So who buys a brand new Nismo in WI without checking the weather?
 

This season in WI has been unseasonably dry. It has only really snowed once all winter. So we didn't even think to check the weather. I go to pick my Nismo up and a massive winter storm comes overhead. Things were ok for awhile on the highway, then the rear end came out, luckilly no one was even remotely close to me and there was an off ramp right there.

I'm a very capable snow driver (many years exp) so I got control rather quickly and pulled into the ramp. Barely got up a hill to a Days Inn, and here I am writing this.

I'm very sad my first day owning it turned into this :( Snow has passed and since we live in a very urban area the roads are cleared out. Gonna make a run for it here pretty soon. One thing is CERTAIN. I need blizzaks, soon, very very soon. Those Nismo tires barely get traction on damp roads lol, let alone snow. Also first car I've owned with traction control so that was really messing me up. Kept feeling like I was stalling but I wasn't.

Many embarrassing pics to follow ;)

Definitely Blizzaks.
I got stuck here the winter that I bought the car and had to drive a rental until I got my snow tires. No problems once I put 'em on.

Congrats on the new ride. :tup:

Funny, its 73 here atm. And thundering too! I actually got caught in very heavy snow on the way to visit my mom in NY. It was coming down in KY and they had no snow plows on the road. Spun out my car and went off into the grass. Lesson of the day, never get caught in KY when its snowing!

Atleast you found a Days Inn to stay at and you are okay! :tup:

And yes snow tires are a must if you are going to be driving your Z in the snow.

Yeah, I'm at home now safe and sound. Need to find a car wash though. Even with blizzaks might just drive the malibu in bad weather. This was quite literally blizzard conditions I was driving in. So I would say the car performed admirably considering. If it had been a normal snow fall I think I would have had no trouble at all.

I'll run out at lunch and grab the number off the plaque and register it on the thread. It's like 50 something. As far as I know I'm the first PW '12 Nismo on these forums :D

Nice congrats! :tup:

Grats on the purchase. At least your wheels didn't snap, so that is a plus!

At least you made it home safely. Congrats on the new Nismo!

THanks everyone!

Thats one way to get to know your car actually. Under such conditions its helpful to know how the cars going to handle next time.
Dont feel alone. Id be so anxious to get a brand new Z and totally over-look a hurricane and drive right into her. Idk bring it on!:driving: Ohh wait...this isnt cool. How far is that Days Inn again? lol
Seriously though, glad you got her and you home safe.

Maybe if you sell me your Nismo rims it should help.:tup:

THAT is the absolute truth. The bunch of wankers down here don't have a clue how to plow snow. Believe-it-or-not, a couple of years ago, I saw two plows going along together. The one in front was dropping salt and the one behind him had his blade down. I did a triple-take because I couldn't believe it. I'm originally from only an hour North of KY and the difference is unbelievable.

glad you got home ok. All new Z's come equipped with summer tires. They'll slip on even dry pavement under 40 degrees.

To my surprise blizzaks are cheaper than the tires on the car currently. So I do have a few questions.

1. How do you pull yourself away from driving it. I'm like a crack addict, I'm finding excuses to take it out of the garage.

2. I've never driven a car with this sensitive of a clutch, any tips for shifting smoothly at low speeds.

Other than these, I'm LOVING, the car.

1. I have great difficulty walking past it in the driveway, even on wet days. I'm not the best guy to ask :roflpuke2:

2. It just takes some time to get used to. I remember when I started with my Z, I had to give it a bit more gas to shift smoothly, but that may vary based on whatever you're accustomed to already.

As promised, embarrassing photos. Car is clean now. Went in for a wash and down in my underground parking garage :)

Last 2 photos are chillen at Best Buy (went for an Aux cable for my phone) wasn't washed at that point.

I have a had time trying not to drive my Nismo too. Want to take it to work all the time. But work is not kind to cars.

Here's a thread about the clutch pedal. I did the spring replacement. Makes the clutch so much nicer.

http://www.the370z.com/engine-drivet...er-spring.html

Thanks a lot man. Read through that thread an the other one it linked to. I'll definitely consider it. being out of s mode seems to help a lot with my problems. Mainly the problem I have with shifting is that I feel like I have to rev so much to get a smooth shift up that I'm going to end up in the back of the car in front of me. The car just wants to go. Shifting while maintaining speed or increasing speed very slowly is tough for me. It's been about 5 years since I've driven a clutch but my first 2 cars were manual so I'd like to think I wasn't amateur but maybe I forgot how to use one. I know I never used to have these problems...

If I'm on the highway and accelerating quickly the shifts are very smooth. But when I'm in regular traffic I can't seem to do it right.

Poor nismo. :icon17:

getting stuck in that Snowstorm kind of looks like an adventure. You could have had some fun drifting around the hotel parking lot...

The pearl white looks nice/shiny on your car. Enjoy(!)

I sure could have had fun drifting if I could get the car to move at all. In the morning I had to clear the entire area around it with a shovel just to get it to back up. The highways had entirely cleared up by that point so it was just a matter of getting out of the days inn parking lot.

My clutch was a PITA for the first 5k miles or so, then it eased up quite a bit. You may find it gets better and better as you get a few miles on the car.

Welcome to 370Z ownership! I have a silver 2010 nismo and live in Watertown, WI... Just East of Madison. I'm excited to hear of another 370 nismo in my area. I have NEVER seen one here, ever. I'll keep an eye out for you on the freeway. Definitely check out wisconsinzcrew.com, another great forum. There are some awesome Z cruises during the warm months that are local to our area, you should come along... they're a blast! Let me know if you are ever going to be in the area and want to go for a drive.

BTW... I feel your pain, my Z is parked in the garage for winter, it's so hard not to jump in and drive when I walk past it every day. I have lived here all my life and driven in the snow with many cars... but the Z is terrible IMO in the snow. I hope the Blizzaks or X-Ice tires help!

Hah! awesome, I'll definitely check that website out. You probably won't see me on the highway as I don't go east of Madison very often. I live on the west and all the fun stuff is center/west. I hope the blizzaks help too, I'm going to not do them this season as it's already almost over, but I'll probably nab them near october/november next year for sure. Driving in the winter in madison is ok. It's so urban here that the roads are spotless only hours after a snow. I could probably get away without blizzaks honestly.

I want to keep it pretty like you but I didn't buy the car to not drive it. I'll do my best, but that's all I'm promising to that car. I have never been one to take limitations well. I'm down for a drive whenever. I'm looking for excuses to drive it :) Just let me know when. I work normal business hours. Till we meet!

There is a car in there somewhere! Ive had my old car covered before just like that. And for a floridian, it was kinda interesting! Purposely found a parking lot to slide around in for fun. I do understand why everyone owns a rust bucket for that time of year up north.

I spent 4 years in Madison, myself... when I was in college. I'm very familiar with the city. They do a pretty good job of cleaning the roads up for sure. Just gotta watch out for the massive amount of traffic and students walking around!

It's nearly March and the salt will be off the roads soon, this means I'll be looking for excuses to drive the Z soon, too, I can't ever get enough. PM me if you are interested in coming to check my car out and meet, Hwy 94 was just repaved last year East of Madison... it's an awesome drive to Watertown. I've done quite a few mods on my car already, if you are looking for ideas :) Also, I'd love to see yours (white is an awesome color!). If you do decide to head East, I'm only about a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes from Madison depending on traffic, I'm home most afternoons and weekends too.