First winter coming for me and the max. Unfortunately, I don't have a LSD. How does the max handle in the snow? (I'm too cheap to get snow tires). Obviously, the FWD must help a LITTLE.

BTW, the tires i have are Kuhmo Ecsta 716, if that makes any difference.

 

Had mine in some pretty nasty snow last winter with no problems. I was running my Eagle GS-A's, too. This year I invested in a set of Hankook snows to be mounted on a pair of steelies for the winter. You shouldn't have much problem in normal snows, just ease on the throttle, don't mash it.

 

It's all about the tires

 

I've got Blizzaks on my Max for the winter... my car does a lot better in the snow than our Xterra (well, unless the Xterra is in 4 wheel drive...)

Like I30tMikeD said, it's all about the tires.

 

My maxima is terrible in the snow. I am putting my beretta back on the road. The beretta is so much better than my maxima in bad weather.

 

all about the tires.

 

I can hit 140+ standing still.

 

It snowed here last weekish and car preformed great but so true about the tires, yet 4th gens are pretty heavy too so they hug the ground well....

 

HAHAHAHA that cracked me up

 

I say it's a combination of the tires and the driver. You can have the best tires in the world, but if you can't drive, you should just stay home.

 

I think my Maxima is more fun in the snow than my previous trucks were. Tires make a huge difference. My car went good last year with no lsd, so it should be better this year now that I do have a lsd tranny.

Get snow tires on all 4 corners, dont skimp and do just the front. I didn't last year and my back end was all over the place with summer tires on the back.

 

you just gotta watch out for EVERYTHING when it snows!
Keep a good amount of distance between cars.

I remember when it was snowing, and I was on I-78 (near Allentown, PA)
I was on the left lane and the next thing you know, I hit black ice.
I was doing like 50mph and my max did a 360.. I said "****!!!!!!"
and the next thing you know, my car ended up on the right lane.

I was sooooo thankful that there weren't any cars near mine at that time, or else there would have been a serious accident.

....Just by thinking about it makes me wanna pray....

 

Last winter my Max did fine for being the first time i've ever driven one and having Sumitomo Sxrions (SP?) on it...i was able to drive up to a ski resort which wasn't plowed up there and had no problems. Now, i got 4 free Blizzaks so i'm not worried about this winter. It's all about driver skill though, if you aren't comfortable driving in the spring and summer, then don't even try the snow.

 

Do a lot of you guys have ABS? I'm assuming not having ABS (me) is a safety concern in the snow..

 

Tires make the difference. Winter tires in the winter and high performance tires in the summer.

 

Been using Dunlop Sport A2's for the last few years and they are great in the snow. (As long as it's not over a foot deep goin up a steep hill. lol.)

I wouldn't worry about not having ABS. I can't recall the ABS in my car kickin in more than a few times in the past 8 years I've had it, and it wasn't when it was snowing.

Just be cautious and take the speed down appropriately when it it snows and you'll be fine.

 

funny
CHECK THESE VIDS OUT AND U TELL ME
http://www.customenterprise.com/TEST...owIncident.mpg

http://www.customenterprise.com/TEST...wIncident1.mpg

 

they behave as well as u drive in the snow

 

Tires do make a big difference but at the same time the drive has a lot to do with it. Last winter i had almost bald tires and i did fine because i was very carefull with my driving. This year i still am on the same tires (i rotated so i do actualy have better tred then last year) and if i have problems i will prob have to settle for some new rubber.

-Tom

 

I have no ABS. I bought my Max used and could not believe ABS was not a standard feature. It pissed me off. I had to relearn how to to break without it.

 

Mine doesn't have abs either. It came from down south. With good tires, I don't really miss abs. I just have to give myself time braking. The only time I really need it is if there is glare ice, other than that the car works fine without abs

 

my maxima behaves really bad in the snow, so i gave it a timeout and told it to sit in the corner until it knew what it did wrong.

 

It has almost nothing to do with the car and everything to do with your tires. I used snow tires for the first winter ever last year, and I will never go another winter without them. They make an incredible difference.

 

not sure, but my 86 astro van really sucks, my maxima hasnt seen snow since i had it( 14 months)

 

i have no abs either, gotta be Really careful out there in the snow, but i have some nitto's that hold fine

 

I've been driving a 93 Max in snowbelt with Bridgestone Blizzaks for 10 years. It has been one of the best handling snow cars I've ever had the pleasure of driving, and I drive a lot of rentals on business trips. It's all about balance. The Max is an excellent platform for snow, makes driving easy. Just be careful. Watch out for the first snows, until things chill down and drivers get their winter legs. Warm snow on relatively warm road surfaces is much more slippery than really cold snow on frozen ground. So be careful in the beginning.

 

Bueller........... Bueller......... just get good tires.

 

Learned how to drive in snow with my old maxima with bald tires and no ABS.. so my fourth gen is a dream with new tires and stick shift. So nice with stick for me at least becuase it seems I can control it so much better and keep off the brake. Hopefully I will be able to afford snow tires for next season becuase they make a huge difference on my friends car. Only real hard thing for me is keeping the wheels from spinning in first due to being a little heavy on the pedal.

 

The only downfall is the torque we have but as long as you can modulate the pedal you'll be fine. Our cars rock in snow...

E brake doughnuts biatch

 

my max loves the snow, slap some winter rubber on there and I have no problems. And I have to deal with drifts on the highway that are over the hood of my explorer on a regular basis.

 

I love your dog

 

i have no problems. and i have no LSD

 

I love my car in the winter, it really amazes me how good it handles

 

maxima and sonw = NO. i hate snow when it comes to driving. well i was an idiot when i first got my car, the snow was the reason my tranny went. i didnt really pay attention to RPMS when i started driving, and i always had my music blasting and never realized i was at 5k rpm going 15mph. well now i know, and i also have kumho ecsta all seasons. i hope it helps,

 

Ecsta 732 in the snow for me....i read good reviews about them....so i am trying them....cant beat it for 46 bux a piece

 

aw max's kick *** in the snow, sometimes i think im driving in a really warm snow mobile

 

What are you talking about? 4th gens are the lightest maximas ever made, specially 1995-1996. A stripper GXE 5-speed weights in at 2885 pounds, incredibly light considering the size of the car.

As for driving in the snow, I will never try it again. My car is a canadian spec with Limited Slip differencial and it just spins and spins and spins and tries to run into every damn tree even remotely close to it. Then again, my "winter" tires suck. I stored it for November-March. Cost me only 200$. I parked it between a 1960's corvette and a souped up Trans Am so I am absolutely sure they won't steal it.

I kept my old 1989 mercury topaz for the winter. I hope to keep it for years to come. It is the ultimate winter beater. The cost of parts is just ridiculous (17$ for an exhaust at bare bones cost). 36$ for brakes. 11$ of insurance per month (and I'm only 18). I got it for 400$ and there isn't even much rust on it. It's ugly as hell (ALMOST as ugly as Toyota Echos and Pontiac Aztecs) and takes 13 seconds to reach 60 mph. But for the winter it's great. I can shove it in a tree and I won't give a ****. It's the only time I can get the tires to spin

 

I agree, the 4th Gen maxima is extremely light compared to other cars. It has basically the same weight as smaller honda accord from back in that day as I recall.

I think overall, the Maxima is not a great snow car at all, due to its weight and power. A big problem really occurs when accelerating in rain and snow since it's front wheel drive all the weight shifts back, and front wheels just spin, if you don't have traction control like me. I had a crappy 1990 oldsmobile that was heavier and did much better in the snow.

As far as ABS goes, ABS is never guaranteed to stop you quicker than a non-ABS brake setup. If you know how to modulate your brake pedal properly you should be fine. A good strategy is to use engine braking when possible in the snow to even out the amount of deceleration applied to the car. ABS just allows you press the pedal and turn the wheel, and that's only if the front end has enough traction to make a turn in the first place. All ABS does is make sure the wheels don't lock up, it doesn't give any car any special advantage in the snow. ABS stopping distances will increase drastically in the snow just like normal ones.

The bottom line as has been said many times in this forum is that tires are basically everything. Your cars abilities are limited in everyway by the grip provided to the tires. Four little contact patches are the your and the car's only way of communicating with the road. While driving, you basically control how much grip your tires get from the inputs you make via the pedals and wheel. As long as you're smooth and don't transfer too much weight suddenly, winter driving should be ok. In order to make smooth inputs you need to think ahead and be very aware on the road.

When braking, esp in winter, the limiting factor is tires. The tires are what stop you, not the brakes. I recently purchased BF Goodrich Traction T/As from tirerack after reading that they do well in the snow and rain for all season tires... now my Maxima feels better than ever and hopefully I won't have to be as nervous in the snow.

Tirerack has some really good articles on winter driving tips, including why all new tires should go on the back first, not the front, since your car will tend towards oversteering with less traction on the back.

I think this country needs better driver education - i.e. throw in some racing school/winter driving theory into normal drivers ed. Understanding your vehicle dynamics in the winter is crucial... it's actually very similar to racing theory...you're asking your car to do things near the limit of its grip. As long as you don't over do it, and ask your car nicely (smooth inputs) everything should be fine. I wish someone told me all of this in drivers ed, it would have been nice ...instead I gained this knowledge much later by buying a couple books on driving techniques and going to racing school. I'm very glad I did that and I'm still learning!

 

im gonna say no to using the max in the snow...i almost slammed into a gsp tool booth last winter even thought it had been slidding for almost a 1/8 mile, and this was wit good tires. my old rwd car handled the snow way better. but like they say its about good tries and good driving conditions