jackson1628

Since it's an 18 inc wheel, there is no snow tires offer for the wheels, wut should i do?

ndriver

I don't think it is a good idea to get snow tires on a 18"( i don't know the reason ) but you'd probably need to move to either a 17" or a 16" rim during winter to put more rubber.

jackson1628

yea, i know~ i have checked all tire companies, i know there is no Snow tires for 18'. I think i have to move to 16" in winter then~

since i am used to drive an AWD, i duno much abt snow tires. wut brand of snow tire is the best?

ndriver

I live in New England and I drive a RWD with all weather tires, during the snowy winters and I slip and slide quite a bit, with the Z I'll need to get snow tires, the last I checked tirerack did not have anything for the Z.

jackson1628 have you figured out the width for your snow tires ? It was mentioned in an earlier technical section post that a thinner tire is recommended during winter to slice through to the road surface.

fatboydeepak

I think the reason they don't offer snow tires on 18" wheels is because they would just be too expensive, and therefore impractical. There aren't as many people in the market for 16" winter tires as there are for 14", so obviously they'll be more expensive. And 18"ers are even more exclusive. Most people would save money by buying a smaller rim with tires. If I do get a Z, that is what I am *definitely* gonna do, since I would be using it as my daily driver all year around

bobbyz

iTrader: (1)

Yah, but getting smaller rims and tires will cost more then just 18" winter tires because I refuse to go down to 16", so would be looking at 17" rims (or steel wheels) and tires. And you will loose the "look" of the 18's. I'm going to do my best to try to find an 18" tire that will work. Pirelli makes a winter tire in a 235/45/18 which may work on all 4 corners. Anyone know if 235's will work on both a 7.5" and 8" rim?

c350z

For the price of 18'' snow tires you could buy an old beater to drive in that weather and not expose your Z to all the crap.

rai

I'd go to tire rack, you can get the snows mounted on wheels and shipped to your house. I got a set of michillin pilot sport snow(not sure the exact name) for my passat. They are better on dry pavement than a lot of snow tires but a little worse in the snow. This is good if you don't get a lot of snow. The best tires on snow and ice have less grip in dry conditions, since I live in MD it only snows about 6 times a year I do a lot of driving on dry pavement even in the winter.

John

iTrader: (17)

I don't plan on driving my Z in the snow, that's one reason I've decided to keep my Honda Accord as a beater. However, I still need to put a set of M+S' on my OEM rims since my Azenis will never see the snow. Plus having a Quaife makes managing inclement road conditions a breeze (open differentials have to be one of the worst inventions of all time).

bobbyz

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure I agree with not driving the car in the winter. I will not drive it in a snow storm, but I live in Canada dammit. I'm not going to store a Nissan for half a year. Think about it. I have an August build date. So I will get my car most likely some time in October. What, I'm expected to drive it for a month or so and then store it. No chance. The car is made for the winter. Why else would heated seats, block heater, and heated side mirrors offered? I'm spending so much money on this thing to put a smile on my face when I'm driving to work. Enjoy the ride. I Purchased a 1994 Porsche 968 in 1999. I drove it through 2 Canadian winters with only regular maintenence and recently sold it for much more then I purchased it for. I detail my cars weekly and the purchaser said it was the best looking and condition 968 he had seen. Just my 2 cents.

nblancha

The stock tires wont be good in the cold even if there isnt any snow correct? We get maybe 6 snow storms a winter where I live, but for most of them, the roads are already clear by the time I decide to head to work.

jackson1628

no, i dun have another car to drive in the winter, b/c i am trading in my Jag X-Type for the 350z. i think i will get a 16" steel wheel and the snow tires. however, it will loose the look . My friend drives a prelude, he couldn't drive up his own driveway in the winter and he had to park on the side of the road. My other friend drives a 3000GT, and he slide into ppl's garage. This makes me worry driving the 350z, since i have never driven a RWD b4 in winter.

HEUGE

I will be purchasing snow tires for my Enthusiast as well, but Nissan's weird-*** sizing for the standard 17" tires is going to make that a nightmare of sorts due to the tire sizes. I am having a heck of a time finding non-snow tires which are 225/50/17 and 235/50/17. I just hope that Bridgestone starts making a specific "Z"-blizzak (hey blizzak has "z"s in the name) in our sizes.

One of the reasons I chose the enthusiast is that I worry about the Track model for winter use since the Brembo brakes are so huge, there will probably be only a few aftermarket rims/wheels with a smaller 16" or 17" diameter to fit snows that can clear the brakes.

EnthuZ

iTrader: (2)

Winter is around the corner for many of us, and I have a few questions?

Do I need 4 snow tires, or will 2 rears do? I know how important braking is, but with ABS, are front snow tires really necessary?

I'm thinking of having my stock tires swaped for snows on delivery, & put Pilots on 18"s in spring.

What size snow tires would be best on the stock 17" rims?

Any word from TireRack on CHEAP steel rims?

Are the BliZZacks still the best? Michelin offers an Alpina, or something like that, that came out after Bridgestone Blizzacks came to market a few years ago.

Bob Grieve

We usually go to a 16" aftermarket alloy and Bridgestone Blizzaks
I will have to check our tire shack to see what size we are using for the SC430 as it comes with 245/40zr18's from the factory Close to the 350Z)

MikeyDNY

I agree with Bobbyz--why buy a great car and let it sit for 3-4 months a year while you are motoring around in a p.o.s.?? Drive around a $500 beater? Are people serious?

People drive more expensive BMW's and MB's in the winter and strangely enough, the salt does not "eat" through the underbody as some have described. While salt can accelerate rusting throughout the life of the car, how long are people really going to keep it? I know several people who don't care for their cars in the least (washing, etc.) and yet the cars are still on the road (in good condition) 5-10 years later.

I would recommend some different tires though. Contrary to what someone said, winter tires are made for the 18's. Do a search on tirerack for 225/45/18. If people don't want to hassle with sep. winter tires, the michelin pilot sport a/s is supposed to have very good winter traction for an all-season tire while not giving up too much in the dry. It is made in the exact size as the 17's but not the 18's.

ezee

I thought about the track model but went with the enthusiast over this issue. I thought about the mich sport a/s, but didn't want to compromise the car's handling because the only size available is slightly different than stock.

Also, I'm not so worried about salt as much as all the sand they throw down, it's like sandpaper on the paint, it's awful here in Indiana. The salt is pretty bad, too, and with all the potholes, the Rays on the track wouldn't last a week up here.

acid burn

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is a great All Season tire, but if you want great Winter Ice and Snow tires, go with their Pilot Arctic Alpin. Comes in 225/55R17 and is V rated.

MikeyDNY

This is exactly what has been bothering me for the last couple of months! I'm starting to wish I ordered the enthusiast model since I found out that: (1) the cloth seats are great; (2) the bose blows (more than usual); (3) I want the pilot sport a/s but I dont want to reduce to 225/40/18 and 245/40/18.

The pilot sport a/s has a great treadwear rating and if it gives up 5% in the dry, who cares??? Consider the alternative:

Drop $1k on snows-- you have the hassle and expense of storing a second set of tires and getting your tires mounted and demounted a couple times a year. And yeah, I know you can get winter wheels, but I'm not gonna run my z around in 16" steels. Plus snow tires are not good in rain or dry, so why spend that much on tires you need 10-20 days a year?