I am currently looking at the 350Z track pack and the G35 Goupe 6 speed. I am not a fan of storing cars in the winter, in my opinion a car bought is meant to be driven. I know that a rear wheel drive sports car is not the ideal choice for winter however I would like to know what are your experiences with it in the winter if you do drive it. I mean there have to be a few of you that have driven you cars at least a few times a week in snowy climates.

Thanks in advance.

 

The Z with the original equipment Bridgestone tires is pretty much undriveable in snow. I totally agree with you that cars are meant to be driven, not stored, and have been driving rear wheel drive sports cars exclusively for 12 years now. The Z is by far the worst vehicle yet I've tried to drive in snow. But...there is an easy (though somewhat pricey) fix: Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 tires. I would consider them mandatory if you plan on driving the Z in snow consistently. I have driven in snow with both sets of tires and the difference is enormous. The car is very manageable with the Blizzaks. Let's face it, the Z will never be a snowcat, but with the proper shoes on, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be very happy with it as a daily driver in your winter climate.

 

Ditto.

I'll add that even on clear dry roads, if it's cold, the OEM rubber has next to no traction. The worst tires I have ever driven on.

As an example, long ago, in a past life, I had a 1964 Ford Ranchero,(Mustang Pick-Up!) 289, 4 speed. Good power, light weight. Had something like 775/14 inch bias ply non--snow tires, and it had MUCH better traction than my Z.

Yet Bridgestone also makes the LM-22's, which are awesome

 

I got caught in the snow on Christmas day. Like you said, rear-wheel drive is not ideal for snow/ice, but the Z is especially bad. I was doing around 13 mph down a hill, when the @ss came around and we did a 180 into oncoming traffic. Luckily, the anti-lock brakes kicked in and I got some traction, and stopped, approx. 5 feet before a Ford Explorer. Very scary.

Point is, if it's snowing or icy, stay home, it's not worth the chance to f up the Z.

 

I think driving the Z with the summer tires in the winter would be stupid here in Toronto (very slow snow removal at times). I would never drive anything (even FWD) without snow tires in the winter.

So with that being said you guys think it will be ok with Snow Tires right? I mean I doubt I would drive it in the middle of a storm or huge snow fall, but I would like to drive it as much as possible.

 

I think with snow tires on you will be fine under most conditions...I would say the Z with good snow tires is roughly comparable to a FWD car with general all seasons (maybe just a little worse)...you wouldn't want to be in either in the middle of a blizzard, but for tooling around after a storm on snow covered ground, you should make out OK with the proper driving skills.

 

When I purchased my 350Z, I told the dealer to order the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and put them on my car when it arrived. They rolled the cost of the tires into the loan (if that's what you want). The tires that come with the Z are SUMMER tires and they suck. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S are all season tires, and they are super tires.

Info on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ot+Sport+A%2FS