I have a 96 LS with Traction Control. Love the car, but it slides all over when it sees a snowflake. Spoke to others in the area, they found the same situation. I'm ready to pull the fuse on the ABS to see if that helps.

Any sugestions?

Also, I'm getting conflicting info as to whether the 96 is an interference engine.

 

Put some extra weight in the trunk & put winter tires on the car is you best bet.....failing that, a set of really good, premium all seasons might do the trick. What kind of tires do you currently have on the car? Disabling the ABS system is not a wise idea.

 

I have snow tires on my '91 LS. It works wonderfully.

 

I used to be afraid to drive on the original Dunlops that came with the car, when it came to winter weather.

This summer, I switched the tires to Nokian WR All Weather Plus Tires. I still slide alittle, but I can get around just fine on them.

 

Disabling the ABS can prove to be a death warrant. Besides, it shall do nothing to improve your traction. Not advisable. Again, to reiterate a previous poster, put some good winter tyres, and load your trunk with a bag or two of concrete wrapped in a couple of garbage bags. Also drive around with a full tank of gas. Finally, drive slowly and sensibly.
Oh, and another thing, if you have the stock wheels, then opt for a minus zero size 215/65-16 tyres for the winter. That will help traction quite a bit by narrowing the tread.

 

The only thing I can add to the above excellent advice is to look for the "mountain/snowflake" symbol on the sidewall when buying snow tires. This indicates that they are "real" snow tires and not just all season tires. They may be a little noisier but the traction improvement is well worth it. Here is a good article on the subject: http://www.canadiandriver.com/winter...nter_tires.htm

I am very happy with the Bridgestone Blizzaks I have on my LS. They provide far better traction than any all season M+S tire I have ever used.

If only VSC could be added to cars that don't already have it. It makes driving in snow so easy. We will never again buy a car without it.

 

On my third LS.

Here in New England, Blizzaks are key me bucko.

 

Thanks for the info. I have yet to see a difference in the Trac Control On/Off situation relative to this. Maybe its my fault for not driving a rear wheel drive for the past 20 years. And yes, weighting the back with something you will eventually use (Sakrete, sand, kitty litter) helps. A short real shovel is also great to break up ice before you drop cat clay traction to spin out of an iced in parking spot, i'm just not used watching the back end fishtail in this process.

A friend bought the same model new and experienced the same situation. His comment was that the 430 "fixed" a "known problem". He bought a Merc based on that, and sees a big difference (both rear wheel drive).

Any other ancedontal info?

 

Always keep the fuel tank as full as possible in the winter helps too (don't go to far under a half tank). I'd suggest a real good set of winter rubber (or the best premium all seasons with additional weight) if it's bothering you that much & the related advice already mentioned. Other than that, move back to a FWD or get an AWD model Lexus.......looks like they will be more available in the near future from Lexus starting with the GS.

 

I had similar problems with Dunlops on my '95 LS400 in Minnesota. Then I replaced them with Pirelli P3000 All-Season Radials and now I have terrific traction in the snow. Pirelli P3000’s are great tires for the LS400 in snowy conditions.