Previous generation RWD GS300 in the Snow and Winter?

stephenabelson

How does it perform? Does it slip all over the place? Right now I have a Bmw 5 series that is rear wheel drive and does quite well in the snow, it has traction control and is a very heavy car. Anyone have any personal experience of dealing with this car in Wintery places?

wwest

Provided you make judious use of the gas pedal in adverse roadway conditions ANY RWD will be safer, overall, than a FWD or even a F/AWD vehicle. Over-stearing/skidding due to too much torque being applied on an adverse roadway is the most common safety problem with a RWD or R/AWD vehicle. And even at that remember that you can still maintain directional control, correct for and recover from a skid, using the front wheels.

With understearing/plowing in a FWD or F/AWD vehicle all you can do is hang on and pray.

Hint: You could use, judiously/carefully use the rear implemented e-brake to help recover from an understeering/plowing event. That's what the new VSC systems do to recover from incipient understearing/plowing, apply rear braking while dethrottling the engine.

Oh, IMMHO any form of TC, Traction Control, on a RWD or R/AWD vehicle, other than giving the driver heads up about slippery roadway conditions the driver might otherwise be unaware of, isn't worth the powder to blow it to hell. Let it activate and then turn it OFF.

On the other hand driving a FWD or F/AWD vehicle in adverse conditions absent TC is like asking for an early grave.

I owned a 2000 GS300 for only about a year but I wasn't at all displeased with it in any way, the acquisition of our '01 AWD RX300 made it all but useless.

But if I were buying another GS3xx I would make sure it had the V6 w/DFI.

lvandemark

My inlaws had the 2000 GS 300 RWD and it was a great car except it needed snow tires and some weight in the trunk because with just all season tires it was the worst car in snow.