To drive the 370z in the winter or not

LMBmikeZ

that's an awesome pic! looks like summer time up here...........joking obviously I hope you guys would know that

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m4a1mustang

That happened to me last year... left work with about 1" of snow on the ground. By the time I got home there was about 6"+ on the road and I was having some trouble with plowing. This is in my (then stock ride height) 5.0 so I had more clearance than a Z.

The key takeaway for this area was to close offices early. No one accounted for the rate of snowfall that we had and it created a huge traffic mess.

Normally I don't go anywhere while it's snowing unless I absolutely have to. I know I can get through 4-5" of snow without issue but I don't want to go somewhere when there's 2" on the road only to get stuck in 10" of snow while I'm out. I'll wait for the snow to finish falling and for the main roads to get plowed.

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SouthArk370Z

Should I buy a red Z or a blue Z? Whether or not you drive the Z on snow/ice and what tires to use is pretty personal.

Do you know how to drive on snow and ice? If not, I'd leave it in the garage and get something a little heavier and with narrower tires to drive. From the few minutes of experience I have on snow/ice with my Z, it is NOT a Winter car - real light-weight and the wide tires don't help (kinda reminds me of the early, no-weight-in-the-rear Mustangs), but does OK if you slow down and stick to the rules of driving on slick roads.

If your roads are salted, you're going to have to give it a good bath frequently, especially underneath (as someone else mentioned, not a pleasant job in the cold). Corrosion will be your biggest concern if you know how to drive in Winter (and ppl that don't).

Personally, I try to keep mine in the garage when it snows; mainly because very few ppl around here know how to drive on it and I don't want to get hit. Since I live in S Arkansas, that's not but 2-3 days out of the year and the slick stuff seldom stays on the roads for more than a few hours in sunlight. I have over 12 Winters experience with snow/ice (I'm no expert, but at least know that you don't lock up the brakes and turn the steering wheel to lock when you start sliding towards something heehee) and if I still lived in N Illinois I'd get some decent winter tires, hit the road, and take her to a heated car wash at least twice a week (or pay someone) to rinse off the salt.

YMMV

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SouthArk370Z

I spent a lot of time in N Illinois and, once you learn what you're doing, Winter playing driving can be lots of fun.

Now that I'm in S Arkansas, I have to watch out for the bozos that have no idea how to drive in Summer, much less Winter.

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m4a1mustang

Same thing in NOVA. Lots of winter newbs driving around. Every SUV around here thinks it will stop and turn as well as it can go in snow.

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LMBmikeZ

I love seeing those SUV guys in the ditch!

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SMJane_Again

Great point. Winter driving is all about controlling what you do and minimizing exposure to crazies who think they're invincible when the cold, white stuff falls from the sky as M4A1 mentioned. Driving a Z in the winter just means you have to give yourself a greater margin of safety as it's not going to be quite as good stopping and going as, say, a WRX. Of course, when the snow turns to ice, it doesn't matter if you have 10-wheel drive, if you drive outside what's safe for conditions, you're slidin'. Bottom line, if you are comfortable with the wear and tear produced on the car's exterior in those conditions, and understand that you need to account for you and your surroundings at all times, then why not?

S.

DISCLAIMER: This opinion given from someone not "north of the border" and who probably/obviously doesn't know as much about winter driving as our august Canadian friends, but a lifetime spent driving in ID and CO makes me feel fairly confident that I may have come across inclement conditions a time or three.

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LMBmikeZ

Funny we still haven't had the OP respond in his own thread though........ I still am wondering if he is in Burlington, Ontario! I know that if he is he will have some days when he can't even move his Z, cause if he is in Burlington Ontario he is right on the lake and they get some crazy a$$ snow by the lake especially the south side of it! The Toronto side(north side) gets a little less normally

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DLSTR

The Z is a car and can be driven in winter conditions like any other RWD car. It has limits with ground clearance etc. Like any other. Some days will not be good for it and when its that bad, it might not be good to be in any car to begin with.
My neighbor drives his 911GT3-RS 4.0 in any weather. I asked him about that. With a firm and smiling look - he responded, its a car! I love the German attitude about winter and driving!

spearfish25

I've long advocated for driving your Z in the winter...at least saying it's not stupid to do so if you have winter tires. That being said, last winter and again this winter I'm driving my father-in-law's Explorer. Nothing beats a big heavy 4WD vehicle in the snow. You'll get around fine in the Z with a good set of winter tires. But snow tires just make a bad situation manageable. A Z is no snow demon even with winter tires. I take a lot more comfort knowing I'm in the Explorer and my Z is tucked away from all the winter nastiness.

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KERMIT

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.

gr8-wrx

My Z hasn't seen rain yet...

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KERMIT

Have you washed it?

bigsix

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

nmjaxx9

rain water and hose water is the same thing right?