LOL I was just thining the same thing. I mean, I could say I drive a "sub -1000 hp 370Z" :bowrofl:

about 185 whp.




:tiphat:

Just kidding. ~445 whp, so ~495 bhp assuming 10% drivetrain loss.

I've had a blast in it, but the limitations of FWD become so horrific once you surpass ~220 whp in this car. Definitely a fun car, but now that I actually have some real income coming at me, I want a nicer car that I can actually build up to handle 500 hp and not just spin tires the entire time

Well, my first question ..at the risk of derailing the thread topic ... is "HOW did you do that?"

This

Any rear wheel drive car is limited in ice and snow but if you get the sport package (limited slip diff) real snow tires, keep the VDC (stability control on) and drive with a little good sense you should be ok. My cousin always had rear drive when he lived in Aspen CO. and he had no problems.

You'll love the Z in the other three seasons.

I used to drive a 350ZR all year in here, Canada.

My suggestion is, get a set of very good snow tires. I didn't put sand-bag in the trunk, and it was ok.

The other thing is ground clearance, I got stuck in snow couple times because of that, so be very careful and don't be over optimistic if you see some THICK LAYER of snow.

About the VDC, it is useful, I mean, very very useful.

There were one time my car get onto a huge area of ice on a ramp off from highway, I was going about 30-40km/h and I saw there were two cars had collided together already, and my car was just starting to lose control on the iced-surface, I hit the brake all the way (don't say I shouldn't do that thus lost traction blah blah blah..... at that moment there was nothing you can do beside that) , the VDC engaged and control the brakes individually and eventually I can pull my car away from those vehicles. That time was very very close.

The other time was after I've make a lane change on the HWY and the lane I got on was practically ice-surfaced. My car started to fish-tail, I didn't hit the brake but I hold on to the steering properly, and I just kept my foot steady on the gas. The VDC kicked in again and safe my life another time.

I have snows tires on during winter.

One note, VDC won't get you out of snow, you need to gas the Z out of the snow, but once you have the car moving, the VDC will keep you away from trouble.

The Z can actually drive very good on snow, consider it is a performance car, I can manage the Z about 70-90km/h on a snow covered HWY.

cheers

Haha, well, I'm not sure how much is known about Hondas in general since they're generally disliked by the car community. For those who don't know, the powerplant in the 06-11 Civic SIs is a k20z3. The k series motors are, without a doubt in my mind, some of the best (if not the best) 4 cylinder motors produced. If the Z's V6 is as good for a V6 as the k20 is for a 4 cyl, I will be a very happy guy. Anyways, they flow spectacularly, and are near-bulletproof. So, I slapped on a well-built turbo kit with a precision 5857 turbo. 11 psi later and I'm making about 445 whp. The downside is that only about 220 whp of that is actually useful unless I'm on the highway :rofl2:

And that's good to know about the Z being ok with winter tires. I really do like the Evo, but I feel like I would enjoy having a true sports car more, even if it means half of the year I'm sliding around on winter tires. Decisions, decisions..

If you have experience driving in the snow/ice, have somoe common sense, and are not some random idiot (like the F&F# crowd that buys a Z and wrecks it), you should be ok. Nothing is perfect and murphy is lurking, but I am sure you will do fine if you purchase a Z. I love my NISMO and she handles snow/ice as well as I drive her (I turn into grandma when the weather gets bad I.E. snow/ice/rain). Good luck with your decision.

You are 22..and thinking about a 40K car that you want to modify, and then in the same breath you say you can't afford a beater? See the problem here.

Your priorities are not right.

Its just plain out stupid to not be able to afford downtime etc...when doing something like that. Its just plain stupid to expect to drive a fat tired RWD sports car as your only car in a region that will get consistent snow.

I suggest looking for a 09/10 used model and taking the 10K saved and finding a solid Subaru for your other car. Go non-turbo.

Insure that as your primary vehicle (it won't be too bad compared to a WRX or evo). Z is secondary car. If you mod Z, it breaks, you still have car to get to work etc...

At 22 you should be dreaming about the toys and buying/using something more practical while you establish yourself and grow into success. You can't have it all right away: that will typically lead to bad decision making.

- b

It is about the tires and how you drive. With good all seasons you should be driving slower than the average car. Part of the problem is the width of the tire. A thinner tire is best in winter. If you go with a smaller thinner winter tire, I would think the only issue would be some weight in back and clearance. I had all season conti's on my G coupe and got around in winter just fine for a few years. I just had to understand what I had and how I could drive.

I can imagine! Holy torque steer batman. :icon17:

Anyways, like everyone is saying, the Z is fine in the snow with good snow tires. You are only limited by clearance... so don't expect to drive far in more than 4-5" of fresh snow.

But anything less than that, especially plowed/packed snow, will be no problem for a RWD car with snow tires. :tup:

first thought exactly

Best advice yet

There's quite a few ex-Honda guys running around here, though I'd say the forum as a whole is relatively unfamiliar.


Definitely don't expect a k20 in v6 form from the vq. It is really an unfair comparison---I don't think there's much else out there that compares.

All season, no good during any seasons. It's only mildly retarded instead of full blown then.