Rosson3ri

I bought the car that way. I like the white pearl and gold two-tone. I have the gold emblem package and chrome 5 spoke OEM 18s for the summer. Looks good IMO

I know Lexus did not provide two-tone finishes as one of their standard options for the LS430.

But from what i was told from, Lexus did this custom paint job for him.
I even have PCS w/ front gold emblem. If you wanted PCS system you couldn't get the gold emblem package, only standard. The fact that it is gold makes me believe Lexus did this custom job. It was the quote on quote "deal breaker for him"

But who knows.

Kansas

Was your LS originally sold by Lexus of Palm Beach (Florida)? They sold numerous LS400 and LS430 (and ES too) with custom paint jobs, with most having gold emblems and many having vinyl roofs, to old folks in Florida. Some have "Palm Beach Edition" placards on their exteriors.

Regarding Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires, I've bought numerous sets of four - WS50 and then WS70 for the 2000 LS400 that I sold in 2014. Currently have WS70 on our Prius v wagon and WS80 on our Sienna van. Last time I checked, the WS80 was the #1 rated winter tire in Tire Rack customer surveys. All I know is that they are wonderful tires - almost disappointed that last week's ice and snow have melted.

lexman52

I don,t drive much on dry roads nor do i drive on test tracks. Drive safe and 2 tires are fine.

Rosson3ri

Yes it was originally from Palm Beach Florida. This is the first time this car is going to see snow. So it was only right that i get the Blizzaks.

SW17LS

Thats your decision to make, but I would believe the people who actually tried it and compared it to your assurances that its fine.

It makes perfect sense that it would NOT be fine, you don't want one axle gripping much better than another axle, physics would tell you thats a bad idea. Its only an issue that one time it is...and my safety and my family's safety is worth the cost of two more snow tires IMHO.

lexman52

2 each his owm

warminwisc

Years ago when all cars where RWD and alot where V8's you only bought 2 snows for the rear. Kind of dated myself here but I remember 29 cent gas and sitting in lines with me pappy.

warminwisc

SW you should take the H out. Here you are insinuating he is risking safety for his family.

SW17LS

I believe he is risking the safety of his family. It's not meant to be insulting, that's his decision, but like I've said before people come to the forum looking for guidance about what to do in matters such as these, and I believe having winter tires only on the rear is dangerous, I presented an article that backed up my position. If someone has a test that shows only having winter tires on the rear is safe by all means, share it with the group.

I'm not going to watch somebody post advice about something I believe is unsafe without responding and sharing why I have a different viewpoint.

KawiLex

It's safe, and much more reliable than having no winter tires at all, which is the route most drivers take. I've done this for years and had no trouble whatsoever. I will not refrain from giving my experience because a nancy might cry about it or because someone doesn't have a brain to think for their self.

This reminds of A. a tire salesman, and B. the guy who cried because some of us drive around town with the traction control off.

SW17LS

It's better than having no winter tires at all, at least you can get moving. But more important than being able to get moving is being able to steer the car, and not having winter tires on the front doesn't help you there...which is why that doesn't make any sense to me.

It's like driving around with chains on.

warminwisc

Do you think chains or no chains will drive different on the front end? I Installed chains on Donner in storms, then slashed it on skis but I always had AWD

Kansas

And I remember 15 cent gas, no padded dashboards, and no seat belts. And snow tires and/or chains were only ever mounted on the rear wheels.

Something that rarely gets mentioned in these endless threads about "snow" tires is: SNOW TIRES MAKE WINTER DRIVING FUN!

While it can be scary driving an LS or any vehicle to the limits of adhesion on dry pavement, it's easy to experience the joys of electronic Stability Control systems when driving on snow if you have four "real" winter tires with adequate tread - x-ice, Blizzak, any tire with the mountain/snowflake symbol on the sidewall that has at least 5/16 inch of tread.

VSC, ABS and your steering wheel are vastly more effective on snow when you have four winter tires. You can drive your LS in "stupid mode" on snow until the VSC dashboard light starts flashing and the VSC warning alarm starts beeping, scare the bejesus out of your passengers and have a ball doing it all.

I also find it great fun to zoom away from stops at traffic lights in 2WD vehicles while 4WD/AWD SUV's and cars with all season tires just sit there spinning their wheels. I did that a lot last week.

I'm hoping that my next vehicle will have significant self-driving abilities for us old folks but I want to have fun driving in winter while I still can.

Tom57

All good points and perspective, Jim.

LSDoc

OK, this may be slightly off-topic, but is there any discussion about just installing chains for snow or ice? It seems like it would be simpler to install/remove chains than it would be for tires. What are the pros and cons?