Grrrr... Had to abandon LS tonight due to snow...
12-03-07, 03:53 PM
#18
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You just described my last trip to Whistler. Warm rain every day for a week. Watched the snow base melt down to nothing before we left. 
Glad you got your baby back safe and sound.
Glad you got your baby back safe and sound.
12-03-07, 08:02 PM
#19
One thing that unnerved me at first was coming off a side street onto a main road. I waited for the traffic to go by and hit the gas, slowly at first - no response, I gave it a little more gas - still nothing. Cars accumulating behind me and the LS was going nowhere. I looked down and lo and behold, that lonely Snow switch that never gets used was beckoning my attention. I hit it, and the car negotiated the turn with no problem.
Later, when I reached my destination on an un-cleared side street, all control disappeared as the snow was at least 8 inches deep. What a sinking feeling that was. It was in a hilly cul-de-sac, so I managed to park it safely at the end, not before some hairy maneuvers getting it there however.
I have the car back intact now, but I'll certainly be making a side trip to the dealer sooner than later.
Later, when I reached my destination on an un-cleared side street, all control disappeared as the snow was at least 8 inches deep. What a sinking feeling that was. It was in a hilly cul-de-sac, so I managed to park it safely at the end, not before some hairy maneuvers getting it there however.
I have the car back intact now, but I'll certainly be making a side trip to the dealer sooner than later.
Why not try a set of WRs? Seriously. I just got mine mounted on Sat (talk about pushing it close lol). I had NO issues navigating the streets over the weekend. Main roads, side roads, hills. I even tried to get it to spin out with a liberal dose of the e-brake. I could get a spin in my stock tyres but not with the WRs.
Granted, my car is FWD but moderate acceleration in the snow where the weight would've shifted to the rear still isn't a problem. With the LS, it should yield better results!
I got mine from the States
. Cheaper than KalTire even after paying taxes twice (WA State tax and GST/PST).
12-03-07, 08:16 PM
#20
All season tires are no substitute for snow tires on a RWD car.
My wife has had Michelin Artic Alpins and Bridgestone Blizzaks on her Infiniti J30t and her Jaguar S-Type (both RWD). She's never gotten stuck, and my wife is not your most accomplished winter driver!
My wife has had Michelin Artic Alpins and Bridgestone Blizzaks on her Infiniti J30t and her Jaguar S-Type (both RWD). She's never gotten stuck, and my wife is not your most accomplished winter driver!
12-04-07, 12:05 AM
#21
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Glad all is well. I was just starting to think about snow tires a couple weeks ago and found that Tire Rack actually sells Blizzak LM-25's for the LS - and in the OEM 19-inch size for my Touring, no less.
I'd usually not bother with this car because we have an SUV but my wife is using it quite a bit with the baby.
I actually have a set of LM-25's for my Turbo and drove the car daily last winter on them, they are a very good winter tire (insomuch as winter tires can be good on a sports car).
With rumours of this being an especially nasty winter, I may well take the plunge on the LM-25's for the LS as well.
I'd usually not bother with this car because we have an SUV but my wife is using it quite a bit with the baby.
I actually have a set of LM-25's for my Turbo and drove the car daily last winter on them, they are a very good winter tire (insomuch as winter tires can be good on a sports car).
With rumours of this being an especially nasty winter, I may well take the plunge on the LM-25's for the LS as well.
12-04-07, 02:17 AM
#22
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I was thinking of buying them from Costco in Bellingham. Last time I looked at their Michelin prices, they were significantly cheaper than here in Vancouver. I presume from your post then that there is no duty on tires?
12-04-07, 03:23 PM
#23
Burnaby, you sneak the tires across on your wheels! 
12-04-07, 03:53 PM
#24
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Yes, with the originals in the wide opened trunk as there ain't much room for them all... Nottt...
Oh yeah, there is duty on tires, about 7%. Still cheaper at Tirerack including WST+GST+PST+DUTY+S&H. And their price includes TPMS on mounted sport rims.
Nottt...Oh yeah, there is duty on tires, about 7%. Still cheaper at Tirerack including WST+GST+PST+DUTY+S&H. And their price includes TPMS on mounted sport rims.
12-04-07, 03:55 PM
#25
. Nokians are only available through KalTire (Canada) and Tire Factory (USA). I chose Zylstra Tire Factory in Lynden. Nice little town. The actual time it took to swap tyres was half an hour. I was there for 1 hour in total in the morning.Oh there is duty. Just depends on how honest you want to be. We go down often enough that we figured it isn't worth bluffing. We paid the duties (Cdn$60 in my case) and we were off. Even after GST/PST it was cheaper than KalTire LOL.
Also, if you use KalTire, call around. Their price varies (up to $120 difference in my case!!
). No idea why Richmond charges more than W. Van. 
.Anyway...back to the US. I don't know what the prices are in Costco US since I didn't bother to look. I was pretty much set on the WRs and after this past weekend, I'm a very satisfied Nokian customer. It works as advertised in the snow.
12-04-07, 06:53 PM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
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Later, when I reached my destination on an un-cleared side street, all control disappeared as the snow was at least 8 inches deep. What a sinking feeling that was. It was in a hilly cul-de-sac, so I managed to park it safely at the end, not before some hairy maneuvers getting it there however.
Not many sedans do that well in 8" of snow, not because of traction but because of clearance. If I lived somewhere with a reasonable amount of snow I'd definitely own an SUV/CUV. I've owned a Subaru wagon which was wonderful from a traction standpoint and most snowfall but in deep snow it could still get bogged down some. I've also owned an AWD RX300 and it was SPECTACULAR in snow - no problems at all.If deep snow performance is important, I think you should forget the LS and look at the new LX.
12-05-07, 04:51 AM
#27
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I was also worried about having a RWD car here in Pa, but I thought I would wait and see how bad it would be before I got Snow tires. After reading this post I think I may have to get them sooner then later....
12-05-07, 05:40 PM
#28
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Please let us know how it is with the snows, once you try them out in snow, on hills. Thanks.
