Question about Lex in the snow...
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Question about Lex in the snow...
About 2 weeks ago it snowed up here in New England and my Lexus was awful...... It was one of the first snow storms ive experianced while driving, and I have a few questions about the Lexus in the snow....
1. What does ect "snow" do???
2. When going up a hill and "gunning it" does it ruin your engine??
(Half of the reason my car is so bad in the snow is because my tires are basically bald and have no treads because spring is around the corner and I am going to put on my other tires with that have 20's on them)
1. What does ect "snow" do???
2. When going up a hill and "gunning it" does it ruin your engine??
(Half of the reason my car is so bad in the snow is because my tires are basically bald and have no treads because spring is around the corner and I am going to put on my other tires with that have 20's on them)
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The "snow" mode in the GS limits acceleration. Basically, it helps you to keep the car in control by allowing slow acceleration (to limit slippage).
"Gunning" the car up a hill is not a good idea. Actually, taking the GS out in the snow is not a good idea. The GS is not built to handle heavy snow. Light snow is okay but if you're looking at a snow storm, you should be prepared with something more heavy duty.
By gunning the GS up a hill, you're doing nothing but spinning your tires. It might not harm the engine immediately but if you keep at it, the heat is going to build up and that's never a good thing. If you encounter a hill, you should try to get a little speed up before getting to the hill, that way you have momentum and you should be able to trut up the hill.
You should think about purchasing a cheap vehicle for snow use, such as a used Toyota 4Runner or something of that sort that can handle heavy snow accumulation.
*And get new tires. Even if it wasn't snowing, running on bald tires is a bad thing.
"Gunning" the car up a hill is not a good idea. Actually, taking the GS out in the snow is not a good idea. The GS is not built to handle heavy snow. Light snow is okay but if you're looking at a snow storm, you should be prepared with something more heavy duty.
By gunning the GS up a hill, you're doing nothing but spinning your tires. It might not harm the engine immediately but if you keep at it, the heat is going to build up and that's never a good thing. If you encounter a hill, you should try to get a little speed up before getting to the hill, that way you have momentum and you should be able to trut up the hill.
You should think about purchasing a cheap vehicle for snow use, such as a used Toyota 4Runner or something of that sort that can handle heavy snow accumulation.
*And get new tires. Even if it wasn't snowing, running on bald tires is a bad thing.
#6
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[QUOTE=IAGS400]Snow mode also doesn't give you 1st gear, it starts you in 2nd.
A good set of snow tires will make your GS be able to get through most situations in the snow.[/QUOTE]
yea....basically that is what I am going to get before next winter occurs...
Thanks everyone for answering the questions I had... (It will help me out next time the snow hits)
A good set of snow tires will make your GS be able to get through most situations in the snow.[/QUOTE]
yea....basically that is what I am going to get before next winter occurs...
Thanks everyone for answering the questions I had... (It will help me out next time the snow hits)
#7
Originally Posted by BrianGS430
The "snow" mode in the GS limits acceleration. Basically, it helps you to keep the car in control by allowing slow acceleration (to limit slippage).
"Gunning" the car up a hill is not a good idea. Actually, taking the GS out in the snow is not a good idea. The GS is not built to handle heavy snow. Light snow is okay but if you're looking at a snow storm, you should be prepared with something more heavy duty.
By gunning the GS up a hill, you're doing nothing but spinning your tires. It might not harm the engine immediately but if you keep at it, the heat is going to build up and that's never a good thing. If you encounter a hill, you should try to get a little speed up before getting to the hill, that way you have momentum and you should be able to trut up the hill.
You should think about purchasing a cheap vehicle for snow use, such as a used Toyota 4Runner or something of that sort that can handle heavy snow accumulation.
*And get new tires. Even if it wasn't snowing, running on bald tires is a bad thing.
"Gunning" the car up a hill is not a good idea. Actually, taking the GS out in the snow is not a good idea. The GS is not built to handle heavy snow. Light snow is okay but if you're looking at a snow storm, you should be prepared with something more heavy duty.
By gunning the GS up a hill, you're doing nothing but spinning your tires. It might not harm the engine immediately but if you keep at it, the heat is going to build up and that's never a good thing. If you encounter a hill, you should try to get a little speed up before getting to the hill, that way you have momentum and you should be able to trut up the hill.
You should think about purchasing a cheap vehicle for snow use, such as a used Toyota 4Runner or something of that sort that can handle heavy snow accumulation.
*And get new tires. Even if it wasn't snowing, running on bald tires is a bad thing.
Just my two cents, or years of driving in the snow I guess
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Originally Posted by Jugg_head
I have to disagree with your comments regarding the GS not able to handle the heavy snow. I live in Sunny Canada and I have a good set of winter tires and studs and I can go pretty much anywhere any other car can get.
Just my two cents, or years of driving in the snow I guess
Just my two cents, or years of driving in the snow I guess
I've driven my GS430 in snow several times and yes, it CAN handle the snow, but there are much more suitable vehicles IMO than the GS.
Just because the GS can move in the snow doesn't warrant it to do so. The GS is a V8, RWD, sports sedan. Even with snow tires, it's going to have difficulty handling heavy accumulation of snow. I know from my own experience that the GS may get you from A to B in the snow, but it does so with difficulty.
Just speaking from my own experience.
#11
We had 14" of snow on Monday and 8 today. I have a set of Blizzaks for winter use. So far this winter the GS has outperformed most FWD cars I"ve owned, and I've had a lot of them.
Get some snow tires, and use the snow button, you'll be fine.
Get some snow tires, and use the snow button, you'll be fine.
#12
Snow Tires
I just purchased a set of Lexus 16" factory alloys with Pirelli Winter 210's. I live up in Minnesota where we get plenty of the white stuff. Snow tires are a must on a GS400 or any rear wheel drive vehicle.
#13
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Originally Posted by IAGS400
Snow mode also doesn't give you 1st gear, it starts you in 2nd.
Go into snow mode and accelerate slowly until 40-50mph. Count how many times the car shifts. You will be surprised...I was.
My parents have a LX470...instead of a snow button, it's labeled as 2nd Start. So in that case, I guess it starts in second gear. I havent tested it out, but I think thats what it would do.
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i live in colorado and we get a lot of snow, for some reason my car does really well in the snow as long as i have the snow button on (even with bald tires) i hardly slip except when i take fast turns (in which case i do a little drifting) haha but yeah i like how the GS handles in the snow, does really well, i think the weight of the car also helps it from slipping around
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Originally Posted by Chpsk8
We had 14" of snow on Monday and 8 today. I have a set of Blizzaks for winter use. So far this winter the GS has outperformed most FWD cars I"ve owned, and I've had a lot of them.
Get some snow tires, and use the snow button, you'll be fine.
Get some snow tires, and use the snow button, you'll be fine.