I just about to purchase an CPO 05 ls430 w/UL package when the worst storm hit the region in years. I curently drive a dodge durango but am nervous aobut purchasing this car since comes with all season tires. Can anyone who lives in the northeast speak to their driving experience over the last week?

btw... I've owned rear wheel drive cars in the past but had run snow tires in the winter.

Thanks

 

Welcome! I'm doing the same as you. I'm awaiting delivery of my car, currently delayed due to the weather. Plus, the selling dealer (BMW Bellevue, WA) put lousy GY Eagle RSA tires on it. I have a leased AWD Lincoln MKZ I will continue to drive during lousy weather until the lease is up in May. I also have a RWD Dodge Dakota chore truck with a few hundred lbs. of tubed sand in the bed and Michelin x-ice winter tires. If this truck can't get through, I shouldn't be driving on the road anyway.

My plans for next winter:

- Buy a set of 17" wheels and x-ice winter tires for the LS.
- Drive the LS on "nice" days during the winter.
- Drive the Dakota on sloppy days during the winter.
- Work from home on awful days during the winter.

Did you happen to buy the silver UL from the Lexus dealer near Pittsburgh? If so, let us know it's condition (sounded nice) and the final price you paid. They called me about that car, but I wanted a CL or ML.

 

Nervousness is the path to the dark side. Nervousness leads to doubt, doubt leads to fear, fear leads to anger, angers leads to suffering...

But seriously (not that Star Wars is not serious), I have not taken my LS out in deep snow like we've had now, and really would never have to. I've only taken it out once this season with all-season tires (Continental ContiPro) and they're not so good. Tried the tires on a slight incline and it didn't work very well, not even with "snow" mode on.

I do have snow tires (Blizzak) on 16" rims as well and tried that last year and they were much better on snow. Almost confident you could say.

Anyway, all-season, probabaly not so good in deep snow. With snow tires, probably more manageable, but in 16" snow, you're probably still asking for a lot.

 

i just made it to work in my wifes little scion xa and i would bet my paycheck that my 05 ls would not have made it. i have the UL w/ the datasystems controller so i can raise the car up about a foot which makes it look funny but this would not have helped me once the back tires got stuck.

i try not to drive the ls whenever there is more than an inch or two of snow on the road. my old gs400 was was very good in the snow for a 300hp rwd sedan but the ls is not nearly as good.

 

My UL has actually made it through snow pretty well. I made a trip from DC to Baltimore right after the storm hit and didnt have any problems. Once I got into the side streets in baltimore I was a bit nervous thinking I might get stuck but I made it through. I had it in snow mode and the suspension set to High. The only time I got stuck was in my neighborhood but after going back and forth a couple times I got out. So overall my experience in the snow with the LS has been good. I have stock 17's with dunlop tires.

 

The LS sux in the snow.

 

My 04 LS is the worst snow car I have ever owned - well, since my rear-wheel-drive 1980 Buick Century, anyway. Tires are MXV4s, but previous Continentals were just as bad. I realize they're not snow tires, but I expected better. I have to say that using the shifter helps a whole lot, though. Starting in higher gears, and the using the engine to brake the car by down-shifting to lower gears makes all the difference in the world. If you just put it in "D", and expect to drive in snow without a problem, well - I've found that doesn't work well ("Snow" setting of not).

Thank God for my 98 ES - that does great in the snow and that's the car we use most in this weather.

 

believe it or not it has snowed 5+ inches of snow in DFW area so far this morning and shows no signs of stopping until later this afternoon. The LS stays in the garage, we'll use the highlander iof absolutely necessary

 

I too can attest that the LS, unless equipped with snow tires is AWFUL in the snow. My first time in the snow was horrifying, when I went to stop and the car just began to coast to the right. my heart flew out of my chest. Luckily it stopped, but I pulled over and forced my wife to take the bus, as I knew It was not worth it to continue to try to get to the train station. Yes, it was so bad that I was forced to abandon the trip and hobble home at 5 miles an hour with my flashers on. since this second blast of snow, the car has been parked in the garage and I have been taking public transportation until the roads become clear again.

 

Idk what u r talking about people. I never got stuck in snow in my ls. I guess tires make all the difference.

 

I agree with yuri! Ive been driving my ls in the snow and this traction control and stability control does miracles. The key is to put it in snow mode and take it easy. Ive driven in about 6 inches of snow up hills........not too steep of hills though. I have the Stock Dunlops

 

Yes this is the car in pittsburgh... The husband of my co-worker has an 04 Ls430 and he told me he's hadn't any issues driving with snow tires on the car.

 

That car is originally from my neck of the woods - southeast Michigan. Have the dealer provide you with the service history. (I don't recall seeing anything bad in the service history.)

 

If I had anything but a 4x4 w/ M+S tires or all terrains and had to drive in snow/ice during the winter, I'd get a set of snow tires. It's like night and day. My relatives live in Hokkaido, northern Japan near Siberia, where it snows pretty much daily. They have both Toyota crown AWD and RWD sedans (current and previous gen sedans closest to the LS). They don't have any issues when running Bridgestone Blizzaks on a second set of wheels. You can buy OEM LS wheels off Ebay for pretty good prices. Better to get the stock 17" size over the 18's for snow.

 

mine is parked in a heated garage until spring........