When I lived in Kansas City the weather was brutal so the best I could do was weigh down the back with sand bags or weights it helped a little but nothing will help in the ice.

So in order to improve my driving in the ice and snow I just moved to Southern California and that seemed to solve the problem.

 

Looking good, Billy Ray!

And by the way, you have 2010-2012 18" wheels on?

 

Of course this was the best solution! And you have quite a ride to enjoy too.

 

Hey good catch!

I bought this set (5 wheels mounted on Michelin's) with only 2500 miles on them about a week after I got my car for only $1200!!! this set is my "winter" set of tires as they are nice pilot MXM4's (all-season) and my 19's ride in the summer time with the extremely aggressive BFG's that are very grippy above 45+ degrees...

 

What brand of snow tire do you have on the car?

 

Toyo GO2 Open Country. I hear they're not as good as the Blizzacks, but I love them.

My summer tires are the Pirelli's, which I do find to be a loud tire. Funny story...when I was going to pick up my tires there was maybe a half an inch of snow on the ground, well I couldn't even get out of my driveway without the snow tires (couldn't move more than two feet). Now I'm driving my car everyday in one of the worst winters I've ever experienced in New England.

 

Half an ice or so, on the ground in Dallas. I'm driving a 2014 ls460L AWD no snow tires. Due a hard freeze tonight after some melting of the ice pelts this afternoon. Any tricks to driving on this stuff besides the usual slow speed down? I drive my big Infiniti SUV AWD in snow mode which starts up in second and down shift it to avoid beating. Any guidance? Thanks.

Got the larger wheel package of that makes any difference.

 

you should be fine with the factory all season tires all-though they aren't as extreme as "snow" tires per se.

just drive slow, i recommend going into a parking lot and try to do a donut which you should find harder than you think...and this would be a good time to try avoidance maneuvers etc.

allow much more time for stopping and do break checks as you come to intersections to make sure you have decent stop-ability.

 

With ice all bets are off, these are big cars and once they got out from under you?? Watch out. Go slow.

Snow is different, just last week I went up to Northwood NH to go snowmobiling and I decided to take my car - my friends thought I was nuts - but the thing did great. And it was snowing, there was probably 3-5 inches of unplowed snow on the ground and the streets I was driving on were very steep...I had no problems, but ice is a different animal.

 

Agree with above. Ice is a whole different animal.

I can recommend you go extremely slow and check your brakes often to be sure you can stop if you need to. Also this is where you want to check your rear view often because you don't know what kind of fool is behind you not paying attention.

 

In my experience, everyone behind you is a fool because they ALWAYS follow too closely.

7milesout

 

I have an 08 LS 460. Today I almost had a heart attack. There were just a few inches on the ground (Virginia) and the car kept sliding while braking. I had the car in snow mode and it would not stop. It was if I couldn't control the torque. Last week at the drive thru while ordering my meal, the car kept sliding. I then saw a reflection of the rear wheel turning on the ice while at rest. I have aftermarket 22" wheels so perhaps it could be the tires. Either way, I'm not driving that thing at all. I'm a heavy equipment operator and I've never been so scared in my life.

 

Lol, sorry it's not funny, but there is another thread with another person from VA who just found out the same thing. I felt the same as you last year when the ice/snowstorm hit ATL. I was always used to driving FWD cars in CT and with this being my first RWD car I did not know what I was in for. I had never been so scared of driving in my life that day. I made peace with myself that I was going to crash sooner or later that night, but I just wanted to crash close enough to home where I could walk.

 

i had my one scary moment last season when i was breaking and turning a corner when coming down a hill.

the roads weren't the best and when i turned the wheel, the car barely turned and went pretty much straight.

my car prepared for the worst my suddenly sucking me in with the electric eat belts! wow these are powerful! when i got more towards the middle of the intersection it suddenly gained traction and threw me around the corner and released me from the seat-belt death grip. lol!

 

With an automatic, even at idle in Drive the car naturally creeps forward as there is continuous drive to the back wheels. In normal conditions we apply the brake and the vehicle stops. On ice, the front wheels lock while the back wheels push. Its a very subtle differential and I guess the braking system doesn't exactly compensate, the fronts in my experience just slide. Every corner that I'm grasping for grip (this is driving on ice - snow has much more grip) to turn its no brakes and neutral, then even straightening up the steering to get the little traction that is there back with the front tires. If you don't hit N then the turning arc is much greater and straighten your wheels before you hit the curb to hit it square on, it lessons the damage to maybe just new rims and tires!