AWD vs. RWD M35 ? I live in Ohio..... thanks for the input......

[LOOKIN 4 INFINITI M35]

Hi, I am looking to buy a n Infiniti M35 or M35x. And was wondering if anyone had input on how it would drive/handle in the snow? I am pretty sure the AWD M35X would be fine but not so sure about the RWD M35. Thanks for reading and if you have any input, that would be great. And if you know anyone that is selling a 2006 maybe 2007 M35. Thanks

Jeff

[antzrus]

Personally in my 47 years of driving AWD, FWD and RWD machines I would rate them from most to least drivable in snow from the order given.

Interestingly tho, my new FWD '71 Saab 99E was the best handling snow machine I've ever driven-maybe it had something to do w/being 24 back then, just back from the war and all the beautiful women I could handle wanting rides; in the spacious back seat...

[LOOKIN 4 INFINITI M35]

thanks for the info.....

[szh]

Sorry I missed this earlier.

All Saab's tends to handle well in snow - the combination of relatively narrow tires and FWD seems to make it dig through snow and find the road to grip on.

Having said that, if the weather gets to the point where the snow gets packed down or is very deep, then using snow tires is essential - whatever car you are driving.

I have driven both FWD and RWD (no experience with AWD) and have always felt more comfortable with the FWD in snow. With powerful RWD cars, I would absolutely recommend snow tires - even in light snow (that sticks around).

I lived in New Hampshire for many years and owned Mazda RX-7 and Nissan 300ZX Turbo for some of them. They handled much, much better with snow tires in winter.

With my RX-7 in particular, I used to park in a pull-in-head-first parking space at my apartment complex ... if the snow plow came by and left even four or five inches snow/ice mounds behind my car, I would have difficult pulling out of the space with regular tires!

Often, I also had to lie down and sweep snow out from under the wheels and from under the car to get it out without simply spinning the wheels futilely. . When I switched to snow tires, I could easily climb over these ice/snow piles without any problems whatsoever!

Z

[LOOKIN 4 INFINITI M35]

Thanks for letting me know, I ended up getting a 2006 M35x and very happy with it. (awd)

Jeff

[kumarg]

Good choice. I had a g35 rwd and now drive nothing but awd, big difference.

[antzrus]

Thanks for letting me know, I ended up getting a 2006 M35x and very happy with it. (awd)

Jeff

Put some ContiExtremeContacts on it-great in all weather-especially nice in snow too!! It's a great machine-love mine!!

[khaug]

Much good advice on the forum above this, IMHO. My addl suggestion would be to wait for winter to see if you actually need dedicated snow tires. We previously owned a Toyota 4Runner AWD with only Michelin Cross-Terrain all-season tires, which was the best snow car I've experienced in 40+ years of Michigan winters!

Dedicated snows are expensive and a PITA to store and remove/replace twice per year.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your M35x in any event! Best regards.

-K.
Modified by khaug at 10:50 PM 7/12/2009