Could not agree more. Stock Potenza has ZERO, and I mean ZEEEEEEEEERO traction in the snow.

I lost a front bumper because of them =(

Or how about some Blizzak LM-22 up front and LM-25's in the rear?

Mix snow tires? Sure why not?

You can run 245/45-18” all-square on your Z. You should avoid running 245/40-18” all square, especially if your car is VDC-equipped).

You can mix different brands of snow tires as long as you have all in the same class (i.e., all studless snow tires).

You should not mix studless snow tires with performance snow tires or all season tires. That won’t work (very scary handling).

--Spike

That tire should be perfect while driving in Vancouver.

In Edmonton, Toronto, or Ottawa; I would run studless snow tires: 225/50-17” front with 225/55-17” rear, or even 225/55-17” all–square (to support rotating the tires).

When the roadway remains frozen throughout the winter months and you get accumulations of snow, 17” wheels and more narrow tires are better than wider tires an 18” wheels.

--Spike

I consider 245 and 265 mm way too wide for snow tires. But it will be much better than OEM tires.

^^ :+1: You are wise and very correct. I’ve run 245 winter performance tires on ice and in snow, and that size performs poorly when compared to 225 tires under identical conditions on frozen roadways. I can only extrapolate to the performance 265’s would offer during winter driving, but I’m sure that width is “worse to awful.”

And… As you also point out, anything is better than OEM summer performance tires on frozen roadways.

--Spike

Well, my rear 265 tires are already here, I am still waiting for the arrival of the front 245.

Once I put them on, I'll share some feedback.

I'm considering on getting those Blizzaks here very soon. Does anyone happen to have pics of their setup with the thinner 225's on the Z?

You're in Vancouver, BC. The tires you picked-out should be perfect for your climate during winter months. You have alternating freezing and thawing, and not that cold. Wider winter performance tires and even all-season tires work well in this type of climate.

David and I refer to much colder climates where the roads remain frozen most of the time from NOV/DEC to thru FEB/MAR.

--Spike

Ah I see. Thanks man for the clarification!

OK… Here you go. This is a picture of my car (VDC-equipped 2003 Performance model) with 225/55-17” Dunlop studless snow tires all around.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...b/IMG_0041.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...b/IMG_0042.jpg

I hesitated posting these pics because they are on the Forum multiple times (and sooner or later somebody is going to notice and maybe make fun of it).

The rear 225 tires are not pretty on a Z-car, but this size and tire-type (studless snow tire) works great driving on frozen winter roads in snow and on ice. I went all-square (225/55-17”) so that I could rotate the tires extending their service (ideally, I would install 225/50-17” front and 225/55-17” rear).

My dedicated winter wheels have a generous offset that keeps the tires inside the wheel well to avoid blasting the side of the car with winter road debris. Again… not pretty, but functional.

When I finally retire (not sure when that will be), I’m moving to Palm Springs, CA where I can mount super-wide performance summer tires on expensive aftermarket wheels, and run these year-around. :icon21: I cannot wait.

--Spike

No way Id run my Z in the winter up here in Vermont. Between the insane snow we get, the ice, the extreme cold and how many mountains/hills we have it wouldnt be pretty. In the post above I cant see spending 1400 on winter snow tires for your Z. Put that thing up somewhere and spend the money on a winter beater IMO.

I spent 1200 in Oct for a little saturn wagon to get me around and got some snows for cheap and its easier to sleep at night knowing I dont have to worry about rust on the Z or puttiing it into a ditch or someone elses car. Plus having another car is nice when modding the Z :cool:

Reminds me of one of our members from Canada who posted 350Z ice racing photos. Wheel-to-wheel racing on a frozen lake. Insane!

:confused: I’m not sure what to make of your message since I’ve driven the Z in Minnesota during the winter months for the last 5 years and never had a problem doing this. I do have a dedicated winter wheel/tire set I mount in the winter. I use studless snow tires (225/55-17”). This setup cost me about $800 for the wheels and the tires.

I wash the Z frequently during winter use, and also have professional detailing done at regular intervals to keep the car looking like new.

I also have a Jeep Commander and a 1990 4WD Mitsubishi Montero. I use either of these two vehicles when I need to carry cargo or when the snowfall is over the Z’s clearance (that happens once or twice during the winter). I use the Montero for running off-road and hunting. I drive the Z most of the time during the winter.

--Spike

Well I dont know the land layout of minnesota but Vermont is all hills and mountains. Only point being they use tons of salt and sand here because of all the hills and mountains and dirt roads so the stuff gets everywhere and its nearly impossible to travel anywhere as its all up and down nasty hills. My previous car was a mitsu eclipse 03 modded which I drove year round, Id have to wash the car at least every other day with a pressure washer and it still started to rust a bit but suprisingly the car did well in the snow, tho it was fwd.

I dont get why you'd want to drive you Z in the winter when you already have two other vehicles well suited for winter driving. I cant see you saving much in the way of Gas money either by driving the Z over them, not alot anyway. Not to say you dont take care of you car, I'm sure you do but I dont care how well you wash and clean it, if you're driving it in the winter you arent going to stop corrosion.


I dont know, you mention driving anything like that here year round people will look at you funny and wish you luck. Im just saying in a situation where the Z is your only car and thus you're thinking about getting snows... for a few hundered more you can get a decent beater all together instead and save alot on your car /shrug and in some cases even lower your car insurance.

To each his own tho.

Oh and when I said the post above on the tire price I wasnt talking about you spike, I meant when glacier said..

tho I did get the price wrong, I said 1400 and it was 1200... which is what I paid for my second car which is in good shape for a POS saturn.

Yeah it blows driving around in a saturn all winter but every spring its like christmas and I got a new car :icon17:

Thanks for the pics, Spike100. It doesn't look too bad actually. I really won't care in the winter cause I'd rather have traction when I drive around on snow and ice. I do have a older car that I usually drive when it snows here but I'd almost rather spend some $$$ so I can drive my Z instead:) I am originally from Canada and enjoy driving around in the snow!

tire chains
 

I have a 2008 350Z and it is my only car. I live in NY and almost didn't make it home yesterday.

Anyone have any input on chains?


Thank you

Welcome.

Wrong forum.

What does your manual say about chains?