Winter... To drive the Z or not to drive the Z
 

I am debating on getting a set of winter tires/rims or trying to find a beater car. Price wise it's more logical to get the winter tires/rims but I'm not sure how well this car is going to do in Pennsylvania winters.

Basically, I'd like to save the money and the headaches that go along with a beater car if I can, but I also don't wanna smash up my Z. Anyone from PA drive their Z in the winter with winter tires? I'd love to hear from ya.

I'm in mass and I used blizzak lm-60's for the winter. They work great. I always drive super slow in snowy conditions anyways though. They look a little funny on the car because they are so narrow and a square setup but it's not too bad. Last winter I was able to drive through 3ish inches pretty easliy in the driveway, and driving on the road was fine in fresh snow or slush. I actually did get stuck on a hill once, but it was a fairly decent incline and I probably shouldn't have tried it anyways, but luckily I had a buddy with me who was willing to push me up the rest of the hill :driving:. The only times you really have to worry driving in snow with the winter tires is the first 24 hours or so after a storm. After that time the plows usually do a good enough job that you don't have to worry at all. Basically just drive cautiously and avoid any big hills. Here is a link to a few pics of my car last winter with the blizzaks on: http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...my-z-snow.html

Dude get a beater! Find one on craiglist. Man I love my DD/winter car. Winter time severe weather no worries!

I drive my Z as long as there isn't snow accumulating on the roads. Flurries are OK. But if you do decide to drive your Z in the snow, don't forget to wash the car afterwards (under carriage included). Nothing sucks more than the possibility of salt getting on your car and probably rusting over time.

Thank god real winter doesn't exist in the South! Wtf is snow?!

Winter, the cooler summer here in Florida.

Get a beater, the salt damage alone is a good enough reason.

get the snow tires!
it is soooooo much fun driving on snow with snow tires.
http://www.the370z.com/2204179-post2.html

Get a winter car! It can double as your DD. :)

I like my Z as my daily driver.

That is pretty convincing...

I've driven mine for two winters now w/Michilen snow tires and dedicated rims. Works great. It's a car made to be driven and responds great in ice and snow as long as you drive it sensibly and watch out for the other guy. Snow deeper than about 4.5 inches can be a problem!

Save your car and your life and garage her from the first flurry until April 1st. Much less stress and risk.

I live in Canada's snowiest city... no Z's on the road here in winter...

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps94b71836.jpg

Beater! End of story. :tup:

I have a truck for winter....driving the Z around would beat the piss out of it. If you can find a beater for winter, you will not regret it.

Canadian

get an old 04 or under subi RS impreza. You will never need another snow car in your life. 1/16th the cost of its stupid overly inflated price big bro WRX and STI. you dont need 305 HP IN THE SNOW. 190 is just fine. :P

Easy choice, get a beater. Rock chips alone makes it not worth driving the car in the winter.

I drove my G one winter with lm60's. Did well, but felt like a sitting duck. + accelerated wear vs hibernated car by 3yrs. not doing it again. :shakes head:

You own the Z to drive it...right? Drive it and enjoy it! Personally, I enjoy the strange looks when I'm driving through snow, with Blizzaks on my Plasti-Dipped snow rims, of course. Sure...there is a chance of damage from impacts or corrosion, but drive smart, keep your insurance in check, don't drive if it's too bad, and keep your Z clean.

Winter wheels and tires used = 800 - 1000 dollars
Reliable Winter Beater = 3 to 4k, add taxes and title fees, insurance, maintenance, gas, etc.

Good luck and enjoy!

Get a beater if you care about your z.

I've been doing the summer/winter tire setup for the past few years. It is definitely doable in light amounts of snow but it is nerve racking. I bought a house last year so I now have a garage to park the Z in and I cringe every time I have to drive it around in just rain since it is my DD. I've decided that I would prefer a second vehicle to be my winter car to keep the Z nice and so I can actually buy things a bring them home like say a garbage can.

You'll be fine in most situations with the winter tire setup if you treat it as a means to get home if the weather starts to get bad. After all its a RWD car, no tires will ever change that and RWD cars are relatively way more difficult than FWD or AWD to handle in poor weather. It will not make you like an SUV where you can go out in a reasonable snow storm to pick up milk and bread. If you can afford a beater car, that is the best route to go in my opinion.

get the beater...drove an rx8 in the winter for 4 years from 2004 to 2008...had all season tires put on it...still sucked in the snow...anything more than 2 inches was almost impossible...so, get the beater more for safety reasons but the 4 winters really did a number on the rx8 too...just not worth it...my z will never see the snow or the salt

Haha oh boy you chose the wrong username! :roflpuke2::bowrofl:

I drove my 350Z in the snow once.....once.

Nice! I've got the same wheels and tires as you for winter :icon18: It all comes down to the individual. Some want to keep their z as pristine as possible, which is totally cool. Some want to just constantly be driving it (like me:icon17:) Some don't want the hassle of having another car, some don't mind. Neither side is right or wrong, just comes down to the person, their needs, wants, and situation.

\

This^. I have Blizzaks and they work. I also get to enjoy the car on nice winter days as well...at speed with those Blizzaks. A beater is a great idea as well but the Z is well built and runs better driven. You cant go wrong in either case. Follow your heart and budget.

I posed the same question around August and ended up buying a second car. I'm sure the Z would get around just fine on snow tires in light snow, but more than 3inches or so with inclines and I see it having issues. Snowfall is pretty unpredictable in Chicago in addition to the massive amounts of salt they put down so in the end I decided it was best to get a second car.

There's all types of beaters you can get depending on how much you want to spend. I searched for a couple months and ended up with a 2003 Camry v6 in pretty good shape, clean in and out, low miles and up to date maintenance for only $5500. If you really want to be cheap you can find civics/corollas for 3-4k. Body won't be in the best of shape but mechincally, these cars are hard to kill.

I live in central PA. I do not drive when the roads are wet or snow covered. I keep the super sport tires on and drive drive when its above freezing. I drive slow though and stay off the highways, supersports dont like the cold too much.

Lol Winter...

I drive mine year-round suckas. :stirthepot:




And that's my contribution to this thread. :p

Not adding much here, but I choose the beater option. My 'beater' is my previous 11yo Eclipse, and having bought it new, I understand the annoyance and pain that comes with seeing rust appear due to winter driving. When I picked up the Z, I knew I would not be driving it in the winter if I could in any way avoid it. It's more than salt and slush than it is the raw snow, for me.

There's really a few things to look at:

- Can you afford a second, beater car? (maintenance, storage, price tag, registration...)
- Do you plan to sell your Z at some point in the future, and will hate the undercarriage damage winter brings? Or otherwise just want to avoid the corrosion risk?
- Is it too much stress/worry to pull your car out in the snow? Or scrape ice/snow off it in the parking lot?
- Can you find other uses for your beater, i.e. driving to high-risk parking lots, small trips to the store, a way to save some gas money, drive something else in heavy rain when your tires are nearly spent, practice proper polish/washing/maintenance on...
- Do you worry about other drivers in snowy conditions, or possibly getting stuck on a minor incline at a stoplight and being a road obstacle for SUVs? I'd rather be an obstacle in a beater than my Z, personally.


DLSTR said it best, though: Follow your heart and budget.



(Lastly, remember that Blizzaks still cost you money, including the install labor both in winter and come spring, and storage of tires that still have life in them for next season.)

Fortunately, I had a truck (Ridgeline) prior to the Z. Actually, still have the truck. It's parked at my office (and owned by my company).

Here's my take on it: For me, since I could afford it, it was an easy choice to have a winter vehicle. No stress, no planning, no thinking about 'what if I go somewhere and it starts snowing really hard?' And I don't stress about driving the truck in the winter because I know it's a lot more capable than the Z. I get in it and go. No worries.

So when we start to get snow, I'll park the Z in the garage and get the truck out. And like last winter we had a few times / days that the snow was gone and it wasn't super cold, so I swapped them and drove the Z. One time we got snow when I wasn't expecting it and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get the Z (summer tires) up to my office - 2 blocks away. Don't even think about trying it with the summer tires.

Now if it was a matter of going to a car with the same capabilities as the Z (with snow tires), I'd probably just drive the damn thing and be done with it. But a 6,000 lbs. 4 wheel drive with 14" of ground clearance definitely tops the Z for winter abilities. Snow tires or not.

My winter driving is in my garage with a cover. ;)

Hop in, start car, roll a few feet back, then forward to prevent flat spots...then continue to make car noises as if you are driving then you're done.

im sorry that you have to live in 100F+ temps, sand storms, and haboobs, haboob. :icon17: i truely sympathize.

Pfft, the 100 doesn't bother me.

The dust, yes, but dust is better than snow and salt.

not really. dust and sand will do wonders to your paint and intake. you should hibernate your car during the long summer. :icon17:

:icon17:

If only I could.

However, I intend to make the Z my DD and have a garage queen of a higher caliber.

It may be several years, but that's my goal! :tup:

x2. I'd rather deal with that than winter. I'm just tired of the cold in general.

I live in Kansas and I'm going to drive the Z this winter. I bought a used pair of base rims, a pair of used TPMS sensors and a couple of new Blizzaks. If it's too bad, I won't go to work. I already informed the boss that if the snow's too deep, I won't be in. Next winter might be a different story, might have a winter car to drive. We'll see.