dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

I am planning to go on a ski trip in the mountains with my 03 Maxima. I'll be there for 5-6 days and i will be driving from our hotel to the ski resort every day. (about 40 miles roundtrip) There is lots of snow right now and i am pretty sure that most of the roads will be all white, covered with snow (and some ice).
This is not the first time i will be driving my car in the snow. I've done it previous years but the amount of snow on the road was minimal - they were almost clean. The weather was usually warm. I had to use chains only once because back then, i still had the OEM Potenzas.

This year i'll put two sets of chains in the trunk but i also invested in 4 snow tires/wheels. I have a pair of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 (85% left) and a pair of Michelin Pilot Alpine 2 ..(70% left) Both sets are "V-rated", high-performance snow tires so i am not sure if i can expect extreme snow traction.

So my question is for those who have experience with their Maxima in the snow .... with snow tires on all four corners - how well does the car perform/stop? I know that traction is a huge problem for the FWD Maxima, even in rain/dry, so i would like to hear real-world feedback on how good/bad it is in the snow with snow tires on?? Should i heavily rely on the chains or i should be fine on white/packed snow roads with the snow tires? Car has AT, no tract. control.

Anything else i need to do on the Maxima before i hit the snow roads & cold weather?? My coolant is fresh. My wiper blades are new. Washer fluid should not freeze. Four snow tires installed. Am i missing anything?

Thanks!

pbn85

iTrader: (8)

i'm sure ANYTHING will be better than potenzas lol

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

not Eagle RS-A's, they are useless in snow.
I got stuck on a slope in snow yesterday. pressing the gas pedal lightly or heavily did nothing different rather than going up very slowly.
when I got on the slope, I could smell burning rubber.

CaTalyst.X

iTrader: (6)

The car handles pretty good in the snow actually, (go slow obviously) Your not going to take a 90 degree corner at 50, but you could probably take it at 25 or 30. Stopping is OK with snow tires, just remember to give yourself some extra room and you should be fine. Dont ever slam on your brakes, and if you would rather hit the burm or curb than the car in front of you, just pull the ebrake and turn the wheel the direction you want to go

-Ryan

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

remember press the button when pulling the handbrake tho.

Bjs470

iTrader: (13)

Hey its FWD, it's a dream compared to the G35 in the snow

NisTech

haha i feel for you. that is the reason i never got a G. actually i gave it a lot of thinking and i decided to rather be practical

Noela

I have driven my 2002SE in Canadian (Toronto) cold winters for a while, and it can survive it. As others have indicated, take it slow, don't slam on the brake, instead exert slow, steady pressure until the vehicle slows down. I often combine this with e-brake - though if you pull the ebrake too fast, the car could swerve. So, with winter tires, you are good...

all the best - Noela

Reket

iTrader: (1)

Last year I headed up to Lake Tahoe Ca, with a pair of Eagle GS-D3 Summer tires, the roads were cleared all the way up and I got to the resort no problems but then I noticed the resort parking lot was not cleared and my tires were about as useful as an icecube maker in Siberia. I was slipping and sliding all over the the place and NO traction I ended up hitting a snow bank lightly and left the car there till I was done for the day, then I had to make tracks out of dirt leading back to the road. It was an experience i'll never forget

BWa1k

Pff, I drove a Crown Vic for a bunch of winters before the Max. No ABS, no TCS, no SCS, and 3800 lbs. It was fun.

Bjs470

iTrader: (13)

Your tellin me, I usually drive crown vics in the winter as well and usually they are fun messing around with but driving in chicago snowstorms with the lightest tap of the gas would send me flying into another lane.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

i have a trip up north also in jan....
as others have said we have fwd cars, so it could be alot worse.

sascuderi

With all the advanced traction control that the G35 comes with, what exactly was the problem in the snow??

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

RWD is better when going uphill in snow.

Teddie18

iTrader: (3)

+1.......I drove a Lincoln Town Car for a couple of years in northern Michigan, north of Canada. It was a blast.

It seems funny to me but people got around quite fine for decades without front wheel drive and now that we have it, it seems to be a piece of cake getting around during the winter. And, I live on a huge hill in Pittsburgh.

dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

So, sounds like....with nice snow tires, i should be fine most of the time. I guess....i am secretly hoping that i won't have to pull out the chains.

jaywhy

I couldn't get out of a gas station parking lot in the G with less than an inch of snow on a small incline. I had to call in to work and tell them why I was going to be late It sounded unbelievable to them but it was the truth

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Can you explain why you think this is? I am not seeing how putting a car on an incline would make any difference whatsoever in whether FWD or RWD is better?

I personally disagree with that. Last winter, there was a day here in Boston where there was pretty much complete gridlock because of snow. It took me 4 hours to get home that day and I was one of the lucky ones. Anyway, on rte. 93 there was one stretch of a gradual incline that was causing the back up. The only cars that were stuck and having problems were the BMW's and Mercedes' with RWD. None of the FWD cars had any problems.

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

k, when going up hill, the rear will have more weight than the front, so you got more grip.

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

what tires were you using?

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

If you put a car on an incline, it may shift the center of gravity back ever so slightly. But with the weight of the engine pretty much directly over the front wheels, i dont think you would ever be able to get more weight in the back than the front unless you fill your trunk with concrete of course

So, personally I would take FWD over RWD anyday in the snow going uphill, down hill, flat, or sideways.....

But in the snow........ all wheel drive FTW!

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

such a shame that maximas don't have awd, even g35 has awd.

spencer.justin

iTrader: (1)

do you have tcs?
if so then your maxima will be fine, my finace has a 2003 auto with tcs and some all seasons on it, i cant get that car to screw up in the snow, it does as well as a audi

my 2002 manual does not do has hot as hers but if your not a complete moron then you will do fine

what mountain you going to?

DJD

iTrader: (1)

I used to avoid driving my 2000 GLE on snowy roads after getting stuck three times in one day, back when I first bought it and it still had the Fulda Attiro Carats on it, but this year I had enough in my budget to get some Blizzaks and I'm amazed, after the first few measurable snowfalls of the year, not one single problem.

Just put those Blizzaks on the front, the others in the rear and you should be good to go just about anywhere if you drive responsibly.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Best advise in this whole thread.

Maxgig

iTrader: (5)

How would the rear have more weight if the engine is up front in the G35???

Maxgig

iTrader: (5)

DMax03,
To make a long story short, we have FWD cars with some of the best technology in them. I drove Audi's, Volvo's, Saab's and other FWD cars for over 9 yrs when I lived in Germany. Just put some good winter tires on it and you should be fine.

One other suggestion, if you're still apprehensive about driving in the snow. Find an empty, snow covered parking lot and find out the cars limits and the limits of your tires there as well.

IMO the only thing better than FWD is obviously AWD but you should have no use for the chins if you have on a set of decent winter tires. Good luck.

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

cuz it's on a slope, the dirction of gravity is closer to the rear.
and if you accelerate, the torque will send more force to the rear, that's why RWD cars with the same rwhp are always faster than FWD's.

mistaks

Yeah I'm in Reno and we just got dumped on with snow. I have the Blizzaks on and the car is getting everywhere. Like everybody else says drive reasonable and you'll be fine.

DJD

iTrader: (1)

I noticed you also asked about normal dry traction with snow tires... The first day I had my Blizzaks on I noticed they felt pretty squirmy, but that was on the interstate going 75 on dry roads. During normal driving, they feel fine, not as responsive as a normal tire, but with a nice soft ride. So if you're just driving normally, you probably won't even be able to tell any difference.

Maximillionaire

To my knowledge neither of those tires are meant for better traction in the snow. They're meant for better traction on ice. But either of these should be fine.


Uhm... I wouldn't mismatch tread patterns like that unless it's absolutely, ABSOLUTELY necessary. I'm a Michelin-certified tire technician at the local Costco and its a strict policy never to put tires of different brands on different axles and certainly not on the SAME axle. I guess it's just me but.. uhm.. anyways.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I too wouldn't mismatch tires.

Now that this thread is done, let's go have some hot coffee.

RR5

iTrader: (6)

Got a question about going downhill in the maxima with summer performance tires on. In the Bellevue WA area, we got over 6 inches of snow and I'd really like to get my maxima out and warm everything up. However, I do not like the looks of the steep hill going down to the road.

Any advice? I've checked locally for tire chains but came up empty. Buying new tires wont be of much help, without getting the maxima in to have them fitted.

jasonmax

iTrader: (2)

using the engine brake rather than slamming on the brakes will be helpful going down hills.

RR5

iTrader: (6)

Only thing "using engine brake" means to me is popping it into 3rd from drive or into 2nd to dump the torque onto the transmission without spinning the wheels.

Is this the exact same thing as driving on highways, and popping it into 3rd to avoid having to tap the brakes to drop a few MPH?

I may just skip the whole idea and wait until the roads are ice/snow free.

CaTalyst.X

iTrader: (6)

I would wait

RR5

iTrader: (6)

Waiting for the win! And not crashing is also second!