Come first snow, mine goes into the aircraft hanger for the winter until the roads are clear and the salt has been washed away next spring. Back to driving the Honda:shakes head:

You will need snow tires. I had an 03 Z and with one inch on the ground I couldn't go too far.

I drive my Z year-round in the Northeast U.S. Having the Limited Slip (sport pkg) and dedicated snow tires makes it possible. A Pathfinder will have better traction, but may not stop or handle any better, especially if using all-season tires. I see a lot of upside-down SUV's when I drive to Vermont ski areas in the winter.

Dedicated snows are the key to true winter happiness with the Z. I would never try to drive the Z in snow without real snow tires. Blizzaks seem to work very well, in the *narrowest* size you can get to fit. Narrow is MUCH better than wide in the snow. So a set of 18" base wheels (see other posts here for examples) are a good idea too, cuz you can get narrower tires on 'em.

There are several types of snows you might consider. The performance snows tend to have much better dry road performance, but for true confidence, you should optimize winter/ice traction, so avoid the performance ones if possible. Blizzak non-performance rubber has dual-tread compound using a multicell technology which really works well on ice (but wears like butter on dry pavement). Unfortunately, I haven't found any of these multicell compounds in the sizes we need. Neither the LM-25 nore LM-60's have it. The alternative is micro-siping, where the manufacturer cuts little slices into the tread all over. The theory is that this exposes lots of little edges of rubber which improve adhesion on ice. I had several sets of Michelin Alpin Ice tires which use this technology, and they are clearly better than standard snows for ice/snow-covered roads. They squirm more on dry pavement, however, and I think stopping distances are longer, so like everything else, it is a trade-off. Nokkian and Gislaved have some expensive tires using this technology as well. Remember that the only thing holding you on the road (regardless of AWD/FWD or RWD) is that little patch of rubber on each corner.

There have been some other threads on this topic. It boils down to using common sense. The Z has about 4-1/2" of ground clearance, and snow can build up in the wheel-wells. It is useful to remove the wheel spats if you do a lot of driving in loose snow. Around here we get maybe 7-8 true snow days with deep snow. These are good days to wait until the roads are plowed before venturing out. Otherwise, just be careful out there.

Hope this helps!

HJM

I also have the Z as my only car, and will also be driving in Toronto winter. Yeah, get some used 18 inch rims, and snow tires and go for it. I'm personally gonna go shopping for my winter wheels and tires in a few weeks. Does anyone have advice regarding which brand of snow tire would work best on the z?

A dealer told me this story...... During a moderate snowfall last winter they needed to move a Z from one lot to another across the highway. It took over an hour, and was not a pleasant experience..........

why is narrow better? u can always change from wide to narrow right? Also, there are some days in toronto where it is just cold and its not snowy, but like another poster said ITT that snow does build up in the wheel wells and makes it difficult to drive. I drive a lot so this is an issue for me... would a beater for the winter be necessary or would u guys think the Z can get u through the harsh toronto winter... for those of u who dont know what toronto winter is like, think buffalo i guess

I'd also like to add that for the winter right now i drive a 2002 volvo V70 station wagon with all season tires and its just enough to get me through the winter.... how will the Z stack up to it?

thanks

with 275s on the rear you will kill yourself in snow

man alot of you guys abviously don't know how to drive in winter. Winter tires and you are good to go. will it be the best thing in the snow no. but you will be fine. just not aon the big storm days but that is just common sence.

I'll let you know how the big storm days go...I may have no choice. Also, my job necessitates middle of the night drives to work which can mean the plows haven't hit the streets yet. This is going to be an interesting Chicago winter!

attach your own plow and go to work...

2 winters ago I drove my new RX-8 in the winter without snows. It was a terrifying winter and I was lucky to live through it. With lesson learned, I picked up snows for this past winter in Toronto...that light little car handled like a snowmobile.
I'll be keeping the RX-8 as my winter car when I pick up the 370Z in spring but will still be getting snows for the 370Z for those days that I do take it out in winter but get surprised with a snow fall.
After experiencing the before and after with the RX-8, I'm not the least bit worried about the 370Z with snows.
I'm sure you'll be fine. Just watch out for drifts & piles left by plows.

Yes you can.

You would think Swedish cars would be great in snow given their origin, but my recent experience would argue otherwise. I learned the hard way that a FWD Saab won't go up steep hills in the winter b/c the "traction control" works by applying the brakes to transfer the torque to the side with more grip. Good in theory, but going uphill by applying the brakes... not. so. much.

Anyway, narrower winter tires tend to "cut thru" the snow to the pavement whereas wider tires tend to float on top. Running 225/45-18's all around on stock wheels. Would like to go even narrower. Of course these tires suck on dry pavement, but if it is your only means of transport and you MUST go in snow, it will work fine.

Just my $0.02

HJM

isnt that ironic, i lived in nova scotia and now live in edmonton as well. I'm only driving my Z for the first part of the winter. As of Jan 1st it will be in storage since im doing security for the olympics with the army.


To the OP about modding a car. Like this guy said, it depends on the mods. When you sell your car and its modded you wont get even 1/4 what you paid for the aftermarket parts. If you mod the car keep the stock parts and when you are ready to sell...put it back to stock. Thats what i did with my cobalt, kept stock parts and when i was ready to sell, put stock parts back on and then sold the aftermarket parts to my friends and made more money.

To nice to be driven in the the cold , dirty, slushy, gritty, winter. Not to mention some idiot will probably slide into you the first freezing rain. :shakes head: Well good luck with that have a great safe winter ..