70' 240z

[blight]

How do I get a 70' 240z to do well in the winter(handling)?

Another stupid question From what I know they have something to do with wheels- but what is an LSD for a car? What is its purpose ext..

[Brandy240z]

First, wrong site. Go over to the Datsun site and ask the same question (trust me, some here are very picky about what constitutes a muscle car, and a 240Z is DEFINITELY not one (I've got one, too).
But quickly, no RWD car does well in the snow.
Not even the ones with muscles.

[-Josh-]

LSD is limited slip differential, it works where if one wheel is slipping the other will still move. Not exactly best for bad weather conditions but it does help. Get some decent tires, that's all a RWD can get help from in bad weather.

[SamBlob]

But quickly, no RWD car does well in the snow.

Not even a VW Bug? (The REAL Bug, that is, not the "New Beetle" mockery thereof...)

P.S.: I like the 240z too, but it is REALLY not a muscle car!

[Blast-o-rama]

Originally Posted by Brandy240z

But quickly, no RWD car does well in the snow.
Not even the ones with muscles.

I wouldn't go that far. I own a Lincoln Mark 8, w/ 285 horsepower and 285 ft/lbs of torque. Not a powerhouse, I understand, but it lights them up quite well. It's also rear-wheel drive, with a peg-leg open diff. During winter, I place a fifty pound sandbag in front of the rear axle, nestled inside a homemade carrier to keep it from shifting. I've driven it in 4+ inches of snow, with more coming down, and never once heard the traction control engage. Never had a problem with sliding, or taking off from a stop.

Granted, the situation is differant with a low revving big block with gobs of torque, as opposed to a high-revving DOHC smallblock.

[Brandy240z]

I know, I know (LOL)....from my own past history with a literal fleet of small cars in the Northeast, little light cars and snow are not a good mixture - although I at one time owned a Nissan Pulsar that could drive through New Hampshire snow drifts - but then again, it was a FWD.

I think, IMHO, that tire size and width might have a lot to do with basic traction. My husband's '69 Camaro with (to me) ridiculously wide tires can't even manage the local roads when it rains and the roads get a sheen of mud on them, but my tiny Z toots by without a problem (stupidly thin tires, thanks to the cheap prior owner), although I'm not completely convinced his fishtailing is completely accidental since the car tends to gain control whenever another car appears....

One of my 'fleet' included a BMW Z3 roadster with the requisite beautiful but wide tires that had to be PUSHED from one parking spot to another so the snow plow could clear my space because it could not get the slightest bit of traction (but drove beautifully in the rain, go figure).

And Blast-o-Rama, I've also added extra weights that would sit over the rear wheels to give some traction, too (my first car of the 'fleet' was....a Pinto).

I guess it all comes down to driving with your wits about you, and a lot of common sense. Don't start out fast, watch the road conditions, keep a safe distance from other drivers, so forth.

[-Josh-]

Originally Posted by Brandy240z

I guess it all comes down to driving with your wits about you, and a lot of common sense. Don't start out fast, watch the road conditions, keep a safe distance from other drivers, so forth.

That's it right there, the best crash course in driving through bad weather conditions, if only everyone knew that.