StanVanDam

I think everyone knows that winter tires compounds are optimized for 7C and below temperatures, and normal all-seasons (e.g. Primacy MXV4, but not the CrossClimate Plus) are optimized for >7C. I am certain any winter tire will provide better braking on wet, COLD roads than any all-seasons on the same cold roads. The Primacy MXV4's weakness is wet roads even in the warm spring weather, which is even worse when it's closer to freezing. I know not to pull hard corners on those tires when it's wet and cold out. LS430's Vehicle Stability Control will let you know when you're about to slide out and will auto-correct.

Johnhav430

I know most can "get by" on A/S, and I proved you can on treated roads going home last night, but don't let the LS430 fool you either. A/S on packed snow, say what's not cleaned at the curb on a street, the a** end simply goes sideways. You can press snow, go gently, rock it back and forth, and it will do that. I'll put my snows on after the Thanksgiving holiday, don't feel like dealing with it. And the BMW also don't feel like it, but that is unusable as it has Pilot Super Sports, which I have driven on dry at 20F. It's like riding on 4 greased hockey pucks.

Kansas

LOL, VSC kicks in only after the slide and drama are well in progress although it does a good job of bringing the vehicle back into line after your heart starts racing. VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) on some newer Lexus and Toyota vehicles prevents the slide from happening in the first place and removes the drama. The LS460 was the first LS that got VDIM. On some Lexus models, it has been necessary to buy the F-Sport version to get VDIM.

I used winter tires on dedicated wheels during all 24 years/winters I drove Lexus LS sedans. From about 2000 on, I bought only Bridgestone Blizzaks for all our vehicles - Lexus or not. They work like magic on ice. The WS80 is a wonderful tire but, like most winter tires, it has a fairly short life if replaced at the recommended 5/32 inch tread depth - around 15,000 miles of use from my experience ... I replaced a set of WS80's with another set of WS80's in December 2017.

Chrome wheels are not good for winter use - road salt quickly pits the chrome. I suggest getting a set of 2001/2002 LS430 non-chrome 16" wheels for winter tire use. 1995-up LS400 wheels also work with the LS430's big brakes. The first thing I do after buying a vehicle is to buy extra wheels to use with snow tires.

Any winter tire with the mountain/snowflake symbol will serve you well as recommended by the official B.C. website on the matter: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/t...t-winter-tires

I dramatically change my driving style when on winter tires - no screaming around curves. As good as VSC and VDIM are, I'm not going to depend on them to save my a$$. Gosh, I've always found it great fun to drive on snow and ice ... made it easier to do 4-wheel drifts and handbrake turns in the little sports cars I drove when a teenager in the 1960's.

kaizmauka

Thank you for the reply, i am sure the Blizzak are great in snow but i wonder how they fair against an all season tire when it comes to braking on cold wet pavement (Vancouver winter is mainly cold wet)....

I came across an interesting article that showed that all seasons outperform winters in cold wet and cold dry braking. Of course, the winters did better in snow braking.
But perhaps a Michelin Cross Climate or Alpin wouls be better suited for mild winter driving.

Heres a link to the article..https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2009-winter-tire-test-comparison-tests

Kansas

My opinion is that all-season tires do well enough down all the way down to the freezing point of water but sticky Winter tires like Bizzaks totally excel on icy roads. I'm far more concerned with ice than snow. If you never venture outside the Vancouver metro area and can stay at home or take public transportation when Winter weather is bad then all season tires should work just fine for you. You might also be OK driving to Whistler on all season tires as long as the snow plows keep the roads clear, salted and sanded. Everyone has to decide on their own risk tolerance. I'm a retired "insurance guy" and my risk tolerance regarding driving on snow and ice is low to the point of zero ... i.e. I wouldn't think of driving on snow/ice on all season tires if I had a choice. I've seen hundreds (thousands?) of vehicles that have crashed or been abandoned in bad winter weather while I've always been able to continue on.

That said, if's likely that the vehicle we rent at Seattle Sea-Tac airport in January will have only all-season tires and I might have to cope with that. I normally don't rent SUV's but I might this time to try to get tires that do better on snow and ice since we might be doing some exploring into the mountains instead of spending all our time passing a new born grand niece around.

Since you are in Vancouver ... my favorite Vancouver memory was in 1995 when my wife and I were at the highest point in Stanley Park when a local nut-case 20-something guy came riding up the slope on his bicycle screaming "Superman's paralyzed". It was the day Christopher Reeve fell off his horse. We ended up going bar hopping with him, a tug boat crewman, and his school teacher girl friend on Robson which they seemed to get a kick out of since we were old enough to be their parents.

BCT

This is what expected as well. I am no tire expert by all means here, but my understanding is that in general when it is wet, all season tire will work better up to a certain temperature. When fluid turns to ice and snow, or when temperature drops below a certain degree, that is when snow tire is needed.

I have considered about having another set of winter tire for my previous cars but they are all FWD. Here in KY, it does get cold and we got some snow from time to time, but the temperature generally do not stay constantly below freezing so we just have all season tire. Not ideal of course, but I am not wanting to swap back and forth unless needed.

This is the first winter with the LS (first winter with a RWD). I am going to see how she does, and if needed I may get a set of winter tires. I also have a Land Cruiser, so if it does get very sloppy outside the LS may just stay indoor.

I am really leaning toward Michelin Cross Climate which seems like a good tire for my need, and going to see what kind of deals they have around Thanksgiving - end of year.

2KHarrier

Woops, yeah, 225/55/17. The 18s are the stock size as well. 245/45/18

ECB

valex

Johnhav430

When I was a kid in college there was no AWD except for the rich. There was 4WD also for the rich. We all had 4 studded snows, and the more snow there was (20, 25" etc.), the more likely we would cut class and go skiing. Worst case we had chains in the trunk too.

Today? I am the opposite. The harsher the conditions, the more I would rather not be on the road.

The BMW forum is a good source for heated debates on RWD v. AWD. I like RWD period. Not for snow, for driving. But it is less than sensible to insist that a RWD with 4 snows, is awesome in the snow. It gets by. I love the one where my RWD car with 4 snows is better than your AWD car with A/S. Ok, sure, but how about when the AWD car puts 4 snows on, which most do with a BMW?

With the LS430, the best you can do is to get 4 snows. But you are still going to be stuck with deep enough snow. No button on your dash and no snow tires will change that.

warminwisc

I like bar hopping and skiing I like this thread. I have had no probs with x ice 3

kaizmauka

Just trying to decide now between the X-ice 3 and Bridgestone Blizzak...but i imagine Michelin will be better, apparently they last longer than the Blizzaks.
And thanks for sharing your story, nothing like impromptu bar hopping with interesting characters!

islandLS43

Wow - great thread because I just got a 2001 LS 430 and haven't even picked it up yet. I am reading up on winter driving and getting a lot of conflicting information, ranging from the 430 is great in snow to total deathtrap. I live in Maryland on an island we can go years between seeing snow on the roads and then every now and again we have a huge blizzard and my driveway is 3 feet under the snow For some background, I drove an MR2 on all-seasons for 10 years and a RWD BMW on all-seasons for 6 years, so I have some old-school snow driving experience. The MR2 had no driver aids of any kind. One question - would I want 2 or 4 snow tires if I did get them? When I was a teenager every now and then I would help put the snows on the back of my dad's big RWD car and it worked fine with normal front tires.

warminwisc

Snows only meant to be ran in sets of 4 these days

kaizmauka

Welcome to the LS430 club! What color and interior trim does it have? I have been calling around tire shops here and theXice's are a lot easier to get...plus they are cheaper. You will find that the LS430 behave's quite predictably in snow even with all seasons, last winter i drove mine with the primacys and wasn't an issue unless i was on steep inclines.
But Maryland sounds like it would be worth Winters for sure, east coast gets cold! Actually i was born in Maryland, haven't been there since 1993 though!