In TX it does indeed get cold, just not as extreme as the folks up north. It'll get down to the teens and single digits at times, but we won't get the crazy -20 or -30*. I can't relate to the window issue, my Z gets garaged.
The tires will basically turn into hockey pucks during the winter, I basically use it as an excuse to keep me in check. I don't think its as bad as some say, but I definitely wouldn't be doing any spirited driving on the stock bridgestones in cold weather.
on the bright side, the heater works great in conjunction with the engine heat that people complain about during the summer
