I am about to order a Lemans Sunset Performance model. Just curious to know about anyone's experience w/ the Z and wet traction? Does it suck? I tried driving one up a hill on on our dealership parking lot...w/ the VDC on seemed to be the only way the car would move (the traction was pretty bad w/ the VDC, but even worse without).

Anyway...I plan to use the car as a daily driver...even though it only snows about 5 or 6 days out of 365 here in St. Louis snow/rain performance is still a concern to me. Also...I was looking on tirerack.com for all season tires, and I can't find any. Are they really necessary for my situation, or do they not really help @ all?

Thanks in advance...

Lyle

 

It hasn't snowed up in Des Moines yet, but I do have experience with the stock tires on the Z from a previous car (the Bridgestone Potenzas on a Lexus IS300). That car had traction control as well, but in the snow the car was absolutely helpless. I enjoy a driving challenge every now and then, and make it a point of not letting the weather change my plans, but those tires were very scary in even an inch of snow. In the rain they are fine.

JL

 

Go with the Blizzak LM 22's...my experience has been excellent and I was even stable at 105mph last week traveling thru Indiana.

 

Tires make all the difference in the world when it comes to driving in snow. And the compounding is more important than tread pattern, size or anything else. Some high performance tires get very stiff at low temperatures. I even had a set of Michelins break! Yes the tires broke because the compound got so stiff! Get some cheap aftermarket wheels and go with a true snow tire and you will be able to go everywhere the FWD sh*tboxes can go on their all season tires.

 

I live in the upper midwest, and following other Z owners of
past years, their Z car is a spring and summer car. It does
improves with snow tires but in ice, it's dangerous. Have a
beater for winter.

 

I live in the Chicagoland area. The day after I got my Z it snowed. I cannot stress how bad these tires make this car in the snow. The VDC in deep snow makes the car impossible to move. With the VDC off you can get the car to slide around so you can get some forward momentum. Mustangs and Camaros are much easier to get around in due to the tires they use. I was going to get Blizzaks or Alpines, but for the cost I figured getting a beater would be the way to go. The cost for the Blizzaks was going to be around $900ish, and the Alpines with a 40 series in the front, would have set me back $836. The tire salesman told me the 18in Blizzaks are good for only 1/3 of its life, before it just becomes an all-season tred. I got a winter driver a week after I bought the Z, it is well worth the money for the peace of mind. I know it sucks driving around a winter car, but it saves some miles on the Z and gains some utility with rear seats and a trunk. Good luck, whatever your decision.

 

Desmo,
Doesn't the FM body structure and the 53/47 weight balance in the Z make the traction a little better than the Lexus?

ziscoming,
Where can I find those Blizzak LM 22's u were talking about? Did u really hit 105mph in the snow? Dude...you live on the edge! lol

dr_gallup,
As you can tell, I don't know much about this stuff...what do u call cheap as far as aftermarket wheels go? Here in the STL, it only snows about 2 or 3 times per year...if that often...so is going out and getting another set of wheels and tires really necessary/helpful (remember, money is an issue...lol)

ericM,
Thinking about that option...but again...$$$ is a BIG issue...lol

Kmori,
DAMN...expensive *** tires....I was afraid of that. How much did the winter driver set u back? I guess getting and insuring a beater may be worth it huh? I'm just having a hard time w/ the 2nd car idea for 3 to 5 days (MAYBE) out of 365!

 

Re where i purchased the Lm 22's..I did it Via Tire Rack..knowledgeable and i purchased Moda R6's along with the snow tires..they look great on my CS Touring.

Driving the 105mph was actually on just wet weather at 33 degrees..excellent handling. Well worth the $1200 investment and peace of mind here in Chicago!!

Good luck

 

The winter beater set me back around $2300. I got a good deal on a 95 Grand Am GT. The car has 80k on the odometer and it runs perfectly. The body was also rust free. A tip is to go to a dealerships on a saturday and see what cars came into trade during the week that they are going to whole sale. These wholesale cars are cars that are not going to be sold on there lot due to mileage or general condition. I had the car out the door tax title and license for $2300. Normally this car would have been around $3300 - $4000, but since it was going to be wholesaled, they can make more selling it to you than the wholesalers who wait till the end of the day to take them. I also got lucky, because the tires on the Grand Am were brand spankin' new. On my winter beater excursion I saw a lot of POS's, but in turn I saw a few good cars for around the $2000 range. Anything below this, and you are risking it. You still want a safe car for the season (preferably with air bags and ABS). I can't tell you how much having this car has eased my mind. I can go grocery shopping and not worry if they will fit in the hatch. Another great thing is, if I am going into a not so great area, it is nice to have a car that you don't care as much about. As for insuring, my premium went up ~$70 every 6 months. As the winter goes on I know I made a great decision. Good luck.

 

STL_Z_Seller - The Lexus was front engine/rear drive and the weight distribution was 54%/46%, so it's very close to the Z. Also used drive by wire for the throttle so the traction control system had all the authority it needed. The tires on the Lexus were 225mm wide all the way around which should have been a bit better than the 245's on the back of the 350Z (narrower is better for a tire in the snow). Lastly, the Lexus was an automatic while my 350Z is a manual. I think an automatic is slightly easier to drive in the snow when you are trying to get moving. Braking is another matter because the rear tires are always wanting to spin, but the snow mode of the traction control system reigned that in pretty well. So overall, I think the Lexus was a slightly better snow car, but with the Potenza RE040's it was horrible.

Like I said, I love to drive and I love a challenge, but those tires in the snow take all the fun out of it. Buy some snow tires, or better yet buy a beater.

And after saying all that, I'll admit that my other choice for a snow car is a '73 Corvette that scrapes the chassis over speed bumps. Hopefully I can borrow my father's Jeep if it ever decides to snow here in Des Moines.

JL

 

Desmo
ziscoming
Kmori

Thanks for all the info. It has been helpful! I'm going to give some serious consideration to the snow-day beater though! I think that may be better than going the extra mile w/ the tires!

Lyle

 

Lyle,
Hey there home boy. Welcome to Z ownership. I would stronly suggest a beater. Not only for the snow, but also because of the salt and unisured drivers around here. Insure it for liability only. If you need to save every dime call your agent and change the 350Z policy during the winter to only cover theft. As for recomendations for beaters I would consider a Toyota Tercel (they can be had for as little as $500 and still be reliable) but since you work at a Nissan dealership I would recommend a Sentra or a Pulsar. Almost as cheap as a Tercel, and you can have it worked on at a discount. I recently bought my wife a beater: a '93 G20 for $1800 in great shape. If you are patient you can find deals around here; hell you've probably seen a lot of potential beaters get traded in and taken to auction. Intercept one of those suckers and put it in the driveway!

Drop me a message if you're interested in the Gateway Z Club.