do you feel the same way i do?
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 841
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From: indiana
Originally Posted by Xzero
Seems to me if theres only 3 months of sunlight where you live, you bought the wrong car. You should have gotten a coupe or something thats more sensible for the weather. No arguement intended, please dont get mad, I know the Z is an irresistable car but thats just my 2 cents. I had to think about all these things as well but I get to drive with the top down a least 7 months out of the year so driving a winter beater for 5 months doesn't bother me. I don't need to "look cool" 365/24/7.
Sorry, just cant do it. Salt eats away at the roof,scratches the hell out of your paint, ruins your rims,rusts your undercarridge(where NO-ONE washes),etc. even if you hose off every day or two. Plus tons of gravel. I see my neighbors '08 Eclipse Spyder sitting outside,covered in snow, getting beaten down by all the gravel on the road when he drives it. Makes me cringe. That cars gonna look horrible & beaten in 1 year compared to my '04 which has never been winter driven.
Sorry, just cant do it. Salt eats away at the roof,scratches the hell out of your paint, ruins your rims,rusts your undercarridge(where NO-ONE washes),etc. even if you hose off every day or two. Plus tons of gravel. I see my neighbors '08 Eclipse Spyder sitting outside,covered in snow, getting beaten down by all the gravel on the road when he drives it. Makes me cringe. That cars gonna look horrible & beaten in 1 year compared to my '04 which has never been winter driven.
New Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,337
Likes: 204
From: Edina, Minnesota
Originally Posted by bjr
I call BS on that one. The last car I owned still looked brand new after 10 years of terrible conditions. Just take care of it and it will be fine. If his car looks bad in one year he doesn't know what he is doing.
Same here.I ran a 1990 Mitsubishi Montero to it's rightful/natural death. At 250K miles, the car looked new (and I drove it hard... off-road).
--Spike
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 841
Likes: 9
From: indiana
Originally Posted by Spike100
Even though I live in Frostbite Falls, I never suffer separation anxiety from my Z. It’s my daily drive, and I drive it all year long. Mine is a 2003 Performance model; so it’s 5 years old and there isn’t a spot of rust anywhere and the paint looks new when I clean it up after the winter driving season. The temperature here is very cold in the winter (we go sub-zero frequently), and the DOT dumps literally tons of salt/chemicals on our frozen roadways all winter long (4+ months).
Here is what I do to allow my Z to remain healthy during winter (even when enduring such a hostile environment as Frostbite Falls):
- Frequent washing (at least twice a week) in a wash station that rinses everywhere (the under-carriage is my big concern).
- Occasional (twice during the winter, and once or twice the rest of the year) detailing by a professional to prevent any significant build-up of road chemicals that even find their way into the car’s interior.
- Swap the floor mats (I have summer and winter floor mats) to prevent winter accumulation (and imbedded salt) sitting against the floor all year long.
- No fender rolling at all. Even the most careful job doing this will result in minor breaks in the paint, and the result is rust in a hostile environment (such as Frostbite Falls).
- Dedicated wheels and true snow tires (I’ve used Blizzaks and now have Dunlops) mounted during the winter months. My winter wheels have minimal offset that keep the snow tires well inside the fenders. That setup prevents “sand-blasting” the side of my Z with road debris (all the traction-stuff the DOT lays down during the winter to make roadways safe).
A picture taken today of my car.
Notice the heavy salt/chemical deposit… Not to worry since it washed off completely revealing the Z’s great redline paint on my car. I was planning to take an after picture and post this, but by the time I was home (only 5 miles from the car wash), it looked the same.
A picture of my snow tire (a Dunlop).
I switched this year from Blizzak to Dunlop snow tires because the Dunlop costs less. I think this was a mistake. Both snow tires are very good and grip and stop well, but the Dunlop feels wiggly at highway speed.
BTW: I went all-square (width and overall height) on my snows: 225/55-17” at all four corners. This was an experiment driven by curiosity and the option of allowing rotating the tires. I thought that it would fail on my car (a Performance model with VDC), but it works. With this setup, I am not getting any erratic VDC or TCS engagement.
In warm weather I’m running 18” wheels/summer-performance tires. I tried 19’s”, and loved the look but hated the ride quality.
--Spike
Here is what I do to allow my Z to remain healthy during winter (even when enduring such a hostile environment as Frostbite Falls):
- Frequent washing (at least twice a week) in a wash station that rinses everywhere (the under-carriage is my big concern).
- Occasional (twice during the winter, and once or twice the rest of the year) detailing by a professional to prevent any significant build-up of road chemicals that even find their way into the car’s interior.
- Swap the floor mats (I have summer and winter floor mats) to prevent winter accumulation (and imbedded salt) sitting against the floor all year long.
- No fender rolling at all. Even the most careful job doing this will result in minor breaks in the paint, and the result is rust in a hostile environment (such as Frostbite Falls).
- Dedicated wheels and true snow tires (I’ve used Blizzaks and now have Dunlops) mounted during the winter months. My winter wheels have minimal offset that keep the snow tires well inside the fenders. That setup prevents “sand-blasting” the side of my Z with road debris (all the traction-stuff the DOT lays down during the winter to make roadways safe).
A picture taken today of my car.
Notice the heavy salt/chemical deposit… Not to worry since it washed off completely revealing the Z’s great redline paint on my car. I was planning to take an after picture and post this, but by the time I was home (only 5 miles from the car wash), it looked the same.
A picture of my snow tire (a Dunlop).
I switched this year from Blizzak to Dunlop snow tires because the Dunlop costs less. I think this was a mistake. Both snow tires are very good and grip and stop well, but the Dunlop feels wiggly at highway speed.
BTW: I went all-square (width and overall height) on my snows: 225/55-17” at all four corners. This was an experiment driven by curiosity and the option of allowing rotating the tires. I thought that it would fail on my car (a Performance model with VDC), but it works. With this setup, I am not getting any erratic VDC or TCS engagement.
In warm weather I’m running 18” wheels/summer-performance tires. I tried 19’s”, and loved the look but hated the ride quality.
--Spike
Discount advised me against same size all around. They claimed the ABS may be thrown off. They sold me 225/50/17 front, 225/55/17 rear. I would go for what you did but after I had them for awhile I found a tire size calculator that shows a warning going from 235/50/17 to 225/50/17 in the rear. Never thought to go 225/55/17 all around. I'll have to see if I can find it again and check going from 225/50/17 to 225/55/17 in front and see if there are any warnings. It would be nice to rotate so I can wear them out as a set and change brands when I want. The top winter brand changes around often.
ABS works OK too with your setup??
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,337
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From: Edina, Minnesota
Originally Posted by bjr
I still have those Dunlops on the front of mine. They are very squirmy and I can't wait to get a whole new set of 4 matching Nokians next winter. I can't remember what it was like with 4 Dunlops but with 2 Dunlops and 2 Michelins it just isn't right. Sometimes when the conditions are just right it feels like I am slithering down the road like a snake. Not comforting at 75mph. I don't care if I have plenty of traction or not it feels wrong!
Discount advised me against same size all around. They claimed the ABS may be thrown off. They sold me 225/50/17 front, 225/55/17 rear. I would go for what you did but after I had them for awhile I found a tire size calculator that shows a warning going from 235/50/17 to 225/50/17 in the rear. Never thought to go 225/55/17 all around. I'll have to see if I can find it again and check going from 225/50/17 to 225/55/17 in front and see if there are any warnings. It would be nice to rotate so I can wear them out as a set and change brands when I want. The top winter brand changes around often.
ABS works OK too with your setup??
Discount advised me against same size all around. They claimed the ABS may be thrown off. They sold me 225/50/17 front, 225/55/17 rear. I would go for what you did but after I had them for awhile I found a tire size calculator that shows a warning going from 235/50/17 to 225/50/17 in the rear. Never thought to go 225/55/17 all around. I'll have to see if I can find it again and check going from 225/50/17 to 225/55/17 in front and see if there are any warnings. It would be nice to rotate so I can wear them out as a set and change brands when I want. The top winter brand changes around often.
ABS works OK too with your setup??
Wasn't sure if 225/55-17" all around would work (following Nissan's specs, it should be f 225/50-17" and r 225/55-17"), but mercifully it does.
--Spike
New Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,337
Likes: 204
From: Edina, Minnesota
Originally Posted by bjr
...
jan 16th after its first 100 mile trip though a snow storm after changing to winter shoes
jan 16th after its first 100 mile trip though a snow storm after changing to winter shoes
The best part is Nissan's great paint job cleans-up "to like new."
--Spike
I live in North NJ, and it's a little after midnight right now and I just got home. I've had my Z since December and tonight I was about 40 miles from home and got caught in an ice/snow storm. Stock tires... I just took it easy and had no problems at all... I wouldn't want to do that drive every day, but when it happened it wasn't as near as bad as everybody makes it sound. I've had cars in the past that were much worse on bad roads then this is. I was surprised how well it handled it.
Originally Posted by Xzero
Seems to me if theres only 3 months of sunlight where you live, you bought the wrong car. You should have gotten a coupe or something thats more sensible for the weather. No arguement intended, please dont get mad, I know the Z is an irresistable car but thats just my 2 cents. I had to think about all these things as well but I get to drive with the top down a least 7 months out of the year so driving a winter beater for 5 months doesn't bother me. I don't need to "look cool" 365/24/7.
Sorry, just cant do it. Salt eats away at the roof,scratches the hell out of your paint, ruins your rims,rusts your undercarridge(where NO-ONE washes),etc. even if you hose off every day or two. Plus tons of gravel. I see my neighbors '08 Eclipse Spyder sitting outside,covered in snow, getting beaten down by all the gravel on the road when he drives it. Makes me cringe. That cars gonna look horrible & beaten in 1 year compared to my '04 which has never been winter driven.
Sorry, just cant do it. Salt eats away at the roof,scratches the hell out of your paint, ruins your rims,rusts your undercarridge(where NO-ONE washes),etc. even if you hose off every day or two. Plus tons of gravel. I see my neighbors '08 Eclipse Spyder sitting outside,covered in snow, getting beaten down by all the gravel on the road when he drives it. Makes me cringe. That cars gonna look horrible & beaten in 1 year compared to my '04 which has never been winter driven.
It doesn't need to be sunny to ride with the top down; The temp can be as low as mid 50s to enjoy it IMO. There's only 5 months out of the year that are just too cold to do so.
Driving a car in the winter months will not hurt it if you take care of it the right way. As someone said, they wash it twice a week. Sure, not driving it at all is going to be better, but what's the fun in that?
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 841
Likes: 9
From: indiana
Originally Posted by Spike100
Yes, ABS works well with my setup. In fact Nissan's VDC ties TCS and ABS into the "system." If any of these fail, they (the entire system) fails.
Wasn't sure if 225/55-17" all around would work (following Nissan's specs, it should be f 225/50-17" and r 225/55-17"), but mercifully it does.
--Spike
Wasn't sure if 225/55-17" all around would work (following Nissan's specs, it should be f 225/50-17" and r 225/55-17"), but mercifully it does.
--Spike
going stock 17" size in the front (225/50/17) to 225/55/17 gives a warning that the diameter difference is more than 3% (3.33% to be exact) and could lead to brake failure. Is this a valid concern? I am not really up on changing sizes.
Going stock 17" rear size 235/50/17 to 225/55/17 - what I have now. 1.86% difference, no warnings (seem to remember a brake failure warning when I checked this in '05). Actual speed will be 60mph but spedo will read 58.9.
To try something new for rear. 235/50/17 stock rear vs. 225/50/17 (which would match stock front size). 1.5% difference in diameter. Speedo reads 60.9mph at 60. Pretty small difference, no warnings.
Maybe I can safely try 225/50/17 all the way around?? No failure warnings and same or smaller difference from stock front or rear than your setup so no ABS trouble either?
Anybody know anything about this stuff?
Originally Posted by Spike100
Even though I live in Frostbite Falls.....
even when enduring such a hostile environment as Frostbite Falls .....
(such as Frostbite Falls).....
even when enduring such a hostile environment as Frostbite Falls .....
(such as Frostbite Falls).....
enough with "Frostbite Falls"
I had my car out in the snow moving it from one side of my shop to the other. There is NO WAY IN HE11 I would drive this car in the winter. I could care less about the value. The car is just dangerous. I know snow tires help, but given the power, the lowered suspension, it just isn't worth the hassle..... especially if you have another vehicle or two to drive
The winter makes me apprecaite the warmer temps. It keeps the miles down on the car and gives me a lot of time to work on things with it:
This winters projects:
-New body kit - front and rear bumpers, maybe new sides
-New suspension - Tein monoflex with EDFC, new adjustable endlinks, and Cusco adjustable A-Arms
-New Speaker setup - Wicked CAS rear enclosure with JL sub and PG components in the doors
-New Wheels and tires - Enkei GTC01wheels with Vredestein Sessanta tires
I am a little anxious to try out the new tires
Originally Posted by Spike100
The best part is Nissan's great paint job cleans-up "to like new."
nissan paint is horrible. You look at it wrong and you have swirl marks and chips. Definitely the worst aspect of owning this car IMHO
Originally Posted by Zivman
enough with "Frostbite Falls"
I had my car out in the snow moving it from one side of my shop to the other. There is NO WAY IN HE11 I would drive this car in the winter. I could care less about the value. The car is just dangerous. I know snow tires help, but given the power, the lowered suspension, it just isn't worth the hassle..... especially if you have another vehicle or two to drive
The winter makes me apprecaite the warmer temps. It keeps the miles down on the car and gives me a lot of time to work on things with it:
This winters projects:
-New body kit - front and rear bumpers, maybe new sides
-New suspension - Tein monoflex with EDFC, new adjustable endlinks, and Cusco adjustable A-Arms
-New Speaker setup - Wicked CAS rear enclosure with JL sub and PG components in the doors
-New Wheels and tires - Enkei GTC01wheels with Vredestein Sessanta tires
I am a little anxious to try out the new tires
I had my car out in the snow moving it from one side of my shop to the other. There is NO WAY IN HE11 I would drive this car in the winter. I could care less about the value. The car is just dangerous. I know snow tires help, but given the power, the lowered suspension, it just isn't worth the hassle..... especially if you have another vehicle or two to drive
The winter makes me apprecaite the warmer temps. It keeps the miles down on the car and gives me a lot of time to work on things with it:
This winters projects:
-New body kit - front and rear bumpers, maybe new sides
-New suspension - Tein monoflex with EDFC, new adjustable endlinks, and Cusco adjustable A-Arms
-New Speaker setup - Wicked CAS rear enclosure with JL sub and PG components in the doors
-New Wheels and tires - Enkei GTC01wheels with Vredestein Sessanta tires
I am a little anxious to try out the new tires
looking forward to seeing the new setup. going to the spring meet?
Originally Posted by VQZ33_Jake
+10k
looking forward to seeing the new setup. going to the spring meet?
looking forward to seeing the new setup. going to the spring meet?
oh, and my brother is working on something for my tail lights. basically just a "tint" job, but using some transparent black paint and clear.
If you like my Z, wait till you see my buddy's new G.... it was cool when he bought it but it is basically making a comeback, built bigger & badder
Last edited by Zivman; Feb 10, 2008 at 08:05 PM.
Originally Posted by Zivman
I make the meets I can. My work schedule keeps me from committing to anything.
oh, and my brother is working on something for my tail lights. basically just a "tint" job, but using some transparent black paint and clear.
If you like my Z, wait till you see my buddy's new G.... it was cool when he bought it but it is basically making a comeback, built bigger & badder
Originally Posted by VQZ33_Jake
i cant stand looking at my Z and not being able to drive it becuase of the fact its WINTER! especially when i have a JWT popcharger intake on the way. this **** sucks!
Trying living in the middle east for 18+ months w/o driving your car except for a week on R&R.