Quick Weather Question
 

Well, I have heard from a lot of people they can't or couldn't even drive the 350Z in the rain because it will spin out of control and is very dangerous. So, I'm just wondering is it also true about the 370Z ?? I mean it rains a lot in Massachusetts and if I can't drive in rain I don't know what to do really. I love the Z a lot and I already planned out my budget, how much I will be putting down, how much it will cost monthly, and also how much I make monthly. I just don't know what I'll do if it can't drive in rain so please give me some feedback about your experiences in rain, snow, and whatever other conditions. Thank you:tiphat:

That's crap. The stock tires seem pretty good in the rain. quit listenng to internet rumors..

Had to drive it once in the rain, no issues.

Thanks for the quick response. Good to hear and it wasn't internet rumors it was my cousin and a friend but they both were probably doing it so I wouldn't get the car, because its a two seater and they say it's not gonna be as fun. I personally love two seaters and can't wait.

Thank you for the quick response also, good to hear. Keep it coming guys.

Rain?????
 

I don't know who you may have spoke to about the 350 or 370 in the rain. Let me reassure you they are incorrect.............. Now in the snow and ice that is another story, And that is the car needs to be put away in the winter. Buy one and enjoy.
:tiphat:

I've driven mine plenty in the rain. It's not a problem as long as you know how to drive. This car has quite a bit of power, but that doesn't mean you have to use it all the time.

Thank you for the response, and also I understand the conditions in snow with all rear wheel drive cars but since I've never had one could you drive in lets say like less then a inch of snow or like lets say there's patches of snow could I drive on them? I know you guys would all suggest not too, but its just a question I got on my mind. I can't wait till I get the car :excited:

Yup, I'm not much of a speedy guy. The reason I like the car so much isn't all about the power it just looks so amazing. Obviously, the power contributes to it but not as much as the looks.

As you suspected, they don't know what they're talking about. Idiot relatives are generally not a good source. The Re050A Bridgesones on the Z (sport packag) are a good all around summer tire..I've found them quite good in the wet.
Info here: Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

:hello::icon18::iagree::icon17::bowrofl::rofl2:

Snow...........
 

Any depth of snow is not good for the Z. The tires are summer only and not meant to be used in a snow condition. BTW: rear wheel drive cars are just as safe and easy to drive in the snow as FWD cars are with the correct A/S tires on them. In fact in some cases they are safer and a lot more fun than FWD cars are. Example: You can power steer RWD cars, but you can not power steer a FWD on snow or ice.
:driving:

I live in Oregon, it rains, a lot. I haven't had any problems in the rain, the snow it isn't as good, but I don't think any RWD sports cars on summer tires are.

Works great in the rain - drove well over 100 miles in the rain on they highway yesterday. Ignore your friends when they are taking hits off the bong....

Having seen the extremely harsh answer above...

Yes, the stock tires with or without the Sport package handle great in rain. I've not had one problem, and I've even gone WOT to see if they'd slip while I was in 1st and 2nd. No slip at all. The VDC didn't even bother turning on. It was pretty heavy rain as well. However, they are summer tires, meant for roads that aren't frozen, so while I will garage my car in the winter, I would imagine it wouldn't make a significant difference unless you were on ice. Or if you were in a foot of snow.

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 :rolleyes:, trust me I drove Z in every kind of rain!

Nah we're just giving him the gears ;P Besides this is the Internet not real life :barf:

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.;)

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'm sorry about being a noob, and I really am. But what is this about a tube of sand and snow tires? What's the sand for I'm confused. Sorry.

Hmmmmm

I've driven in the rain about 20 times so far and had the ***-end slide out on me once --for a millisecond-- before VDC corrected me in a straight line

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. :tup:

Snow!!!
 

Don't worry about the snow as long as ur vehicle is equipped with snow tires. If u don't have a 2nd vehicle I suggest u purchase some

He just means weight over the rear tires.

With my Mustang I used to put four 50 lb bags of rocks in the trunk to help with traction on snow. :tup:

lol... I've had Mustangs too but never hated them enough to put rocks in the trunk. But I did haul a few bags of fill dirt from Home Despot one time. No dirt or rocks will ever go in the Z. :icon17:

LOL, just leave them in their bags and put some tarp down or something. No biggie.

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.)

...its like a tube of Vaseline but more coarse....

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

:icon18::icon18::icon18:

I can't believe that people are actually saying you cant use this car in the rain. Thats hilarious to me!!!!! It boggles my mind. OMG. Does that mean that every 2WD pickup truck with a light *** end and big engine needs to be parked in the rain too?