I have read elsewhere on the forum that the Z can be really hard to handle on wet roads at higher speeds (and I am inferring that this also means just normal highway driving) due to it being a rear wheel drive car with wide tires? I am used to driving a BMW 3 series and have just purchased a Z and will be using it a lot on the highway. Is there anything I need to do in terms of swapping out the standard tires to help with traction? I am a middle-aged woman who doesn't drive like a nut, but I have also felt my bimmer drift a bit on heavily wet roads and think the Z might be a bit harder to control.

Any advice on tires for an old lady?

 

Well if very wet things could get slippery just like in any other car. Thats why u have traction control when ever you feel the tires drift or spin on the TCS is engaged to help out, So just let off all the pedals and control the car. But if ur looking for after market tires the toyo T1r's are very good for wet conditions.

 

Thanks! I've been driving 30-years and (touch wood) have never had any problems - it's just reading through some of these threads made me think that I had purchased a hard to control car. I love my Z so far, but living in MI I've only had it out a couple times since I bought it. Can't wait for warmer dryer weather!!!!

 

haha yeah i had a BMW 330ci aswell b4 i got my 350Z, and i love the Z so much more. Way more fun to drive and a much more sporty look. Yeah im in fl and it been warm here for awhile now but when it does get warm you'll love it!

 

Don't worry - unless you drive like a maniac you'll be fine! Just leave your VDC on when it's wet and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

+1....especially when it is either cold or wet outside.

 

The stock tires suck in the rain. They just seem harder than needed in cold wet days, frankly, they sort of suck in the dry too.

You could do better with almost any other high performance summer tire.

Chris

 

Thanks folks! Really appreciate the info. I'll see how they perform for the first month, and if I don't feel they give me the grip I would like, I'll look into swapping them out. I don't think I'll be gunning the car too much, just normal driving and some quick manuevering here and there, but pretty much your typical middle aged woman driving.

Great forum!

 

Don't believe everything that you here. This is a photo of Summit Point, WV on 11/19/04. I spent the day driving in the rain on OEM tires. You can redline fourth gear on this straightaway. How well does the 350Z perform in the rain. Lets just say that the car’s capabilities exceed my driving skills.

Just don't get stupid and you will be fine.

 

"You can redline fourth gear on this straightaway"
On a well drained track without random spots of standing water that is the same every time you go around it?

You could easily add 10 mph to every corner and feel confident it will do what you want it to with better tires, even in the rain.

I once thought the stock Z tires were ok, hard and noisy but passable, they are, after all, expensive major brand tires used by manufactures all over the world as original equipment. My new assessment is those manufactures must be getting one heck of a deal on them.

After driving my car on stock 17" and 18" wheels and tires for 21k miles I finally decided to take the plunge and get some new rubber and after putting 2700 miles on them, half of which has been in the rain, I would have to say this was the best mod I have made on my Z by far. If I had it to do all over again, I would have changed them before taking delivery at the dealership.

Chris

 

Probably yes. My point is that excellent wet tires will not compensate for poor driving skills.

BTW I did not replace the OEM tires with the same tires.

 

Okay, I am neither a poor driver nor an excellent driver. I am a very experienced driver but am not a hot rodder and am pretty cautious and polite on the road. I've been disturbed by the drift that my BMW has occassionally on wet spots on the highway, and think from reading this forum, that the Z is a bit touchier. Performance is important to me as a tool for accident avoidance (plus I love the feel of control of a good car and really love my Z so far). That said, are there specific tires you recommend, since it does sound like the stock ones are not so good. Most of my driving will be highway as I take a lot of trips, and you never know what the conditions are going to be.

Thanks again.

 

Best tools for tires I have found is on Tirerack's web site (I sound like a sale person for them, I actually use their tools and buy somewhere cheaper). They rate all their tires (and so do the people that buy them) for wet and dry conditions. If you don't like using their web site, call them and ask for Luke (he has a 350Z) and he can help you. Really great guy and has helped me a couple of times in the past.

 

Midlifecrises - the OEM tyre is reasonable in wet weather when newish, but will get considerably slipperier as it wears down.

Keep in mid that TC and / or VDC can help in situations where you are driving just a little too fast for conditions. However, none of these systems can overcome the laws of physics. For example, I lost the rear of my Z when taking a corner marked 35km/h at 75km/h in damp conditions. Aside from the speed, what cause my car to oversteer was my application of the brakes while I was entering the corner. This shifted the weight to my front tyres and took weight off the rear, causing lost traction and large oversteer (which I managed to just save with handfulls of opposite lock and hard braking). So the lesson is don't brake mid corner in the wet and drive to conditions and the Z won't react any worse than your BMW.

Also, once my OEM Potenzas wore out, I purchased some Goodyear F1 GSD3 tyres. These are better than the OEM tyres in the dry and absolutely awesome in the wet. This is probably one of the best wet weather max performance tyres available.

 

Great reply! Thank you very much! Glad you didn't lose control of your Z on that curve and good advice on braking in mid curve.

Thanks again

 

Yes. Check my signature.