Hey guys, I'm living in Toronto now, and winter is approaching. I've never driven my car in snow, and I'm wondering if it can even handle it? Toronto winters are long and hard, with tons of snow. Has anyone driven their LS in snow? How's it perform? Should I just purchase a winter beater? I know rear wheel driven cars tend to slide around quite a bit, and the LS is light in the back too!

Thanks!!

 

im also in Toronto,
mine can handle snow ( i have a 91 with trac)
but i bought a beater so it wouldnt get rusty

 

I have a set of Nokian WR's (215/65/16) tires that I run all winter on my LS430 here in MN. The factory 17" Dunlop All Seasons aren't worth a S#$T in snow.

Frank

 

the Falken Zeix ZE-512 does fantastic in the snow, my escort gets around beautifully. my buddy ha a 2004 towncar with falkens. his car does just fine.

 

One word. Blizzaks

 

I have Michelin artic alpin on stock 16's as i know the back end will fly around even more in snow than rain.

 

I second that. Blizzak is definitely the way to go. Traction control can only do so much, because all season tires simply don't have the 'bite' of winter tires. Traction control will help some as you're starting from a dead stop, but just remember that it will do very little to help you steer as you approach that turn a wee bit fast. I will choose a set of Blizzaks over traction control on the LS any given day. If you are hesitant about spending $400 on a set of Blizzaks, I suggest you wait until first snowfall and go out for a drive in an empty parking lot. It will quickly become evident to you that Traction control is not enough.

 

A couple of 40-50 pound bags of sand in the trunk seemed help a lot on the 90 LS I drove through 13 winters. One bag fit perfectly in the indention on each side of the trunk. My 90 LS did not have as much ground clearance as my 00 LS and I high centered it in snow drifts several times. The 90 LS handled the snow fairly well (it didn't have Trac) but the 00 LS is worlds better in snow with its VSC and Snow mode transmission setting.

 

With the price of gas you could buy snow tires witht eh gas you lose and still get better grip for less.

 

Buy Blizzaks, take out the spare tire and replace with a couple 50 lbs. sand bags, put it in snow mode, and drive carefully. My former GS400 and now my LS400 actually handle quite well in the snow. Now that it's lowered, it's also a snow plow on heavy snow days.

Brian