is48track

hey all

first post and about to become a lexus owner for the first time with a new IS. i'm trying to decide between the 250AWD and the 350.

since i intend to keep this car for a long time, one of my primary concerns is performance/control in wet weather - specifically hydroplaning and cornering. any opinion on which car will handle better in rain (not snow), if everything else is equal (tires, driving style, conditions)?

i currently live in socal, but there is a good chance that my wife and i will be moving to pacific northwest in the not distant future. i've been waiting for a free (for me) and rainy day to test drive both cars, but it hasn't happened yet.

so i'm here to ask for opinions on AWD vs. VDIM on wet roads. the only report i could find of wet handling with VDIM was about a GS (though the report was very favorable).

i'd obviously prefer the 350 power to the 250 on dry days - possibly, if VDIM is as beneficial as AWD, on all days. i once bought an slk and got the 320 over the 230 because i couldn't stand the 'golf cartness' of the 230.

anyway - i've searched the forum and couldn't find anything specific to AWD vs. VDIM in wet conditions. i've also never driven an AWD car in the rain (or a car with VDIM, for that matter). any info would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

mcfly

Put very simply:

1) drive type has little to do with hydroplaning (unless you're an idiot and you hammer the throttle in a rear drive car whey you start hydroplaning). It's almost all about the tires. Keep them correctly inflated, replace them when they're at the wear bars, and you'll be fine.

2) mechanical grip is always going to be superior to electronically controlled efforts to emulate mechanical grip. That means AWD, end of story.

mcfly

By the way...

If you drive normally, you'll never feel any difference between any drive type in the rain. If you're trying to go fast on the other hand, AWD is far superior. I can outrun anything in my WRX when the weather is bad

Rockville

The difference between VSC and VDIM is dramatic. The AWD 250 will have an advantage on snowy hill climbs and when starting out from a standstill. In the rain the VDIM will react sooner and helps when braking on curves also. The IS350 has so much more torque and horsepower that it needs the VDIM to allow more aggressive driving. The VDIM has three control areas power output, braking and steering. With the electronic power steering (EPS) it can make subtle course corrections to maintain stability. It is the best thing going for icy conditions too which can be invisible at times. VDIM just won an award in Canada and they really need it. Vive le VDIM...

Rock

is48track

thanks for the replies

i'm not a terribly aggressive driver and especially not in the rain. had two hydroplaning incidents early in my driving career many years ago that spooked me. in both cases it was the lousy tires, but i've never felt totally comfortable driving in the rain since.

living in so cal, i don't worry much about rain because we rarely get it. but considering we might be moving to the pac northwest, it is a consideration.

i lived in vancouver for a year with a miata with aquatreds and never had a problem. of course, before putting aquatreds on the miata, i had one of my two hydroplaning experiences. sudden downpour and the miata went right off the highway, despite my having slowed to 25 mph. this was on my way back from the dealership. no damage, but did get my attention. and while i don't think AWD or VDIM would have made a difference there, i'm still interested in arming myself with the best IS for wet weather.

so that's why i'm curious about the AWD vs. VDIM.

but it sounds like, given proper tires and sound driving, the 350 will be just fine. thankfully.

thanks for the input. i do appreciate it.

Bichon

I agree with heffergm that when it comes to resistance to hydroplaning, it's all about the tires.

The last set of performance tires I had on my Audi, the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 were absolutely amazing in the wet. Great in the dry too, quiet, don't tramline - I'm definitely planning to get a set of these for the IS when the OEM Dunlops wear out.

is48track

Bichon

thanks for the recommendation on tires - will look into the F1 GS-D3s when i get the IS.

any other tire recommendations for wet handling? preferably acceptable dry handling/noise, too.

thanks

mcfly

Yeah, another vote for Goodyear F1 GS-D3's. They're the quietest, best handling wet/dry tire I've ever driven on.

mkaresh

Lately every time someone asks whether they need AWD I tell them that instead of getting a new car they should just get new tires. It's amazing how much stuff people attribute to a car that is really a factor of the tires.

Looking at the test results at TireRack, among summer performance tires the Firestone Firehawk looks like a good choice. I have had awful Firestones in the past, but this one looks impressive.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...el=Eagle+F1+GS

I didn't check to see if they were available in the IS' size. None of these is usable in snow.

mcfly

Thank you! At least one more sane individual on the road....

mkaresh

I got overly sane this year and finally bought winter tires for my Mazda. I'm somewhat regretting this because it hasn't snowed much. We've had a very warm January in Michigan. The lakes around where I live are having trouble remaining frozen. There goes the ice fishing season...

But the few times it has snowed the Pilot Alpin's have made a HUGE difference.

One thing I recently suggested (cannot remember where I suggested it) is that manufacturers should offer different tires as options. WIth some cars you can choose between performance and all-season, but I mean a much broader range.

This might best be handled outside the plant, but not at typical dealer prices. They might ship all cars with temp tires that get recycled back to the factory, then fit your choice at the dealer. I suspect this would go over very well with the enthusiast crowd.

LexFather

If u hydroplane, it doesn't matter what system u have. I recommened higher profile tires. Also the fatter the tire, the higher chance of hydroplaning.

I have in my old GS 400, and VSC literally saved me from hitting a wall. I can only imagine VDIM does a much better job.

BTW, in my RX 300, with AWD, I will say I do feel SUPER confident in the rain, but that has a lot to do with the tires, they have so much tread, its harder to hydroplane.

WANT AN IS

First of all, I have no experience with the IS250 AWD model. I test drove the IS350 in the rain, and was driving very aggressively. I took a turn at an intersection which sent the car sideways for like ONE second, immediately I hear a few beeps and feel a slight tug on the steering wheel to help counter-steer and get the car back in line. WOW! This is one of the things that sold me on the IS, the VDIM is amazing! The salesman looked like he was about to pass out in the backseat! After a few heavy breaths he said "Well, now I know that VDIM works! I've never experienced that before!"

Also, I have had at least 5 different sets of max performance tires on my BMW 328is. I like the Bridgestone PP S-03 better than any other tires I have had. They are simply the best in dry and WET conditions!

Bichon

Having had both the GoodYear Eagle F1 GSD3 and the Bridgestone S03 Pole Positions on my Audi S4, I STRONGLY prefer the former. The S03s get incredibly noisy as they wear, tramline (i.e., follow grooves and imperfections in the road), and have a stiff sidewall that makes the car ride more poorly. I remember that when I took them off and switched to the Good Years, my first impression was Ahhhh, got my luxury car back.

NotFatBoy

Just to expand on what Bichon said... I have tried several tires on my Audi S4 including:

Bridgestone S-03s
Toyo Proxy T1-S
Kumho Ecsta MX

Of these three tires, the S-03s were BY FAR the best. The grip in the wet was unbelievable. That being said, Bichons remarks regarding the Eagle F1 DSG3s are echoed throughout the online car community. People that have had both the S-03s and the DSG3s tend to prefer the DSG3s and I plan on getting a set once the OEM tires wear out.

IMO, you cant go wrong with either tire.