fatboydeepak

now that we're in the thick of winter, i would like some solid feedback by people who have been driving their 350z's all winter long. I'm still considering getting a Touring model with traction and LSD, so i want to know is it really safe/recommended to drive this car in the winter (with winter tires of course)? How confident do u feel driving it in slush/sleet/fresh snow? Has anyone driven it this winter and decided to garage it next? I really would appreciate your feedback. I test drove the g35 coupe, and the infiniti dealership said they don't see driving it in the winter as an issue at all. The z is a bit lighter, and has a few more horses, and less clearance too. Are these factors enough to garage it?

qirex

here in NJ they plow and ice the streets really well. As long as its NOT SNOWING - you're okay. Actually, light snow is No prob - (if you must) the real prob is more than 1" or ICE. ON ICE the stock tires spin and spin and spin.

If I werent moving to Cali in 4 months I'd buy some blizzaks....

bfleming

I picked mine up in the snow and drove around on stock tires. Left it home last friday when we got 8" of snow. Drove tonight in light snow with stock tires. Guys from Canada, NE, PA, NJ and midwest say the Blizzaks or Michelin Pilot A/Ss work great in snow on the Z. People say the stock tires are terrible, but I did ok in one to two inches. Like qirex, I don't think the stock tires will run very well in more than an inch or so, but think you'll do fine with snow tires, but probably not as good as a fwd. I grew up in New England and most people in southern NJ couldn't drive with tank tracks on their car in the snow.

fatboydeepak

so how well does the car perform with a good set of winter tires (i.e. blizzaks) in more than 2 inches of snow, or in slushy/icey conditions?

S8ER95Z

Interesting.. tonight my friend came home from Macomb in his FWD Ford Tempo... early 90s car... however we just got a hellish ice/snow mix and he slid everywhere... I on the otherhand drove home with very little complication...

I think a lot of it has to do with the tires..

Im running GoodYear Eagle GSCs (245/50R16) I didnt slide anywhere and only had a few ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulator) instances.

I also drove around in about 2 inches of snow a few weeks ago and watched a FWD Grand Prix slide head on into a tree..

I think the car and traction has less to do with driving in these conditions than the driver. Granted sometimes there will be something you cant control...like stopping on ice.. however driving smart..and slow.. shouldnt be a problem, I doubt stopping on ice is much easier with FWD than it is with RWD. Also if anyone here has experience with OLD school RWD (My first car was a 83 Olds Delta 88 (307 w/ 4bbl)... you wont have issues in the snow. Technology is wonderful!

Z33Fan

I also had an 83 Olds Delta 88 with the 307 and 4bbl. Brown on Brown. I'll bet you (and I) have some great stories to share about your experiences in that car...

justwant1

To answer your question about the blizzaks, snow, and the 350Z, great, simply great. I have the Touring 6MT and put blizzaks on and I haven't had one issue or problem driving around in snow. Ice is a different story, no matter what tires you have, ice is ice and there is no tractions, well besided chains and spikes, but I digress. The blizzaks on the Z are great, so don't let winter driving stop you from getting this wonderful car.

perucho

Let me answer your question using a simple formula:

Z + stock tires + snow = very high chance of crash

S8ER95Z

LMAO... chances are we do Mine got hit by a snowplow.. talk about built like a tank.. of course who doesn't mind a couch on wheels... I miss that car sometimes.

sschmuve

iTrader: (1)

I'm so glad I upgraded from an enthusiast to a touring. The VDC has saved my a$$ a couple of times already. I'm runnin with the Blizzaks, and am now more confident than I was with my FWD Eclipse. I would highly recommend getting the VDC in a winter climate.

Vlad

You won't see it coming till it's too late.

Ice and snow traction is only half a problem with stock tires. Warm weather oriented compound is the other half. It's just not designed to be driven at cold temperatures. Even on perfectly clean road. I thought we had more then enough examples of that. But I see some people prefer to lear only from their own experience...

Vlad

Great! Blizzaks LM-22 are simply amazing tires. I feel as confident with them in snow as on my Mercedes SUV. And better then my FWD Celica GTS on stock tires.

Fresh snow on asfalt - great traction.
Wet snow - great.
Dry snow (not cleaned for a long time road) - good.
Icy/polished snow after plow - reasonably good.

Main idea is to be reasonable for given driving conditions.
Once I wasn't patient enough to drive in long column of slow moving cars on rural road. It was extremely icy, but I desided to pass them all... Guess what? When I started accelerate from 40 to 50, I ended up in the ditch. $85 bucks to get me out with some really minor scratches on the bumper. I see it as price for the lesson... I knew it's not reasonable to drive more than 40, and it's not safe to pass in those conditions... but I was impatient and overconfident... So I got to pay. Glad it was that cheap.

fatboydeepak

was this in your z?

one more question, what is the life of the blizzaks? i do a fair amount of highway driving (about 40 miles to work and back each day), and i take frequent weekend roadtrips. is it true that if i run winter tires like blizzaks when it isn't snowing that will wear the treads out quicker? i've also heard that as long as you run the tires when the temp. is cold, they will last longer.