Globerunner513 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 well after a small "drifting accident" into a tree in my school parking lot one night, I had to park my winter beater at home (bellingham, wa) and my only other transportation was my Z. I go to school about 6 hours away in Spokane, and have to travel over the mountains to get here. Thankfully the pass was fine, but once I got into Spokane, there was a good layer of snow on all the roads. Now, I havn't actually driven a rwd car in the snow before, but I have a lot of experience in FWD and 4WD/AWD cars. I have to say though, the Z is really fussy. The smallest tap of the throttle and she starts to slide... Not that it surprises me, but I am driving as little as possible. Pretty much just to school and back (the roads were alright today) and then bumming rides any other times. Im going to try and find a parking lot tonight to figure out exactly what i have to work with. So what are your experiences with driving a Z in the snow? and tips, or insight as to what they like to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
het976 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Used to drive my 71 all the time up Sking to Mt Hood, never put chains on as long as the roads were plowed. As soon as I put the rear sway bar and stiff springs on it would not move in the snow, weight transfer I guess. If you have a rear bar, I would try unhooking it. Run in as high a gear as you can...lugging the engine even, starting in 2nd helps to get going. When all else fails, chains work. I love driving RWD in the snow, you just have get used to it, but I grew up when the only FWD was the Mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Just thing of it as a free way to touch up on your driving skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Ive heard that loading the back up with cat litter bags or sand bags help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Get an extra set of rims and put studded snows on all 4 corners and drive like you have an egg on the gas petal. I had 2 Zs in Colorado and the studded snow tires made the biggest difference. I had to chain it up a couple of times without studs. One other thing I had trouble in with the stearing linkage bellows freezing over with ice in slush conditions. It is not fun when the stearing wheel will not move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I've driven mine through 4 winters in the mountains. I would put at least a bag of dog food or cement in the back, it helps immensely. Just take it slow, be REALLY weary about the drivers/conditions around you, and give yourself lot of extra time. I always avoid steep roads if at all possible. Getting into some parking lots required some speed to make it past the mush and ice and not get stuck. If you get stuck, rock it back and forth until you get enough momentum to free yourself. It might be a good idea to keep 2 pieces of wood in your Z to put under the rear tires for traction in case you get stuck (and you can use them to dig as well). Or buy studded tires. I have a set but have never used them. Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted January 10, 2008 Administrators Share Posted January 10, 2008 I've driven S30's in snow on a number of occasions. I despise doing so with any 'street' tire. As suggested, studded snow tires work well. The thing I don't like about them is the noise. We live in an area where snow comes and go's, but its a real hassle changing tires every other week. Between snow's, the studs drive me batty. What I have found to work very well is studless snow tires (currently using Toyo Observes). They're flat impressive, without the noise. The primary downfall is they aren't much help on solid ice, whereas studded tires help significantly. When the roads turn to ice, I stay home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I drove my beloved 280ZX Turbo one complete Colorado winter that I owned the car (in 7years) and I agree with everyone here especially Ron's comments. My very worst experience in this car was letting the laws of physics decide which curb the car was going to hit and how many times early one VERY cold and icy winter morning. I basically went along for the ride and white knuckled the whole time, not a healthy thing for my heart, frame of mind or a good way to start the day! Damaged wheel, damaged tire and suspension pieces I limped home "very humbled". Studded tires are horrible when dry and I do prefer studless. On ice, take your time, slow down and let all the SUVs, Pickups and Subaru Audi owners pass you. I ran with great success the Toyo Observes in my old and VERY tail happy Toyota Corolla GT-S AE86 (supercharged) and currently run Hankook iPikes in my Turbo Mazda 323. These iPikes are VERY inexpensive with impressive performance - worth taking a look. Good luck - Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Not a s30 but an S14. I drive my car year round. First snow here with street tires was a nightmare. My car was stuck in a parking lot. I got a set of lightly used bridgestone blizzak WS-50s and I can tell you this car is unstoppable. I can drive through 6" of snow without a problem with no weight in the trunk. Beware when adding weight. Put it right over the rear axle, else when the rear starts to swing out you will end up with a pendulum effect and get out of control. Blizzaks are amazing, I can't believe how good it is. I was ready to buy a truck too. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 My Subaru WRX wears WS-50 Blizzaks on all four corners. Talk about unstoppable! The Z was useable in the snow as long as you don't need to climb any hills and you have GOOD winter tires. I drove mine in the snow way back when it was bone stock suspension with good all seasons. It got me around. Remember narrow tires and soft suspensions are better in snow. I took it skiing to Vermont a few times and drove it through part of college in NY through some snowy weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Daniel what part of town do you live in? I love watching my friend drive his 5.0 through the snow. He says just letting out the clutch will spin the tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayz Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Snow is so much fun! I had 6 months of pure snow a year to have fun with. 1- Get some good tires, snow or ice depending where you live. Snow tires in the back, ice tires in the front was my mix on my MK3 Supra Turbo. 2- Wash you car very often so it doesn't rust. 3- Practice, practice and practice...after a while you will understand the road condition and you won't hit curbs!! 4- I guess you can put some sandbag behind your seats to add some weight, or over the axle where it is better. Have fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 now call me crazy here, but when i had to drive my z32 in the snow (4 inches) i had very bald and very dry tires on a very icy road with a automatic trans. and i did fine coming down the cliffy mountain at 70, the best advice i can give is to take it easy and if anything does happen let your instincts take over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patzky1 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Yeah, a good set of new snow tires are all you'll need. The non-studded perform almost as well as the studded ones anymore. Oh, and +1 on the sandbag in the back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Keep your gas tank full if your expecting snow too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryb Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 You dont need studs. Just get a good set of snows. Driving in snow can be alot of fun once you get the hang of it. Its like drifting without the wheel distruction. Saying that...I would never drive my 71 in the snow, around here they use salt on the roads. Salt = Rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1noel Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I still have the ski racks for mine. Used to drive it up the hill 4-5 times a week for years. Good tires are the key. Never had studs. Probably why I had the rust when we stripped it down. I learned to drive in snow, mud and cow %$*&, and I can tell you that properly tired the Z is a great snow car. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Right now the roads are terrible here! It was a very compactable snow that turns to ice fast. When I was younger it used to snow like that alot, not so much anymore. Gishlavids sp?? sold at altons are sweedish snow tires that most tires now are fashioned after. They are built siped and get softer as it gets colder! Ran them almost all my life! I have a set of non studded mounted on 280zx rims if you want to use them for this season, just come pick them up:)! They only have one season on them and I only drive my Z in the winter for short distaces and in cirlces on the side roads (just road tires on now). Seriously you can get them tonite and return when done! 509 714 9798. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Right now the roads are terrible here! It was a very compactable snow that turns to ice fast. When I was younger it used to snow like that alot, not so much anymore. Gishlavids sp?? sold at altons are sweedish snow tires that most tires now are fashioned after. They are built siped and get softer as it gets colder! Ran them almost all my life! I have a set of non studded mounted on 280zx rims if you want to use them for this season, just come pick them up:)! They only have one season on them and I only drive my Z in the winter for short distaces and in cirlces on the side roads (just road tires on now). Seriously you can get them tonite and return when done! 509 714 9798. Thats really awesome of you to offer, you may just save him from demolishing his car like the other one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted January 10, 2008 Administrators Share Posted January 10, 2008 Blizzaks are amazing, I can't believe how good it is. I was ready to buy a truck too. Blizzaks are the only other studless tire I've had any experience with. I never had the chance to compare them back to back with the Observes, so I have no real opinion on my preference, other than to say that I am equally impressed with both. On Yasins recommend, once my Observes wear, I'll give those iPikes a hard look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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