Wheel spin in 2nd

ProfessorDave

First I should say that I struggled about whether to post this under "General Discussion". But since it relates to engine/drivetrain, tires, LSD, and the joys of spirited driving, I decided this was the right place.

Recently I've encountered wheel spin in 2nd gear (I have the 6MT) when accelerating from about 20 miles an hour. Yesterday it happened twice in the span of about 3 seconds getting onto a busy on ramp where I had to move quickly to merge. I gave the Z a lot of throttle, but not WOT. The result: wheel spin interrupted by VDC followed by wheel spin interrupted by VDC. Very annoying and somewhat problematic given the urgent merge. It is possible that the road surface contributed to the issue, but it has happened at other times on very smooth, even pavement.

My question is, how might I prevent this (yes, I know I could drive like I was behind the wheel of a Buick and that would do the trick). I'm running stock Yokohama Advents, with almost 7k on them (rears are low but not down to wear bars yet). The temp yesterday was around 60 degrees. I do not have the LSD (Touring package only). My mods are F.I. CBE and K&N drop-ins.

Should I change tires? Get an LSD? Handling mods? Put a sign on the side that says "Student Driver" and accelerate no faster than 0-60 in 20 seconds?

Any advice would be appreciated!

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Rain, snow, sleet, hail: 2009 Mazda 3 sGT HB
Everything else: 2009 370z, PW Touring 6MT

RedBullRR

Cold weather, it happens with a sports car and cold pavement. Especially one with this much torque.

Dan Z Man

um...what lol...this car doesnt have thattt much torque lol

m4a1mustang

Cold weather means less grip, so let the tires warm up and try to keep your foot out of it.

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ClemsonWill

I think a tire change could help your little issue. I noticed a significant difference between my stock RE050s compared to the wider RE-11s I recently purchased. Unfortunately the cold weather is going to work against your tires.

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spearfish25

It doesn't matter what size or brand of max or extreme performance tire you buy...in cold weather they are all hockey pucks. Your only solution in the cold is to get a set of Pilot Sport A/S tires. They'll maintain max performance in colder weather, but are not well suited to snow. If you plan to drive in snow, you'll need the winter tires but then performance is really out the window.

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

RedBullRR

It's OBV to much for him to control. lol I mean I get wheel spin, but its controllable if you don't punch it out of second.

ProfessorDave

I have been considering a tire change for the colder months. I would have a pretty short driving season if I only drove when temps were in summer tire range. We can have early morning temps in the 30's into May, and then back again in October. I'm not interested in driving it in the snow (that's what the Dunlap Winter Sports on the Mazda are for), so perhaps a performance all season for the colder months.

Any thoughts about an LSD?

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Rain, snow, sleet, hail: 2009 Mazda 3 sGT HB
Everything else: 2009 370z, PW Touring 6MT

Mt Tam I am

I do not consider 60*F to be very cold. If it is, then perhaps my LSD is the answer. I doubt it though. I have only had 2nd gear wheel spin with VDC off. I am totally stock. Good luck.

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ProfessorDave

Oh, I'm not ruling out driver error here! My last 3 cars were: RX-8, MINI Cooper, Mazda3. The Z has LOTS more torque then those cars, and I am still getting used to it!

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Rain, snow, sleet, hail: 2009 Mazda 3 sGT HB
Everything else: 2009 370z, PW Touring 6MT

370fan

I'd switch off VDC and have some fun with it!

kenchan

in these temps my slip light turns on when i punch the gas in 3rd from about 45 to get to expressway speeds.

i would get softer tires that work better in cold temps if you plan to do any real driving in the winter time (on a sunny dry day).

ImportConvert

220rwtq. It's a beast. LOOKOUT! Lol

It's the cold weather and the summer tires.

Oddly enough I haven't ever experienced this trouble before. I used to run F1GSD3's on my last car and cold didn't seem to have much effect on them. Then, it only got down to around 30* or so while I had that car. Maybe the tires on the Z are more sensetive than others?

spearfish25

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

kenchan

import- you're lucky your G20 doesn't spin anything.