New England with my 2000 LS that includes daily 150 mile travel on an interstate. I'm interested in a great snow tire that will last me two seasons. I'm researching what I think are  the two best winter tires, Nokian Hakkapellitta RSI and the new Bridgestone Blizzak Revo1. I can't find a head to head comparison of these two as Revo1 is very new. I'd like any opinion on which is better and would last longer under the strains of such a commute. I would use them between mid December and early March. Thanks for your attention.

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The nokians, havw better traction, butthry are louder.