Nissan Maxima Good in Snow

Myth: The tires it came with will get you through

This is the mistake we see most. Plenty of Maximas leave the factory on all-season tires, and sportier trims often ride on performance-focused rubber that turns hard and slick once the air gets cold. Owners assume 'all-season' means all weather. It doesn't.

Tires decide how your Maxima behaves in snow far more than anything else on the car. Accelerating, steering and braking all reach the road through four small contact patches. If those patches can't grip, no amount of electronics will save the stop at the bottom of an icy off-ramp.

A true winter tire uses a softer rubber that stays pliable in the cold. Its deep tread is cut with tiny slits called sipes that bite into packed snow and slush. Your current tires probably won't cut it if:

• Tread is worn close to the wear bars
• The sidewall lacks the mountain snowflake symbol
• The car already feels skittish on cold, wet pavement
• You keep telling yourself it's only a few days a year

On Long Island, those few days tend to bring sleet, black ice and slush that refreezes overnight. Winter tires earn their keep in exactly those conditions.

Myth: Front-wheel drive sedans are useless in snow

The Maxima puts its engine over the front wheels, and those are the wheels that pull the car. That weight presses the drive tires into the road, which is why front-wheel drive has been the commuter's default in snow country for decades. A rear-drive sports sedan is far more likely to step its tail out when you add gas on a slick street.

Front-drive does struggle on an incline. As you accelerate up a sloped driveway, weight shifts toward the rear and lightens the front tires just when you need them most. Ease into the gas and let the car roll before asking for more.

What it does well

• Predictable, stable feel on plowed, salted roads
• Steering and pulling happen through the same wheels, so you feel grip changes early
• Easier to correct than a rear-drive car when traction breaks

Where to stay careful

• Steep, unplowed hills
• Heavy throttle from a stop
• Turning and accelerating at the same time on ice

In short, front-wheel drive is a good snow foundation, not a handicap.

Myth: Traction and stability control will keep you out of trouble

Recent Maximas come with antilock brakes, traction control and Nissan's Vehicle Dynamic Control, and they're genuinely useful. Traction control trims power when a front wheel spins. Vehicle Dynamic Control can brake individual wheels to tuck the car back into line if it starts to slide.

What none of them can do is create grip. They manage the traction your tires already have. On worn all-seasons, the systems work hard and the car still drifts wide in a turn or slides past the stop line, because there's nothing more to give.

Antilock brakes let you steer while stopping. They don't shorten the stop on ice. A pulsing, buzzing pedal under your foot is normal, so keep firm pressure and look where you want to go instead of pumping.

Switching traction control off makes sense in one situation. If you're stuck in deep snow and the system keeps cutting power before you can rock free, turn it off just long enough to get out, then switch it right back on. Your owner's manual shows the button and how the system behaves on your model year.

Myth: You can just get a Maxima with all-wheel drive

Nissan never sold the Maxima with all-wheel drive in the U.S. It has always been a front-drive sedan. Production ended after the 2023 model year, so any Maxima you shop for now is pre-owned. You'll find good examples among our used cars, but they'll all be front-wheel drive.

If all-wheel drive is non-negotiable, Nissan has other choices. The Altima sedan has offered it in recent years. Crossovers like the Rogue, Murano and Pathfinder offer it too, along with more room under the bumper.

Keep your expectations straight, though. All-wheel drive helps you go, not stop or steer. An AWD crossover on worn all-seasons can still slide through an intersection, while a Maxima on good winter tires will often out-brake it.

South Shore Nissan has the Nissan Military Program and recognizes nurses, doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare workers, both worth asking about if you're weighing a change. Otherwise, a well-shod Maxima is a sensible winter car for Long Island.

Myth: Ground clearance doesn't matter on Long Island

Most of the time, it doesn't. Main roads like Sunrise Highway and Route 110 get plowed and salted fairly quickly, and a sedan's low stance isn't a problem on them.

Trouble comes in the first hours of a nor'easter, on side streets the plows haven't reached, and at the heavy ridge the plow leaves across the end of your driveway. A sedan like the Maxima sits low. Deep snow can pack under the front bumper and belly, lifting weight off the tires until they just spin.

Ways to work around it:

• Shovel the plow ridge before you try to drive through it
• Stick to plowed main roads, even if the route is longer
• Stay out of deep ruts left by trucks and SUVs, where your car can get hung up between them
• Keep a small shovel and a bag of sand or cat litter in the trunk

Deep, unplowed snow is the Maxima's real limit, not slick pavement. If a storm is still dumping, waiting a few hours for the plows is usually the smart move. Watch the front lip, too, since frozen chunks can crack plastic trim if you push into a drift.

Myth: Sporty wheels and tires are fine year-round

Sportier Maxima trims wear larger wheels with wide, low-profile tires. They look great and sharpen steering on dry pavement. In snow, that wide footprint tends to float on slush rather than cutting down to the road, and the short sidewall offers little cushion against frost-heaved potholes.

A popular fix is a dedicated winter wheel-and-tire set, often a smaller wheel with a taller, narrower tire, as long as it clears the brakes and meets your car's load and speed requirements. You get:

• Narrower tires that press harder into snow
• Taller sidewalls that better absorb winter potholes
• Your nicer wheels kept away from road salt
• Faster, cheaper seasonal swaps than remounting tires every fall and spring

Don't guess at fitment. Wheel offset, bolt pattern and brake clearance vary, and the wrong set can rub or upset the tire pressure monitoring system. Our parts department can help you match a set to your exact Maxima, sensors included.

Myth: Winter prep is just about tires

Tires come first, but cold weather finds every weak spot. Batteries lose strength as temperatures drop, and one that limped through fall may refuse to start on the first frigid morning. Get it load-tested before winter instead of finding out in a parking lot.

Quick fall checklist

• Battery and charging system test
• Wiper blades that clear in one pass without streaking
• Winter-rated washer fluid, not plain water
• Coolant mixed to protect against freezing
• Brakes, so they're ready for slick stops
• Tire pressures, which drop as the weather cools

Salt is the slow problem

Long Island roads get heavily treated, and salt brine clings to brake lines, exhaust parts and the underbody. Rinse the undercarriage regularly through winter, especially once a storm clears, and give the car a thorough wash in spring.

If you'd like a technician to look the car over before the first storm, you can book service with our team in Amityville. A calm October afternoon beats the first cold snap for that kind of visit.

Myth: With modern safety tech, you can drive like it's summer

Your Maxima's electronics are a backup, not permission to drive normally on snow. Packed snow offers a small fraction of the grip you get on dry pavement, so everything needs more room and gentler inputs.

• Smooth is everything: squeeze the gas, brakes and steering gradually
• Leave several car lengths of following distance, far more than in summer
• Brake in a straight line before a turn, not during it
• Treat bridges, overpasses and shaded stretches as icy until proven otherwise
• Skip cruise control on slick roads

Recent Maximas use a continuously variable transmission that delivers power smoothly, which helps on slippery starts. A heavy right foot will still spin the front tires. If they spin, ease off until they hook up again.

When the front end pushes wide in a corner, called understeer, lift gently off the gas and look where you want to go. Cranking the wheel harder just scrubs the tires.

Before you pull out, clear snow off the whole car, including the roof, hood, lights and sensors. A sheet sliding off your roof can blind you or the driver behind you.