Traction in Snow and Ice

[rtbiscuit]

Q. What's worse than a Z in the snow?

A. An auto TransAm with 275 B F Goodrich tyres on the back

I know ....I've been there

 

according to my wife, new fiesta ST's are as well

 

my wifes friend had to park hers up and walk home. she followed my wife in her golf, my wife was fine but the fiesta was all over the place apparently.

 

i think it was the driver,

[rich5259]

just bought a Nissan X-trail as a daily driver and snow car Zed is in the garage until spring except for meets

[stanski]

just bought a Nissan X-trail as a daily driver and snow car Zed is in the garage until spring except for meets

Good cars good mpg (diesel) but turbos blow so budget for it- has one been there not nice

[rtbiscuit]

i've been broswing cars trying to find something sporty but with 4WD, like the evo's from the out side, but it doesn't come close to the zed on the inside. scoobys i don't mind but they are the same. i know what they can do and are capable of, but at the end of the day it is a sooped up saloon.

 

only one i can think of is a lambo gayardo, i do love them, but they are way way way out of my price range

[ATTAK Z]

The best go anywhere vehicle I ever had was a 2 stroke suzi jeep LJ50 ... bit uncomfortable though

 

Thinking about it, I had more fun in that vehicle than any car I've ever had ... great little thing

 

Never tried it in the snow though ..... when I had it, I lived close to the southern Sahara .... we didn't get snow that often

[Chiefgroover]

I have Dunlop 9000 on my car and i have to say I am impressed with it's snow performance.

I can only imagine how awful the car with be if it had no LSD.

At least it can stop going downhill unlike my R35 which is like a waxed anvil !! and now in dry dock until the weather clears.

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi Ernie Bought yourself a 350Z then.

[Chris`I]

I keep seeing scoobys out with smug looking drivers but are they really that good? They all have performance tyres on anyway which are just as crap as a 2 wheel drive ! I saw one the other day and he was still sliding around

Yes they much better Stan, given the driver knows how to drive them. 3 things that make it better than a Zed even with performance tyres - skinnier tyres (std Evo tyres are 235, 4cm each side skinner than my rear tyres) so more pressure per tyre on the contact patch cutting through the snow, 4WD splitting the power 4 ways not 2 ways, so half as much to each wheel as ours. Finally as they are turbo'd they have sod all torque at low revs (no boost), meaning its very easy to apply little power - even at low revs in 2/3rd gear, my Zed was spinning my wheels when stuck.

 

To prove the point, my Zed couldnt get up the drive which has a very slight incline. Ben's Evo pulled my Zed up the incline with his car starting on the incline itself! Way way more grip than the Zed has. Saying that, driven properly, the Zed is no worse than most of the muppets in FWD cars

[Ebized]

I keep seeing scoobys out with smug looking drivers but are they really that good? They all have performance tyres on anyway which are just as crap as a 2 wheel drive ! I saw one the other day and he was still sliding around

Yes they much better Stan, given the driver knows how to drive them. 3 things that make it better than a Zed even with performance tyres - skinnier tyres (std Evo tyres are 235, 4cm each side skinner than my rear tyres) so more pressure per tyre on the contact patch cutting through the snow, 4WD splitting the power 4 ways not 2 ways, so half as much to each wheel as ours. Finally as they are turbo'd they have sod all torque at low revs (no boost), meaning its very easy to apply little power - even at low revs in 2/3rd gear, my Zed was spinning my wheels when stuck.

 

To prove the point, my Zed couldnt get up the drive which has a very slight incline. Ben's Evo pulled my Zed up the incline with his car starting on the incline itself! Way way more grip than the Zed has. Saying that, driven properly, the Zed is no worse than most of the muppets in FWD cars

 

I was fully with you Chris up to your "no worse" comment in the last sentence. There is no way a RWD is as good in ice and snow as FWD (or rear/mid-engined cars for that matter) and even a novice driver in a FWD is likely to get an icey uphill road better than an experienced one in a RWD. Yes, there are too many muppets out there who don't how to drive in these conditions - period. In slippery conditions any car with the engine over the driven wheels (aside from 4 x 4) will be a safer and better bet for getting anywhere. You only have to look at classic and production car trials to verify the difference.

 

Nope, June's Jazz is working overtime at the moment while the ZED is sitting there piled up with snow.

[Beavis]

I keep seeing scoobys out with smug looking drivers but are they really that good? They all have performance tyres on anyway which are just as crap as a 2 wheel drive ! I saw one the other day and he was still sliding around

Yes they much better Stan, given the driver knows how to drive them. 3 things that make it better than a Zed even with performance tyres - skinnier tyres (std Evo tyres are 235, 4cm each side skinner than my rear tyres) so more pressure per tyre on the contact patch cutting through the snow, 4WD splitting the power 4 ways not 2 ways, so half as much to each wheel as ours. Finally as they are turbo'd they have sod all torque at low revs (no boost), meaning its very easy to apply little power - even at low revs in 2/3rd gear, my Zed was spinning my wheels when stuck.

 

To prove the point, my Zed couldnt get up the drive which has a very slight incline. Ben's Evo pulled my Zed up the incline with his car starting on the incline itself! Way way more grip than the Zed has. Saying that, driven properly, the Zed is no worse than most of the muppets in FWD cars

 

I was fully with you Chris up to your "no worse" comment in the last sentence. There is no way a RWD is as good in ice and snow as FWD (or rear/mid-engined cars for that matter) and even a novice driver in a FWD is likely to get an icey uphill road better than an experienced one in a RWD. Yes, there are too many muppets out there who don't how to drive in these conditions - period. In slippery conditions any car with the engine over the driven wheels (aside from 4 x 4) will be a safer and better bet for getting anywhere. You only have to look at classic and production car trials to verify the difference.

 

Nope, June's Jazz is working overtime at the moment while the ZED is sitting there piled up with snow.

 

+1

 

The good old Punto is been driven the same on the snow as if it was not there at all. Superb little car in these conditions Infact i am having rather alot of fun in it at the moment

[Chris`I]

As a full package I beg to differ. A good driver with RWD will do better at nursing a car home than most of the muppets in Hants/Berks with FWD. If I had my camera on my way home on the 21st Dec, I would have plenty of examples to show you Over 35 miles on the way home, there was a lot of abandoning of FWD cars while the Zed tentitively made it back Obviously, given the same driver, FWD traunces RWD

[Chiefgroover]

Hi Ernie Bought yourself a 350Z then.

 

Indeedy, two years ago lol, as Supra spends its life in the garage and and GTR is a bit precious to take out in this weather

 

Have you still got your Supra?

[Husky]

As a full package I beg to differ. A good driver with RWD will do better at nursing a car home than most of the muppets in Hants/Berks with FWD. If I had my camera on my way home on the 21st Dec, I would have plenty of examples to show you Over 35 miles on the way home, there was a lot of abandoning of FWD cars while the Zed tentitively made it back Obviously, given the same driver, FWD traunces RWD

 

my alloy wheel begs to differ, a fwd car would have been able to pull is nose in line and i wouldnt have hit that kerb

[Rob Gaskin]

My Zeds awesome in the snow.

 

is a phrase you will never hear. Honestly, what did people expect?

 

The purpose of this thread was to reinforce that winter tyres DO make a big difference to the very poor snow grip of the 350Z. Hopefully to help people make decisions about tyres and to realise that they are not just for snow.

 

To answer your point I DID expect it to be better than it is, I have driven MANY RWD cars including my track prepared 240Z and the 350Z is the worst in the wet never mind the snow.

[jim]

As a full package I beg to differ. A good driver with RWD will do better at nursing a car home than most of the muppets in Hants/Berks with FWD. If I had my camera on my way home on the 21st Dec, I would have plenty of examples to show you Over 35 miles on the way home, there was a lot of abandoning of FWD cars while the Zed tentitively made it back Obviously, given the same driver, FWD traunces RWD

 

Round here, I've also seen quite a few drivers having awful problems with their RWD BMWs. A combination of RWD and bad driving usually ends up in the car getting stuck or abandoned.

 

Can't raise much sympathy for beamer drivers, though.

[Chris`I]

As a full package I beg to differ. A good driver with RWD will do better at nursing a car home than most of the muppets in Hants/Berks with FWD. If I had my camera on my way home on the 21st Dec, I would have plenty of examples to show you Over 35 miles on the way home, there was a lot of abandoning of FWD cars while the Zed tentitively made it back Obviously, given the same driver, FWD traunces RWD

 

my alloy wheel begs to differ, a fwd car would have been able to pull is nose in line and i wouldnt have hit that kerb

Make sure you dont ever get an Alfa Spyder then, it was worse than my Zed last year when we had snow and my car was in the garage for a bit and that way the hire car

[Tricky-Ricky]

Hi Ernie Bought yourself a 350Z then.

 

Indeedy, two years ago lol, as Supra spends its life in the garage and and GTR is a bit precious to take out in this weather

 

Have you still got your Supra?

 

 

LOL! thought it was a new acquisition, yes still have the Supra, if it doesn't go in the next couple of months, i will probably keep it for another year and play around with it some more, but try not to spend much money on it.

[BulletMagnet]

Well, the port in their wisdom decided to keep us all there incase the weather got better.......

 

 

Errrr.....I don't think so......but they finally caved in and let us go at 4pm (after we have been sat around since 6am)

 

*You can see my Zoey parked in the middle, when I arrived she was clear of any snow....

[rtbiscuit]

feel for you mate, can't be easy working in these conditions, cold finger tips and everything.

 

hope you got back alright.

[BulletMagnet]

yeah, got back fine just kept to 40 mph on the A14

[rtbiscuit]

we went out to sainsburys today, wasn't to bad.

[Stew]

My Zeds awesome in the snow.

 

is a phrase you will never hear. Honestly, what did people expect?

 

The purpose of this thread was to reinforce that winter tyres DO make a big difference to the very poor snow grip of the 350Z. Hopefully to help people make decisions about tyres and to realise that they are not just for snow.

 

To answer your point I DID expect it to be better than it is, I have driven MANY RWD cars including my track prepared 240Z and the 350Z is the worst in the wet never mind the snow.

 

Sorry Rob, my comment wasn't aimed at you. It was really in response to reading about 100 people on the forum say their Zed (with performance tyres usually) are rubbish in the snow.

 

Good winter tyres will make the car far more tractable in these conditions, far from perfect. I opt to leave the Zed at home and use my other car which is far more suited to the conditions.

 

 

I highlight a VERY good statement made by yourself!

[Husky]

tbh i think if i had gone for winter tyres i would have never slipped into that kerb, i would have slipped yes probably, but never as far. super wide sport tyres are not what the doctor ordered. and although tolerable at points no its really not ideal (shown by the matiz overtaking me). next year i will have a bumper car definately, the cost i will have incurred in damage will be of the same value as said car

[terribleone]

tbh i think if i had gone for winter tyres i would have never slipped into that kerb, i would have slipped yes probably, but never as far. super wide sport tyres are not what the doctor ordered. and although tolerable at points no its really not ideal (shown by the matiz overtaking me). next year i will have a bumper car definately, the cost i will have incurred in damage will be of the same value as said car

 

After seeing some of the videos of all season tyres vs winter tyres, I'd be inclined to agree!

 

In time for next winter I'll be looking to get a second set of wheels with winter tyres...either put winter tyres on my Rays and get a showy set for summer use, or a second set of Rays with cold tyres on.

 

Or just get a bumper car like you said!