AVSRacing

You guys drive your LS430 in the snow? My LS was intended for my winter car, but it is currently hibernating as I haven't sold my other winter beater. We just got a dump of like a foot of snow, so I'm wondering if its even drive able with snow tires. Contemplating on getting an Awd car but can't think of anything that has the features and luxury of the LS. I've had 2nd/ 3rd Gen Rxs in the family but they didn't really wow me with the v6 mpg and engine noise. Also, wish there was more leg room in the rear and the trunk isn't actually that big as they are both quite round and the rear glass is so slanted.

biacs

Ii will do just fine in snow. All you need to do is check your tread depth. I think 6/32" is the lowest amount for snow. But its long, heavy and has great traction due to its weight.

I'll flip on SNOW mode if its slick out. But I have driven in a BLIZZARD with no issues. Didn't expect that bad of a storm, but it changed directions on a roadtrip!

You just need to respect physics ;-)

stinky

In my opinion it is just OK in the snow. If that's your primary concern, it honestly could be an issue. Have had a couple times in the ice and with wet leaves where I was worried. Snow tires do help. The snow traction control is ok - it uses braking to generate torque, but it's not a LSD car so there's really only so much you can do.

If it's just one concern of many, then should be fine. Like the other poster mentioned, it's got a lot of mass to help traction, and you can add stuff in the trunk during the winter.

JZZFZZ

Prepare to back up on a hill😜

LS430Lexus

I live in Michigan, with dedicated snow tires I have no problem in the winter. I live in the suburbs where roads are generally cleaned up after a storm and drive cautiously using the "snow" mode. That said, I pass and go around many all-wheel drive SUV's, cars and trucks. With good snow tires (Bridgestone Blizzaks, Michelin x-Ice, etc.), you should be fine.

Also, in the past I have put a couple of 50 pound bags of sand or salt in the trunk. It was somewhat helpful but not necessary.

demark1

I nearly didn't buy ls430 because my parents had an ls400 that they loved but said could not drive in snow at all! But my brother-in-law said i worried too much and ls430 is a different car anyway. In short, I do not commute to work anymore, but I had MXV4 Michelins for 60-k miles that were fine for basic driving in light snow, After that I looked for a new category, "all weather" tires, and got Toyo Celsius. I feel very comfortable in snow with them. They have worn down a fair amount and 1 is damaged now, so I am probably getting Vredestine Quattrac Pros next, which are also all-weather. I have them on my Cadillac XTS (AWD) and they are excellent, although I suspect I will not be getting more than 40k miles on them on the Cadillac, and perhaps less on the LS430. But I drive 5-6k miles a year on the LS, so if I need new tires in 5-6 years I am willing...

On problem I had was backing out of driveway when my rear wheels got stuck in heavy snow (I backed out wrong way, not to clear area). There was also ice under the tires. I lost all traction and could not pull forward or backward. In the end, same brother-in-law happened by (heard about my travails) and pushed me out backward. But that was ICE. AWD or FWD might have helped there since the front wheels were free, but on plowed roads or roads with a degree of snow, I have driven up mild inclines and passed front wheel driven minivans stuck while I went right ahead. And don't ask about when by Brother-in-law had his Maxima with summer tires (unknown to him) in a storm on the expressway... Car was stuck for 2 days (about 10 years ago now). So I have survived and driven fine on snow, a snow-bank packed with ice is another matter for any car.

BigBoomer

We don't get much snow here (maybe 2 days per year) but I got to drive mine in 4" of fresh snow 10 days ago.
For a RWD behemoth she is surprisingly easy to drive on snow so long as you are smooth and steady.
I got to see one idiot in a FWD mini-suv do three 360's in front of me after he swerved violently. He ended up on the emergency lane pointing the wrong way.
Watched another moron accelerate hard, lose control and drag the right side of his van along the ARMCO for at least 100yds.
I drove for about 2 hours/40 miles on the snow but got home with no problems other than a couple of minor twitches when changing lane and one deliberate drift when I had nobody around me. :-)
When we got home my better half asked me why I hadn't used Snow mode? I'd forgotten it even existed. <LOL>

teaa

kinda off topic, but does anyone have advice on how to prevent rust in the winter? My 02 has been Florida driven for the past 20 years, but now I'm moving north to a snowy state. Worried about rust

MickTheQ

For "severe snow service rated" all season tires, consider Michelin Cross Climate 2 or Bridgestone Weatherpeak. I just got my LS and am likely going to buy the latter. Their tread warranty is 60K and 70K, respectively. I have always owned dedicated snow tires for my cars, but I am starting to think that it is a bit of an overkill in New England. It would be nice to save the money, hassle switching twice a year per car, and storage space.

For a reference, I owned an M3 and 550i in the snowiest city in the US, and with Blizzaks it was just fine, no problems at all. With stock tires, I couldn't back off the driveway in 1 inch of snow. lol

LSBij

Snow plow status