Old Man Winter

[BusyBadger]

He's on his way, saw some flurries in the mountains on my morning commute last week. Made me start looking (harder) for the Conti Extreme DWS tires that seem to out of stock everywhere I check.

So, who else drives their Z year round here and what do you do to make your Z ready once the mercury drops?

[Harman850T5]

Last year I kept the tank full and washed the crap out of it and the underside 3 times a week. I was going to buy snow tires this year, but I have a straight 2.5 mile shot to work on the main road, which is right off my road. If it's that bad I'll drive the Bronco until the roads are clear enough or just call in.

[370Z/28]

Fortunatly in Memphis we don't get too much of the white stuff. My biggest winter nightmare is that it is too cold/dark to keep my car clean. If it does get icy we don't have to come into work. That is the advantage of being a peon. I always say that they don't pay me enough to tear up my car.

Memphis doesn't have good road clearing equipment.

[kobra kommander]

Here in the south metro ATL area we get next to no snowfall at all. So I will prob drive all year with no breaks.

[BusyBadger]

Well, after calling around for a fwe hours today I finally remembered a contact at Tire Rack and found out that the Conti DWS tires are backordered between 60-90 days.

Looks like it's either Bridgestone's new 970AS or the General GMAX AS-03.

[kobra kommander]

How long do snow tires last? I have never used any but that has to be expensive swapping tires out every winter like that.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Gah I have learned so much about how yall have to prepare for the snow coming down its very interesting..

The thing that scares me the most (if i lived up north) is the salt on the road.

[BusyBadger]

How long do snow tires last? I have never used any but that has to be expensive swapping tires out every winter like that.

Actually, none of the tires I mentioned are snow tires, all of them are all-season tires. I don't see a lot of snow in my area, but my commute takes me through the Blue Ridge Mountains and the weather can be a little unpredictable. Wet grip in low temps is my main concern, but I do need something that can deal with at least a little snow. There are maybe 5 or 6 days a year where I could really use an all out winter/snow tire on the Z. And if it gets really hairy I'll jump in the Xterra. The Conti DWS's handily beat other tires they were tested against by Tire Rack in their winter shootout, but like I said, they aren't available anywhere right now. Bridgestone updated it's venerable 960AS (my current all season) in the new 970AS and I am leaning towards that as I've seen some reports that the General GMAX I was also looking at is reported to have a softer sidewall so it won't hold as much grip under the stress of cornering.

I used to swap out tires but I picked up a set of the forged wheels from the 350Z track model so I can now switch out wheels - makes things a lot easier. I've got a set of all seasons mounted on the OEM wheels (Touring V2) and summers on the forged wheels. It's just that I need to get the all seasons replaced, they're not bad but they certainly aren't fresh either. And the summers will need replacing once Old Man Winter goes back home in March or April. The next 6 months or so will be a little expensive I suppose.

Snow tires don't have an treadwear rating like other tires do, as much as I know about tires I don't actually know why. I'm guessing it's got something to do with the fact that they probably won't be driving on snow all the time and that dry pavement can really cause some degradation to the tire. For those that do plan to drive their Z (or any car for that matter) I highly recommend a winter/snow tire - once the white stuff is on the ground it's a completely different level of performance. If I still lived in Chicago and maybe even if were still in Indiana I'd be running a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM60's.

[370Z/28]

Had a couple of inches of slush on the road this morning. I was really proud of the way the Z handled! Having a manual transmission really helps.

[BusyBadger]

I was thinking about you when I saw the weather this morning and they made a special point to mention that there was snow in Memphis! I'll take the Xterra to work tonight since my new tires (Bridgestone 970's) won't get to me from Tire Rack until Friday.

I really wanted to give 'em a good welcome home party too. Oh well, guess it gives me some time to get them worn in a little.

[370Z/28]

It handled a lot better than my G did in the snow. G was an auto. You have so much more control with a manual.

Thanks for thinking about me and Z-Bo.

[BusyBadger]

So, it's that time again - thought I'd bump this thread out of hibernation.

Who's doing what preparing for winter?

[sx moneypit]

I plan on putting the Z in the garage(at least for the next few days)and drive the MR2.
This is the sh*t that is coming.http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... p8hVFLbyE3

[BusyBadger]

Well, I've decided (after a few hatch induced headaches) that it's finally time to replace my hatch struts. They're OK in the spring and summer but when the temps drop they certainly aren't up to the task.

I also finally took off my summer tires (Bridgestone S04's) and went with Michelin's latest and greatest all-season, the Pilot Sport AS3. I've had them on for a while and have been impressed with both the dry and wet traction. They're as good as my summers are, with one caution...the S04's are really predictable and easy to control even at the limit, but the Michelins can surprise you if you push them too hard unless you're on top of your game.

No idea how they do in the white stuff yet, but as soon as I find out I'll report back here. I was pretty unimpressed with the performance of the Bridgestone 970AS in the snow, their 960 predecessor was much better, though the wet grip of the 970 is better.