Anyone Used Is200 In Snow Ice

bikerian · October 1, 2015

I just got a ls200 they see to get bad press winter driving I.e snow

I notice that they seem to want to be in high gear from low speed (i can get 5th and 6th at 40mph

This could explain why a handfull as even in higher gears engine pulls

Is the snow mode just a gymick

Any ideas for winter apart from dont use it lol

The Transporter · October 1, 2015

Decent winter tyres and a bit of weight in the boot..... We have a Scandinavian member who seems to get about ok in the snow. The snow button simply desensitises the throttle a little and alters the gear changes on the auto box.. The IS is no better or no worse than any other rear wheel drive car

J Henderson · October 1, 2015

Decent winter tyres and a bit of weight in the boot.....

This.

I always negotiate the winter months with a large and heavy tool kit strapped-down in the boot. Even on summer tyres it can make a noticeable difference. A shovel and some de-icing salt aren't bad things to keep in there either for some extra weight, plus a warm jacket in case you do get stuck...

As stated, the "Snow" mode just dulls the throttle response, which in theory makes you less likely to spin the wheels. It's possibly more useful on an automatic car than it is on a manual, but personally, I preferred not to use it and trust my ability to control the throttle & clutch on a car that I drove every day, rather than deal with a lethargic pedal that felt unfamiliar...

Also, when setting off in slippery conditions in my IS200, I would actually turn off traction control most of the time as I feel you can often make better progress and build momentum quicker with constant (but controlled) wheel-spin until you find some grip, rather than have the TCS cut-in and kill your momentum.

aly-g · October 2, 2015

My is200 was the only car out of six to get stuck at work a couple of years ago ( the only rwd drive car ) the snow was only 7.5 to 10.0 cm deep....so added weight with 3 bags of sand in the boot , got out of work OK with the help of a few people pushing,

When I got to the road where I live I got stuck again, it has quite a hill so I had to shovel my way about 1/4 mile to my house I was well cream crackered ! The solution I used after that was I kept the sand in the boot if even a snowflake fell or looked like it might and I bought a set of snow chains which I used twice to get me up the hill where I live never got stuck after that.

I just wonder how the is250 will work in snow ? Any want to buy a set of snow chains for a is200 !! .... And I agree with turning traction control and snow button off in conditions of snow if you can't get going.

Allan

P.Lindblom · October 2, 2015

I just wonder how the is250 will work in snow ?

The 250 does a lot better than the 200. I've driven mine through two Swedish winters on 18" Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 winter tires. The VSC won't even let you lose control, but if you get a chance I would suggest going to a snow covered parking lot, turning the traction control off and doing a bunch of skids. That's the best way to learn how your car behaves and how to prevent it from spinning out of control.

bikerian · October 2, 2015

Cheers for the comments guys .I used to have a car called a rover sd1 2.6ltr rwd in 1996 when I was 25 we had some bad winter and I used country lanes where gritters never went never had problem mind you built like a tank .