robert1408

Exactly so. Down here in Central Texas, we average only a few days a year with ice or snow so nobody has winter tires. Up to now I've always had fwd cars with all season tires. They have been good enough in snow and ice to enjoy a drive through our infrequent winter wonderland conditions. My LS was bad enough in those conditions last winter. If it snows or ices this year, I'll just stay home and catch up on some reading. The bad stuff only lasts a few days here.

Johnhw2

I'm in Plano, Tx and have a 2014 LS460L Awd. For the limited snow and some ice we get at times should I be better than my non Awd cars? For my home in the NM mountains where snow can be deep but with less ice will investing in snow tires make a big difference?

Nospinzone

No problem bringing up an old thread with good info.

I'm a little south of you, but have driven in snow many times with my LS460. It is not good in snow, and having driven in the northeast for almost 50 years, I have experience. When it is bad I commandeer my wife's RWD Jag with snow tires (I always put either Blizzaks or the latest Michelin version on her car).

I would advise you to use your beater and spare your LS the salt.

robert1408

There are LOTS of Texas plates in NM in the winter and almost none of them have snow tires. Your awd LS should be fine for anything short of off roading. My mom has a place in Ruidoso. We keep an '08 awd CRV there and it goes anywhere we've ever wanted to on all season tires. In your case, snow tires might be a pain since you'd be on dry roads between Plano and New Mexico a lot.

Doublebase

The part that really got me was the "50 years of driving in the North East", because as you know it's a challenge around here, we have experience that maybe others might not. And if you don't think it's good in the snow - despite your driving experience - that's all I need to know.

Nospinzone

Yup, I'm 67 and have been driving since I was 16. All of those years were in the North East except for the early 80's when I was in SoCal for 4 years. But even then I had 2 trips on the Grapevine in snow and that was no picnic with a FWD car with no snows. I believe now they won't even allow you on that road without snows or chains.

greg3852

I'm not looking forward to the winter, but I try not to drive in the snow much. If I have to go to work, I'll either take the wife's car or have someone pick me up. I work only 2 miles away so it's not bad.

bweirich

I never had any problems driving in the snow. I was in a few good ones last year. My 460 is a rwd and I have the Michelins on it. Two things that I learned about driving in the snow is have good tires and slow down.

Nospinzone

Two miles! You should be walking to work!

Bingo!

peteybabes

We had one of our worst winters last year and we are getting started early over here this year, and i have no qualms about driving with RWD.

Last year i got stuck once when i went into a deep court and tried to do a donut! other than that i have a new set of all-season/"winter" tires on the slightly narrower 18" tires and one of the best traction control systems made and i don't really have any trouble.

PHOUND5

A RWD 460 with 4 snow tires and an experienced winter driver will be just fine in 95% of winter conditions, the other 5 % of winter conditions are a challenge to all vehicles.

Most snow related problems happen when the visibility is bad, a car is going too fast in a straight line, turning and/or stopping.

I put a rental AWD Skoda wagon in a ditch in Iceland last year because it had all season tires on it, the road was frozen, and the tires lost any semblance of grip. (Freak Storm in the mountains) The plow trucks were in the ditches as were the majority of vehicles. The wind blew a few cars across the road (it was so slippery people were unable to stand up in the wind) and into ditches The best tires then are the ones in the garage on your car.We were in the car for almost 8 hours. Not a pleasant way to spend an evening.

With 40 plus of winter driving (Northern ontario, Quebec and commuting for 7 years (Whistler - Vancouver) I have never had issues with either front, rear or 4WD with 4 winter tires, 100 pounds of kitty litter in the trunk (easier to clean out than sand) and common sense. Living in Whistler I used to chain up my early 90's BMW a few times a year but other than that never had an issue.

We had a 4WD Land Cruiser (real 4wd)with 4snows and chains for the front wheels if it got really bad.

In deep snow the extra clearance of vehicles like the Land Cruiser and to some degree my wife's RX 350 are a significant advantage in not plowing the deep snow with the undercarriage. lightening the wheels and loosing traction.

Driving the road back and forth to Whistler and as a life long skier my observation has been that the majority of cars in the ditch on mountain roads now are awd vehicles with all season tires.

I had 10 years in my LS 430 with 4 snows in the winter - no issues and I expect no issues with my 460 with 4 dedicated snow tires.

The snow traction switch and Traction Control give RWD vehicles a significant upgrade over cars of 40 years ago.

As a previous poster said slow down and buy the correct dedicated winter tires.

In BC now winter tread tires are mandatory outside of the lower mainland of BC.

To qualify the tire must have the snowflake or M & S designation.

From BC Highways website

Winter Tires and Chains

Winter road conditions across most of B.C. often include snow and ice. Rapid changes in elevation and weather can make the province's highway conditions unpredictable. You may start a trip in sunshine but face stretches of slush, ice, heavy snowfall or compact snow along the way.
Drivers must obey Winter Tire and Chain signs throughout the province from October 1 to March 31.
Sections of highways requiring winter tires or chains onboard are marked with roadside signs. For passenger vehicles, chains on summer tires are not an acceptable substitute for winter tires on signed highways.

Should you go beyond the signs without the proper equipment, you may be turned around by RCMP, CVSE, or another policing agency, and be subject to a fine.


About Winter Tires

Drivers must obey Winter Tire and Chain signs throughout the province from October 1 to March 31.
Winter road conditions across most of BC often include snow and ice. We recommend drivers install mountain/snowflake tires for cold weather driving and, for extreme conditions, carry chains.
British Columbia accepts “mountain snowflake” or “M+S all-season” tires with at least 3.5 mm tread as winter tires.

Check your tires for these signs:
Mountain/Snowflake tire symbol
The mountain/snowflake symbol on the side of the tire
These winter tires offer the best traction on snow and ice, and in cold weather.

The mud and snow symbol on the side of the tire
These winter tires offer better traction than summer tires, however, they are less effective than mountain/snowflake tires on snow and ice, and in cold weather.

Also known as M/S, M&S, Mud and Snow.


3.5 mm tread

Tires must have 3.5 mm of tread remaining to be considered winter tires.


Matching winter tires
You must have at least 2 matching winter tires on the same axle, but we recommend using 4 matching tires - even when driving a 4X4 vehicle.

Studded tires
These tires may be used on BC highways from October 1 to April 30, but must have mountain/snowflake or M+S symbols to be considered winter tires. Use of studded tires outside of this period may result in a fine.

Regulations limit tires to 130 studs each for vehicles weighing less than 4,600 kg, or 175 studs each for vehicles weighing more than 4,600 kg.
It's important to note, you should only use studded tires on front wheels if you're also using them on rear wheels. This is to prevent the vehicle’s back end from sliding.

Drivers in some parts of the southern coast, where regulations are more relaxed due to warmer weather, should use discretion when equipping their vehicles.
Due to a more temperate winter climate in the Lower Mainland and South-eastern Vancouver Island, drivers are not required to use winter tires, although many drivers choose to use M+S tires year-round.

Summer tires are NOT recommended for winter driving October 1 to March 31. Chains on summer tires are not an acceptable substitute for winter tires on signed highways.
Remember: If you plan to travel outside the Lower Mainland and South-eastern Vancouver Island, you will likely enter signed sections of highway requiring winter tires. See the map for details.

Doublebase

Good and interesting stuff!

greekguy66

I have a RWD LS460L, but then again I don't need AWD or 4WD due to the normal daily conditions here in Sacramento, California. I grew up with RWD driving in NYC with snow and ice. I think most of us did grow up on RWD before buying cars that were FWD or AWD unless we had a vehicle that was 4WD. If you know you need AWD or 4WD, save money and what to buy that (if possible and time permits). Don't buy a RWD and then get upset with the car because it does not handle "better" on snow and ice. At that point just deal with the limitations as best as possible.

Speaking of limitations, I know most RWD vehicles will perform have handling limitations in the Winter, some better than others. Really there are a few ways to deal with it. I prefer Option 1.

1. Its a Snow Day, stay home.
2. Break out the Snow Shoes and hump it to work or the grocery store to get milk.
3. Take Public transportation or a cab to your destination.
4. Keep the RWD ride at home and tackle the roads with your 4WD pickup truck or SUV.
5. If your car is capable of it, have a set of chains.
6. Install Snow Tires for the Winter.
7. Go on eBay and purchase a set of OEM basic rims for your car. Then on those rims install Snow Tires and just swap out the wheels for the winter.

Personally I am upset that the outriggers and seals on the doors of the LS460. They really are designed poorly. They should handle better when driving on roads that have been flooded out and lift the car up more out of the water.

Tsmith1982

I lived in Colorado Springs for 2 years and drove my then Caddy CTS, with out getting stuck and pretty decent traction with cautious driving. I am moving back to colorado next winter. Denver this time. They get more snow than the springs does. I have the 18" oem tires and wheels with almost new tread. Do u think the car will perform atleast as good as the rwd cts? The cts had 17's

CJITTY

I spent 3.5 Years in South Dakota and hands down studded snow tires are like velcro on the snow and perform so well that I inadvertently caused a wreck behind me as I was taking turns with ease on packed snow and ice but the folks behind me had basic all season and three ended up sliding off the road..they had fwd like I did. Heavy snow and ice frequency use studded snow tires..infrequent snow and ice but consistent low temps..get winter tires with no studs