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How is your 370z in the snow?

Do you guys even drive it or keep it in the garage? Obviously I'm not going to drive it while there's a snow storm or 5 inches of snow but

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Old 02-18-2012, 09:11 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default How is your 370z in the snow?

Do you guys even drive it or keep it in the garage? Obviously I'm not going to drive it while there's a snow storm or 5 inches of snow but I may need to use the car if it's a couple of inches and/or a day when there is a couple of inches of slush on the roads the day after snowing. I'm probably not going to get the sport package because those tires look like they have zero chance if it were to flurry. Do you guys have a separate set of winter tires?

I am just asking because I am looking to purchase a car in the next couple of months (used of course; preferably certified). I've always wanted a BMW 335i but the cost of ownership is so high especially with all the high maintenance costs when BMW's turbos and in general aren't even that reliable in the first place. That's when I decided on the BMW 328i RWD with a 6MT but they're so hard to find. 99% of them are automatics. So I decided to keep on looking around for alternatives and I never considered a 370z but after watching Top Gear and 5th Gear, it seems to have gotten really good reviews. The looks are stunning and I can see Nissan is gunning for the Cayman S which is a pretty good thing. The only "bad" thing, I'm sure you guys have heard this before, is the loud road noise and lack of rear seating but I don't really mind. The interior is also light years ahead of the 350z.

I'm not a showy person and I've never received a ticket/citation so it's not like I'm going to street race this thing. I'm 22 and I usually drive my parents' 10 year old Volvo S80 so I may need to get used to twice the power. I just graduated college and I've been working 80 hour weeks so I think I may be going through a quarter life crisis. I'll be paying for everything with my own money.
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Old 02-18-2012, 09:19 PM   #2 (permalink)
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its not....

i guess me never driving mine in the snow is not at all helpful to this thread... ok i'll stop talking now...
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Old 02-18-2012, 09:19 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I have a beater for the snow. z is not good in snow
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Old 02-18-2012, 09:22 PM   #4 (permalink)
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My car does great in the winter ... she's always under the cover in my garage lol!

My buddy has winter tires and he says its fine in the winter. I'm pretty sure had a couple salt bags in the back. Plus, this year we barely had any snow in Toronto.
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Old 02-18-2012, 09:24 PM   #5 (permalink)
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i live in the mountians outside denver at 9000ft. The Z is my only car....i put blizzacks on it and its fine....snow isnt the issue, clearance becomes the issue. as long as you are not a moron and drive reasonably in the snow, its just as good as any rear wheel drive car. Which is to say, less good then a front wheel and lesser still from an all wheel.
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Old 02-18-2012, 09:38 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I don't drive my 370z in winter, but I used to drive my 350z all year around.

You need a set of good snow tires, not Hankook, at least Bridgestone or TOYO.

Like steve1ddd said, traction is not really a problem, but clearance is, 2 - 3 inches is not a problem, but more than 5... you gotta be careful.

The VDC is excellent, not only twice I mention in this forum I was benefited from it helping me get out of a crash.

Overall, if you are thinking about driving the Z on snow, I'll say as long as you put on a set of good snow tires, you'll be fine.

A side note to you, if you are going to drive the Z on snow, make sure you will have an under-car wash for it often enough to make sure no salt or dirt stick on the car.
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Old 02-18-2012, 10:23 PM   #7 (permalink)
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There is winter in the northeast? I am still on summer tires, just drove 1500 miles this winter on them.

All jokes aside, get snow tires and you will be unstoppable.
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Old 02-18-2012, 10:28 PM   #8 (permalink)
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I was suprised by how well my Z does in the snow with a set of Blizzaks. For full disclosure I learned and used to deliver pizzas with rear-wheel drive cars when I was in high-school, so I have a lot of experience and confidence in my winter driving ability. As has been said, the clearance is the issue and there is a splashguard just before the front tires that will get ripped off if there is any significant amount of accumulation. The bad news is it costs $400 to replace, but the good news is that it is completely useless as it only covers three bolts. I just remove it in the winter when I put my snow tires on and put it back on in the summer.

As far as stopping and turning, I feel safer in the Z with Blizzaks, VDC and ABS than I did in my Tacomas with all terrain tires. I just don't get up to speed as fast. The Z is my daily driver which I do drive in the snow regularly.
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Old 02-18-2012, 11:44 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cossie1600 View Post
There is winter in the northeast? I am still on summer tires, just drove 1500 miles this winter on them.

All jokes aside, get snow tires and you will be unstoppable.
hey dude, we need the car be Stoppable. LOL
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Old 02-19-2012, 01:04 AM   #10 (permalink)
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not good in the snow at least with sport tirees , i drive it in the winter but if it snow i go to enterprise and rent me a car
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Old 02-19-2012, 01:07 AM   #11 (permalink)
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my 370z is sideways in the snow
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Old 02-19-2012, 01:10 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AWX Z34 View Post
My car does great in the winter ... she's always under the cover in my garage lol!

My buddy has winter tires and he says its fine in the winter. I'm pretty sure had a couple salt bags in the back. Plus, this year we barely had any snow in Toronto.
same here in connecticut we barely had snow , we having temperatures in low 50s and high 40s , its gotta be global warming, loving it cuz i get to drive the z more
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Old 02-19-2012, 01:16 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Don't be an idiot like me and drive your car in the winter on stock tires, i ended up in a pole about a month ago because of that
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Old 02-19-2012, 01:36 AM   #14 (permalink)
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OP,

I literally had this exact same question about a year ago when I was thinking about purchasing a 370z. I thought maybe I could drive it the snow but luckily for me It worked out where I had kept my other car as a winter beater (and it was a beater) and I drove that most of winter .

To answer your question can you drive the z in snow?:

On stock tires, absolutely not. I learned this first hand. This car will not go anywhere on snow or even light ice on stock tires. Do not do this... Extremely dangerous.

If you buy snow tires, yes, I just purchased a set of used blizzaks tires for my Z and I just drove about 2-3 inches of snow just fine. Now for anything like a foot or more I'm not sure because it has not snowed that much here yet.. But yes with the correct tires you can.
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Old 02-19-2012, 02:02 AM   #15 (permalink)
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Snow+VDC Off=Winning
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