Winter Driving Gs400

[88300E]

I am considering buying a GS 400 - any opinions on its characteritics in winter condtions? thx v much

[SW03ES]

Extremely poor unless you get snow tires for the winter.

[dcfish]

I am considering buying a GS 400 - any opinions on its characteritics in winter condtions? thx v much

You definetly will need snows. ;)

[new big400]

I had all seasons on my GS4 and thought it was pretty good for a rear drive.

[Vang's IS 300]

I personally don't think that it really matters. What matter is the person who is driving the vehicle.

I used to owned a MR2 Turbo with bald 17" tires and it drives fine in snow except when the weather

adds snow to rain then the results can be bad. Who needs to drive 70mph in bad winter condition

or heavy rain? All season tires are great because you don't have to change them every time unless

you have two set of wheels to change from season to season.

[GuyTelefunken]

My feeling on winter driving in my '98 GS300 is, this is a 3 season car. I work in the automotive field and get a chance to drive many cars and many tires. So far, I've had 7 of the top brands of pure winter tires on the GS and have found none to be truly good in the snow. All seasons are 110% worthless in the snow for me. With several of them, I was stuck in the garage permanently. I work only 1.5 miles from home and I find myself clutching the leather wheel whenever I have to go out in the snow. Usually, I just take another car if I really have to go somewhere. Bear in mind, I have 150lbs. of sand in the trunk as well, just for fun, and it makes marginal if any difference.

If this car had a mechanical limited slip differential, I feel it would be much better in the snow. Much of the problem lies in the traction component of the VSC system. If one rear wheel spins, the brake is applied to that wheel. If the other starts to spin, the brake is applied to that wheel. You don't get far with the brake on both rear wheels.

Between my '93 BMW 325i with no limited slip or traction control whatsoever, my '94 Benz C280 with traction control, and the GS, the GS300 is the worst in the snow. Keep in mind that the traction control may have been improved in newer models.

To anyone concerned, please draw your own conclusions. Each persons' driving habits and perception of snow-going ability is different. Just my $.02.

[KANEDL]

I got to test out my '01 GS300 this winter in the snow. I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my car but only on the rear wheels. To be honest I felt like I wasted my money buying those tires. I think I had maybe a little less grip with the all season Michelins that were already on the car. I had a lot of slipping with the rear wheels with snow tires. The snow tires only help in light snow, when it starts piling on you start to get wheelspin. I don't know if maybe putting some weight in your trunk might help. But I'm just glad the winter is almost over so I can put my 20's on my car.

[dukabor]

OK.....in Canada we get 9 months of winter right ????

I ran my 400 through this winter fine.

I wouldn't dare try it withought ice rated tires.

If you do decide one one.....tip for you.

You can buy Rav 4 steel wheels 16" and pay a lot less for rubber .

I got Dulop 225-55-16 Graspic Ice tire at wal-mart and RAV-4 take off rimes for under $500.00

dukabor

[mmoazzam]

I agree that winter handling depends mainly on who is driving the car. However tires play their part as well. When stuck in snow or on gravel, traction should be turned off. From my experience I've learned that Mich's are not good. Good Year Eagle LS gave me best handling on worst snow conditions on RWD car, not once or twice but on daily basis. I also agree that snow tires are good on only light soft snow. Tire pressure is of utmost importance to manage spinning and braking. Bottom line is that GS is not better nor worse than any other in winter.

[SW03ES]

I used to owned a MR2 Turbo with bald 17" tires and it drives fine in snow except when the weather

adds snow to rain then the results can be bad.

Your MR2 had 50/50 weight distribution, less torque, AND a mid engined drivetrain. Totally incomparable to a GS400.

The driver can't change the forces of nature and the issue with any RWD car in the snow, but more specifically the Lexus, is that you're going to have a near impossible time accelerating from a stop on any kind of incline unless you have snows. The lack of a LSD and an extremely overzealous traction control system make it a total pig in the snow.

[Benjamin Tang]

how bad are the winters in nova scotia? i'm on the westcoast so 1-2 inches of snow is considered bad to me... for all i know you could have 5-6 ft snowdrifts :o