For all of you eastcoast dwelling 430 owners i hope that you have your bottles of spring water, cardboards, ice scrappers and quick tempers ready this weekend. We are supposed to get hit by a real nice dumping of that white fluffy stuff. I'll be glad to hear stories, pictures, comments, and complaints if anything happens worth notating.

 

Here in Jersey, I think I'll be leaving the LS in the garage this weekend. (I didn't do too well with it in the snow last year.) I did better using the front wheel drive 98 ES, so that's my snow car.

(Still sunny here at 3pm)

Walt

 

here in bergen county i'm sure we'll get hit with a little bit... i'm gonna have to see how the new primacys hold up... let's hope they live up to my expectations of being a true all-season tire...

 

Funny you should mention the Primacys - I got them this summer. (Had Continentals last winter.) Maybe the Michelins will fare better. I know I wasn't impressed with the "Snow" setting, which I believe just starts you in 2nd gear instead of first.

But, yeah, I now have Primacys - This should be a good test here in Ocean County.

 

Gonna put theses hated Hancooks to the test if i do drive it tommorow. My first winter in the LS. Should be interesting.

 

I'll likely be testing the Michelins here tonight in Charlotte as well. Sleeting pretty good now outside and we've got tickets to the 7pm showing of Avatar about 5 miles away from the house (bought before we saw the weather).

If its too bad we'll just skip it but so far looks OK to give 'em a shot.

 

Id like to hear how that movie is, been debating seeing that one in the theatre myself. This is my second year in the 05 ls, I really wasn't overly impressed last year, cuz my old 99 gs400 was surprisingly good in the snow so I was hoping that would only make the 05 ls all that better, not so much. Out in baltimore at some korean grocery. At the moment, and its just cold as hell right now, but it feels like its the calm before the storm, literally.

 

FYI, this fall I put a set of Michelin Latitude X-Ice winter tires on the factory 16" wheels of the RWD 02 Dodge Dakota that I bought last spring. (I have summer tires on other wheels.) These are the best winter tires I've ever owned. I took the truck out last week on packed snow and ice and it was completely controllable and predictable. I intend to put a set of X-Ice on winter wheels for my LS430 when I buy it.

 

+1,2,3,4. Im in dc and it feels literally like the north pole is heading our way.

And to all you Michelin wearers, i'll be using you as test mules for the primacys. Plan to buy a set in the spring and need some honest feedback.

 

Supposed to snow 8-14" around Philly.

 

We may get a foot around DC.

 

yeah well back home in annapolis now and still no snow at 8.38. thought it would be snowing by now, last i checked they said 10-20" earlier in the day for this side of dc but dude at the gas station just told me 18-20", that is a good deal more than 10-20, on the minimum at least.





bring on the snow, i got a case of red stripe (1pint cans) and well the wife got some groceries earlier too, so i think we're straight for a few days.



just checked the updated snow report and they upgraded it to 1-2 feet. now thats not a whole lot compared to some of the more wintry regions that i have lived in, but for this area that is a good amount... most i ever saw in the dc area was the blizzard of 96 (5 ft in about 2 days straight; missed a whole week of school for that one, very kick ***), and i was also in a flood out in norcal for some record flooding in 97 i believe and a wildfire up there as well,, plus a few super typhoons in okinawa japan (no godzilla attacks though ), and a category 5 hurricane or two growing up in central coastal FL (Melbourne Beach).. i really love bad weather occasions.. i love to see how it makes some people freak out and others get all primal ... it really brings out the best and worst in people.

 

i didn't even take of my rims off,i guess i'm better off parking it for a week.

 

Hey i remember that year's storm. terrible one too. Shut the city down and i loved it. . 03 had one that was similar but not as bad but i kinda don't want it this year being as tho i have to work in the mess anyways. And yeah people do act a fool when this happens. Like the world is ending . Nevertheless, i think i'm gonna take the surfer out test her reactions in the bad weather. I know, I know its rear drive but i still wanna test out the traction control and "snow mode" LOL whatever that means.

 

the best snow test i think i ever had was 2 years ago when i first moved back to this area (reston (ffx county) back in to my moms for a month till i got my own place out in annapolis) and there is this parking garage in the reston town center on the far side over by the mexican rest... anyhowzer it is one of those cookie cuter shoe box style garages that have hugely sloping ramps going up then just a row of cars on each side then really tight turns into the next hugely sloping ramp and repeat... i really wish i could have measured the degree at which this ramp was but no lie it had to be about 25-30 degrees right and well i couldn't find a spot and before i knew it i was on the 6th floor and the next ramp didn't have a roof cuz the 7th floor was the roof right and well it was covered in about 2 inches of slushy snow and i thought surely i would have to negotiate a 56 point turn around to drive back down a one way road with some angry motorists behind me... well i looked up and say a couple trucks and jeeps up on the roof parked like it was nothing so i laughed to my self and thought that it was not possible and my wife was complaining as usual so i slapped it in snow mode and actually crept all the way up the snow covered ramp and made it up on the roof... this was in my 99 gs400 with fairly decent tread on some stock replacement michelins i believe. i didn't think that car would have made it but i bet money that my ls couldn't duplicate it if i were to somehow give it another go... i will be there next week for a few days and if there is snow i will go try it in the ls but i don't have any faith. i bet a few of those trucks and jeeps were wondering how that rwd gs made it up there when they came back for their 4x4's. "D
i shoulda got a picture of the action

update, 9.30 started snowing in annapolis...