what do you drive in the winter

Cunnos

i think a lot of people stated the blizzards are the best wheels

TheWeatherman

The ol' 2009 Infiniti FX35 does the trick in the winter for me. If I had the choice now, I'd do a 4-door Jeep Wrangler, but I'm waiting for the new one to come out with the Pentastar V6. I had no clue I was going to be buying a Z when I bought the Infiniti.

Edit: I think utility, and dollar for dollar, the Jeep Wrangler is one of the best values on the road. The new ones are actually quite livable. They just need some more power and a new automatic transmission. Looks like this problem will be solved shortly. I'd get a used, '07+ Jeep Wrangler if I were you. Great resale, and you can have some utility thrown in as well. They're also quite reliable. My bro has an '09 along with his Jeep SRT8, and both have been quite reliable. Just an opinion.



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Cunnos

Good idea on waiting on the 4 doorJeep Wrangler. I had a 2009 4 door Sahara, such a nice Jeep, only problem was they took the engine out of the Chrysler minivans, modded them a bit for offroad use and then stuck ehm in the new Jeep. Thing had no power which was my major reason for selling it, and also cuz i wanted the Z. Whats the story on the new engine Pentastar they are putting in??

TheWeatherman

Ah ha ha! Check my edited post above.

Oh, and try getting the manual if you want more power in the Wrangler. That's what my bro's is and it can chirp the tires easily in 1st and 2nd. It's a 6-speed. I also can easily get 22 MPGs on the highway with it and about 19 city. That's not too bad. You can buy the new Pentastar Wrangler when it comes out. That should be a nice machine. Apparently, the 2011 has an all-new interior.

Cunnos

Sounds like your brother is a Jeepster, as am I. The SRT-8 is a beast, and I absolutely miss the utility aspect of the Wrangler. You never have to worry about getting stuck or not having enough space. Very dependable especially where I live. I think i might go back and get me an old 97 TJ. I miss the old engines where the torque was there whenever you needed it. Being a new Z owner, i didnt realize how much care the car needed, thats why the Jeep is most likely a good option for me. I can throw crap in the trunk, roof, drive through mud, park anywhere and never worry about it

TheWeatherman

Excellent choice. That should allow you to save up some cash as well for when the Pentastar V6 Jeeps drop. You will probably find yourself driving the Z most of the year. The '97 would make good sense with the 4.0L I6. Make sure you keep a battery tender on the Jeep for when you need it badly. Also, you will find the Z as a "not so useful" utility machine, but 75% of your day-to-day things, the Z should do alright. Just think of if you have to move and need a trailer. There's your Jeep. You need to do a little landscaping? There's your Jeep. Picking up some new furniture? Jeep. Snow? JEEP!

All other times.... Z. I was trying to see if yours had the sport package. Watch out with these Potenzas when the weather gets below 50°. They get a little slippery even on dry roads. That compound on the tire works best when it's warmer. You still can cruise around when it's -20°. Just watch out with those tires. Always keep a battery charger around your garage with the Z in the winter just in case. The battery seems a little weak, though I haven't had a problem with mine. It just sounds worse than my other cars have starting in the winter.

Sidenote: My brother is a total Jeepster. He always has been. The new goal for him is going to be the 2012, redesigned SRT8. It's been caught out testing, so it looks like a go. 6.4L Hemi with 480+ HP and AWD? DROOL. Within this past year, he's made me become a Dodge/Jeep fan with all of the new products they are rolling out. Do some research on that Pentastar. It's quite interesting. That is going to be Chrysler/Fiat's world engine. When they put Multi-Air on it, it's going to be really powerful. THEN, they're going to start putting turbos on it as well. The twin-turbo 3.6 is estimated to have well over 500HP with Multi-Air. It will be one of the engines in the Maseratis. Wow.

Cunnos

yea the ole 4.0 I6 was the best, thing lasted no matter what i dragged it through, mud, water, snow, sand, there is a lot to be said for that engine. It just seems like the Jeep is the perfect compliment for a Z owner, you have one car that is high maintenance and another that you dont have to worry about.

I have the 40th so I think i have everything that the sport has, the only thing my car doesnt have is a Nav. When i store it in a few months im taking the battery out and putting it in my condo so it doesnt die. I also will be putting it up on a lift and increasing the PSI on the tires so they do not get ruined. On a side note, the Potenza tires are not the most reliable in wet conditions, noticed this a few times this year when takes corners on side roads, thank GOD for vdc.

I cannot wait to see what Chrysler puts out on the new Jeep models. I just read the entire article on allpar and it looks like the engines and models are getting many iimprovements that arebadly needed for the Jeep line. Time to start saving! PS---how do you like the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. personally i think the exterior looks like they are moving towards the "minivan 4x4" look like the Lexus and Nissan Murano which i dont like to much, but everything else looks great on the car, especially the interior

rha600

Pentastar engine info
Chrysler's flexible new Pentastar V6 — Autoblog

TheWeatherman

RHA, that Jeep is... Drool. That thing destroys my Z. Trust me, I've tried. Not even close.

rha600

Jeep/Chrysler is also supposed to be coming out with an 8speed auto tranny in 2013 (I think). The "problem" with the SRT is that once you get into the 500hp area guys are having to upgrade the tranny. Of course there are some that have put 15K miles on the stock tranny with 500+ but most seem to have to replace it. The new 6.4 will have the same tranny in it which to me is odd because the tranny we have is the same one that was in all the 55 series MB AMG cars. SL55, S55, CL55... those cars were all 500hp (at the flywheel not the wheels) cars and I'm surprised AMG would cut it that close and not have a beefier transmission.

Thanks! The AWD is a huge bonus coming off the line. My warranty is up in Feb so I'm going to start some little mods on it. CAI, Diablo tune... Should be in the high 12s with just that.

I'm looking to get a Z in a couple months. I'm kind of waiting for the 2011's to hit the lots and see what kind of deal I can get on a 2010 in either the cherry, or if they will put NAV in it for me, a 40th. I'm just trying to decide if I want a 6MT or the 7AT.