dc5s

i never drive a rear wheel car before, and i might get 350z soon(its my only choice)so just ask in advence for help, is it easy to get oversteer at high speed? and are the tires grip? if i really getting the 350z it will be my daily driver only, i dont race or anything and i live in MASS, so how does it do in winter? thank you

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (4)

Read some reviews and you'll find out that the 350Z is very easy to drive. There is just enough understeer to keep idiot drivers out of trouble...as always with higher powered RWD vehicles you can power oversteer the car in turns...but not nearly as easily as other cars.

For winter...DON'T use the stock tires...if you really want to drive it in snow (as I do being it's my only car) get a set of snow tires...they are AMAZING.

cwerdna

I learned to drive on a RWD car (my dad's Chevy Chevette, what POS!) but all the other cars I've driven have been FWD. IMHO, driving the Z is very easy. You shouldn't have any trouble. I'm glad there's no torque steer cuz it's RWD (my Max exhibits it on moderate to heavy throttle).

The only thing that's might take a bit to get used to is how low you are in the road, the high beltline and rear visibility (esp. far back). The rear blind spots I got around by setting my mirrors all the way outwards.

dc5s

ok thx guys

marhot

Interesting question. It depends on what your definition of hard is.

It is easy to maneuver. The handling is excellent. The steering is a little heavy at real low speed, but the handling is excellent at higher speeds. If you do not have experience with RWD it will take a little getting use to because of all the horsepower and low-end torque. You can break the rear loose very easy even at low speed, dry conditions. You’ll need to take it easy for a few days to get the feel for a RWD car. If you’ve only driven FWD cars will take a little adjusting to the Z.

This car is no fun in bad weather, if it will be your daily driver, you MUST invest in snow tires, like BriGuyMax said. My Z is not my daily. I don’t drive it in wet/slick weather winter or summer. My advice is to but a $500 beater for bad weather instead of the winter tire investment. Even if you get snow tires all the way around that doesn’t protect you from some moron who doesn’t know how to drive in the snow from rear-ending you.


PS Your profile states you're located in hell. Sorry to hear that, I'll say a prayer for you.

Hey Ya

lol, sorry that was funny to me. Who needs snow tires in hell anyways?

dc5s

haha, thx man. what i meant hard was like how easy for it to get oversteer, cuz i know RWD is alot easier to get oversteer than FWD, and you are right all i've driven was FWD cars, oh one more thing how reliable is NISSAN? i never own a nissan before but i've seen alot of peopel driving it on the road, so............. anyway thx.

drivenCSZ

iTrader: (2)

if your worried about rear wheel drive, the z was also my first RWD car, and its my daily driver and thats really not a problem... as far as the power + RWD if your worried just make sure you dont get a base cause theres no TCS or LSD, TCS has saved my lots of times in bad weather... and in snow forget about it... just got into a very minor accident yesterday because i lost traction in the snow on the stock tires

Hey Ya

In my limited experience, Nissan has been very reliable. No problems in the 04 z or the 02 maxima. I have a friend with a 90 pickup that he's beat the crap out of and it's still going strong. Answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask. There are people who have bought lemons (don't know any personally) and those who will buy Nissan until their dying days. This is true for nearly all car makes.

Before I went with the Z I did a search for problems and browsed the Repairing forum. Then I considered how happy I'd be if my car had ALL of the "popular" issues mentioned (tire feathering, grease streaks, rattles...). I did the same for other cars and IMHO the problems with the Z were far less than those of most, especially for a first year run (I ended up getting an 04 and have had only a few very minor issues, non-mechanical). Try it out.

Good luck

ajk4

why would he need snow tires in hell? oh no, has it just frozen over??!!!

CelticPride2

dc5s,

I live in MA myself, and I had a lot of the same questions you did before I got the Z. Overall, I haven't found the switch over to RWD that bad. I would suggest taking it easy in the bad weather until you have a better feel for the car's handling. I've seen way too many horror stories here from poeple who didn't respect the car's abilities in bad weather and paid dearly....

As for the snow tire question, I would never consider driving the Z on stock tires in the winter. The stock tires are explicitly designed for warm weather, so when the weather gets cold, they turn hard as a rock...I bought some Blizzaks for the winter time, and they've been excellent so far.

ares

iTrader: (2)

push it, and itll get out of control. drive within its very broad limits, and you wont know the difference.

dc5s

sorry to hear that my friend, hope you are ok. thx guys , u guys are so nice and all, and alot of questions about the Z are cleared for me now, so hopefully i can get a Z very soon, thank you

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

This is my first RWD car as well. I test drove a 911 turbo and an NSX before...both with RWD and the Z felt as stable if NOT more stable then those beasts. I don't have VDC or TCS and i've been able to do fine just take it easy until you feel how the car moves when it's being pushed a little bit. Done some pretty sharp turns but not enough to feel understeer.

On cold days, very rare here in San Diego, the wheels will break from the ground easily if you mash it right in between gears or from the get go on an incline.

Eventually the car will be an extension of you and by that time you'll switch out the tires. Get some better tires and it'll handle just fine.

Good luck on getting your Z.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (4)

The 911 Turbo, unless you're talking pre 993 (95-98) is All-wheel-drive not rear-wheel-drive.

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

I drove this car like three years ago and at the time it had already been in my uncle's ownership for about two years so I guess the RWD falls into that time frame.
If i'm wrong, and my uncle is clueless...it sure dayam well felt like a RWD when you drop the clutch!

samw1978

I think the 350 is pretty easy to drive, as long as you don't turn the VDC off and floor the gas in corner in the rain/ice

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (4)

It would have to be a 1994 964 Turbo 3.6 or older to be RWD.

If the car is only 5 years old...it sounds like your uncle is clueless

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

You got me curious as hell now...I'm going to call him up to find out.
"hello, how have you been uncle??? by the way your porsche...."

I can hear his reaction already!

Case in point though... The Z is very easy to drive as long as you don't mash it everywhere. I've driven FWD and AWD all my life, test drove some powerful RWD's so the Z feels right in between.

robbyn

I have the stock tires on my Z and it handles fine in the rain. It also handles ok in the cold -- it is in the 20s here today and it is fine. It does not handle worth a sh*t, however, in even the lightest snow or any sort of ice. But other than snow and ice I drive it every day on the stock tires and it is a GREAT car.