With the open differential, will snow tires help at all? Does anybody have a Base and snow tires operating successfully with snow accumulation?

Right now, my car will hardly move if there is any snow on the ground. I just don't want to invest in snow tires if they won't help the Base that much.

 

Trust me they will make the car 100% better then a Summer only tire. I don't know what you have on the car now. Also, a LSD is not really a asset in the snow sometimes. It allows both the tires to spin when you are going around a corner and that will cause oversteer fast. My father in law hates LSD's for that very reason. Get some Blizzaks. I have them on me G35. It does better in the snow then my Tundra.

 

+1 on Blizzaks

 

Right now I have the stock summer tires. I understand about the oversteer, and actually, the open diff. has helped several times as far as that is concerned. My problem is that I cannot get momentum in a straight line when snow is on the ground.

One tire will always give way before I can get moving.

 

Snow tires always help. You can't drive the Z on snow or ice without them. VLSD can improve traction, but snow tires alone are adequate and much better than summer tires with VLSD on icy roads. --Spike

 

i would just avoid driving in the snow at all costs, but if you do then some blizzaks are a must

 

The stock tires are absolute crap with water and especially snow. Snow tires will dramatically improve traction and drivability, although I'd still avoid it if possible.

 

Yes they will help tremendously.

 

Don't even think about driving your Z in snow with the stock summer tires. You will become yet another Z owner who crashed and/or totalled their car in the snow.

As for Blizzaks - they are very good snow tires, but the winter siping is only present in the first 50% of tread. After that, they change from a really good snow tire to a really good all-season tire. I did quite a bit of research before buying my snow tires last fall and ended up buying a set of Hankook W300 IceBear tires. These tires have an incredible snow tread, yet are relatively quiet on dry pavement, and handle well.

There are several good options available for you.

 

are thinner tires better than wider tires in the snow?

 

Yes, you are able to cut through the snow. Wider tires will just ride on top of the snow.

 

Yes. Taller profile (i.e., 17" wheel) is better as well. --Spike

 

Yes, get them.

 

exactly

 

Good point. Same is true when going against some resistance (example is driving on an icy upgrade).

- If you have an open-diff (no LSD) and the rear-end starts moving to the side, you can simply keep the power on and turn the steering wheel to maintain control and keep moving forward and straight. It’s how we used to do it in the “olden” days (counter-steering to a skid).

- If you have VLSD, the car shifts power from one rear-driving tire to the other in a manner you cannot predict. Just about the time you have your steering wheel turned correctly to compensate for the rear-end kick-out, the VLSD shifts power to the other rear-tire. You cannot turn LSD off in the Z (pressing the TCS or VDC button does not inactivate VLSD).
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The Z’s TCS (Traction Control System) will all but eliminate the problem that your father-in-law hates (uncontrollable over-steer when power is applied in a turn and traction goes unpredictably to either rear tire with a LSD-equipped car). Z’s equipped with VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) handle this even better.

Of course, that’s a different case than overcoming inertia on snow and ice. In fact it is often necessary to turn TCS (or turn off VDC in vehicles equipped with this) to get moving on icy roads from a stop since TCS kills power once it detects slipping. This has nothing to do with VLSD since that always is ON. When it’s icy, I have to turn VDC (and its companion TCS) off and on depending upon the circumstances. I turn VDC off to get moving, and once moving I turn it back on to prevent drifting on the ice and snow.

--Spike

 

 

Hey, we just has a major snow storm in the Midwest. Isn't that when we always do this thread? Isn't that mandatory... required at this time... necessary...

--Spike

 

i bought some tire cables. they seem to work great when it comes to one to two inches of snow. they are a little tricky to get on at first. but after a few times, you get the hang of it. i paid around $70 for them.

 

Are these the metal ones we used to put on in the 70's? I did this on a Porsche 911 thirty+ years ago, but if I remember correctly, top-speed was limited to like 50 mph. They never came loose, but I always worried about the potential and extreme wheel-well/fender damage. --Spike
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EDIT: They worked just great. But, as you point out, not easy to take on and off. It is an economical solution. In the winter, I only drive 5 miles to and back from work. I wonder...

 

Not to be rude.... But your a crazy to knowingly drive Summer Only Tires in the snow. It's one thing to not realize that you have summer tires and drive in the snow, but you know you have summer tires and you still drive in the snow. Thats beyond foolish.