Anybody planning on driving your Z in winter?
 

I'm thinking about getting a new 370, but it would be my only car. In your opinions, could a Z be driven through a midwest winter with snow tires? Guys that have done winter with a 350, how was your experience?

Has anybody priced the standard 18" wheels? I know aftermarket wheels can be cheaper/lighter, but I'm more confident with OEM durability. Ideally, I'd get the 370 with the Sport package and use a set of OEM 18's for snows.

Thoughts?

I live in So Cal, so yes, I will be driving my Z during the winter. As for the midwest or east coast, when I lived there for work, I just avoided driving in general. If i had to drive, id drive my truck. Z doesnt seem like it would handle all that great during inclement conditions.

hahaha all year round.

Snow tires or not, I'd hate to be stuck!

http://www.the370z.com/37772-post64.html

Thanks for the link, dad.

While I wouldn't expect the 370z to plow through deep snow, I would hope that the right tires would make winter bearable.

No, i have a lifted Ford F-250 4x4. This will not be my everyday driver. Man thats some serious snow.

Sucks to be that guy :icon18:!

J/K that's me! DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT drive 370Z in snow. It's lights, it's got way too much power and the tires that it comes with freezes (loses traction) if temp drops below 32 F! Please use public transportation or a beater if you live in a state that gets a lot of snow.

If you really want to drive your Z in snow, I highly suggest you to do the following:

a. Get some really good snow tires.

b. TWO 50lbs sand bags in the trunk.

c. Get some snow driving tips (i.e. slow acceleration, no acceleration during turning, 2nd gear start etc)

I will never drive my Z in the snow, again. Lesson learned.

Hehe, I will be driving my Z in the snow. I drove both my Mustangs in the snow so I have quite a bit of experience with powerful RWD cars and snow. It's not too bad, you just have to be very careful, and hopefully have some pretty decent all seasons at least. I've never driven with snow tires... just good all seasons.

A little light snow isn't that bad. Obviously deep snow is going to be tough and make it more likely for you to get stuck... but if there are only a couple inches on the road and you absolutely have to get somewhere, you should be able to make it!

I'm going to try to drive mine (as in my future Z, wish I had one right now) most of the year. But when it actually snows I'm going with my wife's car and she can stay home (Audi w/ quattro - it would've eaten up that snow in AK370z's pics). I would like to put some 18s with snow tires or all seasons on, but I'm worried they won't fit over the big brakes on the sport package....

Good point on the Sport package brakes. I didn't realize there might be a clearance issue with 18" wheels.

All the time, of course, it doesn't snow here ... or rain for that matter.

I plan to drive through the snow, as the Z is my only car now. In Louisville we hardly ever get snow, but when we do, **** gets crazy here, lol. I plan to use blizzaks, as they worked rather well on my cousin's S2000. We could never do anything extreme in the snow with them, but safe driving technique made things more than possible. I would NOT do it in anything over 2 inches though. 3 maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe if my wife was giving birth and for some god awful reason the Z was the only option.

Yeah, I read somewhere on here and in a magazine the other day that the base 18s don't fit over the sport brakes. Gonna have to get another set of 19s or just have the tires unmounted/mounted every winter

I've driven mine in the snow a few times. Its pretty awful with the stock tires. Hard to get goin but once you're up to speed it does alright. Traction control isn't much help either.

Yes! RWD is much fun in the snow. I'm not kidding!

san deigo here, and all the time...I am buying it to drive, not sit.

ya I live in edmonton canada and drive my G all year round. Get some winter tires and you are fine.

My previous ride was an RX8 with 20" Wheels and Summer Tires and my first bout with the slightest of snow and it became useless and it had weenie power compared to a "Z". Thought it was the most dangerous winter driving ever and had to buy Blizzaks - and $1200 later the car became quite good in snow and ice since it had good weight distribution - in heavy snow it became sort of a snow plow since it was so low. I had an 18 mile drive to work daily and would never risk my life with MI winters.

My current ride is a G37 going into my second winter and last year was a nightmare since the salesman told me I was getting All Seasons and come to find out I ended up with performance tires model (so much for trusting a sales rep in May when there's no snow - that'll never happen again) --- much as others noted there is so much friggin power to the wheels that what they call traction control kicks in and locks down the power to the wheels and makes it worse in many ways than the RX8 - got stuck five times in one day last yr but trying to hold out on the $1200 Blizzaks since I have 5 months left on my lease. It not just getting stuck in your driveway but when it happens in a major intersection and SUVs are flying around ignoring the elements it's cardiac arrest time, or sliding into a rural DEEP ditch and/or getting stranded in the elements during a blizzard --- all of this invokes many WTF moments on your purchase decision - no matter how Cool a vehicle when you find your life at risk and your approaching retirement age it means think twice and plan with the proper tires to match one's climate BEFORE buying/Leasing.

Seriously thinking of a Z fully knowing I need a blizzaks (or similar Winter tire) plan every year to truly survive MI Winters to work. If the Z handles anything like my G37 the waiting power burst it puts out simply locks traction with perf/summer tires in slightest of snow and wetness (I must say that Infinity TC is the screwiest system I've ever had as it robs all power/traction and IMO does the opposite as it = NO TRACTION when it kicks in) but I suspect the Blizzaks would do for the G37 that they did for the RX8 - the RX8 while a fun car to drive was a gas whore at 13mpg with that wankle engine that needs a quart of oil about every month and that's not an exaggeration. The car was a fun drive and I got loads of compliments on it which surprised me but would never buy another with that underpowered gas/oil hog engine.

Been trying to find testimony from Z owners experience with Blizzaks or similar winter tires to see if they do for the Z that they'd done for my RX8. I would not consider any vehicle for winter with Perf/summer tires - I saw a video posting where a guy bought an Audi Q7 Quattro with beautiful custom wheels and perf tires and he demo'd next to ZERO traction as a result.

Northern winters almost demand Blizzaks on sport/perf vehicles though my wife has an 08 Accord Cpe with all seasons and she had next to no problems with traction last winter - the opposite of my G37 which is very unlikely to lease another since while I think it's a sexy car and fast I've never once felt I was in a luxury vehicle as it has some surprisingly cheap components and the BOSE sucks big time compared to the BMW I used to drive with Harmon Kardon - the RX8 also had BOSE and it's got to be the most over-rated sound and sick of finding it in half the vehicles you buy now - my previous AWD BMW sound blew away any BOSE in car sound IMO. I guess I got spoiled with the AWD BMW with All Seasons and suddenly these RD performance vehicles/tires were shockingly dangerous when faced with MI winters.

OK I'm rambling and will vote for Blizzaks or similar for northern Snow/Wet driving from my G37 experience and RX8. (after all the G37 is basically a Z packaged in a sport coupe).:driving:

Man you guys like blizzacks. Try the Michelin alpin pilots. Because they are 100 times better. I know I have driven on both in my G37.

No snow on the ground, no salt on the road, temps above freezing, this car gets driven.

Snow on the ground, salt on the road, temps below freezing, 4WD Ford Expedition ftw.

This is not true. The base 18" wheels DO fit over the sport brakes. I bought another member's 18's to mount my snow tires (Blizzaks) for the limited amount of winter driving I'll do with my 370Z. They fit just fine! In fact, in some markets (Australia?) these are the wheels included with the sport package. Don't believe everything you read in a magazine!

There are some advantages to a sports car in the snow. For one, you have a much better sense of what the traction actually is, which helps you avoid a false sense of security. Here in the northeast, I constantly see upside-down SUV's whose owners had no clue that their speed exceeded traction limits.:eekdance:

The Z's low center of gravity, sensitivity of controls, and stability in corners make it a BETTER daily winter car than most SUV's. Unless you live in a climate with constant snow cover on the roads, the majority of winter driving will give you cold, damp, occasionally slippery conditions, where having better control and feel offered by the Z is a real advantage for everyday driving. Why deprive yourself of this joy because you are afraid of a few days when you MIGHT have issues?

Whether everything you just said is fact or pure conjecture, +1 because it sounded cool!

I drove my 330 ci RWD through the snow every winter. It gets bad out here some times especially since there are so many curvy roads with hills. I got stuck in the snow once coming back home during a blizzard. I had sport tires. I got the winter tires, and I was fine after. I just drive slow and I don't slip at all with the snow tires.

I previously owned an RX-8 too. Very balanced, and as you say, good in the winter with appropriate snow tires. Unfortunately, the Z is not as well balanced, and with so much more power it is much easier to break loose the rear on slippery roads. Having the sport package with limited slip is a real advantage (my RX-8 had LSD too). At least with cars like these you always know what is going on at the road surface.

I do miss the RX-8 for being able to load the rear seats with the in-laws for more ballast in the rear :roflpuke2:

I still have an RX-8 and use Dunlop winter 18's and that car does just fine in the snow. The lack of torque + traction control makes this car pretty easy to drive in the snow. I will likely end up in a 370 for my next car and the first thing I did was check tirerack.com for winter packages as this would be my only car and it says call for infor on the 370. Initally my big worry was that 18s wouldn't fit over the brakes on the sport package but that has been put to rest based on what people on here have said.

That is why a got a DD. My best advice is to get a DD if u are going to buy a new Z or even have a 350.

I was lucky that last winter was pretty mild here and it didn't snow and I drove the 350. This year looks like a different story, crazy state of VA.

All season tires are NO season tires. The Z will do fine in the winter, just be careful with your throttle, and grab some good snows (See: Nokian). Hell, we've ice raced my 350 and I daily my M5 in Rochester/Buffalo weather!

http://www.mturck.com/MikeTurn2-750.jpg

first snow day here in NJ and the Z is in tha garage. honda accord = snow car

let me tell you a story...

I live in the Philly area, worked in King of Prussia which is a pretty booming area (many people know it for the mall). I had a 2007 350Z and we got an unexpected snow, I left work and made it about 1/8 mile until I had to go up the slightest curving hill, after an hour of moving about 3 feet, I put the car in neutral and let it slide back as I was able to spin it back and get it back to my work parking lot. Needless to say I stayed at a hotel that night.

Moral of the story: have plenty of PTO lined up

I live in MN and this will be my first winter with the Z. I have an Astro Cargo van for work and will use it for personal trips when its snowing. but I am considering driving the Z when its not snowing for personal car trips. I am going to pick up a pair of snow tires and my ground rules will basically be at least 24hrs after snowfall with 10% or less chance of precip while I'm out. Also will be based on where I need to go, as some burbs are better at plowing then others in this metro. Snow is on the ground for a solid 4 months however the streets themselves are usually down to the pavement, unless you have to go out of the metro into the sticks. You have to be careful about ice but that is going to be the case no matter what your driving. In some ways its better to be in a car that slips around a lot because you will be driving a lot more cautiously and will be less likely to be caught off guard by it. There is always just has many, if not more 4x4's in the ditches as cars.

Yeah, lowered and studded tires, ready to go! I'm a frikin' snowplow!

Yeah baby, lowered 'n studded tires! I'm a frikkin' snow plow!!

Not me:shakes head:

I'm fortunate to have two other vehicles to drive in the winter.

I would certainly LIKE to have another vehicle. Too bad I can't afford it along with parking...snow tires go back on in a few weeks!

I got about another month till hibernation, i thinks. Then its all honda fit......

Nope, probably not too much.