Do snow/winter tires on an LS430 help substantially in the snow? My LS400 is absolutely horrendous in the snow, is this the case with the LS430?

Can anyone tell me how to tell how much wear is on a set of snow tires? I know on a normal set of tires 10/32 is maximum tread depth, but how does one know how much wear is left on a set of snow tires?

What do I give up by putting a set of snow tires on my LS430 from December-March? Is the ride much harsher, noisier, etc?

Thanks!

 

This is my second winter with the LS. First one with OEM tires (bad idea) and this one with Michelin X-Ice all around. Not much difference in ride quality, little more noise, great deal of additional traction.

 

Brand new Michelin X-Ice on my LS worked great so far on Ice and Snow will be testing again on Friday when we get about 3 to 4 inches.. Like Kbach said a bit more noise but these tires have a longer than normal life span than most winter tires.. Not a high speed rated winter tire thou so keep that in mind..

My boss has the Hankook W300 on his 7 series which are rated as a performance winter tire so they have less noise but he tells me the snow/ice traction isn't as good as my Michelins..

Hope that helps!

 

I've run Nokian WR's on my LS430 since it was new in 03. Night and day difference.

 

I run Bridgestone Potenza RE 690. WOW what a difference. We have about 6 inches today and she drove beautiful. Before i couldn't even get up my drive way (has a slight slant) now it drives up no problem.
04 LS430
Sprot Susp.

 

Winter tires are an absolute must if you are in an area that gets, or could get snow. I went to www.tirerack.com and on their recommendation, bought the Dunlop Winter Sport M3 tires. They are great. Smooth, handle great, and unbelievably quiet. At highway speeds, there's no noise.

The best idea is get another set of rims, and install the snow tires on them, so that switching tires is easy and painless. Note that if you run 17" rims (as an example) with your summer tires, you should run 16" rims for your winter tires, and go from a 225/55/17 tire to a 215/65/16 tire, which is a thinner, but taller tire, for better traction in the snow.

 

^ do exactly what he said.

 

When talking a "set" of winter tires for an LS430, are we speaking of (2) for the drive wheels only, or (4) for all the wheels ?

 

always use 4 snow tires. think of it this way, i fy ou just put them on the rear, you can go, but you won't be able to stop or steer due to standard front tires. i'd rather be able to stop and steer as well.

 

Thanks. I figured that was the way to go, but buying an extra set of (4) wheels to keep them mounted on makes it a lot more expensive. I'd better start saving.

 

Bought a set of Dunlop Winter M3's last week. We got 10 inches in Chicago. Still a little hairy in 3+, but a hell of a lot better than whatever all-seasons were on it before. Put it in snow mode and try it with and without VSC. Make a big difference in unplowed alleys and such.

Take your 17's, put snow tires on, save $200 a week and in the spring get some new 20's!

 

very good idea. i don't know why everyone doesn't do this.

 

I have two sets of 17s, both with the SP 5000s on them. Are you saying that an LS430 with 17s and snow tires won't be all that great in the snow and that I should look for a set of 16s instead? Was planning on putting snow tires on the 2nd set of 17s.

Thanks.

 

Well we've had 30 cms or 13 inches of snow over the past 24 hours and the LS with 17" snows have walked right through with no issues (Snow Mode Active). The one feature that the UL has that is very helpful in deep snow is the HIGH button for the air suspension. That extra inch or 2 is so helpful when they don't plow the side streets.

Anyways BIG thumbs up for the Michelin X-Ice snow tires!!

 

it will be fine with the 17's and snow tires. he was just saying that if you had to buy new wheels for snow tires, get 16's since they're cheaper and the taller sidewall and narrower tread on a 16" tire would be a BIT better in snow.
not enough to make a difference if you already have some snow wheels though.