Hey G35 crew,

Here is my situation.

I bought a used 2007 Infiniti G35 Coupe with Sports Tuned Suspension (19 inch wheels) this past summer. The dealer I bought it from said it'll give it new tires since the old ones would of not passed the state inspection prior to selling the car to me.

So they gave me all 4 new sets of Hankook Ventus V12 Evo tires. I love them so far. But from my research, they are high performance summer tires.

Now my question is ... can I drive in the snow with these tires at all?

I live in Northern VA so winters here are a hit or miss. But lets say for example ... driving in 2-5 inches of snow.

This is my only car and my alternate option is dropping almost a grand or more on winter or all season tires.

Thanks for the input, its greatly appreciated.

Kind regards.

 

get winter tires. or check craigslist for a 2nd set of wheels with winter tires on them

 

Snow in this area is really hit or miss, but when it does hit, those Hankooks will be worthless. I couldn't even leave my neighborhood will a 1/2" dusting last winter. I have them on my 20" wheels and all-season Continentals on my stock 19" wheels. We don't get enough snow around here to justify "winter" tires, so good all-seasons will go a long way. And for the days they won't, well you should be staying home anyway or driving a 4x4 truck.

I second the idea of checking craigslist for a second set of wheels. The base coupe 17" make perfect winter wheels. Plenty of decent all-season tires available in those sizes.


Shameless plug: check out National G Club, we're all over the DMV region

 

From someone who has been in your shoes get new wheels and tires for winter! I moved to PA from FL in '09. Didn't have a winters until last year because I didn't want to spend 1K+ for them. I have an 06 with sport suspension and 19 Rays with all weathers and let me tell you, I don't know how many near accidents I had. I would slide from a slight patch of slush all over the road. There were times in my old apartment complex I couldn't even leave the parking lot because of all the slush and snow my car couldn't handle it. I would try to turn onto a main street and would lose control.

The turning point was last year after I bought my house. There was .00001 of snow on the ground and coming home from the store. I was going like 2MPH turning into my driveway and I almost took out my mailbox and post, lol. The next day I went on TireRack and bought a set of winter wheels and tires. I got 18 in Sport Edition with 18 in Pirelli Sotozero. It cost me about 1430 with shipping, but I am so glad I did it, because now I welcome snow without any fear, lol.

So, yes def get some wheels and tires you don't want to be in a situation where you wish you had them.

 

Coming from NJ and having had a g35 coupe as my only vehicle: Our winters in the mid-atlantic are weird. We can see no precipitation at all for weeks and then suddenly get hit with 2 feet of snow that will take a while to clear. If you want/have only one set of wheels, I'd go with an all season set of tires. If you are going to buy another dedicated set of wheels just for the winter anyway, I'd just go ahead and buy some winter tires. Why have all season's and summer tires? You might be able to get by with the evo's when its dry out but as soon as any snow or near freezing rain hits the ground its going to be scary.

 

$500 will get you used oem 17s and snows. if you live in a place with mild winters AS will be fine

 

Should've bought an X.

 

My coupe is my DD in Wisconsin and with show tires and sandbags in the trunk it is an absolute tank in the winter. Best car I have driven in the snow. So personally I think AWD is pointless. Plus RWD=way more fun!

 

For RWD drive cars like G's and Z's winters are a must...

We had like 1" of snow and I was sliding in my Z... Definitely not an experience I want to repeat...

 

The V12's are sport summer only tires that will do nothing in temps below 40 deg nor snow/ice. If you see those conditions you should have an all season at minimum. The car performs best with dedicated snows all around though. You could keep the V12's for spring - fall and run a set of snows in winter. That's what a lot of owners do.

Studless ice/snow tires will be the more aggressive option. Best tires for the worst winter conditions. Performance winter will be lesser aggressive and designed for moderate snow or plowed environments. They trade some snow traction for better handing on clear roads.

 

Spare set of 17s + craiglist Blizzaks = go anywhere on snow