darth

I test drove a GS today and really liked the handling and feel of the car.

When I checked with the dealer, he told me that Lexus does not ship AWD vehicles to the southern region. I would have to go to Oklahoma or Missouri to get a AWD vehicle. Very hard to find a AWD vehicle in Texas.

Do I need a AWD in Texas for wet road conditions or will the RWD with traction control and Electronic stability control work well.

The reason I ask is because my friend who owns a Genesis 5.0 V8 RWD says he is facing a lot of problems with skidding and lack of control on his car when it rains. His 2012 has traction and stability control. Maybe it is his tires, but his problems got me worried a little bit.

If you live in the Southern region and own a GS with RWD can you comment on how it handles on wet roads?

yardie876

I live in South Florida and it has rained just about every d*mn day this summer and the GS hasn't missed a step. Tires do make a substantial difference but so does staying off of the throttle, naturally.

AL13NV8D3R

I own a 2014 GS350 RWD with the Luxury package and it handles great in the rain. My GS has factory Dunlops tires. In fact it was raining really hard yesterday and several cars skidded right in front of me and slammed into the freeway median. I slowed down to avoid them and once cleared pass them I continued driving at 70 mph with heavy rain and never once had a problem with the handling. The tration and stability controls in my GS works great. Only one tim I ever experiance my traction control working is when it was raining hard and a large pool of water has flooded a local street. I plowed through it at 45mph and felt the traction control working. The car maintainef its course and didnt even hesitate and stayed true to its direction. I was very impressed. I hope this info helps. Ohh I live in Tennessee btw and it rains alot here.

darth

Thanks. That was very helpful and set my mind at ease over choosing RWD in Texas!!

darth

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I was needlessly worried :-)

Ramon

I'd not be so confidant in those conditions if I were you. The GS with all it's electric nannies are great, but still have to abide by the laws of physics. You still just have 4, relatively small contact patches and those nannies are only effective if those patches are actually making contact with the road surface. If the puddle is large enough to cause hydroplaning, you could find yourself off the road just as easily as the next guy.

SW17LS

I wouldn't have gotten AWD here in DC if I could have gotten a RWD one.

darth

can you explain why please?

SW17LS

I prefer the way a strictly RWD car feels. Since I have an SUV in the garage also, I don't need to drive the GS in the snow.

The AWD GS feels rear biased, but you can tell theres torque going to the front also.

hacker_720

I live in Canada, I've had the GS430 (rwd) and GS450h (rwd) both in the snow, no problems at all. The Lexus has great traction control. I have the GS350 (awd) now because I like the traction off the line for faster launches.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

you get the 8 speed in RWD too, not AWD

jj14

Snow flurries would be just fine. But if you get one of the (seemingly annual) ice storms in the Dallas area, the AWD MAY offer better traction. (best thing to do on these days is to not drive of course)

GregCanada

Tires are #1 for ice.
We had an ice storm up here, and i drove around just fine in my tacoma in rear wheel drive (didn't even have to engage 4x4) with goodyear ultragrip winter tires. If i was on all-seasons i wouldn't have moved...

Bought the GS350 AWD so i don't have to worry about the girlfiend spinning out with a RWD in heavy snow.

SW17LS

I'm sure you use winter tires. RWD with winter tires in the snow is great. Not allseason tires.

Needsdecaf

AWD not going to do squat. Tires will be only hope.

AWD completely not necessary in TX. We get heavy, heavy rains here in H-Town, and never once had a problem.