Question for you more experienced car owners.

nogoodname

the lsd is worth it and the bbk's also


lsd = limited slip deferential
bbk= big brake kit

better braking and no peg legging...one wheel spinning

NotmyGTR

Cost wise, you dont have to look any further than the wheels. Two grand will get you laughed at to get a brand new set of 19" Volks with tires. Plus, Rays made these FOR YOUR CAR. Not like you can get them at your local dealer.

Aero package.....what plans do you have for mods in the future? Lots of nice carbon wings out on the market right now. Front spoiler....are you gonna add a tt set up later on? Cause the front end you get with the aero package will not accomodate an intercooler.

Bigger brakes. Priceless. I dont care if your tracking your car or not. Larger brakes should be welcomed, not questioned.

LSD. Sports car........power to ground is what its all about. Nuf said

SRM. If you are used to heal/toe, than you wont know you have it.

All this typing and replies to the original post...........is the sport package an option with the AT version? Certainly dont need SRM if its an automatic. IDK....My BFF..Jill? Just my $.02

__________________
1996 Skyline GT-R LM fully tuned by Mines/2006 Nissan Titan 5.6 SE Texas Edition/2009 370 Base w Sport Pkg

TheWeatherman

Ohhh, a Minnesotan! I was a Gopher for my undergrad. I'm from Wisconsin, and if you should get the sport package, you WILL have to buy new tires. I was completely stuck in one-half inch of snow here in Wisconsin. Seriously, could not get it to move. I had to wait to get salt under the tires and ahead of me to get rolling. Get the car, get a sport package just because it looks awesome, and people who may buy it from you down the road would probably want that. I would completely agree with getting a winter beater. I know our winters, and the front chin spoiler wouldn't even clear anything with "Winter Weather Advisory" criteria. Winter storm? You're idle no matter your tires. It's just so low to the ground! I love this car though, and as far as winter temperatures.... Mine ran perfectly when it was -15 this past winter. (My FX35 is my snow car.) Get it, but think about getting a spare car for the snow.

Portlis

Well hmm...

I'll be honest with you guys, you've done a great job of "selling" me on the sports package, but an even better job of convincing me that I should probably not get the car in the first place.

It's just not practical for me to own 2 vehicles. I only have 1 garage spot to store my vehicle in, and I'm not going to park a second vehicle outside in the freezing cold that I need to get into every day. Plus moving it around when the snow plow comes around... just not going to happen.

Plus, buying a winter beater is another hassle and cost I don't need. There's going to be a cost associated with buying the vehicle in the first place, and the whole reason I avoid beaters is because of the maintenance they require. No, I'm only interested in a car that I can drive year round. Like I said, I'm simply just sick of my current car, but I don't NEED a new one. My little Mazda 3 only has 37k miles on it and still runs perfectly. I'm absolutely not considering any other vehicle at the moment. Only interested in the Z because I like it. I wouldn't be happy with anything else.

Now, I'd be open to the idea of snow tires completely... but if its still going to get stuck in even a little bit of snow due to the low profile of the car, then I guess it just won't work out.

I'll think about it a bit more I suppose, but its kind of looking like I first need to get out of Minnesota before I can really get an awesome car like this.

jakoye

I would think there would be plenty of reasons to get out of Minnesota! But that's just West Coast bias talkin'. Pay no mind.

As for a Z in the snow, or any RWD sports car, I'd say "don't do it". Last winter was unusually snowy here in Seattle and I slipped and slided my way to white-knuckledom one too many times for my taste in my Mustang. These types of cars just aren't made for inclement weather.

It sucks, but if you need an every day car in a snowy climate, and you can't afford a second car, then I don't think the Z is for you.

__________________
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.

silverpence

I've been driving my 350Z all year round for 4 years now and will do the same with the 370Z. We do get quite a lot of snow here "North of the border" but the roads where I live are usually well plowed reasonably quickly so most of the time driving the Z during winter is not a problem.

Of course the Z is not the best option for winter driving, and front-wheel drive cars like your Mazda or all-wheel drive cars like SUVs and such will obviously handle winter better. But like you I liked the Z and I'm not a winter beater kind of guy either, and I did not let the winter driving issue get in the way of getting the Z as my daily driver 4 years back (I already did have some rear-wheel drive winter driving experience from my teen years though). What do you think people did in snowy regions before front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive cars became quite common? They drove rear-wheel drive cars and did not have all the traction control aids that modern rear-wheel drive cars like the Z get these days. Again front/all-wheel drive cars are better suited for winter driving but rear-wheel drive cars like the Z can be driven during snowy winters too.

With a good set of 4 winter tires (a must), some common sense (e.g. the Z is not an SUV and steep icy hills are not your friend) and some practice on driving a rear-wheel drive car on snowy roads, driving the Z during winter is definitely doable and can be quite enjoyable too (e.g. purposely losing the end of the car a little around empty street corners and letting the traction control system do it's thing can be fun!). The 350Z VDC system is actually very good at keeping you on the road if you happen to give the Z too much power on a slippery road, but you have to remember to turn it off when trying to get going from an unplowed area with a significant amount of snow like a parking lot.

Just my .02 cents

Portlis

I really really appreciate the answer. This is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. I work a late afternoon shift (retail) so I never really need to worry about unplowed roads unless its a super fierce storm. And the area that I live in is extremely flat, so hills are never going to be an issue.

After giving it a bit more thought, I'm really starting to think its not such a bad idea after all. Yeah, i'll fork out a bit of cash for the extra winter tires. That's not a problem. But considering I'd be paying at least 25 grand for any decent vehicle that I'd be ok with anyway, what's an extra 7 grand to get exactly what I want?

Now, I really just need to find a black on black, base model sport automatic for a reasonable cost. All the dealerships in my area are being extremely unhelpful....

silverpence

Glad you can appreciate my take on this. I know what you mean by unhelpful dealers, but don't let this put you down. You just need to find the right one who's willing to get you the car that you're looking for. Good luck with your search!