Ls400 and winter prep mode.... Snow tires and coilover reccomendations
 

Well the other day I was fortunate enough to have brought home a new to me 2000 Ls400 with only 67000 miles on her. The unfortunate part is that I maybe going to either Washington DC, or Reno NV for work till around the end of the year. That means snow will be a definate for me around december. So guys I need some recommendations.

Which brand of winter tires are the best? Im new to snow driving and dont want to compromise my safety. Also Im planning on installing a set of coilovers in the meantime. Anything I can do to them to prevent rust or siezing of any parts. I wont be there past christmas so hopefully the car will only see a few weeks of snow at the most. Im just worried about rust and obviously my choice of tires as I may be driving back and fourth from Vegas to Reno every other weekend or so.

Thanks guys

There isn't any really good tires when it comes to snow. With regard to rust you won't be ther long enough but when you wash it make sure you hose down the under side and knock off any snow so it can't sit there and cause rust. The one thng you better make damn sure of is the cooling system. Bring it down to at least -10 to prevent freezing and use the right type of antifreeze.

Do the LSs have the same wiper adjustment that the GSs have?

On the GS you pull up on the wiper until it clicks into a higher mode. This exposes the wipers above the cowel and allows you to more easily remove ice from the blades.

SuicidnS13; Congrats on the new purchase. Here's some advice for you.
Being from Ct. I've dealt with years and years of snow and rust. The best snow (and ice) tires are Blizzak, without a doubt. I haven't had them on any of my cars but I've driven my kids' car with and without them and they were great in the snow, not one problem at all. Even though I'm getting older I still like to have fun in the snow but with Blizzaks on her car I couldn't have any fun at all. ;) I've never read anything bad about them either. If you wanted to go a cheaper route but still have good snows then I would recommend Firestone Winterforce. I've had those on my 93 Ls for 2 years. (all year, even summer) They worked great in the snow, even last year when we had 4 feet in 2 weeks. Plus, they still have decent tread for this coming winter. Seeing how you're new to snow driving just drive slower when there's snow and you'll be all set. Safety first. Make sure you use "winter" windshield washer fluid, and keep extra in the trunk. Cat litter works good if ya get stuck in the snow. (not the "clumping" kind) ;)
Rust; forget about it, you wont be there long enough to worry about it. It would take alot more snow and salt to cause rust then what you are even going to see.

sethjon; Is that "ca" in your profile for California or Canada?

where's Kansas, he's the one who winters his LS'. Winter tires and a little weight in the trunk apparently make a HUGE difference in drivability.

for the coils, spray the threads down with a silicone based lubricant before the snow comes and probably every week or two during the snow season. (i'm paranoid)

Did I hear my name? LOL. Yes, I've used snow tires on LS400's for 20 straight winters. My current LS (2000) will be on its Blizzak WS70 tires on aftermarket wheels in a few weeks and they and the previous Blizzak WS50 snow tires I used on it make the car a lot of fun to drive in snow. VSC, traction control and ABS don't do much good on snow without snow tires.

Winterforce, Blizzak, X-Ice -- they are all good. Verify that any snow tire you buy has the mountain/snowflake symbol on the sidewalls signifying that they are true snow tires.

If getting coilovers means lowering your car then be mindfull that your LS400 doesn't have all that much ground clearance to begin with and lowering it could significant affect its capability of getting through snow. And the lower part of your front bumper may take a beating.

I've found that I've never needed to add addtional trunk weight to my 00 LS to drive in snow but I sure needed extra trunk weight in my 1990 LS400.

im gonna miss my subie for this winter.

Yea Im actually not going to really lower the car. Just want a firmer ride with hopefully better cornering feel/response at freeway speeds. Once I get back to vegas Ill slam and flush/stance her on new wheels...

Any snow tires are infinitely better than all seasons. I've driven my LS, 3-V8 Mustangs (+400whp/tq) and my an STi in the winter.
The best thing you can do regardless of tires is drive according to the conditions. Don't be afraid. It's no different than driving in rain. First person in the snow bank is usually a 4000lb AWD SUV because they were driving like an idiot.
As far as the coilovers you can do as PD said and use a silicone based lubricant but I have yet to see a set of coilovers not seize after a full winter of snow and salt - in my area at least.
I can tell you that I swapped out my coilovers for the stock setup in the winter. The maintenenace (washing, lubricating etc..) was just not worth the hassle for me. I'd rather have the ground clearance for winter over a firmer ride that I wouldn't really take advantage of in the winter months anyways.

The best advice, as I've said; Drive slow. Every storm I think it's hillarious to see a 4wd vehicle fly by me and a few miles up the road they're stuck in a ditch on the side of the road b/c they're driving to fast for a corner :driving: and couldn't STOP. Just b/c ya have 4wd and can climb a hill with ice, ya still need to go down the hill with ice and you'll have a 4 wheel slide. The best "ice tire" I've seen, and used, is the Winterforce. But, driving on ice it doesn't matter what tire you have, you need to crawl or you're gonna end up in a ditch.

A few weeks prior to the wonderful blizzard chicagoland got hit with last winter I bought a set of Yokohama Avid TRZ tires and couldn't be happier with the performance of a really nice all-season. I can't recall getting stuck or having any trouble whatsoever. Now, this is not me shooting down winter tires, I would love to have a set.

And like Schnitz said, don't be afraid! You will oversteer, you will take longer to stop, be mindful and have some fun while you're out there!

Absolutely. Our front drive Camry (with Trac/ABS - no VSC) with all-season tires handles snow better than our rear drive 2000 LS400 (Trac,ABS,VSC) with all-season tires.

But our 2000 LS400 with snow tires does much better in snow than our Camry with all-season tires.

Bring it on!

Supra rims 97 and above make good rims for Ls400