Handling In The Snow

[leibniz]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and I have one quick question. I am really interested in buying a used 2001 ES 300. My only problem is that I live in northwestern New Jersey where driving in the winter with the wrong car can be a nightmare. How does the ES handle in the snow. The model I was looking at doesn't have the VSC, it just has traction control. When I say snow I mean 4-8 inches. I really like the way the ES handles, I think it's just a great car. Thank you for your help.

[FLiP Sp33d]

hi welcome to the club! i have a 98 ES which doesnt have traction control or vsc and it gets the job done during blizzards. im running on stock 15in rims and all season tires. i can tell you for sure it does A LOT better in the snow than the IS or GS. i asked someone with an IS if the snow mode in his car works and he says all it does is kill gas. one time i saw some idiot in a GS attempt a broken U turn in 4 inches of snow. he wasnt goin anyhere and held up traffic! i havent had any problems doing broken U turns or parallel parking. as long as you take it easy with the throttle, the front tires have no problem gripping because most of the weight of the car is in the front.

[SW03ES]

The ES is fine in the snow, I'd get one without much concern.

[4482]

I think the key to driving in snow is to have the M & S all weather tires on the car.

I think some of the sport type cars like the GS come with performance tires which are great on dry roads but terrible on slippery roads. I just bought a new ES and told the salesman I would not take it if it came in with anything other then all weather tires. He even let me pick the brand between 5 or 6 companies that come in on the new cars.

Good luck,

Carl

Northern Ohio

[lexusk8]

I have a 2001 ES300 w/ stock 16s, TRAC, and Toyo all-seasons. It handled superb from this past winter (in CT), and I never see the need for snow tires to switch to. Being prepared for snow driving also means preparing yourself for the task (i.e. braking earlier than usual, keeping both hands on 10 and 2-o'clock of the steering wheel, taking turns nice and easy, etc.)

[steviej]

I have had my ES for two Boston winters now and both winters had a fair share of snow. The FWD and the TRAC control are key, the VSC is a plus but not a necessity.

It all comes down to driving skill and the tires you ride on. As stated before, get a reliable all season radial tire. When in doubt, get a set of high quality snow tires that are also quiet on dry pavement to get you through Dec thru March. Almost every tire company has a well made dedicated snow tire now.

steviej

[Lexusfreak]

I agree completely with both steviej & lexusk8. I hae an 01 ES with a "top shelf" set of Toyo Proxes TPT all seasons with the traction control & brake assist. Drive with "common sense" and the car will get you thru the winter, snow & slush with ease. I think lexusk8 has the same tires I do to boot. Am I correct? :)

[jweiss]

I have the factory installed 16"all- season michelins on my 2000 Es. I transferred my 15" Finnish snow tires(never remember the long name)from my Infiniti I30. Although the snows are noisy, they make quite a difference with toronto weather. They're better than the all-seasons in the rain, but that's not surprising given the characteristics of the micheloins in rain. Only once, did we skid and VSC was activated. We especially need snows since we have a very tight parking space in a laneway that city no longer plows.