Driving in winter... (mild 56K warning)

Red__Zed

Def get the suspension and such checked out.
Sorry about what happened.

PapoZalsa

Summer tires + Winter (North) = FAIL

However this Winter has not been friendly to any area even in the South.

Sorry about that but it is not wise at all to drive with Summer tires in those conditions, hopefully no more damage happen to your car.

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370Z Purist

Usually I never have problems. First time for everything, I guess.

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CrownR426

You'll be lucky if you didn't damage your frame!
Glad you're okay!

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christian370z

My bet is that there are some bends in the suspension hardware such as the camber arms or toe control arm. That really stinks though, just one of the perils that need to be respected.

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Jeffblue

I'm sure what happened was scary and i'm glad you're ok, it surely could have been a lot worse.

Your first mistake was not getting a proper winter setup if this is your only car. Your 2nd mistake was leaving your girlfriend's house when it was snowing, since you have summer tires.

I drive my Z in the snow with snow tires, and it gets annoying having idiots come up to me and say 'OMG thats such a bad car in snow, you should really be careful.' but really, its things like this that promote that stereotype that RWD cars are bad in snow and are dangerous. And even more so, its things like this that make my insurance rates high. accidents happen. but every time someone crashes a Z because they turned VDC off or decided to do something stupid, it makes our insurance rates go up.

the car didn't hydroplane. If you've ever walked on a hardwood floor with slippery socks... well thats about as much traction as you have with summer tires in snow. next time, stay over at your girlfriend's house, or just dont' cheap out and buy a proper winter setup if it's your only car.

any money you saved by not getting snow tires, you will spend on repairs.

m4a1mustang

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Jeffblue

wait hold on a second, why was VDC off?

JB1

I was wondering about that as well, but that's what the OP mentioned in his first post

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Jeffblue

i can understand people turning it off to go for a spirited summer drive, but like... to drive in snow....? maybe the tires were slipping so much that VDC wasn't even letting the car move.

EazyD

+1 for ascii art!!

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370Z Purist

When leaving the suburb, it was off. Indeed it was way too slippery to move (this is that kind of snow that melts on the bottom layer and powdery top layer, the worst kind of snow, probably second worst only to black ice or similar). Once I got out of the neighborhood, though, I switched it back on.

Also, earlier I mentioned, the VDC off indicator and the slip indicator light was on after the impact. It was on otherwise.

Although it's foolish to say this now, I rarely, if ever, drive the 370Z out in snow. It just happened to snow when I was leaving. Should definitely take the advice of Jeffblue and either stay over or buy out some Blizzaks.

My friend and I lifted the car up on jacks and could not, for our lives, see anything clearly. One of the links seemed to have been moved, but it was really hard to tell, since we're not exactly trained in this sort of thing. It's so clearly misaligned but I couldn't see anything, he couldn't see anything.

Either way it has to go to a repair shop because this is out of our scope.

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"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

SeattleLion

Since I bought the car last September, I have been amazed that Nissan would sell the stock Z with summer tires. Yes, other ($100+k) sports cars also do that, but the Z is priced to sell to less affluent people, especially young people who might not understand the limits of summer tires or who can't afford another $1,000+ for a set of all weathers or snows.

I am also surprised that Nissan doesn't have a warning with the car that the stock tires become stiff and lose traction when cold and the outside temp is under 50 deg F.

While it is possible to drive in the winter on stock summer tires, it is at best, a big risk. The stock tires are tricky in the summer on wet roads. While they stick to dry pavement, they hydroplane very easily at speed.

I drive my car all year round (except when the snow is on the road). My first "mod" was a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/W Plus tires. They are designed for both speed and safe driving in cold weather and on wet or moderately (less than 3") snowy roads.

Since this forum gets a wide variety of Z owners (age and interest), it is a useful view of the people who buy and drive Z's. Clearly, at least based on our postings, many Z owners drive their cars in all sorts of weather and road conditions. Dealers, at least my dealer, didn't know anything about the limits that the stock tires put on using the car. Nissan also failed to point out this issue.

The Bridgstones are expensive tires. They are not really cheaper than the ultra-high performance all-weather tires. I think it would be a service to all of us for Nissan to install A/W tires on Z's. Those owners who plan to agressively track their cars will buy race tires anyway. We would all be better off an safer year 'round if the cars came with tires that work in winter.

Just my 2 cents.

ChrisSlicks

From the owner's manual.

TIRE EQUIPMENT
SUMMER tires have a tread designed to provide
superior performance on dry pavement. However,
the performance of these tires will be
substantially reduced in snowy and icy conditions.
If you operate your vehicle on snowy or icy
roads, NISSAN recommends the use of MUD &
SNOWor ALL SEASON tires on all four wheels.
Consult a NISSAN dealer for the tire type, size,
speed rating and availability information.
For additional traction on icy roads, studded
tires may be used. However, some U.S. states
and Canadian provinces prohibit their use.
Check local, state and provincial laws before
installing studded tires.

Also

The VDC system is not a substitute .
for winter tires or tire chains on a
snow covered road.

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Jeffblue

+rep

when i got the car, after driving it home and enjoying it a bit, i sat down and browsed the manual. something you should consider before saying that the information was not made available to you.