Lincoln LS in Snow; how good (or bad) is it?

[chalkman]

I have a 95 front wheel drive Riviera; been looking at the LS but have concerns about performance in the snow being RWD. Any feedback on how it handles would be greatly appreciated!

[CGGorman]

That's such a subjective thing to answer... I think the LS handles snow like a champ, but others think it's awful. Good tires are mandatory, though. I've been driving RWD vehicles almost exclusively since I got my license...

[artistek]

Originally Posted by CGGorman

That's such a subjective thing to answer...

Totally agree with CGGorman.

Here is my two cents. I have 2001 LS, I live in Maine. You will need 4 good snow tires for the winter, and it is a great car in the snow. Mind you, you won't be driving thru a foot of snow. But everyday snow covered roads its great. Traction control makes a big difference.

[chalkman]

Originally Posted by artistek

Totally agree with CGGorman.

Here is my two cents. I have 2001 LS, I live in Maine. You will need 4 good snow tires for the winter, and it is a great car in the snow. Mind you, you won't be driving thru a foot of snow. But everyday snow covered roads its great. Traction control makes a big difference.

Thanks to both of you. I live just South of Buffalo in the snowbelt, so this may be an issue. The road crews can definetly do a great job here; they're ready for it, but if big snows are an issue, I have concerns. Suppose to get a decent snow Sun/Mon so I think I'll tell my local dealer we are going out during a big lake effect snow. I should get a good idea then! And he will love me going out with the RWD...

[2000greenlssport]

i live in kc, we get a good amount of snow.

this car preforms better than any other car i have driven in the snow. i dont know what you are looking at, but i have the v8 sport with advance tract. i believe another version of traction control comes standard. its fun because you can whip the ass end around just enough to scare someone then it kicks back straight. my expierence anyway.

[chalkman]

Thanks for everyone's input. Guess I just have to try it for myself to settle my anxiety Images of RWD cars sliding sideways while 3 guys push is a hard thing to get out of my mind! Thanks again. Gary

[danh0ward]

We live in Wisconsin and last winter was my wifes first with a rwd (her nice 02 ls v8) She told me she loves it and the traction control worked great. I was nervious when we bought it due to the fact that she totald her sunfire the previous april (last snow accumulation) and has consistantly had one accident per year witch is also why we decided to get a safer vehical for her. But yes your ls should be great in the snow.

[Iv_z28]

I have to say that my wife's LS V8 on stock rubber handles snow better than my z28 [ls1 camaro]. And IMO that RWD 350hp camaro generally handles snow better than my old FWD Nissan Altima did, which managed a 540degree spin on an icy bridge [and lost both bumpers and airbags in a process]. Of cause when I say "handles", I mean when you actually loose traction and a car starts to drift. Now the tractions limits are all in the rubber.

[TWygant]

I sadly decided to part with my '00 LS Manual Tranny Sport which I've owned since mile 3. Clutch slippage forced me to replace the disk and pressure plate at about 120K miles, but the dealership sent me a pressure plate for a Mustang GT instead of the LS. It's much too late to find that out when the tranny is sitting on the garage floor! The car was never the same (the 'stang pressure plate is much weaker than the original causing MUCH slippage - much more than the actually worn out unit) and I just couldn't see myself dropping the tranny again. I needed a reliable car, and this was no longer it. I was also having A/C problems and other niggling troubles, so it was time to cut losses and run.

Anyway I have an unusable (to me) set of 4 - 16" Alloy wheels with Firestone Winterfire tires just waiting to be installed on another LS. The tires have about 10k miles on them (used 3 seasons - I ran about 3k/year on them) and the wheels look a lot like stock 5 spoke wheels. Although I bought them to use in winter on my LS Sport (which came with the 17" wheels), I don't personally recommend them for an LS Sport owner. The Tire Rack originally recommended this wheel package, but they just don't work well in place of the 17" wheels as the front end glue-on wheel weights typically get knocked off by the brake calipers, causing an out of balance condition. Use them for 16" wheel LS's only.

The set is in great condition, but the wheels that rode on the front last year need rebalancing before use due to the condition described above. I bought them new for $1000 and would like to get $400 for the set of 4. Regional pickup in the Philadelphia/Wilmington DE area only, please. Please contact me at [email protected] if interested. Can send pics.

BTW: If you're a manual tranny LS owner and a D-I-Y person, make certain you get the right pressure plate for the LS! Apparently the parts guide gives the Mustang GT Plate part number as an alternate for the OEM pressure plate. Save yourself a lot of trouble and ensure you get the one specifically made for the LS. The OEM plate has larger dowel pin alignment holes than the "authorized replacement". The ones for the LS are about 5/16" dia and the ones for the 'stang are about 1/4". If you need to break out the drill press, you've got the wrong plate!

I'll really miss my LS!

[CGGorman]

Originally Posted by TWygant

I don't personally recommend them for an LS Sport owner. The Tire Rack originally recommended this wheel package, but they just don't work well in place of the 17" wheels as the front end glue-on wheel weights typically get knocked off by the brake calipers, causing an out of balance condition. Use them for 16" wheel LS's only.

There is no difference in brake calipers between the sport and non-sport cars. There is a difference in pads, but dimensionally they are all the same. Would they work OK if you used clamp-on weights? They're just winter wheels anyway, right?

Sorry to hear of your issues. What did you choose to replace the LS?

[TWygant]

You are right in that there are no differences between the calipers on the various models, but the 1" difference in wheel diameter is the cause of the wheel weight problems. There is very little clearance between the back of the caliper and the inside of the 16" wheel. The wheels I have are alloy wheels with no raised bead at the tire channel, so clamp-on or external weights won't work. They need the raised bead to attach the weights onto. A good tire installer can successfully balance the wheels for the LS, but will need the car to ensure weight clearances are good after installing them. My shop moved the weights toward the center of the wheel slightly, which helped.

My choice to replace the LS was solely based upon an urgent need for reliable wheels (I felt I could no longer really trust my LS) and the money I had to do it. I commute about 22k miles per year, so I use up a car pretty quickly, regardless of the fact that I'm extremely anal in the way I maintain it and keep it spotless. I'll probably get another one in the future. Thanx for asking.

I bought a 2006 Chevy HHR to drive right now. It's not nearly the car my LS was, but at least it's fun, economical, and turns heads.

Originally Posted by CGGorman

There is no difference in brake calipers between the sport and non-sport cars. There is a difference in pads, but dimensionally they are all the same. Would they work OK if you used clamp-on weights? They're just winter wheels anyway, right?

Sorry to hear of your issues. What did you choose to replace the LS?

[MercCougarXR7]

The LS is crap in snow - on stock tires.

You MUST get snow tires if you want to get around safely in the LS.

Once they're on - it's the sweetest thing I've ever driven on icy, snowy roads.

Like Chris, I'm an exclusive rear-wheel driver kind of guy. FWD sucks, even with good snows.