I've never timed it or raced anyone either. What kind of idiot does that in mid winter? I'm just basing it on driving through multiple winters in northern Michigan. We get snow in November and it might be gone by the end of March.

You've got a 2nd Gen, so your VDC setup may work differently than mine, so we might be comparing not so much apples to oranges as red apples to green apples. And hell yes it's fun driving the X with snow tires!

 

You're not missing anything because the VDC is never truly off. The two settings are really On and On With Higher Trigger Points. It seems to me as if VDC Off disconnects the front and rear wheels from each other. With it On, any slippage causes it to activate. With it Off, I can have both rear wheels spinning a little bit, but the fronts aren't slipping and it doesn't activate. But if I turn it sideways with it Off, it will definitely kick on.

 

Move to SoCal its 75deg right now and in dead winter.

 

When I said "raced", I implied an impromptu test between 2 identical cars, accelerating from a stop in snow/icy conditions, one with VDC on and VDC off in the other car, and the results.

I guess the word "raced" shouldn't have been used.

Yes I agree that it wouldn't be too wise to race in the winter with snowy/icy conditions. That would qualify you for a Darwin award.

 

I really appreciate this thread as I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (the snow capital of N.A. I think). When it is not snowing it is really really cold. Thank you for starting this thread.

I have a 2003 G35 sedan and it is pretty useless in the winter. I added 120 lbs in the trunk this week to see if it would make a difference for the next snow fall.

Does anybody know if the extra weight in the truck would help or would it mess with the VDC sensors or cause any other type of damage?

 

I have seen and heard of people putting trunk weights to put more traction on the rear tires and they swear by them on how effective they are...

For me, I don't put any weights in the trunk because my car will just be that much heavier at all times. I don't know how it will work with VDC since I've never really tried it. Maybe you can give us an update after? enlighten us a bit!

 

The simple answer is that it would help and it would have an impact on the VDC. However, the degree to which it helps and impacts is very minor. You're only talking about the equivalent of adding an average sized person sitting in your back seat. You'd be about 100 times better off adding good winter tires than putting 120 pounds in the trunk.

 

Lol

 

I think he needs a bigger wiper motor?

Fred

 

I put a set of Blizzaks on mine and so far have not had any problems. (knock on wood) Of course, we have only had 4 inches of snow max...that lay change if a foot gets dropped on us.

 

I have an AWD x model with snow tires. I hit the SNOW button, leave the VDC on and go everywhere fine...It's like a SUV.

But i'm assuming most here are RWD, so i'll offer some tips from my RWD driving days..

#1 SNOW TIRES

If you don't have these, hopefully you have decent all-seaons. If you are driving in the snow on summer performance tires.....well good luck.

On vehicles with traction control. Turn it off from a dead stop. You'll find the traction control hurts in getting started. There have been times in RWD traction control equipped cars where it simply won't let me move because it's applying the brakes soo much. That's why you hear the ABS sound..each wheel is spinning and the VDC is applying the brakes to stop it. It's a losing battle, so turn the VDC off and power out until you get moving consistently.

So, turn it off, and basically power ahead. You'll spin tires, but you'll move. Once you've gotten up to speed and are crusing, turn the VDC back on. This isn't the summer when you are playing around, this is where you actually need it. Cars with stability control systems want their VDC on as much as possible. Reason being if you start to lose control and the rear end wants to come around, it will kick in and apply brake.

Manual trans guys...start in 2nd gear. Less power to the ground. Just make sure you are good at driving stick so you don't burn your clutch.


Toss weight in your trunk. Few bags of kitty litter or sand. That way if you get stuck, you can open one up and pour it on the ground to get traction. Also, keep a folding shovel or old floormats in the trunk to put under your tires.

SLOW down! You can't do 50 in the snow. Hell, doing 20MPH down side roads might be tough. Ignore the SUV about to blow around you...he'll crash at the next turn....trust me, i've seen it happen.

Do all your stopping and slowing down when the wheel is straight, and coast through turns without using the brakes. If you are coming to a stop and there is a bend at the end, do most of your stopping before the bend, and then coast through.

 

^ very helpful post

 

Drive SMART. Do not do anything your going to regret. Always test the road. It never hurts to tap the brakes/gas and see how slick it is.

 

Last Christmas I made a trip across Oklahoma after the Christmas Eve blizzard.

I saw 103 cars in 190 miles left abandoned, in ditches, etc. 2 were G35's, one sedan and one coup.

I don't know whether it is too many statistically. Not enough information. And, of course, I wouldn't have thought anything of it if none had been G35s.

Did they have summer tires?

 

Hey guys, been lurking for a bit after buying my '06 G35 Coupe about two months ago. I live in Vermont. You know, the green mountain state? Well we get ridiculous amounts of snow on average so I felt I should chime in and give my 2 cents to help those deciding about winter driving in the G.

First off, part of the deal with the purchase of my car was brand new snows. I got the top of the line Blizzaks thrown in mounted and balanced.

Anyway, the VDS + Snows make a WORLD of difference. I tossed in 2x 60 pound sand tubes in the rear and have not had an issue yet. Keep in mind, I'm talking multiple feet of snow here.

I find it quite hilarious that I keep seeing FWD cars off the road and even SUV's flipped over yet I can cruise along with no issues. Just be smart, get some kick *** snow tires and enjoy the fun!