The truth is... The z with snow tires will be just fine in snow

We just don't want to expose our nice car to rocks, salt and difficult car wash conditions.

My Z hasn't seen rain yet... :icon17:

Have you washed it?

It's fun to see how well the Germans make cars, then to see that the Japanese can do even better. My Legacy barely slips or slides in snow/ice, even when flicked/provoked to drift. really amazing haha

:icon18: rain water and hose water is the same thing right? :rofl2:

Wouldn't the answer to this depend on where you live? I live in Northern California so no problems using my car as a Dailey driver. Cold weather wouldn't be a show stopper for me but snow might.

yeah where you live def is a huge factor, cali and florida have summer almost year round. So they dont have to get beaters or snow tires :icon17:

do they even sell snow tires in florida?

Drove a RWD Bimmer all year for 7 years.

Drove a 350z all year for 4 years.

I can suggest my opinions to the OP......

But first of all.... where is the OP???




Sometimes I don't understand..... and it happens more and more often....

People will start a thread, asking this and that....

And the first post is also their last post....... :confused:

And then people start argue about their own points and comments.....

And the OP is nowhere...........

I don't really bother to type my suggestion.... since the OP doesn't seem to come back to his own thread anymore..... :icon17:

Great video! Buy a new set of tires and rims. Maybe some all weather car mats, and you should be good to go. They put traction control there for a reason. But, I would never do it and is why I kept my 98 beater winter or crappy weather car. It's up to you, in ohio they still use a salt mixture :shakes head:.

They use salt mixture in all of the midwest? Dammm thought that was in the north states :icon17:

Driving a 370Z in the winter?
 

I currently own a 2010 V8 Camaro stick which I store during the winter and my wife and I tried sharing her car for the first time this year. For the most part it works out but there have been many times I could have used a car while she was at work. I've always been a fan of the 350/370Z and would love to swap my Camaro for a slightly used 370. We don't get an extreme amount of snow and was wondering (with a good set of winter rims and tires) would this be a good idea?

Thanks for any input.

My plan is to drive my 370 in the snow with tires. my friend with a 350z does it and other with a mustang. you will be fine, get some really good tires.

yes a 370z+snow tires= drivable in the snow. Look at Blizzaks. :tup::tiphat:

I've driven the 370Z for the past two winters with Michilen X-ice 2's and dedicated rims. No problem except when the snow gets about 5" deep. Handles better than FWD cars in ice/snow.

This will be helpful.

http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...k-lm-60-a.html

My stock sport rims plus Blizzaks is now my dedicated winter setup. This spring I will get new rims/tires for the rest of the year. It handles the snow amazingly well. Better than a fwd with all-seasons.

Drove live a champ after this 10+ inch snowfall :)
http://www.regalwildlife.com/photos/...-6KBKRHZ-L.jpg

I've been driving my Z this winter and while it's been relatively mild there has been some snow. It's livable in the snow and it handles better than some of the other RWD sports cars I've owned....ie you can make it slide pretty easily but it's fairly predictable in it's handling. I still wouldn't try to take it out with more than about 4" of snow or you're going to be plowing through it.

I do get weird looks from people when I'm out and about in the snow, but with dedicated snow tires (NOT all seasons aka no seasons!) it's a piece of cake if you use some common sense.

FWIW I've had Blizzaks and loved them but they wore poorly for me. Currently I have Dunlop Wintersports and while not quite as aggressive as the Blizzaks in the snow they are much better on dry pavement and are wearing significantly better than the Blizzaks did.

Before I started to read this thread I was expecting the answer to be driving a Z in the winter is a bad idea, glad to see otherwise. Good snow tires, moderate snowfall, winter driving experience and proper driving means it can be done. 2 months until I get my Camaro out of storage and start looking for a Z to replace it.

So when you get the Z does that mean you will not be storing it like you stored the camaro?

it can be done.

just like lambo doors on a civic.

I have plenty of RWD snow driving exp. But it's just not worth the risk to me. For some this might not be an expensive car, but for me it is.

I want this car to last a really long time and stay in great shape. That means no winters. Which sucks because I'm dying to drive it.

I took her out in a bad ice storm with summer tires. Did just fine, but I grew up in Illinois where ice was common driving conditions for winter.

The defrost hardly kept up with the ice coming down:
http://www.the370z.com/members/cdepp...1027-image.jpg

1/4" ice buildup on the headlamps:
http://www.the370z.com/members/cdepp...1026-image.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/cdepp...1024-image.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/cdepp...1021-image.jpg
^Image is actually in focus; just that iced over^

The car handled amazingly well considering

I found the defroster to be barely adequate too on the Z

I had an '07 350Z that I garaged from November through March. It never even saw rain let alone snow. I ended up trading it in since I was barely using it even when the weather was nice because I had another car as a DD. I missed my Z so much that I vowed if I ever got another Z, I would drive it all season and as my DD.

I did get another Z currently owning an '09 370Z Touring which I enjoy daily. Living in CT, the heated seats are great on the many days it gets below freezing here. I have summer performance tires on it (Michelin Pilot Super Sport) and have never had an issue with the back sliding out. Granted, I'm careful more during the winter than in the summer months which I think is a common sense anyway. When it snows m-f, I drive my wife's car to work and take her to work. It's only happened once so far this year.

I suppose that I look at life differently now as a senior citizen as life is too short and days are too precious. Enjoying life for me is not a seasonal thing. Though the Z shouldn't be driven in snow unless you have snow tires, it can be driven and enjoyed in the winter months in all temps. Like anything else, common sense prevails.
:tiphat:

Yes, that's why I posted in this thread to see if was possible. Now you're probably thinking why I don't drive the Camaro in the snow. The Camaro was my dream car and a retirement present to myself and when I bought it I assumed I would drive it until I could no longer drive. 3 years later and I still enjoy the car but it's time to move on. ;)

I just purchased my 370z on the second day of this year. I love this car! I drive it almost everyday with winter tires and I can say it's not as bad as you may think. I drove it back from work two Fridays ago and there was a 60 car pile up because of snow. I'm sure some of you from Canada may have heard of it.
Either way, If you end up driving your Z in the snow, don't turn off traction control...

It doesnt melt snow if thats what you mean. :rofl2:

:tup: well either way congrats on moving onto the Z hope you enjoy it more then the Camaro :tiphat:

There were just too much build up in certain spots on the windshield, leaving annoying spots

When I had my Z, i spent 600 on a 98 honda civic. best decision I made.

just wont be seen driving a 90s civic when i have a 35k+ sports car . thats just me..

So glad I have a older car to drive in the winter. It's not so much driving in the winter that's bad, but all of the dumb people and them messing up your car. I miss driving my Z though....

:rofl2: Up here in canada it is $55k+ by the time you are taxed and good to go! :ugh2: So in the summer months I always drive my Z but in the winter I am still in a beater, for last 3 years I was driving a 99 pathfinder but it crapped out on me at the end of last year. So this year I bought my buddies 91 ACCORD! for cheap, $400 cheap!, and it has been great these first couple winter months :tup: however next year I am going back to an SUV probably 05-08 year range though.....

A Z, open diff and snow, very bad.
A Z with an LSD and snow, much better. But if you have an awd, use that when it snows.

My Z is my DD, even in the winter. But I am fortunate to only live about 2 miles from my job, and I have a job where I can work from home if the weather is really bad. So my commute, even in snowy weather, is reasonably short and through mostly residential areas where the traffic is very light. So for that, easy enough in the Z so long as you pay attention and are mindful of the typical winter driving techniques for a RWD sports car.

But like on a weekend or a trip, if there's winter weather in the forecast I leave the Z in my garage and take our Subaru Outback. ;)

No argument from me that a LSD is superior in the snow, but an open-diff Z isn't that terrible. Mine's just a Touring, so no LSD for me. I've found that even with VDC off, the ABLS does a pretty decent job at preventing one-wheel-snow-peel. It's not perfect, but it works well enough that it's useful.

IMHO, the biggest problem with the Z in the snow isn't the car, it's the tires. No matter how decent of a driver you think you are, summer tires + cold temps + snow = :eekdance:

All that said... when it's really snowing out, I miss my old WRX. Now that was a fun snow car. :tup:

The LSD in teh Z suck anyway. I can spin one tire at will on snow tires

Got mine out today for the first time in two months-I've got a couple of days that it's not going to snow and the lows are only in the 20's so the Z's out and the Ridgeline is going into storage.

So far I've:
-tried to use a key to open the door
-tried to start it with a key
-tried to shift on the column
-tried to use the rear view mirror to back up

Tough going from a truck to the Z & back.

:icon18: