Quick Weather Question

AK370Z

I have been driving rear wheel drive car for a while and I know they can be dangerous driving in rain. You really have to know some ins and outs of driving RWD in rain. I had really good experience driving both 350Z and 370Z. They are not bad in rain as long as you have the VDC on. I am not sure who started this internet rumors. 370Z with VDC is really great. It'll cut power to wheels as soon as it senses wheel spin. Take a look at this video. Watch from 3:30 mins
YouTube - NIssan 370Z Top Gear Australia Review


With these continuous raining in the jersey shore last few weeks , trust me I drove Z in every kind of rain!

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leepeen

With VDC on, you can drive in rain, but do not accelerate hard, it will make you spin like hell. Without VDC, you simply can't drive in rain.

In contrast to FWD & AWD, RWD vehicle like 370Z is not designed to drive in rain.
If you gonna use 370Z as daily car, it's not going to make you happy.
Make a wise decision for your better future.

2theextreme

Not sure my boss would go for that excuse....."Sorry, boss....my car is rear wheel drive and it's not designed to drive in the rain....so I'm not coming in today."

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molamann

I actually had to use a similar excuse when it snowed while I was living in Oklahoma. Needless to say I had my friend pick me up and drop me off at work for 3 days.

fly yellow

You know there was a time when a majority of the cars out there were RWD and there was no such thing as traction control. People seemed to drive in the rain just fine. This car makes a fine daily driver.

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leepeen

I was comparing RWD's capability in rain to FWD and AWD,
i didn't say that RWD in rain would end up in crash.
Yes, you can drive RWD vehicle in rain, but not as safe as FWD or AWD.

Modshack

You need to learn a little more about car control. Different conditions require different techniques. That statement indicates you're clueless on this..

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SiXK

370Z is not designed to drive in the rain? a 370Z as a daily driver will not make you happy?

Without VDC, you simply can't drive in rain?

wow. I bet I can, although theres no point in turning it off in the rain.

Honestly,... those are some crazy statements. this is a $35-$40K car, no way Nissan expects you to leave it home in the rain. If you are spinning like hell you should learn to not accelerate hard in the rain. drive smart, no car does that well. My 370Z is a daily driver with 7000 miles on it and I live in orlando where its raining almost every afternoon now. NO PROBLEMS in the rain.

Its almost like we are talking about two different cars.

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shadspimp

Hm, I didn't think the topic would be so hard but I went to a dealership the guy showed me how it worked out just FINE in the rain and honestly I could hardly tell the difference.

ZKindaGuy

I'll keep my response simple and to the point.....

m4a1mustang

LOL this car is fine in the rain.

A lot of people are really making this car out to be some monster that's uber difficult to drive under any conditions but dry.

Lets face it... this car has ONLY 332hp. It's not a monster.

It's perfectly civilised for daily driving. Handles like a dream in dry and wet. Obviously I wouldn't want to drive it in the snow but I'm sure it will handle light snow with all seasons just fine.

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Zaku

If you did have to drive one in snow, what kind of wheel and tire would you recommend? Im asking because I only have money for one car and it's gonna be driven year round. Im sure it wont snow too much or just too much DC weather is unpredictable. so what's a good set to have, given that I have been stranded because my civic si wouldn't drive in snow earlier this year during a snowstorm.

jginnane

I'm planning on changing to all-seasons (probably F1-Eagle) as soon as these Yokohama summer treads are gone. I expect worse dry gripping but better rain + snow, as well as much longer tire life and hopefully improved fuel economy.

However. This is not our only car. And I can park this for a day or five if conditions require. So in your circumstance, I might suggest you wait a little while until you can afford the "luxury" of a two-seater.

And if it helps -- now that this "cash for clunkers" law is in effect, I'm moving toward trading the old Yukon (EPA 13mpg) for a Honda Fit or Insight. The Fit, in particular, gives FWD and large carrying space... And will only cost me about 12.5K net. (And being so much cheaper I'd be more likely to drive it in abusive weather conditions.)

ZKindaGuy

No problem in the rain...

For snow:

Just buy four (4) BLIZZACK real or true (NOT M+S) snow tires for the winter and have handy in the garage one (1) 60 lb. tube of sand. A couiple of things to keep in mind:

1. Don't buy any other brand snow tire as BLIZZACKS are the best for the Z.

2. You don't have to use the sand tube in the trunk often at all. I think I used it all of two times before I bought the BLIZZACKS. After the BLIZZACKS went on I didn't need a sand tube at all.

3. Some folks say you only need two (2) snow tires just for the back wheels.....NO! Get snow tires on all four (4) wheels front-and back. It
is just as important to have them on the front where your steering occurs. The back ones are obviouly for traction.

dwhitley0381

I hope to drive ours in the rain one day.. being in Houston, TX it has not rained enough for us to really see how it handles but I am with everyone else... I am sure if your not driving stupid then it will be fine.