My M35 in the snow

[cincyken]

I have had my 2007 M35 for about 6 months now. I had heard the car was fairly good in the snow because of it's weight, having a limited slip differential, and the VDC system. Totally wrong. The car is terrible in the snow and it is actually made worse by the VDC.
The rear tires are Kumo KH16 with at least 1/2" of good tread. My driveway is about 1/8 mile long with about a 5% slope.
This week when we got 3-4" of snow, the car became useless except going down hill, on a grade or even a slight grade it would not go. And whoever invented VDC, it makes the situation worse. With the VDC taking control of the throttle, I was going so slow, the car actually slid backwards at times. I finally turned off the VDC, go a running start, and made it up my driveway with the momentum and the rear wheels spinning all the way. It is too late in the season to buy snow tires now, but next year when winter arrives, I will have snow tire mounted on the rear of the car.
As a comment: My wife's front wheel drive car had no problems at all.

[Snomotion]

Rwd m45 here in Michigan. with our -15 degree weather making everything ice and the 2-3 feet of snow I have had zero issues getting around. Also my house is on a private drive, down a hill that has a curve at the top. Have never got stuck. I do have snow tires on all 4 (which I suggest, not just the rear) but sadly that doesn't help for ice though. Sorry for your luck though.

[jhatty]

I think you may have hit on why Infiniti makes an M35x AWD. Rear wheel drive in winter will be bad regardless of the make / model of car. Snow tires will only help to a point, after that front wheel drive or AWD is required.

[Ilya]

I had an M35x and now have an M56x...and I only use snow mode when I'm actively driving in snow at 30mph+. On my driveway (which is also 1/8 mile long with a turn mid-way and then the second half is up a 30* hill) I have no issues.

Perhaps the tires aren't as good as you thought, for winter conditions (even though they are all-season), etc. I've never heard of those Kumho's, but for what it is worth...the scores Tire Rack gave those tires compared to the tires I have (ExtremeContact DWS by Continental) are in different ballparks. I'd never buy those Kumho's based on the scores. I trust Tire Rack.

Kumho:



Continental:



I have also had Michelin MXM4's in the past. No issues with either.

[fugatem]

Probably your tires. I had no issues going up hills in 4 inches of snow with Michelin A/S 3's. No major problems going up an icy hill tonight where a water main broke (although TCS light was going off like crazy). Couldn't do that in Yoko Avid Envigors I had last winter.

[The00Dustin]

First off, what makes you think your car has a limited slip differential? I'm pretty sure I've seen lots of complaints that the 2006 doesn't, and I doubt that changed for the 2007. Second, yeah I hear you. I'm having a terrible time this year with my Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS, and I have also previously had terrible times with my Continental ExtremeContact DWS and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires. Sadly, the Michelins were the best of the three, but way too loud. Everyone swears up and down on the Continentals, but I had better luck with the Bridgestone's last year than I did with the Continentals in the years before that. This year I was planning on getting snow tires because I'm so tired of it, but none of the tire places around here will store tires and I planned on doing all four, so I never got around to dealing with that. In more years with more snow, I never had these problems with any of my prior front wheel drive vehicles, of course the front wheel drive vehicles didn't have quite so much torque, either, and they could start moving from a stop in second gear.

[cincyken]

Why do I think my car has a limited slip differential? Good question. Because a mechanic told me so, but of course I assumed he knew what he was talking about. Now that I think about it, he is the same mechanic that told me I would have to take the car to Infiniti to change the AT fluid. Not.
My 2015 Consumers Reports buying guide has about 10 pages of info on tire testing, most of which is in agreement with the survey results on the tire rack web site. As I said, next winter I will have snow tires. Probably the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 or the Hankook Winter i*cept evo.
If it keeps snowing here in Cincinnati, I am going to get cabin fever soon.

[The00Dustin]

I'm not 100% certain which way your sarcasm is leaning, but I think you just came to the realization that you don't have limited slip. That having been said, in case I am wrong, this search shows several threads where I have seen this discussed (including one where someone installed a G37 VLSD on their M because of this):
search.php?keywords=VLSD&terms=all&auth ... mit=Search

I might get snow tires next year, too, or I might get a front wheel drive, depends how the year goes.

[Larz]

My 2 pence:
I have driven my 07 M35 and my 09 M35 in 3-4 inches of snow on roads that were not plowed and even some that had no tire tracks until I made them. I had ZERO issues and both cars RWD. Both times were during trips to the north for rugby matches or visiting Fetucini's family (Virginia, NY). The 07 had Ventus S1noble2's and the 09 had goodyear RSA's which I just changed to Hankooks today.
No all-season tire will work great in snow - they aren't designed to do that. They are designed for "light"snow conditions regardless of what the adverts and mechanics tell you. Sure, some brands may drive better than others, but only to a degree.
You also have to drive the car according to the conditions. A heavy foot will never get traction, a hard steer will always slide a bit and heavy braking will never stop in a short distance.
If i lived in a place where there was snow for any period of time, I'd invest in rear snow tires.
As for the Kumho brand, they never fare well in any conditions when compared to Michelins, Conti's, or Hankooks. It's just not as good a tire to begin with. I love the Tire Rack website. You can choose how much you want to spend, then see how they stack up to a slightly more expensive brand. In some cases, just a wee bit more dollars gets you tons more quality and safety.

[CPJ LB]

I agree with Larz... if you are driving a RWD car, then invest in a set of snow tires - especially if you reside in an area which has excessive snow fall during the winter months.

In my case, it might be a good chance that I will be relocating to the East Coast so I'm currently shopping for a set of snow tires (Michelin's X-ice) and a used set of G35 wheels - possibly 18's. I'll only use this set up for winter driving while keeping my spring/summer wheels/tires stored away during the winter....Just like how they do in Germany

[cincyken]

Thank you all for the advice.
1. I now know the car does not have a limited slip differential.
2. VDC is of no value
3. I need snow tires (I like the idea of a set of spare rimes so I don't need to be reinstalling them every year).
As far as the east coast comment, I lived in Niantic Connecticut back in the 70s, drove a 1971 Triumph TR6 with Michelin tires and don't think I ever got stuck. Snow doesn't even slow them down up there.

[szh]

I think you may have hit on why Infiniti makes an M35x AWD. Rear wheel drive in winter will be bad regardless of the make / model of car. Snow tires will only help to a point, after that front wheel drive or AWD is required.

Hmmm ... with almost any brand of snow tires (most are good), a RWD car will generally be fine except for very steep hills with lots of uncleared snow. And even there, an AWD will only help a bit perceptibly better.

With icy roads, almost nothing helps, until you use metal or plastic studded tires (not allowed in some parts of the country), or tire chains. The highway climbs from the SF Bay Area to Lake Tahoe in winter is bad enough that CHP requires tire chains be used in bad weather or you are not allowed on the roads - even if you have an AWD car or snow tires.

Generalization: when temperatures are below freezing, any summer tire is downright dangerous since it will harden and act like a hockey puck and slide. Even so-called "All-Seasons" will not be as good as good snow tires, by the way, but better than summer tires.

If I lived in snow country still, I would definitely buy a set of cheap wheels and mount good snow tires on them for those conditions!

Z

[steelcity]

AWD is key in cities that have snowy winters. I'd never do rear or front wheel again. The few times it snowed in Chicago this year, I had no problem.

[DH3]

My 06 M45 Sport was decent getting going in the snow on the 19's with a Toyo tire that leaned toward all season. The problem was stopping. ABS kicked in so early. I went with an 18" package from Tire Rack with Blizzaks.

This car is a powershow in the snow here inChicago suburbs.

I looked at wheel and snow tire purchase as an insurance policy. If it helps me avoid any accidents then it's paid for itself. This is my second season with them. If I get two more seasons out of them I'll be happy.

The difference is so dramatic, for this winter I did a set of 20" Tundra wheels and Blizzaks for my wife's LX570. That rig is now a true beast in the snow and stops impressively.

I am a huge proponent of swapping on a snow tire and wheel package for the winter for the reasons above. Also keeps OEM wheels out of the salt and the tires o those rims a little extra life from the winter break.

Quick aside. I have had Michelin Alpin and. Dunlop snow tire in the past and 4 sets of Blizzaks. Blizzaks are so noticeably better. Go Blizzak if you can.

[CPJ LB]

I'm sold on the Michelins (X-ice) tires... I've been in CT this week since Monday and it's been snowy all week (last night there was more snow fall). My buddy has the Michelin x-ice on his car (RWD) and there were no issues.

I'm looking for places to live so I'll be moving from CA to CT by May/June. I think I'll also be looking for an 4x4 truck as my primary for the winters here so I can park the M in garage

[djc1020]

ive had alot of cars and ive never had a better car in the snow EVER my 06 m35 x cant be stopped ,and where i live where being hit with sooo much snow day after day weve accumulated like a hundred inches just over two months And this car hasn't got stuck once I LOVE MY M!!

[quinner49er]

I have a 2008 M45X, but do not use snow tires, since most of my winter driving is in Toronto, where we only get a few heavier snowfalls each year and the roads are generally plowed and salted fairly quickly. I do have one of the top-rated all-season tires for snow handling - the Conti Extreme DWS and love them.

Having said that, like Ilyakol, if there is snow on the ground I always engage my "snow" button. It makes a huge difference in the car's traction and handling, which I learned quickly on the few occasions when I forgot to engage it! The AWD makes all the difference in the world in snowy conditions. Will not buy a car here without it - even FWD is no comparison, although generally better than pure RWD.

I do find that the Infiniti AWD, being a primarily RWD unless the AWD is needed, sometimes has a bit of a lag in activating, particularly if I am doing something stupid. In really bad conditions you still have to be careful, which you should be anyway. My wife's Volvo V70 has full-time AWD and is a dream to drive in the snow, also without snows, just really good Michelin all-seasons. It has much better snow handling since it is always engaged, so if things are really bad we just use hers.