Getting up snow and ice
12-21-13, 01:50 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Getting up snow and ice
Hello all,
My wife's had many bad snow-day 'stucks', and we want to buy a 4 wheel drive car. (Out 96 LS has just decided to kick the bucket, so this purchase should be a stress reliever for both of us, I hope).
We live on a flat piece of road that has 15-20% hills on either end, and typically it is impossible to get up with the LS. I usually have to resort to pulling it up with a land rover, or putting on snow chains.
So we're going to buy a 2010ish GS AWD. How does it handle? I understand that it is full time AWD - no kicking in, right?
How is the traction control? When it worked on my land rover disco, it worked well, and could really kick *** off road compared to jeeps and other earlier rovers with center diff locks.
Do winter tires really make a big difference? What brand should I look at - I never had them before. Usually I stick with Michelins. The wife seemed most interested in them when I mentioned them.
The hardest question is how to get the wife to enjoy snow driving more! Over my lifetime I've gone out hundreds of times in the snow and ice just for fun and practice, and she just looks at me with bewilderment when I tell her this. To me, putting on snow chains and beating all the trucks is fabulous fun and highly amusing, but she finds putting them on to be torture! (Well I understand that lying around on the snow in her work clothes can't be much fun, but she could take a change). And skidding around a parking lot on fresh snow is great fun, but none of my all-female family appears to share this entertainment (btw do the cops mind this activity, if you're doing it for real driving skill improvement?)
Would love some comments - I would like to pick up something before Jan 2.
My wife's had many bad snow-day 'stucks', and we want to buy a 4 wheel drive car. (Out 96 LS has just decided to kick the bucket, so this purchase should be a stress reliever for both of us, I hope).
We live on a flat piece of road that has 15-20% hills on either end, and typically it is impossible to get up with the LS. I usually have to resort to pulling it up with a land rover, or putting on snow chains.
So we're going to buy a 2010ish GS AWD. How does it handle? I understand that it is full time AWD - no kicking in, right?
How is the traction control? When it worked on my land rover disco, it worked well, and could really kick *** off road compared to jeeps and other earlier rovers with center diff locks.
Do winter tires really make a big difference? What brand should I look at - I never had them before. Usually I stick with Michelins. The wife seemed most interested in them when I mentioned them.
The hardest question is how to get the wife to enjoy snow driving more! Over my lifetime I've gone out hundreds of times in the snow and ice just for fun and practice, and she just looks at me with bewilderment when I tell her this. To me, putting on snow chains and beating all the trucks is fabulous fun and highly amusing, but she finds putting them on to be torture! (Well I understand that lying around on the snow in her work clothes can't be much fun, but she could take a change). And skidding around a parking lot on fresh snow is great fun, but none of my all-female family appears to share this entertainment (btw do the cops mind this activity, if you're doing it for real driving skill improvement?)
Would love some comments - I would like to pick up something before Jan 2.
Last edited by deanbrown; 12-21-13 at 01:54 PM.
12-21-13, 02:30 PM
#5
I have driven through the past 13 hilly New England winters with AWD and all season tires. First in by AWD BMW 3 series, now in my Lexus. I have never had a problem of any sort. These modern AWD systems have handled all winter road condtions I have encountered seamlessly, you almost forget its not summer out! Yes, Lexus has a full time AWD system, no muss no fuss!
Last edited by CtSFox; 12-21-13 at 03:17 PM.
12-21-13, 02:58 PM
#6
If you look at my post" 215 55 18 Winter tires" you will see that I have 2 RWD cars outfitted with Studless and Studded snow tires and they work great. I drive my cars through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Oregon. I have Hankook Winter ipike w409 on my lexus and Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 on my Infiniti M45. I leave the 4x4 F150 Lariat at home these cars do great with proper tires.
Last edited by Ziggy716; 12-21-13 at 03:05 PM.
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