Just joined the forums to help me make my decision on whether or not to buy a new Z

[370zKEV]

new guy here... just thought i'd join up & get some feedback from Z owners on their thoughts about their rides.

i'll be in the market to buy a new car soon & the 370z is definitely high on my list... i love the way this car looks & the car performs well enough for my needs... the price tag is just right too.

the only thing that concerns me is how this car handles in the snow... i live in Northern VA so the snow can get pretty bad in the winter months... obviously being a RWD i'm not expecting this car to be drivable in the worst snow storms, but i'm curious to hear other Z owners experience with this car when it comes to winter driving overall in areas where snow can become an issue.

thanks for having me & for any pointers or advice you can offer for someone considering this car... maybe soon i'll be able to join up with you all as the proud owner of a new 370z.

oh, just to add, the model i have my eye on is a 370z touring MT with the sports package in white with black, gray or persimmon interior... not sure if the navi option is worth the money though... any tips or feedback would be very much appreciated.

my current ride:

[LONDON2012]

No winter driving. I had an 08 350z, my wife took it out with friends during a snow storm one night when I sick in bed and totaled it!!!!

winter is ok for the most part...get some blizzaks and you're ok...AK the admin has a thread on this

[370zKEV]

Originally Posted by blue660r01

winter is ok for the most part...get some blizzaks and you're ok...AK the admin has a thread on this

thanks! i'll be sure to look up the thread.

[370zKEV]

Originally Posted by LONDON2012

No winter driving. I had an 08 350z, my wife took it out with friends during a snow storm one night when I sick in bed and totaled it!!!!

ouch! that sucks man... good thing i'm not married i guess.

how was the car when you drove it in wintertime? is it fishtail city in wet snow? last RWD car i had was an '89 Mustang GT, & that was like an amusement park ride in the wintertime.

[AK370Z]

Driving on the winter is not bad as long as you have the dedicated winter setup. However, you're restricted upto 4" (max) unplowed snow. You can't tackle anything more. Your front chin/bumper will scrape on snow. I don't have an option to buy another beater (as i'm a paranoid kinda guy. I hate being stranded on a road. My reliable beater will cost me about 10-12,000 dollars because anything less, I feel the car won't be reliable. So I just drive the Z all year long )

Here's my setup: My Winter Rims/Tires Setup: TRMotorsport C2 + Blizzak LM-25 w/TPMS w/pics (AK370Z)

My winter driving thread: Snow driving experience with my 370z (AK370Z)(w/blizzaks TR Motorsport C2 ) w/video

As long as you know how to drive on snow and have been driving RWD for a whilte, I don't see a problem. But if you're new to RWD platform, you must take it easy and learn how the car reacts. Also, do not drive your WIDE 19" OEM rims with summer tires on snow. You won't go far .

[370zKEV]

thanks so much for the info AK... i've been reading some of the threads you've posted & it seems like you really know these cars inside & out.

mind if i ask you if you think the navi option is worth the money on these cars, or if an aftermarket unit is the way to go?

i'm thinking of just keeping my SRT4 as my winter beater since it's FWD, still runs great & i've been OK driving it around in wintertime... plus it's paid off so it's free to buy. :P

[ZCarMan]

Kev, there are alot of folks who own Zs here in the Northern VA and Maryland area so I suspect you'll get some feedback once they see your post. My Z isn't a daily driver so in the winter its out only when the roads are clear and dry. That said, as AK370 has posted above there are folks who live even farther north who do drive in the winter with the right set of tires. Also, stop by on any Saturday morning at the Starbucks in Fairfax by Kohls starting at 10AM and meet up with us 370Z owners who get together each weekend. You can get answers there as well to your questions.

NOVA: Zs & Coffee - Starbucks every Saturday @ 10AM

[JoeZ]

I like the Nav setup on mine. There are a ton of intergrated features thats I use. The Music box hard drive is pretty cool too. You rip CD's onto the hard drive and have access to them whenever you want. As far as snow I havent seen it in like 15 yrs. Yay Arizona!!

[370zKEV]

Originally Posted by ZCarMan

Kev, there are alot of folks who own Zs here in the Northern VA and Maryland area so I suspect you'll get some feedback once they see your post. My Z isn't a daily driver so in the winter its out only when the roads are clear and dry. That said, as AK370 has posted above there are folks who live even farther north who do drive in the winter with the right set of tires. Also, stop by on any Saturday morning at the Starbucks in Fairfax by Kohls starting at 10AM and meet up with us 370Z owners who get together each weekend. You can get answers there as well to your questions.

NOVA: Zs & Coffee - Starbucks every Saturday @ 10AM

ZcarMan, thanks for the link, I will definitely stop by one of these weekends & meet up with you guys. Hope you don't mind a Neon to be invading your get together.

Originally Posted by AK370Z

As long as you know how to drive on snow and have been driving RWD for a whilte, I don't see a problem. But if you're new to RWD platform, you must take it easy and learn how the car reacts. Also, do not drive your WIDE 19" OEM rims with summer tires on snow. You won't go far .

I took my KDW2's up a mountain in like 2in of snow and I made it! Dont ask how because it wasnt easy haha

[m4a1mustang]

Originally Posted by 370zKEV

ZcarMan, thanks for the link, I will definitely stop by one of these weekends & meet up with you guys. Hope you don't mind a Neon to be invading your get together.

Definitely come on by! As long as you're not one of the types that insists it's an SRT-4, not a Neon, we won't have an issue.

As far as winter driving is concerned... the car is worthless in the snow. Whether there's a light dusting or a full on blizzard it doesn't matter. Without proper snow tires (check out AK370Z's winter wheel/tire setup) you don't want this car to see snow at all.

Even in cold weather it can be a bit dangerous. The stock Bridgestone RE050As (Sport package) lose a lot of grip below 50*F and can be dangerous if you aren't mindful of the absolute lack of grip.

That said, with a proper winter tire setup you will be perfectly fine with this car in a few inches of snow... you'll just have to worry about all of the NOVA SUV drivers who have no clue WTF is going on!

Welcome to the forums... hope to see you out at Starbucks soon!

[370Zsteve]

^ what he said

[370zKEV]

Originally Posted by JoeZ

I like the Nav setup on mine. There are a ton of intergrated features thats I use. The Music box hard drive is pretty cool too. You rip CD's onto the hard drive and have access to them whenever you want. As far as snow I havent seen it in like 15 yrs. Yay Arizona!!

cool, thanks for the info. mind if I ask, does the unit also give you traffic updates and plays DVD's or no? some other car navi units have those functions so I'm curious.

[370zKEV]

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Definitely come on by! As long as you're not one of the types that insists it's an SRT-4, not a Neon, we won't have an issue.

As far as winter driving is concerned... the car is worthless in the snow. Whether there's a light dusting or a full on blizzard it doesn't matter. Without proper snow tires (check out AK370Z's winter wheel/tire setup) you don't want this car to see snow at all.

Even in cold weather it can be a bit dangerous. The stock Bridgestone RE050As (Sport package) lose a lot of grip below 50*F and can be dangerous if you aren't mindful of the absolute lack of grip.

That said, with a proper winter tire setup you will be perfectly fine with this car in a few inches of snow... you'll just have to worry about all of the NOVA SUV drivers who have no clue WTF is going on!

Welcome to the forums... hope to see you out at Starbucks soon!

it's an SRT4 dammit!

thanks for the info dude... the winter driving thing is really the only thing holding me back from picking one of these cars up right now... my mustang 5.0 was no fun at all driving in the snow, not looking forward to ever going through that again... too bad the G37's are not nearly as appealing as the Z's.