Life of a Daily Driven Z in Crap Roads And **** Ton of Snow

Minsu

So Im just writing to describe how i feel about daily driving the Z.
Us being hit with a crap ton of snow for a crap ton of weeks made it hard for me to drive my car. In the snow even if there is an inch of snow and your on stock tires, you arent getting ANYWHERE and i mean anywhere. Once the snow starts to melt and you start gaining traction it gets a little bit better. The road noise doesnt bother me too much, most of the time i have music playing anyways. Now as all of you may know with the stock suspension you feel everything on the road and bumps turn into loud bangs and cracks turn into sounds you just can not ignore. The Two seats are a bit of a hassle sometimes if you are coming from a 5 seater car. You will invite your friends over and be like kk ill drive, then go outside to realize you only have 2 seats and this question comes up...Soo, whos getting in the trunk.
Here are some pics of my car in the winter salt and grime and after i cleaned it.
Also when it gets below ten degrees F, the clutch will most likely stick to the floor if you press on it but dont worry it will come back up, depress the clutch and kind of just run through your gears a couple of times to warm the gates.

Your stock tires in COLD weather will stutter as you reverse out or turn a corner at low speeds. The rubber gets hard as a rock and when your turning instead of the tired conforming to the road the cement like tires will try to force itself over the road causing stutter as your turn.

Try not to stomp on your gas pedal in cold weather even if you driven a while, your tires will spin out.
and.

VDC on.

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geddy lee

I know how you feel. I am in Northern Delaware. I have a 2009 SP Magnetic Black that is now Magnetic White due to the salt. I think there is just about as much salt as snow at this point. I bought Conti DWS tires last year which made travel easier. I actually made it home in 3 inches of snow . I think the Z is one of the worst cars in the snow ever but still not as bad as the 350Z I had before that.

The BlueMax

I'm glad I don't have to drive mine in snow but last week my daughter's car had to go in the shop & I had to drive 2 days in the powered residue left over. That pissed me off a bit, I can't even imagine driving in the snow. I have always had a old backup vehicle since high school to take on the harsh elements.

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gsxr750

Nissans have terrible corrosion resistance , I've owned them for 30 yrs and drove them yr round in New York. After about 5 yrs. the corrosion and rust get so bad from the road salt and moisture, you will start getting small pin holes appearing on certain panels and parts failure due to corrosion, even electrical parts and steering components.

The 370z is not the type of car you should use as a daily driver in a winter environment, like NYS or Jersey. You should really get a daily beater.

Get your Z up on a lift and see how bad it really is by now.

The BlueMax

I agree with gsxr750 its the accumulation over time that take it's toll

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The Blue Max

DLSTR

Get some winter tires. Dont put your car on the road in winter without the correct equipment. You are a danger to yourself and others. No excuse.

Ive driven mine 3 winters. Blizzaks on the winter wheels. I wash it once a week and its very clean on the underside. This is not rocket science.

onzedge

Why on earth would one even think that driving the 370Z in snow regularly is a good idea? It is beyond my comprehension.

Your observations on the perils of summer tires in near-freezing an below temperatures are quite astute though. Seriously? Summer tires in cold and snow are dangerous? Wow.

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SterlingDrive

This is sound advice. I live in snow country also. With the right tires and a little maintenance the car will function fine, and is not being abused.

Good luck,

Sterling

DLSTR

You should see the numbers of rear drive BMW's on the road here. Its a car and can be driven if required, in reasonable winter conditions. With the right equipment of course.

The OP reminds me why in the US winter tires should be mandatory(in some regions). Also here if you are not on winter tires and are in an accident you can possibly have your insurance cancelled for that event. Id say thats fair. Not prepared for the conditions? Why should we cover your stupidity.

somms

I've driven mine for two and a half winters in Boston. I have a set of winter michelin tires on dedicated winter wheels, 8 inches wide. I don't have spacers on it, but I should, the rear wheels are really sunk in.

Learned to drive in Anchorage, AK in an '85 4WD Nissan pickup truck. Switched to a Mazda 2WD B3000 in 2003. Finally got my Z in 2011 and haven't looked back.

I've never driven a modern sedan in the winter, but coming from a pickup truck, I can say without hesitation that a 370z with winter tires is a fine car as a daily winter driver. A good set of tires provide plenty of traction to start moving from a dead stop on snow, plenty of traction to make it up a snow covered hill if you're already moving. The electronic traction control and ABS brakes will pretty much prevent you from ever spinning out or sliding (unless you tell it to, that's easy enough). If you live in a modern, *northern* city, you never have to worry about snow clearance. The plows are out long before it gets deep on the roads themselves. I have private (unheated) garage parking, I can't say what it's like to have to dig out a Z from three feet of snow. I wouldn't want to do it.

I wash my car at least once a week, or more often as conditions and salt require. I always get the undercarriage wash. I get a detail and wax a couple of weeks before winter hits, and a detail and wax a couple of weeks after spring has started.

nhbpcivicsi

Oh wait so that squeaky noise that the car makes when I make a turn into my driveway is normal? I thought something was up..

6MT-Z34

This is probably a dumb question but to wash the undercarriage do you guys lift the cars or what??

b15

I get that you have to drive the Z in the winter as having a second car may not be feasible, but why on earth are you driving on SUMMER tires in the WINTER?

Are you also wearing shorts and sandals right now?

Vazquez08

I'm in Maryland and left my car parked for the few days when we got snow here. Then school was coming up the next few days so I bought some Michellen xice and haven't had a problem since. I didn't even like driving when it was under 35 with those stock tires. Rear of the car was going every which way with the uneven roads. Worst I drove in so far was just some slush but no problems at all

somms

Touchless automatic car wash.