Odd time of the year to ask, I know, particularly with the AWD coming in the fall.

However, I am wondering what peoples experience has been with this car in the snow WITH proper snows mounted on smaller rims. (not sure what size will fit, but I imagine smaller than those on the sport)

I am thinking of a G37 Journey with sport, and we do get a decent mount of snow in the winter.

My wife has an SUV I will drive in the real storms, but I can easily get stuck in a couple of inches 4 months out of the year so I need to take it into consideration....

Thanks!

 

lol i would recommend NOT driving on the stock performance tires in snow AT ALL lol i did almost crashed going up hill while i was sliding backwards... but after some people pushed me up the hill the wheels did not perform that horrible surprisingly enough this is my first rwd car and it wasnt horrible only about 3-4inches of snow while i was driving so it was unexpected. i am going to get winter tires and im gonna assume they will help a lot.

 

Driving with the stock SPORT tires in the snow is just stupid because not only is it dangerous for you, but you're taking other people's lives into your own hands. The summer sport tires turn hard as granite in freezing temps and have absolutely no tread. If you replace them with snow tires in the winter you'll be more than fine as long as you don't drive aggressively. All seasons might be OK but good luck finding a set to fit the sport trim rims.

 

my grip was fine on the road just not on the snow and as soon as i started moving i had traction im on 18's btw different tires from the 19's i realized it was dangerous but i had to move off the road considering all the cars that were slipping infront of me from down hill they nearly rammed me. i pulled off to the side of the road. and called the towing company immediately its NOT ok for you to assume im a jack a$$ and would risk other peoples lives. the snow came out of no where while i was driving. just the way you worded it sounded like you were calling me a jack a$$. i took all precautions available also wasnt the only person trying to get off the road so many cars were on the side of the road stuck from the random snow we had that day. also just got the car a week earlier diddnt expect it to snow.

ok so back to topic

what area do you live in. or how many days of snow do you get a year. so if its a few days of bad snow take the SUV and if its a decent amount of snow for a month or two get snow tires they will help

 

G37 w/ 18" Bridgeston Blizzak snow tires (don't think 17" will fit). I believe it's very hard to get snow tires for the sport, thought I may be wrong. Overall, I was unimpressed. I wouldn't say it's horrible though. I don't think it's the G37's fault, probably just that big tires don't mesh well with snow (even winter tires).

I'm Cdn (so we get real snow) & previously drove a 3-Series with 15" snow tires & a IS300 with 16" snow tires (many yrs of Cdn winter drives). The G37 was the worst of the 3 (again, may be due to tire size).

The thing to keep in mind is you're asking G37 owners. Of course there is a certain amount of bias. I've never been on a single forum where owners said their car didn't handle well in snow with snow tires. If you were to go by forum responses, there isn't a single car that doesn't handle well in snow with snow tires.

There's already possible news that the 09 G37 will offer AWD.

 

My intent was not to call you out directly as a jackass. If you did not intentionally go out with 19' summer potenzas, then the post does not apply to you. Apparently for you it started snowing after you were out.

My statement was simply that anyone who plans to intentionally drive with summer tires in the snow is beyond irresponsible.

Blizzak has tires that fit the OEM 19' rims. I believe tirerack has them for $229 per front and $239 per rear. Right now there aren't many viable matching all season sets.

 

I'm using all-season tires with the Sport package and 19 in wheels. I exhaustively researched the options for different wheel sizes and tires for all-seasons. If you search you will find several threads on this in the wheels & tires section, below is a repost of one:
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I have the Sport Pkg and 19 in OE wheels, and am using Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, 245/40-19 front and 255/40-19 rear. In Philadelphia the winters have enough snow that summer-only tires are impossible, but it's just not snowy enough to need pure snow tires.

I worked with a very accomodating and patient dealer (Alex Whitham, Winner Infiniti, Newark DE) who was very helpful in trying many combinations of wheels and tires with the 6 speed Sport Pkg and 19 in wheels. There are very few high performance A/S tire choices, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S is essentially the only one. The 245/40-19 has the same sidewall height as the OE 225/45 front tire, thus there are no problems with speed sensors, ride height, etc. The dealer test fitted the 245/40-19 front tire, and verified that there are no clearance issues.

The rear wheels are 9 in vs. 8.5 in, so I went with the slightly wider rear tire, 255/40-19, to preserve a bit of the inherent understeer in the car, and also simply for cosmetics, to have a larger tire in the rear.

I originally wanted to use the 18 in OE wheels from the base G37 (which come with 225/50-18 all-season tires). But when we tried the 18 in Infiniti wheels on the Sport package, there was literally no clearance. The brake discs are larger on the Sport package, and the 18 in wheels had only about 1mm of clearance between the inner rim and the brake caliper - too close for comfort. Other makes of aftermarket 18 in wheels might have more clearance, but it seems like it would still be a very tight fit - there was barely room to slip a sheet of paper between the rim and brake caliper with the 18 Infiniti wheel on the Sport package.

Like anecdoter/Steve reported so well, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires perform beautifully in light to moderate snow. A couple of 2 inch snowfalls in Philadelphia last winter were no problem at all, drove over 50 miles with absolutely no issues (I used the same Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on my old '04 G35C, and it performed beautifully through two Philadelphia winters plus a few dirves to upstate NY, never left me stranded, never a moment's worry).

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S are also fantastic in the rain. There is no hydroplaning whatsoever, I have been able to maintain 75+ mph on the highway in heavy rain with absolutely no loss of traction. The car just stays completely planted and feels totally secure.

Bottom line, from my own experiences, a good quality high performance all season tire is a great choice for most people who live in areas where there is some snow. Of course, they're not a "track" tire if you're going to autocross, and they're not needed if you live in California. But, they really don't give up much in performance in day to day street driving vs a pure summer-only performance tire. Plus, they offer superior traction in the wet, and on cold dry roads when summer compound tires get slippery. An A/S probably wouldn't be the best choice for Vermont or Maine or if you go skiiing in the back country, but for most driving, they have always worked fine for me (and are a lot more convenient than swapping sets of dedicated snow tires).

 

Quality post, Nick-L - Thanks!

 

I have the stock potenzas still on 19s and last winter the car would slide on the littlest patch of ice.

dont reccomend getting it, or atleast get new tires, if you live in an area with a lot of snow/ice

 

I live in Vancouver BC Canada. Our winters are not that bad maybe only a 3-5 days of snow a year but at times its icy and the most snow we get might be 6-8 inches on a bad snowfall day. I would like to know if the best tire to put on my stock 19" rims would be the michelin pilot A/S as posted by Nick. Or would it be better to go to a designated winter tire. I am new to Sport Import cars w rear wheel drive. So I am not to sure what my best bet is any help would be great.



IP g37 sport.

 

The best snow tire IMO would be a dedicated snow tire. If you're going to get a 2nd set of tires for winter anyway, why not go for a dedicated snow tire? It'll be more safe, & you don't really need the "performance" (handling) advantage of a A/S tire in winter, even when it's not really snowing. I'd rather be safe than sorry, IMO it's not worth it to have "better" handling with A/S tires in winter on days when it's not snowing, compared to having better handling with snow tires on days when it is snowing.

 

I drove my G through some rather deep snow this past winter. I had zero trouble doing it. I did go with a winter tire/wheel package when I bought the car. (Not sure of the sizes right now), but I have Vredestein snow tires on some aftermarket 18" rims. I never had a problem getting around and the car handled great.

 

I use 18" blizzaks and have no problem until I bottom out.

 

Had a G35 with Blizzaks for 3 years on factory rims. I live in New Hampshire and we had lot's of snow this year and the car was fine. My commute wat 35miles each way and of course I had to deal with snow during it. I was however never stuck in extreme situations. In New England they do a pretty good job of getting it plowed quickly.

 

I used to own an 05 911 Targa in Chicago which I used the Dunlop Winter Sport M3's and I honestly would never use another set of winter tires ever. These tires, even when driving a Targa, kept my car planted and fully in control 99% of the time when I needed it and when I went to have fun, they still provided as let go as I needed to have fun

The blizzak's are great as well but as an owner of both, If you're seriously thinking winter tires and driving the coupe in the snow, get the Winter Sport M3's. Hands down, they're the best winter tire consumers can buy.

Hope this helps