spender

Hi, I am just about to close a deal on a beautiful 2004 LS430, I'm pretty pumped.

However, I live in the Great White North, Canada, in the city of Calgary. Some of you might remember it as the home of the 1988 Winter Olympics (key word there being winter. In any case, while the LS430 is awesome in every way, it is a RWD car. Most people here get FWD or AWD due to the fact that our roads are often icy and/or snow covered a lot of the year.

I was wondering about other peoples' experiences with snow and icy conditions with their LS430s, is this something I want to go through? Or should I just find a GS300/GS430 with AWD? Any input would be super appreciated, thanks!

Kansas

Any LS from 98-up properly equipted with dedicated snow tires (ones with the mountain/snowflake logo on the side wall) will do just fine in heavy snow.

The key features that make this possible (and which were not available in previous model years) are the "snow mode" setting on the transmission and VSC. Actually, I think you will find the LS430 to be great fun to drive in snow -- if properly equipted with snow tires.

Also, the LS430 (also LS400's from 95-up) have fairly generous ground clearance so there is less chance of high-centering in snow drifts.

My 2000 LS400 with Blizzak snow tires is the best winter car I've had in 40 years of driving -- it is a blast to drive in deep snow.

Hey, Calgary's weather is positively "balmy" compared to Blue Ridge, Alberta - 300 km further north - where I have relatives. I feel a "road trip" coming on ...

Celjesta

exactly .. I think you will do great w/ a LS430 up there

Laclu007

I've owned an LS430 since November 2006, all through this past winter. It has Michelin winter tires and the handling has been excellent. With the VSC in "Snow Mode", there is still some slipping, but the car does a pretty good job of limiting the slip. The traction control also does a good job of keeping you on the road. I find the most important feature a car needs for winter driving is a driver with a brain, who won't over-drive the conditions.

Now, as for Canada, I live in Winterpeg (Winnipeg), so it doesn't get much more winter than that. The car handles great in the cold, snow, ice, slush, etc. etc.

The heated seats are a really nice addition when you head out to work in the morning and the temperature is -32C (-26F) (and sometimes a lot colder with the wind chill!)

So, don't fret buying an LS430 for winter. I have no regrets buying this car, and after spending a winter with it, no problems. The only thing to point out is to put on a really good set of winter tires, and you should have no problems.

cdnguy

Winter? Calgary? What part of Calgary do you live in? For the 3 snowfalls a year, where the snow lasts more than 1 day on the roads, the LS 430 will be great - provided you have snow tires. The chinooks will take care of anything that tries to last any longer. Your biggest concern should be for other drivers with their bald tires, who can't make it up a gentle hill with a little snow on it. This is a city which all but shuts down with an inch of snow, because they have so little snow clearing equipment. There are 2 kind of drivers in Calgary, bad drivers who drive fast, and bad drivers who drive slow. The LS 430 will not be your issue. Just tell Al Ratani (Service Manager, Lexus of Calgary) to get you some Dunlop Sport M3s, and you'll be a happy man.