I'm assuming that the used G35 you are looking at has summer tires. If so, those tires don't do well in *cold* let alone in ice and snow.

If there are regular periods of snow and ice on the roads where you live then in my opinion you should buy a separate inexpensive set of winter tires and 16" wheels specifically for the winter months. That way, you can change them out yourself whenever you want using a jack, and if you get rim scratches in the bad weather you won't feel so bad.

--Steve

 

The stock tires on my 04 G35 were the Goodyear Eagles. Not a bad tire, but after a little research I decided too put a set of Michelin Pilot Sports on. On previous cars I always gad a set of dedicated Winter tires (Blizzaks) and steel rims, but I thought the michelin would do the trick, but I was wrong. The Pilots do not perform well in the snow and as a result of this I will buy winter tires for next seaon.
I think the general consensus is that RWD is a better way of propelling the care. My last car was a 300M and that was FWD and that thing was a piece of s$$t. Invest the money in wheel/tires for snow season, they give you a helluva lot more confidence.

 

If your dad is willing to pay for 1/2 the car then take his advice and find something else before he changes his mind! He's more right than wrong when it comes to RWD and snow and there are some nice crashes in these forums to prove it. Swapping snow tires sucks.

 

cool video nate. Big Thanks.

 

RWD kicks FWD's booty on dry pavement- no doubt about it. My last car was a torquey SHO (FWD). AWESOME car, GREAT engine, but it was FWD. After driving my G in the rain a lot, I can tell you that I definitely prefer the SHO in the rain and snow. BUT, among others, I've got the sports and winter packages on my G... this gives you the all-season tires. They're not bad, at least as far as I've been able to discern. I drove them in the snow for a week and they were perfectly fine (loaded down the trunk), and I've maybe slipped when starting at a stop sign once or twice. It's all about how well you use your foot in bad conditions.

Your dad obviously knows nothing about performance cars (or is rightfully playing dumb [img]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/img]) but shh-- he's allowed to be jealous; you're getting a G [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] I'm not sure if sacrificing performance 90% of the time is worth it just to have AWD or FWD 10% of the time.... and I'm being generous with 10%.

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

FWD sucks......I would never own a car with it. But I'm in LA!
It is my understanding that with modern traction/stability control, etc., like the G's VDC, RWD is no issue in the snow. Suppose you were looking at a car with a V8, would you be afraid that it would spin out in the snow due to more power??
You really have to decide if you want a performance car or a snow plow.!

 

Well, my coupe with a set of Blizzaks definitely feel more slippery in Minnesota winter than any car I remember driving. (That's wierd considering my first ever car was a V6 Camero) This leads me to believe that the RWD G's just aren't good winter cars and require extra attention to drive in snow/ice. Having said that, I think as long as you don't have summer tires and drive very carefully, you should be OK in the winter.
Now if I was buying my kid his first car (no kids yet, just got married last summer) and live in a state that snows, I wouldn't let him get a G either. I would insist that he get a Subaru. (or any AWD car)

2004 G35 Coupe Diamond Graphite/Graphite AT
Premium, Nav., 18" Wheels, Vanity Plate="HOTNESS"

 

Great video Nate! I would like to point out a few things. I've never owned an Audi, but I would assume it has some type of traction control system. IT should have stopped the Audi from sliding as it did. The VCD button on my G35x would do the same as the BMW. I had to get rid of my BMW because it went no where in the snow. Even with snow tires it still had issues. I was looking to get the BMW 325 xi but it was simply out classed by the G when it came to performance. Additionally, I can put somebody in the back seat of the G and they can be comfortable. Not the case with the BMW. Anyway....it just seemed like the video was a little bias towards the rear wheel drive. If I turned the traction control off on the BMW and gave it gas in turns like she did the back would come around. I imagine this is the same with the G. It just didn't seem like she was comparing apples with apples. Traction control on with some cars and off on others or may not even have it. Doesn't the Alfa have some sort of tractions control/ vehicle stability control? In that turn it surely didn't look like it. I would like to see the same test done while the road is wet. Maybe I'm defending my G35x......
In my opinion rear wheel performance cars with regular tires on them are not good in the snow. Snow tires and some weight can make a difference. But you still must drive with great caution.

If it's a G it's 4 me!

2004 G35x
Diamond Graphite~Graphite~Premium~Wood~Splash Guards~7 Wire Grounding Kit~Z-Tube

 

GeoBau, you drive in the rain? Shame on you! (jk)



Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan/5AT

 

Not since I moved to Las Vegas [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] Apparently it's been banished from this town. Now, in Indiana, it's just a must!

G

2003.5 Black w/ Willow G35
Premium / Sport / Aero / Winter / Navi / Tint

 

We have just gotten enough here lately to get the car dirty, I keep washing it hoping it will encourage more though! I'm sure it's a must in Indiana, just as it is in Pennsylvania!!


Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan/5AT

 

i live in southern california..

could someone please explain to me what this "snow" phenomenon is? what color is it? is it cold? slippery when wet? i dont understand...

haha by the way, today was cold, it only reached 67 degrees today.. darn!!

2003.5 sedan - 5AT, Silver/Graphite, Sport, Aero, Bose, Sunroof, & 1 defunct air freshener..

 

Hehehe...

 

I found this at freshalloy. It's NOT me but hilarious...

http://www.crownvic.us/movies/snowtowcar.wmv

 

It's really not that bad. I've been trudging through the snow here in the NE the past couple days in my beater Mustang and as long as you're careful, RWD is just fine in the snow. You just have to learn to drive it.

I'll never forget my first drive in a FWD car in the snow - almost crashed it as I couldn't bring the a$$ around like I could with RWD. Then I found the e-brake!!!! Still not as good as RWD.

Just get a good set of snow tires and rims and be done with it. If I could do that, even being a poor college student and all, I'm sure you can swing that, esp. if you're getting a G.