Question for Minnesota or Midwest 370z owners
 

After poking around on this site for the past month I finally decide to register and ask a question. I am seriously considering buying a 370z as I have fell completely in love with the vehicle while looking to buy a new/used car and of course I have some questions on winter use of this car.

I know this question has been asked many times as I did do some research on here before asking it. But, I am looking for some more opinions especially after this last winter and snow storms that covered the midwest, specifically Minnesota.

Considering snow tires are a must.. Did you drive you 370z in the winter this year? If so, How well did your 370z fair in the Minnesota or Midwest winter these past couple of months??? (Especially in tough areas around the metro)

I am considering if I should keep my current vehicle (honda civic) as a winter beater and then buy the 370z and swap when the snow really hits. But, If I can avoid the extra costs all together.. well that would just be more convenient. :)

I would really like to hear some opinions from owners that actually experienced driving their Zs this winter. Thanks in advance! :)

Oh and I currently live in Bloomington. (For all you other Minnesotans out there)

Garaged my car for the winter... no idea how it is but I did drive a SUV.

If you got near 2 foot of snow like we did in Chicago then you will not be able to drive the Z even with snow tires. You will just push snow. Other than that if you had snow tires you would be fine.

IMO if you can drive a Civic in the snow, you can drive the Z with snow tires.

Nnnnn, false. :D you really can't drive rwd on bad snow days even with snows.
I too have a pos dd with snow tires for winter.

If I 1) had a Civic already and 2) had an extra garage parking space, I'd have kept it for the winter. You can certainly get by with the Z. However, driving a Z with snow tires takes away all the machismo fun of the car...you might as well be driving a Civic. We also just worked on our Zs yesterday and one of our friends keeps his in the garage all winter. His car looked showroom new underneath while ours were caked with dirt and grime. Would I like to have a perfect looking Z? Sure. It's just not possible with my current living situation. I wouldn't let winter stop you from owning one though...no regrets here!

False back at ya.
I've driven the last two winters with snow tires on the Z.
Remember when ALL cars were RWD?

Screw you I have a better looking detailing cart so there! You can't win. :icon17: ;)

Dude I like in or around the STL area. I havent driven the 370 in snow yet but I had a 350Z before and i just kept all weather tires on it. and i never had a problem. With the VDC system in the car it never slid as long as i drove normal and wasnt trying to crash.

Now the 370 I plan on getting a dedicated set of winter wheels and tires. I also have the option of driving a family suburban if needs be so i think it comes down to how much snow you get. Yeah if there is like 6in on the ground i would leave the Z at home. otherwise get some winter tires or at least some all seasons with light snow rating and go for it. Just make sure you wash the car good especially the underbody afterward to get rid of all the salt and whatever else they put on the roads.

oh and in case you havent see it,this is worth a good top gear laugh and it includes snow.

:roflpuke2: I hate detailing. I like the results, but hate the work. No garage either.

And I keep my stuff in a food cooler. :ugh2:

Having lived in Mound MN (on lake Minnie) for three years, I would advise against driving the Z in snow. I would recommend driving your FWD civic during snow days. Thats what I did.

Some on here will say that "you can do it with snow tires" and you can. That being said, the way the weight is distributed in the Z makes it difficult even with snow tires.

I wouldnt risk it........but thats me.

I live in Michigan and have driven the 370z in the worst snow storms. The car will drive in the snow. Yes, there are better cars to drive in the snow. The civic will be no better than your Z when you have a good set of snow tires. Keep in mind not everyday is a blizzard.

What is "Snow"?

I hope to forget it soon. I will be moving to Phoenix, AZ in about a year.

Thank you for everyone response! It's great hearing ppl opinions. Anyone else have experience to share as well? :)

Very well put. Thank you.

I haven't driven the Z in snow, but did my 2007 G35 with snow tires. I didn't get stuck once in the 3 years of snow. It is low, so if you are smart about not trying to plow through drifts you are good.

Ya like my Civic is fairly low to the ground and it did just find this last winter. Growing up I had Manual Ford Probe GT which was super low to the ground with fat racing tires and I don't ever recall being stuck.

Was the G35 a RWD as well?

Drove my Z all during winter here in Wisconsin. Just having a good set of snow tires made a difference and was in fact better then my 2 previous vehicles (both of which where FWD).

People that say the Z can't be driven in the snow just do not know how to drive in it in the first place.

:iagree:

Also, Cowboy Bebop rules! :rock:

you could drive it in reverse and make it into a fwd car. :icon17:

Driving in the snow and driving in the winter are two different things. You can drive it in the winter when the main roads are plowed, shouldn't be a problem except for those neighborhoods where the city doesn't plow the roads there (like St. Paul), but I'm not experienced with all this summer/winter tire stuff so I can't tell the difference.
It's better off to have a secondary vehicle to use for the days when it's snowing hard and you have to drive home from work or whatever in those conditions.

Ya, the G35 coupe was the same drive line as the 350Z.

Just picked up a 2011 370 Z six speed sport today and plan to drive it next winter w/dedicated snow tires and wheels. My wife drives an 09 G37 sedan w/AT with Michelin snow tires in Iowa winters. Last year was the worst ever. Snow tires on a well balanced vehicle are more controllable than a FWD vehicle but, you need to drive with care. Deep snow is the problem and when you start "plowing" with the front chin spoiler then you got problems. These vehicles are meant to be driven daily in my opinion.

nothing drives better in snow than a 4wd with a real transfer case. picked up a 93 pathfinder for a grand and it beat the hell out of driving my previous 3 rwd vehicles in snow. and it isn't real snow unless it's 6 or more inches.

Im over in North Dakota, and she stayed cozy in the garage all winter...

I wouldn't even pull her out when the weather warmed up.. not till the snow is gone...

I could not imagine my red Z roadster out in the snow! On Saturday I got it out of storage and for a few brief miles I was in heaven! I won't be enjoying it this week with snow on the way but hopefully this weekend it will be dry! With all the rain this week the roads will be salt free at least!

LOL how do you like snowstorm francesco? I'm in green bay and we just got 10 inches our cars won't be coming out for WEEKS

Speak of the Devil!! Good ol' minnesota snow storm at the end of March. Wonderful.

Mn 370 z...
 

My 2010 Z has 6500 miles on her now. I will shut the Z down soon. When the salt and sand starts to coat the roads.

Lets get something together next year :tiphat:

DON'T DO IT!

The Z's paint is CRAP. It'll look like it got stuck in a sand storm after the winter is done. You're crazy if you do it.

Buy a 2000 dollar jeep for the winter and keep the Z nestled in a heated garage ;)

I put mine in the garage for the winter. The one thing I hate that they do here in Iowa, when they predict snow, everybody goes out and put a ton of salt on the roads. That's okay if it snows, but sometimes it misses and you will end up with salt all over your car. The state even uses the brine with beet juice on the roads and that stuff sticks to your car like glue. When it is 10 degrees out, it's hard to go to a car wash and not have your car freeze shut on you unless you have a garage.

Another thing you need to watch out when driving your Z in the winter. I hate in when I am dring down a clear plowed road and the truck in front of me drops a big frozen piece of ice and snow on to the road. Some of those chunks are damn big and can do some real damage.

Live in Burlington WI. After the first year of owning the Z, we decided to keep it in a heated garage during the winter. I found out the hard way that it will plow snow. Scratched up the lower front of the car. Traction was ok, but I don't want to take any work away from the union snow plow drivers here in Racine co.

Light rear-wheel-drive car with MT, touchy clutch, and minimal ground clearance. I live in the central part of the state. As soon as there's snow on the road, my Z's going to get covered and tucked away until it's gone and they've brushed the salt/sand off the roads.

I also live in Iowa and I'll be garaging my Z for the winter. I have a beater 97 Maxima that I'm going to throw some blizzaks on and that should get me through the winter fine. I agree with the others that while you theoretically can drive the Z in the winter, it's just not worth the potential sacrifice of paint, corrosion, etc.

I enjoy driving the Z in the no-snow months, but that enjoyment goes away when I have to pick my way carefully over snow-packed roads. In that case, my GMC Sierra in 4WD with big ol' all-terrain tires is far more fun than the Z would be.

I have a set of Hankook W409 studded going on my roadster this weekend. Don't anticipate a lot of problems. I don't drive to work so if a storm happens I may not drive for a day. Ran my Boxster all winter - key is good rubber.