New to 370z and tire comfused?
 

Hi all,
New to the 370z world with a white touring with spt pkg model, wow what a car!

Going through the choices of winter driving with the std 19" wheels. Probably going with the Blizzaks LM60's, being cheaper than the LM32's, and having no real knowledge of any advantages of either. But I see a lot of comments re-changing to 18" from the 19" which would mean new rims also. Not sure I can afford all of the changes, so was hoping for some reassuring comments from people driving the std spt pkg sizes through the winter?

Anybody with help would be greatly appreciated as the weather is changing here pretty quickly now, and there is an offer at one of our local stores for a 4 for 3 deal.

Thanks
Stiggo

I don't think you are going to drive it through ohio snows. Stick with a set of winter tires and switch them in the spring. The advantage to an extra set of rims is its so much easier to change them out. They do say smaller tires are better for grip, but again, I don't see you driving through a ton of snow. Did you get any snow this weekend?

As said above 18s would give you a bit more traction, however how far can you really push the Z in the winter. Another positive to having a second set of wheels you are minimizing chances of damage when remounting tires each winter/summer

To add my thought, you risk rim damage each time you mount and un mount tires.... also, do 18" rims fit over the sport brakes?

Touché

Yes you can. http://www.the370z.com/wheels-tires/...cs-ak370z.html

18" narrow rims will cut through snow much better than wide rims with snow tires. Let me ask you question, what's your ultimate plan with the Z? Are you keeping it 4-5 years or do you think you'll get something else in 2 years?

If keeping it 5 years, def. recommend a nice narrow snow tire setup like mine. Mine has tpms(Bc I'm OCD) but you can have a nice set from tirerack for around $1000-$1200 w/o tpms.

If you're not going to keep the z for long, doesn't make sense to spend 1200-1300 bucks. Just seek other transportation or public transportation during snow days.

We all drive our Z's and G's in ohio winter without issue if you have the proper tire.

18's have nothing to do with it. It's the width of a tire. OEM is 245 front on a 19, I'm running a 285 on a 18...

I only go to shops that use touchless machines. No risk that way.


OP, if you can't afford wheels and tires just go tires. Find a touchless shop and use a tire diameter calculator online to get the front and rear tires close to each other. With your 9" front and 10" rear, safely you can only go as low as 235 front and 255 rear. This will cut the snow and be nice. Again though use the calculator online to find the sidewall height you need for both. Last, the price will also determine what size you buy. For example 275/35 lm60 are cheaper for me than 255/40. While the 255/40 on the front might be better, I'm not going to die using a 275/35 that's still a high performance winter tire.

What is this 'touchless' machine?

Yes they do
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i thought LM60's come in stock sizes. 245/40/19 and 275/35/19? :confused:

that's wat i would run if i had to drive my Z in the winter with 19's and on a very limited budget.

although narrower tires will dig in better though.

A machine that doesn't touch the wheel :tup:

Thanks all for your comments. No snow yet just south of Toledo, but not far away I dont think. I like the rims idea too, but just cant quite manage that extra green back right now, so will stay with the spt pkg sizes with Blizzak LM60's which are the cheapest, and with a 4 for 3 deal not too bad. I'll just have to stay at home during the worst of it...........I am def keeping the 370z for the long term (At least 4 year +) just might have to look for a job further south....:)
Of course I could use the wifes Mazda3Speed in the winter more...............but to be honest is just as bad with the all season tires in the winter even with the front wheel drive. She has trouble getting up a 5 degree driveway into the garage with a sprinkle of snow!! Oh well just drive safe everybody!

I have 19 Sports for both summer and winter. Expensive as I wanted the car to look the same in both seasons. I have Blizzaks LM60 as well for winter. Very aggressive tread pattern for the winter/traction. I have not had any real problems overall in 3 years of winter driving here. I keep a 25kilo sealed bag of road salt in the hatch storage area for additional traction in colder times.

The car is a bit light loaded in the rear and traction is key now that its colder. A colleague at work had to climb a bit of a hill in his Z and used to pack up tools to and place them in the back to negotiate a hill out of his town in the winter.

In the case of your other car, you should get true winter tires for it. FWD with good winter tires is a very capable configuration and should not have much difficulty negotiating a reasonable hill. I have a 12 GTI and it has winter tires on and its fairly unstoppable.

All seasons are simply not good enough for anything at all in terms of winter performance. Very occasional use in the winter in very very light snow might be all they are good for. A true winter tire should make your Mazda a nice winter driver. Id recommend investing there more so than the Z.

Thanks DLSTR. When you say a 25 kilo sealed bag in the hatch storage area, you mean the area behind the seats? Why not in the trunk if the back end is too light?

The reason for me getting the Z was because I used to have a G8, which I really enjoyed also, but only the base 3.7L model, and when I got the Mazdaspeed3 for the wife; she was constantly telling me that she had a faster car and laughing...........well I couldn't take it, driving me mad, so searched the next best option; which in the end is this fab Z......shut her up..........lol. Anyway, she is getting Blizzak LM32's which were cheaper than the LM60's for her size, so she is happy too......

Thanks again

Yes the bag is in the hatch area perfectly positioned over the rear axle. Ive never had an issue before doing that but a touch extra weight in the winter environment is easy to do and good to have.

Glad you are getting the winter tires, proper for the Mazda. They really do work well. My GTI has Conti's and Im amazed at how well it does in snow and the FWD is key. Enjoy the Z and congrats on the purchase of it!!