I am new to Maximas. I am in the market right now for I think an SE, 2002 and up. Anyway, I do a long daily commute from Cincinnati to Dayton, and the winters in Ohio get pretty crazy. How do these things handle in the snow? I currently have a Mercedes C220 and its slips and slides all over in freezing conditions. I noticed that the 5th generations Maximas have oogles of horsepower, does this affect stability?

 

they will be fine, just like any other FWD car as long as tires are good...stock tires blow BIG TIME!

 

My GLE does MUCH better it the snow than my SE. Reason is because the GLE has traction control.

Get one with traction control is you live in a snowy area.

If you care I can tell you an experience that only the traction control got me out of.

 

Take it from another Ohio driver that got stuck with the major snow last winter. They do great on snow as soon as the stock Bridgestone Potenzas are replaced with a good all season tire. Snow will not keep my wife off then road since we installed the Cooper Lifeliner SLE tourings on the car. The ABS and traction control (which our 99 lacked both) are helpful and that was expecially true last February. We took a trip to Charlotte NC in Feb of 2001 and got stuck in a MAJOR storm in the mountains of WV. NOT a fun drive with the potenzas... it's frightening to me when the TCS light is on more than off. Tire change nearly eliminated that problem. Car is also quiter.

I know you are looking for a 2k2 with the 3.5, our car is a 2k with the 3.0 and auto. If you are interested in an AE 2k1, Germain Nissan here in town has a Merlot Red with black leather AE on the lot.

Good luck!
Travis

 

I got dedicated snows and the car is pretty good. I had the unfortunate experience to drive on snow in the stock potenzas ONCE and ran to the store to replace them for the winter.

 

My SE has Traction Control
The max is great but it is all about the tires!!!

 

The Potenzas are horrible in the snow. I got snow tires for this season.

 

I live in the area you describe. Its not the car you have to worry about, its the other STUPID Cincinnati drivers!!!

If it has stock tires, you will have problems. I have replaced mine with Pilot AS and have NO issues. I used to live off Montana and had no problems going back up that hill.

This car is my DD in the winter and have NEVER gotten stuck. If you respect the conditions, youll be fine.

 

Is there a way to check out of your Maxima has the HLSD? I brought a 2003 Maxima SE 6 Speed and I am not sure if it does or not? is there a websight that you can punch in your VIN# and see? Also How do you find out if you have heated mirrors. The manual they gave me was just a basic manual!! If this helps I also have power seats(both) Heated Seats (both) Heated Steering Wheel.

 

the potenzas cut through the snow nicely last winter ( they had under 8K on them) this winter I'm replacing them- they dont cut through water now

 

Snow tires and common sense will make it a wonderful winter.

Personally I don't like traction control. It does a great job of getting traction, no doubt about it. But I find that it give a false sense of security. You can get going way too fast thinking that traction is fine then you hit the brakes and all you hear is the ABS fighting for it's life. It does come back to the common sense issue, but that is my feeling.

 

turenzas the GLE's have are just as awful in the snow. but FWD usually works out fine. I have yet to get stuck. knock on wood.

 

I live in quebec near Montreal and I don't even wanna know!! I stored it tomorrow morning but I'm pretty sure it's not that bad!!!

Potenza's are real crap!!!!

 

How will are maxes be with a tein drop in the snow?

 

My winters in Minnesota with this car were quite a driving experience. Although drifting was a ton of fun in empty parking lots, getting happy with the e-brake while making "modified" snow angels...actually commuting with the vehicle on packed snow led to several white-knuckle experiences. You know, that unfortunate skid that no amount of effing counter steer or braking or acceleration or coasting will save you from? The one that gets all your passengers reaching for the O-schitt handles as everyone on the interstate starts skidding at the same time? And then I ditched the stock potenzas.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S...aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.

 

A Maxima with Teins in the snow will still be a Maxima......


~limsandy

 

there is a code... under the hood on the right side of the engine, stamped in metal there's a number. I think it's the 6th or 7th character... if it's an "H" then it's HLSD, if it's... I forgot, an "A" maybe... then it's not.

as for heated mirrors, I believe the seat/wheel/mirrors all came in a package so if you have heated seat and wheels you probably have heated mirrors, unless the seat and wheel were added as options... But I might be wrong.

 

2k2wannab: correct, it is called the meridian package

 

ahhhh.. good old snow.. its fun in the winter in chicago.. i get to plow the streets with my stillen body kit when the city workers don't come out and plow.. the traction control is dope but it kills a lot of gas.. i noticed in the past 2 winters.. i kill a lot more gas when the traction control is working.. but otherwise.. go find an empty parking lot.. and HAVE FUN WITH YOUR E-BRAKE... i know i will when winter comes around.. hehe

 

E-brake!

 

So what tires will everyone be going with this winter?

 

If you have the "drilled" looking metal pedals you have the HLSD. Heated mirrors are pretty easy to tell. Turn on the rear defroster for a few minutes and then touch the mirrors. If they're hot you do. If they're not you don't.

 

or someone spent $30 for drilled pedals.

look for the "H" code I mentioned in my post above... just open the hood and it takes 10 seconds to find the metal tag and read the code

 

I run dedicated snow tires in the winter, Blizzak I believe. I hear the Michelin Artic Alpine work well too.

My 2K Max GXE 5sp is my daily driver, and winter ski car, and I have never gotten stuck. No traction control or lsd, and it works great, as does any front drive car! Deep wet snow can be a problem if parked overnight in a snowy lot. I have H&R springs, and it'll plow fine through snow to the middle of the wheels.

Winter driving is some of my favorite driving.

Have fun!

 

Thanks 2k2wannabe ,

As far as handling this winter I am not taking any chances. I just ordered the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for my Max. 235/50/17's and am looking forward to playing with them a little bit to wear them in.
4 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S from Costo.com for an incredible price. Couldn't find a price like this anywheres!! If anyone wants them, I suggest going to Costco and becoming a member. The total with a $60 rebate installed, Road Hazard, Lifetime Balancing, Lifetime Rotation and Lifetime Flat Repair for only
Summary
Subtotal: $847.96
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $50.88
Less Coupon(s): ($60.00)
Order Total: $838.84

Not a bad price for a top of the line High Performance All Seasonal Tire.

 

You probably have the heated mirrors. I believe they will automatically turn on when you turn on the rear defrost.

 

Why did you go wider than stock for your sow tires? You should have went narrower, or at most the same as stock because you have a higher chance of hydroplaing or riding on top of the snow instead of cutting through it.

 

It's just that the snowplows will have less work to do.

 

That's a good price, nearly exactly what I paid for mine at cost-co over a year ago. A word of WARNING, THE WAY THEY INSTALL YOUR TIRES CAN CHIP THE FINISH OFF YOUR RIMS. They chipped three of my four rims, and one of those three quite severely, and it took me several months before they finally got three refinished rims at the shop to replace the ones they scratched up.

 

All BMWs and Mercedes cars with traction control tell you to turn off traction control when there's snow out. That's written in all their manuals.

 

FYI: Blizzaks, Arctic Alpines, Scorpions, Goodyear Ultra Ice Grip and all other ice tires are a very soft compound and will wear away quickly. Also if you look at the tread blocks, they have all kinds of little cuts to allow them to flex and grip on ice (pic). You can easily imagine how this will wear away on non-icey roads. For this reason, I went with a generic snow tire, not an ice tire. Cheaper and they will last much longer. But, obviously, if you live in a very icy area you probably still want the ice tires.