I can't think of anything else but the tires. Not sure what tires you have and what the condition of the tires. What you described seems to me like crappy all season tires. How much thread you have left on the tires?

zozo

I have to agree - that the tires must be at least part of the problem - the tires are OEM that I presume came mounted on all the new sedans with 17" mags in 2008. The tires are close to new with only 13,000 km on them. Looking at the tread design, there is no place to displace the snow, slush or water, but this still doesn't explain the rear end breaking loose on the patchy black ice. I'm going to talk to the dealer, but I doubt that will help much as the response will most likely be "buy snow tires, by the way we have some that we recommend..." ching ching....:-)

That is weird. Tires are almost brand new FWD straight line and the rear. Sound like RWD car. LOL

Hm..just thought about .... VDC That could be another source for sure and it might be it. Not sure with Alti but with the G it cuts power and brakes each wheel if needed to correct the slipage.

Have you tried to turn VDC off to see what it does?

zozo

I actually had the same thing zozo - and I don't think it's the VDC - the slip lights never came on for me at least...

My guess is that it's the crappy tread on the tires plus the weight distribution of the car - 67/33. There isn't much pushing down on the rear...I would imagine a new set of tires and/or a nice 45 pound dumbbell or something would help out a bit.

67/33? Wow. I guess that would do it. I never thought about it.

dumbell or couple of bas of sand would help for sure.

zozo

I'm surprised to hear about the 67/33 distribution as well!! A little extra weight in the back might help, I did have 2 passengers in the back however. The more I look at those tires, I'm becoming convinced that they are not the most desireable. I tried it with and without the traction control system on and off and didn't feel any difference.

That's another thing, at least on the Altima, I've noticed that there really isn't any difference whether the TCS is on or off. "Off" meaning that the system is being overridden. With the TCS off, and in slippery conditions, I still get the same effect - every time the wheels spin, the engine power cuts out. Comparing this to a previous car - a 99 Grand AM, when I overrode the system on the Grand Am, the car had full power and never cut out. Is this normal for the Altima?

We had our first snow/ice storm here in the Ohio River Valley a couple of days ago so it was my first experience with the AC driving in it. It handled ok but was still a little squirrely. I only got stuck once briefly where the snow plow had piled snow at the intersection onto a main road (I was on an upward slope of course). I finally got loose, backed up a made a run for it ... burning smell of rubber and all. I'm glad, at least in this case, it isn't dropped because I was bottoming out when staying in the tire ruts and snow was scraping under the car. It sounded like a bobsled! Otherwise I'm not too disappointed, it could have been a lot worse with a RWD.

ABRB228 wrote:I'm surprised to hear about the 67/33 distribution as well!! A little extra weight in the back might help, I did have 2 passengers in the back however. The more I look at those tires, I'm becoming convinced that they are not the most desireable. I tried it with and without the traction control system on and off and didn't feel any difference.

That's another thing, at least on the Altima, I've noticed that there really isn't any difference whether the TCS is on or off. "Off" meaning that the system is being overridden. With the TCS off, and in slippery conditions, I still get the same effect - every time the wheels spin, the engine power cuts out. Comparing this to a previous car - a 99 Grand AM, when I overrode the system on the Grand Am, the car had full power and never cut out. Is this normal for the Altima?

With new TCS and VDC systems it is normal - the system "stays on" even when you turn it off...however, you can beat it. When you turn off the system (always do it from Park), when it tries to cut power, just gas it a little more to break free, and it shouldn't cause any more issues after that point. Kind of annoying, but this happens with almost any new TCS or VDC system.

I live in South central IN and we got 12inches of snow in one night and 3 inches of ice. I thought when i bought my coupe that I will get steal studded snow tires cause i was worried and I never had a new car before. Well i didnt buy them and the past 2-3 days I havent had any problems getting around. The coupe drives about like most front drive cars. I am pretty pleased with the coupe over all.

Dave

indyvbdave wrote:I live in South central IN

Dave

Hey ... you need to put a pin on the map ! There's only a couple of us listed in Indiana.

It's definitely the poor factory tires. My Altima 2.5S (2007) came with Continental ContiPros. After slipping and sliding through last winter and the early part of this winter I put new Yokohama AVID TRZ's (all season) on my car. It's like a new car - no slipping or sliding - I have traction and I'm no longer scared to go out after it snows. My ContiPro's only had 17,000 miles on them when I got rid of them, so I'm quite annoyed that I had to buy new tires, but at least I feel safe now. I've had my new tires 3 weeks now in Michigan and the snow and ice have been really heavy so they're getting a workout. Check out tirerack.com for excellent tire reviews if you're considering new tires.

The A/C is NOT a great car in the snow. At least, not with a 3.5 and CVT. The stock tires are junk, except on clear pavement. I had mine for a week in November, then it snowed and we got 6 inches in something like 4 hours - I had one of those 'white knuckle' drives to work that night. The car went wherever it wanted and I had little input to its course. It was one of the scariest drives I've ever had. The very next day I called and got winter rims and Nokian Nordman tires arranged. Dropped in the next morning on my way home from work and had them installed. Big difference? Oh yeah! But my crappy old Sunfire on Michelin X-ice tires would leave it sitting on a bad road. The A/C wanders on snow, and is very susceptible to deeper snow on one side, it pulls like crazy - I've also noticed that in standing water. I blame several things about my A/C for its bad snow characteristics - the auto trans, you need to turn TCS off (when on, it's a great way to get stuck in snow at low speeds! Works nice at speed though), the torque of the 3.5, its heavy front-weighted balance which lets the rear go anywhere while the front follows other tire grooves in the snow, and the fact that it sits on relatively wide tires which do not grip INTO the snow but rather slide around on top of it (physics law about PSI and contact patch). Anyone who thinks the A/C is good in snow has never experienced bad road conditions.... in my opinion.

sedan is just as bad, i blame the cvt and drive by wire accelerator. combination of those two makes car a sensitive ***** to drive.

ya before i havent done any lower or bodykits the answer is so far so goodshoulda blame stock tires though but my 6-spd tranny save my a**

I currently have a 2009 2.5sl Altima. Before this one I have a 2008 Altima 2.5sl that one had non stop electrical issues.

I personally feel that Nissan should not bother marketing these cars in regions that have snow. They are very unsafe cars to drive, even in the slightest hint of weather.

I just returned from a trip in pretty normal winter weather. Meaning yes it is snowing and we there were about 2 inches of snow on the ground.

I was not able to go above 35 mph. The car does not allow it. If I tried all I would fishtail all over the road. At one point we were slowed down to 20 mph because we had caught up with another slow driving vehicle. Woudn't you know it was another Altima. Becareful with these cars. They are dangerous.

Good luck....I am going to get rid of this one asap...

2 inches of snow on the road and you wanted to go faster than 35mph? Not on the highway?

today we had 8 inches of snow.. i felt the "oh god my cars gonna get stuck" feeling.. but car never did..

I live in International Falls, MN....googlemaps it, we get hella snow....and I havent had any problems with driving my 07 in the winter here. I wish I had traction control becuase it would help with the acceleration a bit but for the most part as long as you are a smart driver, you will not have any problems. Just understand that you will not perform like a truck and be baja-ing across snow drifts, but you will be able to make it around in the winter

No problem here in MN this year. Of course I've had many years of experience driving in snow/ice. My 2008 is handling extremely well and goes where I steer it.

one of the reasons i got rid of my coupe is because of the bad experiences ive had.

i agree w/ ABRB228 like- a LOT, its bad w/ stock tires terribly. going 15-20mph in a 40 at times because lack of clearance and lack of grip. drive like i mean it, and pullin sum ebrakes and the car snapped back like it was meant to. but i felt like i had to drive safer than usual more often than not.

i also left my car outside in the driveway, and here in buffalo- a decent night of snow is about 6 inches on avg.
on a good day w/ the snow actually being plowed to about 2 inches packed, it was ok at best. it wasn't detrimental to driving, but it made me long for spring when i LOVED driving in the snow in my old 98 altima. which was a totally different experience. also- most mornings i'd have to clear the snow from my fender lining from the front wheels as well since there would be so much buildup in those already shallow wheelwells.

hope this helps

Maybe I dont drive enough in the snow but I have really not had any problems driving in the snow with stock tires or summer tires. I only slide when I want to... which is like every turn possible

I can understand if you live in the mountains it might be hard but you should really have a truck or suv in that case.

yea we're had several snows here lately and using stock tires myself without any problems or sliding (unless I want to).

slid for a couple feet once at the bottom of my street but i just go slower now and it's never happened again.

i also just go around 30-40 on my side roads when there's snow to be safe... no need to rush

with a manual tranny, snow was no prob. only if a went over a 2-3 inches pile, then i'd have a prob, but city and highway were no problems.

Handles rather well! VDC helps a lot. My parents have a 2011 Altima Coupe and they previously drove a 2008 Altima Coupe and they live in Rhinelander, WI (just about everyone owns a snowmobile there, LOL).

Put on snow tires, handles fine here in central NY. stock tires are crap for snow.

BUMP!!! a little update: we just got hammered in central NY, it was so bad my college shut down for the day, the first time in 10yrs. I was at my friends place and decided to leave and go back to my place, when i got to my car the snow was up to the emblem on my grill (that bad). plowed right through it with a little work, got to the entrance to my dorm that has a long hill up to the parking, was praying to get up that thing but did it somehow and got stuck, in a parking spot LMAO!! this is the worst I've ever driven in period and the car was a champ!!! moral of this, do yourself a favor if you live with a lot of snow and GET SOME SNOW TIRES!!! best investment you'll make... on a side note, cars were all over the place while i just drove past them. i will admit, the 6spd saved my a** lol, doubt a cvt would do as well. this car may not be perfect but it's not bad because I've driven much worse.

We had 2inch of ice covered by 3-4inch of snow and my cvt worked great in the snow, just switch to manual mode and keep the revs below 2500 with tcs on. Conquered some pretty decent hills, but for that you'll want the tcs off so power isn't cut. We only get about two weeks of snow covered roads per year where I live so it's not a major thing, still the alti is 10 times better than my old 535i in the snow.

Im a new Nissan owner and its a 2007 Altima Sedan ...

I have Milestar tires -- 2 mechanics say they are crap ...
they came with the car ....

I can't drive in the snow at all in this car with these tires anyways ...

So tomorrow Im getting some new ones --- its looking like some Arctic Claws ...
hope it improves the drive ... otherwise I can't use the car ...

Can't believe Nissan would sell such crap tires for a New England car ... that kinda bites ...

Liking the car pretty much otherwise --- I have to check out this "manual mode" I think I know where it is but not sure how to use it ...

Hating my Nissan at the moment for not handling in the snow ... but trying to work through it ...

Its the braking thats more of a problem than the car sliding --- Im not sure if its the tires or what ... braking almost instantly sets off the ABS -- at any rate the braking on snow with these tires is crap ... hoping i find a resolution

if anyone has a tire recommendation --- im hoping for a solution for winter that doesnt involve snow tires as I have no real room to store those at the moment ...

Has anyone else had problems with the Milestars?

I have an automatic transmission.