I bought my '05 G35 Sedan in January of '09. Since then I've had nothing but issues with getting around in the snow. Last winter I got stuck five to six times and had to have random people push me around...with 100lbs of sandbags in the trunk. I have all-weather Michellin tires. I was curious what tires everyone is running and what could be done to help get better traction.

Thanks everyone!

 

Snow tires> All Seasons in the snow

Depending how many inches of snow you get you probably need Snow tires.

 

How much snow are you driving in?

I got around fine last winter on bald Goodyear all seasons. Could not get my car stuck at all. I know snow tires are better, but my g35x was awesome on all seasons. I've driven in some deep stuff too. Didn't even need to use snow mode....just left it in normal

 

It says he lives in Kansas City just like myself. I've owned my RWD G for nearly 6 years now. I have yet to get stuck in the snow. We don't get a whole lot of snow over the winter season (30 to 40 inches, total) and usually it's only a few hours before most roads are cleared of significant (i.e. 3"+ of snow). You do have to plan your routes and I try to avoid driving when there is snow on the road, but I've done it at least 40+ times now in snow depths ranging from 1" to 5". You just have to be aware of what the car is and isn't capable of. Usually what forces me to stop and choose an alternate route is a steep hill covered with dry powder snow.

Tires are key, but I've never had snow tires. I just use OEM size all season performance tires (Falken currently). If I had to drive around in the snow a lot, I'd have snow tires for sure. If your all season tires are more than 50% worn, you're going to have trouble in the snow.

As for instant traction, I always carry a small shovel and a bag of kitty litter. Kitty litter works great as a traction enhancer when you're on slick, tightly packed snow.

 

Dammit....I read the thread quick and thought he had a g35x.....so I was wondering why he was getting stuck. Now I see he has a rwd.

Nevermind what I said, I was talking about my awd sedan. I take it out in deep snow all the time.

 

I wish I had AWD.

I'm not sure how you got around KC last year without getting stuck. I planned my routes but we had a crazy amount of snow last year. I always drive with a full tank, shovel, and sand bags...but when there is even and inch of snow on an hill I can't get the stupid thing to move. My '99 Mustang got around better with summer tires.

 

GET

BLIZZAKS.

Or you can get Winterforces like I did. I had them on my 6MT last year and only got stuck once the snow got deeper than 7".

 

I've driven my G in the middle of a late night blizzard with 4" to 6" of unplowed snow from KCI all the way Overland Park back in 2005. I never carry extra weight in the trunk either. I live in Shawnee which as lots of big hills as well.

If this car didn't have stability control, traction control, and ABS it would probably be a handful in snow. I've rarely had to turn off stability control to get going. If it snows while I'm at work, I just stay late and hit the roads after 7pm and let all the crazy's leave work early, pack the snow down, and let the snow crews do their job.

Are you running aftermarket wheels or wider than stock rubber? What brand tires are you running? How much tread did the tires have last year when you kept getting stuck? I run the OEM 17" rims with 215/55R17 tires from mid November thru late March. Like I said, I've never gotten stuck or lost control of the car. I look forward to seeing how my 3.54 gear set with the VLSD will do in the snow. The car should be even better. If you do get stuck a lot, then you probably should consider a set aftermarket rims and snow tires. Snow tires technology improved dramatically over the past 10 years.

 

never gotten stuck with my g35x. make sure you're in snow mode and you should be good

 

you must get winter tires if you have a RWD...

night and day difference.. seriously.. rims+tires will cost you about $700.. well worth the $ when it stops you from rear ending a stopped car..

 

Yeah, winter tires: $800 max.

One bumper repair? $1000 min.

They last several years if you're not doing huge distance.

 

He doesn't have an X, therefore no "snow mode'.

 

Winter tires are made for Winter, get some. The difference is night and day. I went out in a Blizzard last Winter, stopping on steep hills on side roads, going in unplowed deep snow parking lots, etc. etc., trying to see if I could get stuck, but I got going no problem each time. So awesome.

 

I live in central PA. I've gotten stuck several times, expecially going uphill. RWD is not too good in snow, just have to get use to it. I alot driving a RWD car. If I see a hill coming up, I speed up a little bit just enough to go up the hill. To accelerate from a stop, step on the gas slowly, once the car is moving, than you can start accelerating gradually. If you step on the gas too hard at a stop, the rear tires will spin, then you will lose control. The most important thing is not to speed on snowy roads.

 

You guys have to understand that snow removal in Kansas City is pretty good and most snow events are only 2" to 4". Last year was an exception because we did have a few 12" to 18" and was one of the snowiest years on record for the area. IMO, running snow tires here is a bit silly unless you've got a Vette, 911, Z, or some other high performance car that requires wide tires. All the police departments in the area have rwd Crown Vics and Dodge Chargers and I haven't seen a single cruiser with snow tires. I've never seen a cop car stuck.

I constantly read that people say that snow tires are required for RWD Gs. I disagree unless you live in a very snowy area and you're running non-OEM sized sedan tires without adequate tread. I've been doing it for a long time. I've also piloted a 94 Z28 on factory 245/50R16 all season performance rubber with no traction or stability control in the snow for 3 seasons. Now that was a white knuckle experience, but I never got stuck. Did a lot of sliding and I had to use a lot of kitty litter though