Here is a very stupid question....Has anyone here attempted to install winter grips on there 280? We just got 4 inches here and of course I had to try. F$#King worthless lol. So figured Ill see if any idiots have tried before I buy new tires..Thinking studs. Just like to take the misses up the mountain for Christmas and well the Datsun lets just say makes her warm and bubbly

 

taking the z up a mountain in snowy conditions doesn't sound like a good idea no matter what tires you have on. regardless of others experience, i think you already know if you're going to go or not lol. there is a thread about snow tires on z's somewhere on here already. perhaps in the z32 section.

 

As I said very stupid question LOL. Like driving our 82 vette in the snow lol. but thought maybe it would be some what drivable due to the light weight and as lil as it is.

 

My main concern with driving an older Z in the snow, would be the rust factor. I don't know if they use salt on the roads in PA, but this is one of the main causes of rust.

 

yes we use salt.......sodium chloride or what other fancy word there using now. The car already had pretty nasty rust issues but since im doing the repairs in the spring no harm in it. Just a curiosity since it was new 29 years ago how did they manage to drive it. WORST car I owned for snow. Just letting the clutch out at idle spun the wheels

My 79 Buick electra with a 403, went better then this! Kinda make me go into history on this. I heard these were expensive cars , My factory speakers are hitatchi, and was sold for more than the 81 z-28 fully loaded. Now im taking it these were mostly sold as a second pleasure car???

 

they were sold as a revolutionary sports car that put several European companies nearly if not completely out of business.

 

i've driven plenty of times in the snow with mine

 

Last year even with my bad clutch it did just fine in the snow. This year its buried up to the hood in snow thanks to the engine being blown.

 

I drove my 83' 280ZX Turbo automatic through about 2.5 winters. I really had no problems. I had all season tires on it that were in relatively decent shape. I would slide around, but I learned how to handle it and overall I thought it was a pretty decent car in the winter. I could spin the tires no problem, it's just all about being smooth. I did notice putting sandbags right in front of the rear strut tower covers did help too.

 

i daily drove mine and got some snow/ice here many times and i didnt have any problems

 

Heh, try driving a 73 Firebird with a SD455 and a manual tranny in the snow,(I burned up the positrack by having one wheel hit a wet spot in 2nd) you'll think the 280 is a godsend. I got it to move about 6" in front of the house before I went looking for something else.

 

yeah, if I stop on a snowy surface, and attempt to take off with the wheels pointed any way other than completely straight, I don't go a half a foot. I have left it in gear and stepped out before and it will just sit in place and turn them tires. I think studs might be useful, I haven't tried it but I knew a guy that had studs on his 240 a few years back, and it did okay i guess.

 

Heh, I had a 58 Mercedes pin me. I'd slid down a hill, sideways, had been going all of 2 mph. Front and rear wheels landed on each side of a curb at a corner. I let it set idling in reverse, and tried to get out and push also. My feet went out from under me, just as the car moves a little and stops. Now my feet are in front fo the front wheels, I'm hanging onto the door panel and steering wheel. It's still idling in reverse, and the front wheel has my coat that fell open when I went down pinned under it. I get more than a little worried because if this thing gets traction, it's GOTTA run over me...

 

Well I did learn how to drive it lol.... Had to put my RWD logic back in mind after 15 years of AWD subarus may I add AWESOME cars. But till 07 my 08 is part chevy and I HATE IT!

 

i drove through the snow up here in utah was my first time driving in the snow and my 280 handled nicely just had to baby it a little when i got on ice