Heavy snow overnight in Aberdeen, late for work and the wife needed her 4x4 later in the day, so I unwisely decided to take the Lex to the office.

Soon remembered why I normally leave it at home at the first sight of the white stuff beginning to lie! The traction control is totally useless on snowy/icy roads; leave it on and the car just won't move. The only way to make any (albeit limited) forward progress is to switch it off and, as for the "snow" setting, it doesn't appear to do anything useful at all. I did eventually make it to work, and back at night, but it was a painful experience and any upward slopes had to be completely avoided.

Nipped down to the shops later in the wife's RAV 4 and deliberately drove up a steep uncleared road that the Lex wouldn't have looked at with no problem at all. I love rear wheel drive in any other conditions but it's a liability for real life driving on snow/ice. Thank **** it's only for a few days a year!

Gonna have your hands full with any RWD car not just the lexus. Snow button limits the revs i am sure.

let me guess you have summer tires on right? then that is your problem, put the correct tyres on for the conditions ( winter) and u will be fine, I have never had a problem in the snow, even when going over mountain passes with about 5 inches of snow - but then i have winter tires and a fair bit of weight in the boot.

the snow mode works fine as well btw

Fair point re. winter tyres; when I've been in Austria and Norway during the Winter I note that the local Beemers, Mercs and Lexs don't appear to have any problems, although it's also fair to say that the authorities there do a much better job on snow clearance than those in Scotland where a heavy fall always causes chaos!

As I've said though, it's normally only bad enough here to cause problems for a few days a year so it's hard to justify a set of Winter tyres.

Re. the snow control, while it does drop the revs, I have to say that, to me, this made no noticeable difference today to the driveability of the car.

More heavy snow overnight so I borrowed the wife's RAV 4 today. [i]Still[/i] late in getting to work, but this time beacause a neighbour had made the mistake of taking out his Porsche 911 which had inevitably got stuck in the middle of the road in our estate. After we failed to dig it out I ended up towing it clear with the RAV. You just can't win sometimes!

[quote name='Pip' post='334525' date='Feb 28 2006, 11:16 PM']Gonna have your hands full with any RWD car not just the lexus. Snow button limits the revs i am sure.[/quote]

[img]http://www.jiberjaber.org.uk/loc/TCVSC/IS300_DrivingAids7.jpg[/img]

I only had the pleasure of driving the lex 4 times in snow but never found it a problem. Just made sure there was some weight in the boot, never used first gear and never booted the throttle.

Just waiting for the day I have to drive the Monaro home in the snow

Mine's a disaster to drive in the snow. Like fluffy put though, it's more down to the fact that they are the standard 215 tyres and not thin snow tyres.

Oh well, good job I took some of that grit out of the bin down by the bus stop last night.

There was snow in Liverpool last night and this morning.
It usually only comes around christmas and i dont use my car but today i had to get to work.
What a load of bol***ks the IS is in the snow. nearly lost it twice going round corners.

As has been said, only cure for this is winter tyres (I've got 205's), and a couple of concrete blocks in the back. All this thanks to help from the LOC

Makes a massive difference for road work. Still got stuck on my mates's drive in the country this morning though, but that was more because as I was reversing down the long drive, I got out of the tracks in the snow, and ended up with my left wheels on the snowy/muddy verge

This is an expensive option, but is definitely the right thing to do, given that I like the car so much. More sure-footed when it's frosty too!

IanB

[quote name='IanB' post='335010' date='Mar 2 2006, 03:05 PM']As has been said, only cure for this is winter tyres (I've got 215's), and a couple of concrete blocks in the back. All this thanks to help from the LOC

Makes a massive difference for road work. Still got stuck on my mates's drive in the country this morning though, but that was more because as I was reversing down the long drive, I got out of the tracks in the snow, and ended up with my left wheels on the snowy/muddy verge

This is an expensive option, but is definitely the right thing to do, given that I like the car so much. More sure-footed when it's frosty too!

IanB [/quote]
just our if interest do you have snow tyres on 17" wheels or 16"?

I have 16" standard IS rims which I bought specially. My 17" wheels with standard tyres are sitting in the garage waiting for Spring.

IanB

Aberdeen + snow + no (well very little) gritting = Lexus in driveway & me on the bus. More to come by the way. Traffic in Aberdeen grinds to a halt once the snow arrives. Get the bus & you can grab a pint after work !! Good luck getting home.

[quote name='IanB' post='335013' date='Mar 2 2006, 03:10 PM']I have 16" standard IS rims which I bought specially. My 17" wheels with standard tyres are sitting in the garage waiting for Spring.

IanB [/quote]

lucky you!

i considered buying some before christmas but didnt bother. fortunatly here in Sheffield we have had no snow as of yet, just glorious (but cold) sunny days so far, although snow is apparently due tonight.

i just wondered on a clear day with no snow on the roads how to the tyres feel compared to normal summer tyres?

No real bus options out in the sticks, but luckily for me I work at home, mostly

IanB

[quote name='swfcdan' post='335025' date='Mar 2 2006, 03:56 PM']lucky you!

i considered buying some before christmas but didnt bother. fortunatly here in Sheffield we have had no snow as of yet, just glorious (but cold) sunny days so far, although snow is apparently due tonight.

i just wondered on a clear day with no snow on the roads how to the tyres feel compared to normal summer tyres?[/quote]
Much the same as the summer ones in Summer really. They are not as low profile, so the ride is perhaps marginally smoother. The good thing is that winter tyres are made of a different compound that is more supple at lower temperatures. I guess they will wear quicker too, but since I don't really hammer the car in winter, they should last a few years.

Take a look at this Michelin website, for more info

[url="http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_cons_bib_pqr_pne_hvr.jsp"]http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_con...pqr_pne_hvr.jsp[/url]

IanB

for normal use driving a winter tyre willl loose about 2mm of tread in a season ( 5 months ish depending on local conditions) .

you do not need to have winter tires only when it is snowing!! normal tires go hard at about 7C so you are loosing grip as soon as the temp drops.

Over here the michelin Pilot Alpin is regarded as the best winter tyre available, nearly all drop down a wheel size or more eg 17 >15 or 16 as the tyre will be narrower resulting in better grip, I am using the standard 17" 215 wheels for my winter tyres, the ride is slightly better thhan the summer tyres as the tyre is softer.

[quote name='fluff34567' post='335181' date='Mar 3 2006, 08:41 AM']for normal use driving a winter tyre willl loose about 2mm of tread in a season ( 5 months ish depending on local conditions) .

you do not need to have winter tires only when it is snowing!! normal tires go hard at about 7C so you are loosing grip as soon as the temp drops.

Over here the michelin Pilot Alpin is regarded as the best winter tyre available, nearly all drop down a wheel size or more eg 17 >15 or 16 as the tyre will be narrower resulting in better grip, I am using the standard 17" 215 wheels for my winter tyres, the ride is slightly better thhan the summer tyres as the tyre is softer.[/quote]
Hi Rob. Interesting to know about the tyre wear rate. Kind of what I guessed.

The softer rubber also has the effect of making my tyres look under-inflated when parked on bumpy ground, First time I saw it on one tyre I checked the pressure just to be sure, but found it was fine. I run mine at at 33 psi all round which is the doorpost "up to 160 kph" setting for 205/55x16's.

Do you find lower or higher pressures better for snow?

IanB

jus got back from the Gym, it had a dusting of snow in the car park, set of to go home and weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee i went flying round in circles lol. i admit i was giving it some revs as the car park was empty but it did take me by suprise how easy it span.

Hopefully over the next few weeks there wont be much more snow but im definatly going to get som winter tyres for next winter.

Don't start about Lexus IS and snow......... Despite wintertyres lost the back of my car yesterday at no more than 5 mph (roads are very narrow where I live).
Rear wheel touched the kerbstone (and not that hard), what seemed to a job for the refurbisher meant a slightly bigger problem after I tried to drive away the rear wheel didn't follow.......
Car had to be transported and at the garage they found a bent subframe and loads of other damage (so far over 1800 pounds just on parts .

Thing that is most annoying is the fact that the same thing happened to me a few years ago in an Audi and even at higher speed (and at the same place ). Costed me one alloy and a bearing.......

must have been more than 5 mph to bend the frame

unfortunately not, since mine is lowered and I just went over a high speedbump (back slipped away since it was icey) but maybe the backside will gain speed while twisting (wasn't any more than 40 cm.).
Lexus dealer looked at it and told me I found the weekspot of the car. Problem was the tire didn't take any of the impact (this would have dampened it) but the kerbstone hit the rim on one spot of about 5 cm (checked the rim and it was still true!). Dealer told me this happened earlier this winter to a Is200 sport and GS 300 whit exactly the same result!

By the way subframes would have been repairable (would have costed half) but since I wanted to keep Lexus guarantee and am fully insured (and don't want to have welding on such a vital part) I choose not to go this way.....

[b]Direct comparison of new and old IS in snow - New one marginally better but still pretty awful![/b]

Yes, I'm in Aberdeen too and unfortunately Tuesday was the day I opted to put my IS200SE into Lexus for it's 4 year service and had requested the IS250SE courtesy car for the day! Couldn't have picked a worse day weather-wise Had intended to take a long drive in the IS250 but roads were so bad I kept close to home.

Love the new IS, definitely feels a few notches up in quality and build to the old one, but I can confirm its still awful in the snow. Nearly got completely stuck 3 times on roads that were just a bit slushy. But an even bigger shock was when I parked in my snow covered driveway. It has a very slight incline. Parked it with handbrake full on, and in gear. Had just gone inside when neighbour rang bell in a state to alert me that the car had slid down the driveway and was now in middle of road!!

When I got in, I checked and handbrake was definitely full on and car still in gear so it must have just been the weight of the car that allowed it to slide across the icy surface. Scary, and has certainly never happened with my IS200.

Anyway, later in the day I reluctantly dropped off the IS250 and got my car back. Felt like a totally different car - not nearly as substantial. However, when I got back into my own snow covered street, I was immediately able to confirm that - bad as the new IS is in snow - it's marginally better than the old one. I now could not even get my car close to getting up the driveway

[quote name='guitareth' post='335445' date='Mar 4 2006, 01:13 PM'][b]Direct comparison of new and old IS in snow - New one marginally better but still pretty awful![/b]

Yes, I'm in Aberdeen too and unfortunately Tuesday was the day I opted to put my IS200SE into Lexus for it's 4 year service and had requested the IS250SE courtesy car for the day! Couldn't have picked a worse day weather-wise Had intended to take a long drive in the IS250 but roads were so bad I kept close to home.

Love the new IS, definitely feels a few notches up in quality and build to the old one, but I can confirm its still awful in the snow. Nearly got completely stuck 3 times on roads that were just a bit slushy. But an even bigger shock was when I parked in my snow covered driveway. It has a very slight incline. Parked it with handbrake full on, and in gear. Had just gone inside when neighbour rang bell in a state to alert me that the car had slid down the driveway and was now in middle of road!!

When I got in, I checked and handbrake was definitely full on and car still in gear so it must have just been the weight of the car that allowed it to slide across the icy surface. Scary, and has certainly never happened with my IS200.

Anyway, later in the day I reluctantly dropped off the IS250 and got my car back. Felt like a totally different car - not nearly as substantial. However, when I got back into my own snow covered street, I was immediately able to confirm that - bad as the new IS is in snow - it's marginally better than the old one. I now could not even get my car close to getting up the driveway [/quote]
Hi fellow Aberdonian. Funny how the snow is bringing us all out! My drive is blocking up with blown snow at the moment, so I'll be going nowhere today

I suspect your sliding problem with the new IS is caused by the ridiculously wide, low profile, summer tyres it has. They may look cool but are totally unnecessary in my view, and of course they don't grip in snow. My Sportcross was bad enough with 225's at the back.

I havn't driven it yet, but I'm hearing a number of negatives that are putting me off the new IS already. I guess I will try it sometime, but I won't be rushing.

IanB

[quote name='IanB' post='335455' date='Mar 4 2006, 02:03 PM']I havn't driven it yet, but I'm hearing a number of negatives that are putting me off the new IS already. I guess I will try it sometime, but I won't be rushing.
IanB [/quote]
Unless you can afford it - my advice would be don't drive it Cos whatever negative's you've heard, you'll want one! There's really no comparison between the old and new. Putting aside my concerns about it in snow, the new model is a way superior car.

[quote name='guitareth' post='335471' date='Mar 4 2006, 03:18 PM']Unless you can afford it - my advice would be don't drive it Cos whatever negative's you've heard, you'll want one! There's really no comparison between the old and new. Putting aside my concerns about it in snow, the new model is a way superior car.[/quote]
Good advice. To be honest, it's probably not for me at this time anyway, if only because I like my present car too much and plan to run it for a few years yet.

IanB

Interesting to hear from some fellow Aberdonians.

Only 2" more snow last night so clearing the drive wasn't as bad this morning and there has been a bit of a thaw at last although there's still about 2 feet in my back garden.

As the main roads are now clear I'll maybe risk the Lex to work tomorrow. I've stuck with the RAV over the weekend while taking my daughter sledging etc, although reading Guitareth's post maybe the IS would have been a good alternative to a sledge!

Have to admit my Lexus WAS ******* in the snow.I emphasise the word WAS. Driving down the M4 the other night in terrible rain, slowed down to about 45-50mph, hit a freak patch of Hailstones. The Traction Control kicked in, car done a complete 360, and I smashed into the central reservation. Weren't on my own though there were 5 other cars involved. Result was a total write off £11000 damage. The car was a mint condition Graphite Sky 200SE. I was Bloody annoyed I can tell you. The Air Bags didn't even activate. The morale of this story is, get yourselves some decent tyres, and some GAP insurance. I was lucky, I'm with the Liverpool Victoria, got back most of what I paid.
All the best Wayne

[quote name='mally' post='338068' date='Mar 13 2006, 05:41 PM']Have to admit my Lexus WAS ******* in the snow.I emphasise the word WAS. Driving down the M4 the other night in terrible rain, slowed down to about 45-50mph, hit a freak patch of Hailstones. The Traction Control kicked in, car done a complete 360, and I smashed into the central reservation. Weren't on my own though there were 5 other cars involved. Result was a total write off £11000 damage. The car was a mint condition Graphite Sky 200SE. I was Bloody annoyed I can tell you. The Air Bags didn't even activate. The morale of this story is, get yourselves some decent tyres, and some GAP insurance. I was lucky, I'm with the Liverpool Victoria, got back most of what I paid.
All the best Wayne[/quote]
Bad luck Wayne. Driving on hailstones must be a bit like marbles, in which case whatever tyres you fitted would have probably made no difference. Hope you are OK though, and glad to hear the insurance paid up alright.

IanB

hi ian,

I just use 35psi in the winter , but as the temp drops so does the pressure, so do check them every now and then.

we had over 50 cm last saturday in about 10 hours, but the roads were ok, still had to be careful, quite a lot of people had the chains on, trams and buses stopped also, the IS was ok, minor slides on ice but otherwise no probs

[quote name='fluff34567' post='338295' date='Mar 14 2006, 11:07 AM']hi ian,

I just use 35psi in the winter , but as the temp drops so does the pressure, so do check them every now and then.

we had over 50 cm last saturday in about 10 hours, but the roads were ok, still had to be careful, quite a lot of people had the chains on, trams and buses stopped also, the IS was ok, minor slides on ice but otherwise no probs[/quote]
Thanks Rob.

Cheers,
IanB

Thanks for that Ian, got myself a new Is 200 Sport to play with now , better get some better tyres though its still snowing round here. Maybe even buy some new wheels, what would look good on Strathcarron Blue? Any Ideas. All the best Wayne