Impressed with the 4GS AWD in the snow...
01-30-14, 09:46 AM
#46
Any problem with that tire size? Mine came with 235/40/19's.
01-30-14, 09:53 AM
#47
Thats fine...but to make a bold absolute statement like "Snow mode is rubbish" because it costs you fuel in a discussion that doesn't even involve fuel but centers around the car's ability in the snow is completely out of line IMHO
Its like saying a helmet is rubbish because it messes up your hair...
Also bear in mind, 99.9% of us here don't have the hybrid.
Its like saying a helmet is rubbish because it messes up your hair...
Also bear in mind, 99.9% of us here don't have the hybrid.
2) I shold not say anything because 99,9 % does drive hybrid here.
3) I should not make any bold statement.
Talk about driving not about economy because its a snow-toy!
Thread is labled GS350 all else get out.
Talk about something that does not evoke my emotions!
This is a public space and I havent violated stated rules. I think this is enough on your behalf to concider. You may succeed in this in your home or work, but I would bet not here.
Back to what this is all about. No one drives a manual car in snow on gear 4-6 and avoid 2-3 while acclerating. In snow mode I am making 20 mph on 3000 rpm on level ground. This is not reasonable for a high tech toy which claims to be green. You may ignore 1 when start but after that its all about rpm and engine load while shifting transmission.
Oh, by the way, snow mode is Rubbish :-)
01-30-14, 10:02 AM
#48
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Just say that you don't use snow mode because you don't like that it uses too much fuel. Don't make an all-encompassing value statement like "its rubbish" with no qualification or explanation in a thread where someone is trying to get advice and make a purchase decision where the biggest factor is snow traction...not fuel usage.
Look at what he said:
What you say and how you say it has an impact.
I was always taught to start out in a higher gear when driving a manual in the snow, and I have always done that. You also must remember that you have a completely different engine, drive system and transmission setup than we all do. The GS350 does not sit at 3,000 RPM at 20MPH in snow mode. By the time you are at 20MPH the transmission behaves normally in snow mode in the 350 with the 6 speed.
Where does the GS350 claim to be green? We're not talking about a RWD GS450h...the topic is the AWD GS350 and its ability in the snow. Your experiences with a completely different car aren't applicable. Even the GS450h is not marketed as being green, its marketed as being high performance.
The blurb from lexus.com:
Focus is on performance, not being green.
Look at what he said:
This thread is depressing. Reading the beginning of this thread there were a number of comments about how good the GS was in the snow. That was the last piece I needed to know before pulling the trigger on the purchase. Did that, come back to this thread, find out the tires I got on the car are bad, the snow mode sucks, etc...While I have taken the car on 3 test drives, none of them were in the snow.
No one drives a manual car in snow on gear 4-6 and avoid 2-3 while accelerating. In snow mode I am making 20 mph on 3000 rpm on level ground.
This is not reasonable for a high tech toy which claims to be green.
The blurb from lexus.com:
GS HYBRID
While its 34 MPG highway rating[*] and stringent SULEV II emission status might be the envy of many 2.0-liter compacts, don't assume performance was somehow sacrificed in the development of the GS 450h. Not even close. Equipped with the world's first direct-injected Atkinson-cycle engine and dual hybrid-motor system for greater response, it rockets from 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds[*] and generates the G-forces of a high-performance V8.
While its 34 MPG highway rating[*] and stringent SULEV II emission status might be the envy of many 2.0-liter compacts, don't assume performance was somehow sacrificed in the development of the GS 450h. Not even close. Equipped with the world's first direct-injected Atkinson-cycle engine and dual hybrid-motor system for greater response, it rockets from 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds[*] and generates the G-forces of a high-performance V8.
Last edited by SW17LS; 01-30-14 at 10:05 AM.
01-30-14, 10:27 AM
#49
No sorry, this not intresting any more. i will follow this thread but not to what end you are leading this. Not quoting you here as a marker.
I did discovered the title is. AWD. That excludes GS450H. I didnt buy a hybrid for the green trade. I paid to get the best of both worlds and I got that to some extent. I dont use snow mode. I use eco mode to communicate with the engine with very good results. Eco can raw when you punch it. Can snow do that? I punch it even on slippery conditions while snow is stil unresponsive; again high rpm and high transmission in low speed is lame!
I did discovered the title is. AWD. That excludes GS450H. I didnt buy a hybrid for the green trade. I paid to get the best of both worlds and I got that to some extent. I dont use snow mode. I use eco mode to communicate with the engine with very good results. Eco can raw when you punch it. Can snow do that? I punch it even on slippery conditions while snow is stil unresponsive; again high rpm and high transmission in low speed is lame!
01-30-14, 10:30 AM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Not lame if you want to ensure slip free traction from a stop.
The only reason I would have it in snow mode is if I wanted to drive without wheel slippage. It would never even occur to me to punch it while in snow mode...why would I want the ability to do that?
The only reason I would have it in snow mode is if I wanted to drive without wheel slippage. It would never even occur to me to punch it while in snow mode...why would I want the ability to do that?
01-30-14, 10:43 AM
#51
By raw I was aiming fot the lions jump, not noise. Just translating my mother tounge to english:-)
Snow mode is a drivers stile. Some needs it to streangthen TRAC effect. i dont need it. Eco suffise for me. I would say drivers will appriciate modes differently. I would say its a choice on how you communicate with the throttle.
Snow mode is a drivers stile. Some needs it to streangthen TRAC effect. i dont need it. Eco suffise for me. I would say drivers will appriciate modes differently. I would say its a choice on how you communicate with the throttle.
01-30-14, 11:00 AM
#52
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Snow mode is a drivers stile. Some needs it to streangthen TRAC effect. i dont need it. Eco suffise for me. I would say drivers will appriciate modes differently. I would say its a choice on how you communicate with the throttle.
02-01-14, 07:53 AM
#55
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I have only owned RWD vehicles so this was my first awd but, I have driven awd suvs like my mothers old X3 and her new X5. The GS is right on par with her BMW X5 and I still like the way my car handles in snow. The system is great although others are saying what they have been through I'm talking from my own experience and in Boston we got hit with some good snow where they didn't clean the streets. I tried to have fun all night on the desolate roads and I could not for the life of me slip out or lose control a little, to do a slide the car would not let me. Tires play a part but the system on the GS is excellent. Be happy with your purchase you will enjoy it.
02-01-14, 01:02 PM
#58
What's the best all season tire?
02-01-14, 03:50 PM
#59
Pole Position
It has been snowing all day here, and is a lot warmer than past weeks (just below freezing), so I went out for a little drive to see how the 4GS does in more usual winter weather. Road conditions are all over the place, anywhere from wet but clear, to several inches of heavy snow with black ice underneath.
The AWD system worked very well. I had no trouble getting the car moving at the most snow-covered intersections, nor at those where the road was clear on one side and covered in ice on the other. The sliding I had mentioned in an earlier comment only happened at parking lot speeds, like accelerating around a corner after a stop sign, and the traction/stability control recovered on its own when I intentionally didn't lift off the gas.
The only other times I got any wheelspin or sliding were when trying to provoke it on purpose with full throttle. Fun fact: if the road is slippery enough, you can get a four-wheel drift going on it in a straight line. I left plenty of room for braking and slowed down a lot for curves. The all-season tires are OK for snow but there was ice in spots as well, and only winter tires are any good on ice.
Other than the AWD system, the other thing that impressed me was the controllability at higher speeds. Several of the roads I went on have higher speed limits and had been salted but not plowed. So no ice, but deep slush everywhere. Unlike every other car I've had, running into a slush pile with one side or the other didn't produce any reaction from the car at all. On a road with so much slush and snow there was a constant roar of it spraying everywhere, I never once lost grip or had to make a steering correction.
Conclusion: it drives like a tank in the winter, until you want it to drive like a sports car, then it'll do that too. I'll be getting winter tires next year to deal with ice and colder weather better (edited to add: because I still feel the stock Michelin all-seasons are adequate at most for winter weather).
The AWD system worked very well. I had no trouble getting the car moving at the most snow-covered intersections, nor at those where the road was clear on one side and covered in ice on the other. The sliding I had mentioned in an earlier comment only happened at parking lot speeds, like accelerating around a corner after a stop sign, and the traction/stability control recovered on its own when I intentionally didn't lift off the gas.
The only other times I got any wheelspin or sliding were when trying to provoke it on purpose with full throttle. Fun fact: if the road is slippery enough, you can get a four-wheel drift going on it in a straight line. I left plenty of room for braking and slowed down a lot for curves. The all-season tires are OK for snow but there was ice in spots as well, and only winter tires are any good on ice.
Other than the AWD system, the other thing that impressed me was the controllability at higher speeds. Several of the roads I went on have higher speed limits and had been salted but not plowed. So no ice, but deep slush everywhere. Unlike every other car I've had, running into a slush pile with one side or the other didn't produce any reaction from the car at all. On a road with so much slush and snow there was a constant roar of it spraying everywhere, I never once lost grip or had to make a steering correction.
Conclusion: it drives like a tank in the winter, until you want it to drive like a sports car, then it'll do that too. I'll be getting winter tires next year to deal with ice and colder weather better (edited to add: because I still feel the stock Michelin all-seasons are adequate at most for winter weather).
Last edited by FishBike; 02-01-14 at 05:11 PM.
02-01-14, 06:09 PM
#60
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Well I picked up the GS Thursday night. I drove the car no more than 50 feet after pulling out of the dealers lot and a drunk driver came barreling out of a side street right in front of me. Fortunately I saw him so I got out of the way. He crossed two lanes, the went back in the opposite direction crossing the lanes again and jumping the curb. Phone was dead so I couldn't call the cops. Then pulling up to my house two deer jumped out into the street... Interesting night. The memory of a test drive I took where I got hit so hard, while stopped making a left turn, that the airbags deployed and the salesman had to go to the hospital, were fresh in mind.