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Lexus LS Rear Wheel Drive System

15 messages,  Last post on Nov 17, 2009 at 4:26 PM

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#1 of 15 How does the Lexus ls400 and ls430 do in the snow? by stephenabelson Dec 16, 2007 (11:12 am)
i am thinking about getting either a 2000 ls400 or newer ls430 i live in manhattan. wondering how the rear wheel drive system works. i know it has stability control, and i think has a slid control thing as well. anyone live in a cold snowy place and know personally how the car behaves? Replies to this message: aggie76 (Dec 16, 2007 1:39 pm) wwest (Dec 23, 2007 9:48 am) lexx2 (Feb 14, 2008 11:01 am)
#2 of 15 Re: How does the Lexus ls400 and ls430 do in the snow? [stephenabelson] by aggie76 Dec 16, 2007 (1:39 pm)
Replying to: stephenabelson (Dec 16, 2007 11:12 am) It performs fine with dedicated snow tires in place on my '04 LS430. I live in the far north of Minnesota on Lake of the Woods and just moved here after having my LS in NW Illinois past several years. Since arriving here in a new job transition the end of November the roads its either been snowing or the roads have snow/ice cover every day. I run the Dunlop M3's on dedicated wheels and they work terrific moving around the area now and did the for the past three winters on the Illinois roads which I imagine have similar periods of snow that you will see around Manhattan. I spent many days in and around Chicago with similar success in large city driving too.   We've had low temps in the 25 below range so the roads just don't get a chance to thaw one bit and the tires work fine. For instance, it was 15 below this morning and about 2 inches of fresh snow and I had no problems getting to a restaurant and church early today. I'll may switch to the Nokian tires when these wear out next year since I hear we've got snow and ice from October to May up here.   The various systems, like VSC and antilock brakes, work fine to assist me and I do run the transmission in SNOW mode to help in moving away from a stop.   Go for it, the LS is a great all-weather ride. Replies to this message: wwest (Dec 23, 2007 9:48 am)
#3 of 15 Re: How does the Lexus ls400 and ls430 do in the snow? [aggie76] by wwest Dec 23, 2007 (9:48 am)
Replying to: aggie76 (Dec 16, 2007 1:39 pm) Driving any RWD in adverse conditions is more of a matter of the driver "mastering" driving techniques in those conditions than otherwise. Once mastered, RWD & R/AWD vehicles are much safer overall in those conditions than FWD & F/AWD.   Like a 4WD/4X4 vehicle, FWD & F/AWD is virtually perfect for initially getting up and going in adverse roadbed conditions, but patently UNSAFE once underway with the diff'l remaining locked.   On an adverse roadbed it is best to have the rear wheels driving and reserve the fronts for directional control.
#4 of 15 How does the Lexus gs300 rear wheel drive handle in the snow? by stephenabelson Jan 26, 2008 (2:05 pm)
I am considering buying a 2004 lexus gs300 rear wheel drive car. it has traction control, and also 4 winter tires, but how well does that all work? I live in Minnesota, so we tend to have pretty decent winters. Replies to this message: rennybosch (Jan 26, 2008 2:45 pm) ryguy4 (Jul 17, 2009 7:16 pm) wwest (Jan 28, 2008 10:29 am) aggie76 (Jan 28, 2008 6:35 pm)
#5 of 15 Re: How does the Lexus gs300 rear wheel drive handle in the snow? [stephena by rennybosch Jan 26, 2008 (2:45 pm)
Replying to: stephenabelson (Jan 26, 2008 2:05 pm) "I live in Minnesota, so we tend to have pretty decent winters."   We know all about your winters, from Garrison Keillor's conscientious reporting. We admire you, but we don't envy you.   Best regards -- Renny Replies to this message: ryguy4 (Jul 17, 2009 7:16 pm)
#6 of 15 Re: How does the Lexus gs300 rear wheel drive handle in the snow? [stephenabelson] by wwest Jan 28, 2008 (10:29 am)
Replying to: stephenabelson (Jan 26, 2008 2:05 pm) Traction control is an excellent indicator of slippery road conditions that one might otherwise be unaware, but as an aid in driving in those conditions it SUCKS, big time.   You are best off learning to feather the throttle yourself right up to the point of loss of traction.
#7 of 15 Re: How does the Lexus gs300 rear wheel drive handle in the snow? [stephena by aggie76 Jan 28, 2008 (6:35 pm)
Replying to: stephenabelson (Jan 26, 2008 2:05 pm) Stephenabelson,   I had a GS300 with Blizzak's before I got my LS and it did great in NW Illinois in all types of winter weather. Go for it.
#8 of 15 rear wheel drive vs front wheel drive by harry29 Feb 09, 2008 (4:23 pm)
My wife's car is front wheel drive and we are considering purchasing a rear wheel drive car. Would welcome any comments on how rear wheel drive acts in snow conditions. Replies to this message: aggie76 (Feb 10, 2008 4:31 am) wwest (Feb 10, 2008 10:27 am)
#9 of 15 Re: rear wheel drive vs front wheel drive [harry29] by aggie76 Feb 10, 2008 (4:31 am)
Replying to: harry29 (Feb 09, 2008 4:23 pm) If you do a search I think you will find that there are numerous topics concerning this fact. I've had both fwd and rwd and find that using snow tires makes all the difference. I'm up in N. MN now as I've said before and find it no problem to drive my LS430 in any conditions. Icy roads are a whole different game, as they are for fwd as well.   Don't the rwd overly influence your decision, dry weather its the way to go over fwd for driving dynamics and again, do a search across all the different forums. Lots of conversations and whole forums devoted just to fwd vs. rwd vs. awd.
#10 of 15 Re: rear wheel drive vs front wheel drive [harry29] by wwest Feb 10, 2008 (10:27 am)
Replying to: harry29 (Feb 09, 2008 4:23 pm) A mixed "bag", a VERY mixed bag.   Since the engine/transaxle weigh is mostly carried by the front wheels FWD will almost always have better traction for getting you up and going, moving, initially on the slippery stuff.   But once you're moving the rules change just a bit. Any 4WD/4X4 owner will tell you that it is not wise to have the 4 wheel drive system engaged once you are in roadway or hwy cruise mode. Not only is there little or no need for "drive" to those front wheels that "drive" can quickly lead to loss of directional control.   An ideal drive system would be to engage the drive to all four wheels, or even biased toward the front, just as long as there are small or no lateral forces on those front wheels. Once you need to turn, or use the front wheels to correct the direction of the vehicle, it is unwise to have engine torque, leading or lagging (compression braking) coupled to them.   For what I consider an ideal AWD "compromise" study the Honda/Acura SH-AWD system.

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