Ok. I don't know about you guys, but in my IS350, I can barely get up a 1 degree hill in my stock tires. I just get stuck there in this miserable st. louis snow. I was told snow in St. Louis is much different than the snow in Colorado because it fills your treads and makes the tires like ice skates. STL is expecting even more snow on Sunday night well into Monday and I have a huge exam on Monday. I hate it... That feeling of "oh I might get a snow day" so you don't want to study as hard... Ugh. I'm just ranting because I was in my subdivision and was stuck there for 20 minutes trying to get home which was less than 100 yards away due to my sucky tires and lack of snow trucks in my neighborhood. Anybody else experiencing similar problems with snow... I know VA is gonna get the mother load of snow on them...

 

A set of winter tires and wheels will cure your problem for about $1000. The Michelin x-ice tires I have on my RWD Dakota are the best I've ever used and turn that slippy Dakota into a tank in the winter. Winter tires and wheels also save the finish on nice summer wheels and lessen tread wear on performance tires. BTW, how much tread is left on your stock tires?

 

Crap, my only car with winter tires is at the shop getting sideview mirror replaced and bumpers repainted, and its snowing like hell!

 

I've never understood why Lexus offers the GS 350 in AWD, but not the IS 350. The IS300 is hands down the worst car I have ever driven in snow. I always turn the traction control off in order to move anywhere.

 

OEM tires just plain suck

 

On Dec. 19 i was caught off guard with 20inches of snow while i was away from home in my staggered ultimate performance summer 245/40/18 and 275/35/18 tires. I had never been so humiliated in my life. Corollas looked like H1's in comparison.

 

I had to work last night and there was a nice layer of ice underneath the snow packed streets. I saw several cars not make. I even had some trouble in my Subaru, but nothing I couldn't handle.

 

Agreed. I myself had an IS300 and, even with the factory-stock all-season tires, traction control only (no VSC in 2001), and snow-mode for the automatic transmission, it was still a handful on any really slick surface. I went through 4 or 5 winters with it and finally got a Subaru.

I agree that both AWD and a MT option is needed on the IS350. Once again, I discussed that with the Lexus reps at the recent D.C. Auto Show.......I've mentoned it several times.

AWD alone, though, will only have a limited effect if you have tires that are crappy in snow.....which includes many low-profile, "dry-weather", high-performance tires. All-season high-performance tires help some, but the best bet is either straight all-seasons or purpose-designed rain/snow tires. Bridgestone Blizzaks, especially, have a good reputation in snow, though my Outback, with the all-season RE-92s, is outstanding in the snow/ice. I have never gotten stuck, and have had it in snow over a foot high.....as in two recent blizzards here in the D.C. area..

 

Mmarshall, I don't think it had traction control only. I believe it had TRAC, which is a traction control and stability control system that predecessed VSC.

 

This is why all of my vehicles with the exception of the garage decoration GS are AWD. I will never forget the adventure on my home one night from work with the rwd 07 335 sport.

 

Thank you.

My parents and I have been strictly AWD since 2002. I have no intention on looking back unless I could afford a second car such as the GS450h or a Corvette, etc. ...But I am decades away from that.

 

When the snow is really coming down the use of a solid AWD Audi , Subaru , or any SUV with AWD capabilities should suffice

 

summer tires are bad in snow, get snow tires.

 

I had staggered 18" Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60 tires mounted on my 2008 IS 350 right before that start of the new year. I pulled the summer OEM tires off and will be mounting them on a second set of stock rims that I hope to buy soon, I think they still have one more season left on them.

These have been real great in snow. I was debating even getting them put on because we don't usually get too much snow in the winters in the Baltimore-DC area but this season we've been getting pounded.