can u drive a 370z in winter?
 

I'm from toronto where we get a lot of snow, but the roads are paved so sometimes its just slush and a little icy... but i was reading one thread where i heard some guy say that he just puts winter tires on his car and drives it in the winter??! Are u supposed to do that? I'd imagine u'd get stuck in the snow a lot and it would cause rust/damage to your car...

I also wanted to know if adding mods to your car would make the car less valuable when u sell it.

I also saw a pic on the forum of a carbon fiber pillar (near the window frame) and i was wondering if someone could explain to me if that has any function or is it supposed to make the car just look better....

thanks. i know i have a lot of questions, but again, i am new here :hello:

BjjKing

I plan on driving the Z in the winter. I got rid of my truck for the Z, so it's my only car right now.

I got some winter tires (Bridstone Blizzaks) mounted on powdercoated stock rims, we'll see how they do.

http://www.the370z.com/members/schru...intershoes.jpg

1) yes get some winter tires and rim and drive it in the winter. but have a beater for the really bad snow days. I know i lived in Nova scatia and now live in Edmonton and drive my G37S all winter long. just wash it at least once a week to deal with the salt on the roads

2)Depends on the mod but most times you can put the car back to stock sell it then sell the parts separatly.


3) Piller cover is just for looks.

I wouldnt try it unless you want to endup in a ditch somewere

Just by a cheap DD I got a 2000 Civic EX coupe for 5k and its been great and it was in amazing condition

DAN

your not going to mend up in a ditch. drive it just not during t5he big snow stormes.

I thought all 370Z comes with VDC,so when any rear wheel start to slip,the ECU will cut the power to maintain control.?

Yes, all 370Zs come with VDC. Our VDC isn't all that sophisticated, however -- it just cuts the power to the wheels, rather than simply reduce it to a usable level. In any case, I don't think traction will be too big of an issue if you're running proper snow tires like Blizzaks. Personally, I'd be more concerned about ground clearance, considering how low the Z is.

Snow tires is the way to go. I've been to toronto many times in the winter and you guys only have like 2 snow plows for the entire city. Lol.

You might not make it. :D hahahaha

Get a AWD/FWD dd if you can. :) my Z will be hibernating in the snow season.

yeah I am more concerned about clearance rather than anything. My volvo is not nearly as low as the Z is and its terrible in the winter. but i really want a Z but dont now what i'd do in the winter since i'd need a car and dont think i want two right now.

then again i've never had snow tires ever before so, i just use all season tires. :(

I'll let you know how it goes in a couple months. I have my Blizzaks ready to be mounted on my 19" sport rims (had to go the most cost effective route). My guess is that I'll be fine on most days of the winter. The occasional huge blizzard will present some clearance issues though. On those days I'll either take a cab or borrow my in-law's jeep.

Will salt hurt the car? No more than it will any other car. Just be judicious in getting the car rinsed off. I have a yard pesticide sprayer that I plan to fill with water for daily rinses of the car and undercarriage. Oh how I wish I had a hose to use...the woes of living in an apartment.

If you do drive in the salt, keep it frozen outside at night. Worst thing to do is keep cycling it freezing/defrosting in the garage.
Dry/Iced salt doesn't do too much harm, but wet salt will. This is why its most important to wash the car frequently when temps are 30F-35F. If you're in the teens or below, don't even bother washing it. :)

Its not worth it for me to buy winter tires. I would only need really use them driving up to the mountain to go snowboarding. It would be cheaper for me to just rent a car if I had to. I've seen a few Porsches on the mountain so imagine if they can make I should be able to on not so bad days.

LOL. Well, I think there's a slight difference in circumstances between you and the OP, considering you live in Atlanta and he lives in Toronto! That being said, I agree that there's no need for snow tires down here. Like you said, it's just not worth it.

My advice is get an all wheel drive G37.

Yes any kind of non OEM part will depreciate the car... unless you know you can find a mod junkie to buy it when you decide to sell it.

Thanks for the post
 

I don't own a Z but I am in negotiations to buy one. I would have to surrender my Pathfinder so you can imagine how important this post is to me. I would have to drive in the winter. Missouri winters are milder compared to where I grew up (Maryland) but, we typically get rain that turns to ice that turns to snow. Two inches of that stuff is bad. If I get the car, I'd have no choice but to drive it. Fortunately I am a teacher. If it gets bad enough to close school, I don't have to go to work. That usually means I go hiking as my favorite time of year is winter and I love the temp outside to be between 0 and 32. Drives my wife nuts how I can hike for hours wearing a heavy shirt, hat, gloves, and no coat and come home warmer than her. My calendar has three seasons, fall, winter, and fall...

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 ..

NO! The problem with driving in the snow is that your Z has a very low front end and is basically a snow plow with no traction! Could you drive in the winter on days where there is no snow? Sure. But just realize if you get caught out in a snow storm, you are stranded.

I'm not even planning on taking my 370Z out in the winter. My 350Z would be worthless on even 1 inch of snow. Instead of buying snow tires and playing that game, your best bet is to just buy a cheap, used 2nd vehicle which is snow friendly.

A winter beater is nice, if you can afford it. Gotta have the space to keep it and a space to keep your Z protected in the "bad" months. In my state, I used to be able to take a car off the road and insure the one I was driving, but now the state insists that I carry insurance even on the car not driven, which makes this much more expensive to do. For many years I had a '91 Sentra SE-R which was a fantastic winter car with snows and its factory limited slip. Only problem was, the SE-R was more fun to drive than some of the cars I was "protecting"!! I had to eventually upgrade to a Z to get a car that came anywhere near being as much fun to drive!

You will be fine with snow tires in normal winter weather, but watch out for anything over 3-4 inches on the road. Ground clearance will be your biggest issue, so be prepared to be the plow on a few uncleared streets and parking lots here and there. I drove my previous 350Z with Nismo suspension on blizzak tires and got away with it... but did have some issues with the ride height occasionally. I think we all know it's not a great winter car, but you can surely get away with it if you live somewhere in a non-snowbelt.

It's tough
 

I'm from Jersey & last year I rode around all winter (when I was actually able to get my car out of my driveway) with my summer tires. However last year we had a really bad winter. So there would be weeks I wouldn't be able to move my car from the parking spot. I never had issues with clearance when I was actually driving the car . This year I plan on getting some snow tires & a beater for the really bad storms. All you can do. Either that....or get an all year round car which I'm sure you won't!!! :driving::driving:

NECRO THREAD

Really... this thread is 6 years old!!!

:wtf2:


:iagree:

hey at least he searched and didn't start a new thread like them oil threads.. :ugh: :D

...but since it was asked.

The answer is Yes.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1....jpeg~original

u look like me in the winter with a t-shirt. lol

snowy days = warm days.

True... gold star for you!!!

http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbvie...xxxl-49mpx.jpg

:woot: i did it