Hi Everyone,
Just Bought my Performance Model 350Z on Saturday, Feb 15th. and of course it snows huge....Sunday and Monday....

The Z still has the Bridgestone Potenza Stocks on it.. but it won't even move in the snow....

I am in Windsor, Ontario.. just across from the Detroit border and we seem to only get snow 10-15 times per year...so...

What I am thinking of doing is just waiting out this winter with the Bridgestone Potenza's... as there may only be 2 more snow falls left... and only driving when their is no snow...and use the stock tires for this upcoming summer...

Then by next Winter.. I will most likely buy all seasons that I can use moving forward in Winter and Summer.. that will work in the snow... or the other option is buy winter tires... and switch back to the potenzas for the summer. What are your thoughts??

I have heard alot about the All Season Pilots.. any recommendations from you snow drivers out there that have been driving the Z in the snow?? Cause I can' t even move the car in the Potenza's.... but for me a beater car is not an option..

Please advise. Any help is appreciated.

 

when it comes to snow and ice traction ... the best all-season tire in the world isn't even as good as the worst winter tire made ... summers for summer and winters for winter will allow you to get the most out of your car in all situations ... it's a sports car don't cripple it with mediocre tires

 

So would you recommend I stick with the potenzas for the summer.. and switch to a Blizzak for the winter?? Or go with the Pilots in the Winter??

I want to use the same rims all year long....

 

I'm a big fan of the Blizzaks because our testing has shown those to offer better snow and ice traction .... The summer tires you currently while pretty good can also be upgraded when they wear out

 

I agree an upgraded summer tire would be best.. just tight for cash right now with the purchase of the Car.. in hindsight.. I wish I had asked for a swap from the dealer at the beginning... for some all season tire to start so that I could at least get though the snow.. as I couldn't even get out of 2 inches of snow at the end of the driveway this am... just spun and spun..... the car wouldn't move...

I am just a little surprised at how bad the actual stock tires are in the snow.... I am not real familiar with tires.. would the all seasons allow me to at least get around in the snow?? and would the Blizzaks give me excellent traction for the winter??

 

all-seasons in the snow ... they will get you around in light snow but not very well ... I have dedicated winters on my car and have repeatedly passed stuck SUV's with all-season tires

 

Really eh... Blizzak's on the OEM rims?? what size?? When buying the Winter tires... do you buy them the same size as the summers?? The tires must make a huge difference in the snow then.. because.. the Potenzas are absolutely terrible... Should I just wait until next Winter??

 

BLizzak LM22's in the OE sizes .... they are not readily available right now in the rear sizes but they will be for next winter .... they will make all the difference in the world ....

 

Listen to the Tire Rack guy, they know their stuff. The hot setup (other than a winter beater) is some cheap aftermarket wheels with snow tires for winter and high performance summer tires on your stock wheels. This is much better than changing the tires back and forth twice a year on your stock rims. They will get beat up and look like sh*t in no time if you change tires that often. You may be out of luck for this winter as there may not be much available in the way of a cost effective winter wheel and tire package. All season tires don't work all that well in snow and will get greasy on you in high performance driving.

I had some genuine snow tires on my RX7 and took it to ski areas all over the North East. Never got stuck, went places that front drive cars on all season tires could not go!

 

This is obviously your expertise and please no offense is intended I respect your opinion and would actually enjoy the opportunity to compare the worst performing winter tire to the best all season tire made - I would have imagined a more level playing field there.

Having faced the same dilemma myself, e.g. ability to actually operate my vehicle this winter- I went ahead with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Yes I know that it is a million times worse than the unavailable winter option Blizzak LM22 in snow and ice (not much of a solution this winter anyway).

At least I am able to drive the vehicle on light snow and by all accounts experience superior summer traction as well (both dry and wet) than the RE040 O.E. tire.

A compromise absolutely; however, an available one that performs better in every situation and will last much longer than the original Bridgestone tires.

Kind regards!

 

now why are micelin pilot sport a/s's so inferior in the snow. I have read independant tests showing comperable snow and ice traction to studless snow tires even the blizaks.

 

Yeah well, Michelin Sport A/S High Perf. tires = around $800.

New Winter Rims + Blizzak LM22s + Tire Pressure Sensors = $2800+

Luke, as I've written you in my email, what is your opinion on the Tire Sensor issue ? I can't fathom getting an aftermarket wheel just to spend another $800-1000 on these stupid things.

 

Hi There,
Actually next winter my preferred option is to go with an all season tire all year long.. rather than switch from performance to Winter and back... just simpler for my life.. and if the Pilots are actually that much better then the Potenza;s that would be what I would want to do....

Because reality is if it is more than 3 inches of snow out there I wont' be driving the car anyways... but as long as it gets me around in the light snow.. pretty decently....

By what % would you say the A/S's are better than the Potenza stocks?? and how much $$ did you pay for the 4 tires??

Thanks kindly.

 

Dan,

I paid about $820.00 installed in Metro Philly area. We have had one of the harsher winters that I can recall and the Potenzas just did not perform well at all. I drove a thirty mile stretch to get home from the airport in some terrible road conditions (saw at least 15 accidents due to the roads) and the Potenzas were horrible. If I exceeded 30 to 35 mph the rear of the Z would start drifting right during acceleration and left during deceleration-talk about white knuckles.
The Pilots perform as well as any other all season low aspect ratio tire that I have driven. In light snow or cold wet roads - I think they are a substantial improvement. I just drive slower and I can make it through most of this unless ground clearance becomes an issue.

I believe they are are 250-300% better. Maybe those Blizzaks are a miracle but I only have experience with studded snow tires and they definitely are better than A/S.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you!

 

Are you using the Pilot's all year round?? I can't even believe that you were able to move in the Potenzas.. as I couldn't even move with 3 inches of snow!!!1

 

and Blizzaks have actually out performed studded tires in our testing stopping accelerating and cornering.

 

I just purchased my car in January, so I have no experience with the stock tire in warmer weather. They were so poor in winter that I had to do something, so I bought the Pilot A/S since I couldn't find winter tires in the sizes that I needed. I plan to use the pilots this summer and see how they perform - if they are acceptable I will use them all year round.

Maybe I will upgrade to larger Volk TE37 or comparable wheels with summer tires in the future and use the stock wheels with the Pilots in the winter, then when they wear out replace with Blizzaks. But that is some serious $$ and storing wheels & tires is a pain.

I am sure the Blizzaks will out perform the Pilot A/S but you can't really use them in summer time and from what I understand they don't have very great tread life. You can still get around o.k. with the pilots in winter if you are careful and take it easy.

Kind regards!