My Ls In The Snow In The Northeast Today

[GKLCPA]

I just got home about an hour ago after the bulk of the snow came down in the northeast today. I purchased some blizzack snow tires back in January just to be prepared for this. The only vehicles on the road at 8:00 pm were snow plows, SUV's and my LS. She performed like a tank with the snow tires. Quite frankly, I've never I had better car in the snow. This is the third large snow that I've driven the car in this year.

Folks say that the 98+ with VSC are better in the snow, but that's hard to imagine!

[new2mud]

We get over 300 inches of snow annually where we live, and I love driving my 1LS through the nasty stuff right alongside the SUVs and Subarus. Nokian WR snow tires, and air suspension set to high to plow right through the nasty stuff.

[oohryry]

I just got home about an hour ago after the bulk of the snow came down in the northeast today. I purchased some blizzack snow tires back in January just to be prepared for this. The only vehicles on the road at 8:00 pm were snow plows, SUV's and my LS. She performed like a tank with the snow tires. Quite frankly, I've never I had better car in the snow. This is the third large snow that I've driven the car in this year.

Folks say that the 98+ with VSC are better in the snow, but that's hard to imagine!

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver.

No offense ladies.

[1990LS400]

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver.

VSC "just" helps you have better control? Yes, of course it does. Stability Control like the VSC system is the most extraordinary feature I have seen on cars in my 40+ years of driving. I regularly (and very carefully) push my LS beyond its limits when the roads are snowy or icy just to see VSC intervene to put the car back on the correct path.

The "snow mode" transmission feature is very useful in snow or on ice and prevents the rear tires from slipping while accellerating. Snow Mode does not make it harder to press the throttle -- it causes the transmission to start off in third gear.

In 17 years of driving LS400's - including lots of winter driving in northern Iowa, I've never had to "spin my wheels" after getting stuck while driving in snow. I've always used snow tires in the winter and have never gotten stuck.

[wwest]

I just got home about an hour ago after the bulk of the snow came down in the northeast today. I purchased some blizzack snow tires back in January just to be prepared for this. The only vehicles on the road at 8:00 pm were snow plows, SUV's and my LS. She performed like a tank with the snow tires. Quite frankly, I've never I had better car in the snow. This is the third large snow that I've driven the car in this year.

Folks say that the 98+ with VSC are better in the snow, but that's hard to imagine!

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver.

No offense ladies.

You're confusing VSC with TC, Traction Control. VSC will only activate with over-stearing or understearing. TC will activate anytime there is wheelspin/slip as a result of engine torque.

[oohryry]

I just got home about an hour ago after the bulk of the snow came down in the northeast today. I purchased some blizzack snow tires back in January just to be prepared for this. The only vehicles on the road at 8:00 pm were snow plows, SUV's and my LS. She performed like a tank with the snow tires. Quite frankly, I've never I had better car in the snow. This is the third large snow that I've driven the car in this year.

Folks say that the 98+ with VSC are better in the snow, but that's hard to imagine!

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver.

No offense ladies.

You're confusing VSC with TC, Traction Control. VSC will only activate with over-stearing or understearing. TC will activate anytime there is wheelspin/slip as a result of engine torque.

I could've swore the VSC and TC work together with each other. When you try spinning your wheels in the snow the TC won't allow it, right. But when you hit the VSC button to turn off the VSC, voila, you can spin in a circle in snow. There is no TC button on my LS so these two do work together for assisting control. But thanks for the insight. I prefer the Lexus VSC. My 95 Mercury Cougar had just traction control and would get stuck in the snow and automatically shut off the traction control. I hated that.

[benalexe]

IS the rear wheel drive okay in the snow? I always thought that front wheel was much better?

[new2mud]

IS the rear wheel drive okay in the snow? I always thought that front wheel was much better?

These are all LS400s we're talking about, and I think all of them had the rear-wheel drive option instead of front-wheel. :whistles:

You *could* get the front-wheel drive ES series, but then...well...you'd have to drive an ES. :o

[wwest]

I just got home about an hour ago after the bulk of the snow came down in the northeast today. I purchased some blizzack snow tires back in January just to be prepared for this. The only vehicles on the road at 8:00 pm were snow plows, SUV's and my LS. She performed like a tank with the snow tires. Quite frankly, I've never I had better car in the snow. This is the third large snow that I've driven the car in this year.

Folks say that the 98+ with VSC are better in the snow, but that's hard to imagine!

The VSC just helps you have better control of the car in the snow. However, if you get in a position where you are stuck, you have to cut off the VSC because it wont allow you to spin your wheels fast enough to get out of it. There is also a snow switch by the gear shift, but I don't use it because all it does is make it harder for you to press the throttle, which would probably be excellent if you don't have VSC or for a female driver.

No offense ladies.

You're confusing VSC with TC, Traction Control. VSC will only activate with over-stearing or understearing. TC will activate anytime there is wheelspin/slip as a result of engine torque.

I could've swore the VSC and TC work together with each other. When you try spinning your wheels in the snow the TC won't allow it, right. But when you hit the VSC button to turn off the VSC, voila, you can spin in a circle in snow. There is no TC button on my LS so these two do work together for assisting control. But thanks for the insight. I prefer the Lexus VSC. My 95 Mercury Cougar had just traction control and would get stuck in the snow and automatically shut off the traction control. I hated that.

You can turn off VSC...??

One of the new '08 models has a single button wherein the first depression turns off TC and a second LONG depression will turn off VSC.

But other than that I have never heard of a Toyota or Lexus with a VSC disable function.

IS the rear wheel drive okay in the snow? I always thought that front wheel was much better?

FWD is "better" only with regards the fact that the front weight bias results in more traction for getting the vehicle in motion initially on ice or packed snow. Otherwise everything about FWD represents a DANGER on those same surfaces as opposed to RWD.