lexus!!!!!

I’m thinking of buying a 07/08 LS460/460L, the problem is we have a lot of snow and ice here in MN and I’m afraid of the RWD performance. 2010’s AWD is out of the question because it’s too expensive.

Any of you owned the LS460 RWD in the snow region? If so, how was it handling the snow and ice? Can you drive during the snow is falling, or just afterward when the streets are properly plowed? Any suggestion or recommendation? Will snow tires do the trick?

FYI: We have an SC 430, and it’s horrible on snow. I guess partly because due to RFT, but even when we had on the “snow” option, it still wasn’t fun driving. The head keeps spinning around.

Johnny

I live on the side of a mountain and when it does snow, as it did in the pic below, the car handles very well in these kinds of accumulations - and I only had all-seasons on at the time. I've purchased snow tires this year, but only intend to use them when I go skiing. Around town, I would still use all-seasons. If your snow sticks around for a few months, it would be prudent to put on snow tires. My previous RWD 460 was atrocious in snowy conditions. I just parked it and used public transit.

bruceko

Mine doesn't.

Mike_TX

Burnaby - yours is AWD, isn't it?

We had snow here a week or so ago and I had to take the mother-in-law to the hospital at midnight. About 17 degrees and the snow was packed and there was ice under it. It was like driving on ball bearings spread on greasy glass.

I had to rest for an hour after finally getting home, just to settle my nerves.

(Translation - not good on ice and snow.)

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Johnny

I know the feeling, Mike - like riding a four thousand pound elephant seal.

Yes, the 600 has AWD, one of the main reasons why I switched.

Helmar

Ditto. I have the stock all-season Dunlop's on my LS600hL and haven't had any problems in the snow.

My LS430 with snow tires was poor in the snow, and there were some inclines (like my driveway), that I often simply couldn't get by.

If you live in a snow area, you really should have an AWD car, and certainly not a RWD car.

HBH

dimapb

You will not be able to use it in the snow. Whenever we get snow here, I simply use my wifes SUV.

snoylekim

So, what is it with the LS460 versus other RWD autos that would make the automobile a poor snow performer ?? I can see that it's low, which can be an issue in deep snow, but with the right tires ( e.g. Blizzaks) and the tranny set to Snow Mode , would think it shouldn't have any more issues than other RWD drive cars, such as BMW ..these do fine with the correct tires , and, not to flame, RWD snow driving experience ?? ..Is the weight distribution F/R for the LS460 a factor ...? Just questions ..

bruceko

Big fat wide tires don't help with snow. low weight per square inch of contact area.
Also the factory tires even though are rated as mud and snow barely work in rain at least in my case. There is a lot of slippage on mild acceleration in wet conditions and I have had the tires hydroplane several times on the freeway when it is raining.

Johnny

The fundamental difference between AWD & RWD and the advantage AWD brings to the table is quite simple. Ignoring efficiency losses between the engine and the wheels, the 460's engine itself outputs 380 HP +/-; dividing that by four for AWD and by two for RWD, results in 95 HP per wheel for AWD, and 190 HP per wheel for RWD. It's easy to see then that the RWD's wheels will slip about twice as fast as the AWD's wheels. And that alone can make all the difference in the world. You can use the same logic for torque which puts the HP on the ground.

Again, these are not accurate numbers, but are used to illustrate the logic behind the two systems.

snoylekim

True that AWD will handle better in snow than RWD , but in reading threads about the 460 being horrible in snow just has me a bit skeptical that the car itself ( versus, say, the tires) make it impossible to handle in light to moderate snow.. My M3, for example, which was RWD was OK as a 'snow buggy' with the right tires ( blizzaks) and a modification of some driving habits.. I'm not under the illusion that a RWD 260 will match AWD..but it should be capable of reasonable handling and driving as any other RWD equally equipped.

lexus!!!!!

I'm with snoylekim. I understand the RWD is not ideal for snow/ice condition. But based on what I've heard on this board, seems like even with snow tires, LS still performance miserable. I personally seen people driven BMW i-drive on snow before. They told me it's bad, but manageable with snow tires. LS doesn't seem that way. SHould I conclude that LS 460 is not suitable for snow or just people that voiced their opinion so far are not accustomed to drive on snow with RWD?

Helmar

Having owned both a RWD LS and an AWD LS, and living in a snow region (Maine), I can state unequivocally that the AWD LS performs much better in snow and ice.

If you want an LS and live in a snow area, an AWD version will make your driving much safer.

Having said that, my wife's Subaru does even better than my AWD LS in the snow. I would guess that it's due to the weight and/or the tires. Perhaps too, they're more sophisticated with their sensing and response to individual wheel slippage.

If you want the best car for the snow, get a car like the Subaru. If you want an LS and live where there's snow, get the AWD LS.

In fact, if Subaru offered a sedan with active cruise control and navigation, I'd probably switch to it in August when my LS600hL lease is up. I'd LOVE to have a manual transmission and cloth seats again!

HBH

Patric

The major factor in a rear drive car as far as tractive effort is concerned has to do with whether or not it has a limited slip differential. If it does you have both wheels trying to get you up that driveway for example. If not, you just have one or the other while the opposite wheel spins in the snow.

Mike_TX

I haven't tried an LS460 with snow tires, and I didn't see where anyone said it was horrible with them. Surely that would help.

But the main issue - other than the tires - is that there is a lot of horsepower you've got to restrain (as Burnaby alluded to). Even in Snow mode, which just starts you out in 2nd gear if I recall correctly, it's hard to apply throttle gently enough to keep from breaking the tires loose.

The second issue is physics. If you get a big heavy object moving on a slippery surface, it's hard to get it to change direction or to stop. And even AWD won't help you there. I'm always amused when people with 4WD vehicles get on snow or ice and think they're Supermen - until they learn the hard way that they can't stop any better than the rest of us.

The overall best bet for driving on snow is probably a low-powered AWD or 4WD vehicle with snow tires or chains.

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