LS 460 RWD Handling on Snow
01-16-10, 10:47 AM
#16
Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: IL
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I haven't tried an LS460 with snow tires, and I didn't see where anyone said it was horrible with them. Surely that would help.
But the main issue - other than the tires - is that there is a lot of horsepower you've got to restrain (as Burnaby alluded to). Even in Snow mode, which just starts you out in 2nd gear if I recall correctly, it's hard to apply throttle gently enough to keep from breaking the tires loose.
The second issue is physics. If you get a big heavy object moving on a slippery surface, it's hard to get it to change direction or to stop. And even AWD won't help you there. I'm always amused when people with 4WD vehicles get on snow or ice and think they're Supermen - until they learn the hard way that they can't stop any better than the rest of us.
The overall best bet for driving on snow is probably a low-powered AWD or 4WD vehicle with snow tires or chains.
.
.
But the main issue - other than the tires - is that there is a lot of horsepower you've got to restrain (as Burnaby alluded to). Even in Snow mode, which just starts you out in 2nd gear if I recall correctly, it's hard to apply throttle gently enough to keep from breaking the tires loose.
The second issue is physics. If you get a big heavy object moving on a slippery surface, it's hard to get it to change direction or to stop. And even AWD won't help you there. I'm always amused when people with 4WD vehicles get on snow or ice and think they're Supermen - until they learn the hard way that they can't stop any better than the rest of us.
The overall best bet for driving on snow is probably a low-powered AWD or 4WD vehicle with snow tires or chains.
.
.
01-16-10, 12:47 PM
#17
Pole Position
Full-time all-wheel drive (AWD) with TORSEN® limited-slip center differential.
This is essentially the same system used by Audi and other 4WD cars. Torque Sensing differentials will send up to 75% of the torque to the slower moving tires in the chain. I drove a 4WD A6 for years and never got stuck anywhere, even with very little tread left on the tires. Torsen is an American invention, and is probably the best 4WD control out there. In fact it's downright amazing...
This is essentially the same system used by Audi and other 4WD cars. Torque Sensing differentials will send up to 75% of the torque to the slower moving tires in the chain. I drove a 4WD A6 for years and never got stuck anywhere, even with very little tread left on the tires. Torsen is an American invention, and is probably the best 4WD control out there. In fact it's downright amazing...
01-17-10, 03:21 AM
#19
Pole Position
This descriptive image is from Audi, however Lexus All-Wheel-Drives use the same concept:
EDIT: Looks like the image link expired. Since this post, I learned that Toyota/Lexus owns the Torsen Corporation, purchased from Robert Bosch in 2003, and recently merged this unit with the Koyo Bearing Co.. They continue to sell these units to other car manufacturers.
JTEKT Torsen N.A. Inc.
EDIT: Looks like the image link expired. Since this post, I learned that Toyota/Lexus owns the Torsen Corporation, purchased from Robert Bosch in 2003, and recently merged this unit with the Koyo Bearing Co.. They continue to sell these units to other car manufacturers.
JTEKT Torsen N.A. Inc.
Last edited by Johnny; 03-22-10 at 11:31 PM.
01-18-10, 03:14 PM
#20
I live up against the mountains west of Denver. We probably get as much urban snow as anyone on this list.
The OEM Touranzas are pretty underwhelming in hard packed snow and ice.
I put them on my summer Teleious wheels and got some Michelin X-Ice snows all around on my OEM wheels. The tractive difference is night and day for a RWD car! These are the real snow tires with the mountain and snowflake on the sidewalls, not the supposedly mud and snows.
The car runs fine with them, just a bit noisier, but surprisingly little 'wallow' considering all the tread.
When we get the occasional two and three-foot snowfalls, I take the 4WD S-10.
For the guy that thinks the LS handles like a barge...if you want a slalom car, buy a Porshe.
Whit
The OEM Touranzas are pretty underwhelming in hard packed snow and ice.
I put them on my summer Teleious wheels and got some Michelin X-Ice snows all around on my OEM wheels. The tractive difference is night and day for a RWD car! These are the real snow tires with the mountain and snowflake on the sidewalls, not the supposedly mud and snows.
The car runs fine with them, just a bit noisier, but surprisingly little 'wallow' considering all the tread.
When we get the occasional two and three-foot snowfalls, I take the 4WD S-10.
For the guy that thinks the LS handles like a barge...if you want a slalom car, buy a Porshe.
Whit
01-18-10, 06:04 PM
#21
Pole Position
Forgetaboutdit. A RWD LS460 in the snow is terrible. I had one and an LS430 before that because we have two other (AWD) vehicles and I did not HAVE to drive the LS in snow. And now that I have an LS460 with AWD it's just the greatest. Either get an AWD or some other vehicle if snow is a big issue and you don't have another vehicle for bad days.
01-19-10, 07:53 PM
#22
The trick when you buy snow tires is to go two sizes narrower so that there is less contact area to the road surface. Just remember to also to go two sizes higher in profile so that you keep your speedomeer accurate.
I've used both Michelin and Bridgestone snows on my wife's Infiniti J30t and Jaguar S-Type (both RWD). She's never had a problem getting through any snow here (although we don't get it as bad as some other areas). As for me, I'll never take my LS out on those nasty salty roads until they start making car condoms!
01-19-10, 09:13 PM
#23
Pole Position
01-19-10, 10:29 PM
#24
Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: IN
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had a RWD LS460 (2007) for 3 years here in Indiana, and it did fine in the snow. The car had all-season tires. I think if you know how to drive in snow, and you put the LS in its snow mode to limit its torque, and take it easy, you'll have no problems. I was worried about the LS RWD in snow when I got mine, but those worries were unfounded.
I grew up in northern Wisconsin and learned to drive on big rear-wheel drive Oldsmobiles with no traction control or antilock breaks, so the LS was a breeze.
I grew up in northern Wisconsin and learned to drive on big rear-wheel drive Oldsmobiles with no traction control or antilock breaks, so the LS was a breeze.
01-20-10, 12:40 AM
#25
Pole Position
I agree with you IJ, and similarly, I had no problem with the RWD 460 in snow, as long as I avoided straying from the flats. However, hills are a reality here on the coast - I live on one. I am quite familiar with your area the Midwest, having traveled extensively in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. I did so in RWD cars as well, and hills there are the exception - mostly gullies when you do encounter one. If I had to make a choice in your area, I would also dispense with the need of an AWD. So that then is the underlying issue - the local topography where the car will be driven.
01-20-10, 02:11 PM
#26
03-22-10, 08:29 PM
#28
I know this a old subject (well, 2-3 months old) but, anyone with a RWD LS can add a few Sandbags (like you use in pickup trucks) and drop them in the trunk. It made a world of difference when I had my 96 LS and even with my 01 LS. I added 4 of them (about 65 pounds each).
It's bad in the snow because there is no weight in the back....this helps.
Right before bad snow storms, go to any Home Depot or Lowes, I found them right in the main door in the winter time.
It's bad in the snow because there is no weight in the back....this helps.
Right before bad snow storms, go to any Home Depot or Lowes, I found them right in the main door in the winter time.
03-24-10, 05:40 AM
#30
My garage is at the end of a driveway with a steep incline.
When I had my LS430 (all season tires), getting up the driveway after a snowstorm was a bit dicey, but after an ice storm was a no go.
Now, my AWD LS handles either with aplomb (and still all season tires).
I guess the issue is getting up an incline with ice from a standing start.
HBH
When I had my LS430 (all season tires), getting up the driveway after a snowstorm was a bit dicey, but after an ice storm was a no go.
Now, my AWD LS handles either with aplomb (and still all season tires).
I guess the issue is getting up an incline with ice from a standing start.
HBH