I found the opposite. With the VDC off, i lost control more easily. With it on, it was stable as hell. As long as i took off slow and easy, i didn't get much wheel spin.

I remember being out in the snowstorm with my X looking for roads that a plow hadn't hit yet and driving up and down them...even up hills sometimes. People were looking at me funny

I was going through snow so deep i was pushing it with my frony bumper. It was like driving a truck...minus the ground clearance which comes in handly when trying to park.

 

have any of you guys tried this car with studded tires? I figure that i will have two sets of wheels, my stock ones with studded tires and a nicer maybe larger rim/smaller diameter tire for the summer. I figure an X with studded tires would slice n dice it on snow.
With all the above-ground ditches where i live i kinda don't want to lower my car. I am hoping that an 18" rim or maybe a 19" with a lower profile tire won't look too dorky without lowering the car. Any opinions?

 

Are studded tires legal where you are? If I were you, I'd just go for some good-quality winter skins like Blizzaks on your stock wheels and get some nicer ones for summer.

From pics I've seen...yes, it does. Lots of people have done mild drops on X-cars, there's a whole sticky about it. That said, 18s might not look bad.

 

I don't have studded tires, but I do have dedicated winter tires on my stock 17's (Nokian WR G2). Studs don't offer any advantage over regular snow tires unless it's very icy, and even then the quality of the tire itself has a bigger impact. Blizzaks aren't bad, but Nokians are far better, and they'll last quite a bit longer. It's the only tire I'll drive on in the snow.

I also have Coupe 18's on my X for the summer and they look awesome. The +30 offset puts the tires almost perfectly flush with the side of the car. The only drawback is the relatively poor selection of tires in 235/45-18 (matches stock diameter). You can run 245/45-18's, but they tend to stick out a little too much in the front. Sedan Sport 18's might be a better option since they have the +45 offset. Check out my garage for 2 pics of my car with the Coupers on. (I'm at work, so can't attach them here). I'm planning on either the Z/Coupe F/R drop or possibly a Coupe/Sedan Sport F/R drop. Nothing crazy.

 

What kind of tires do you have for the winter? I was on good winter tires, so I only had very, very mild tire spin, and that was only in really bad weather. And the sliding was completely controllable, just a little side to side action before it caught and took off.

 

I had the stock goodyear all-seasons


Yes i know they suck, but with the VDC on i was able to navigate some pretty heavy snow in my X.


Granted they should be worn down by next winter, so i'll toss some snow tires on my stock 17's when the time comes. I'd go studded, but i drive WAY too many highway miles at 80MPH to put up with that racket.

I want to do the sport 18's or couple 19's eventually, but i'm not lowering the car. I don't want to lose ground clearance for the snow, my driveway is a ski slope and way too many potholes...plus i'm not that into modding this car unfortunately.