Crown

Board: Porsche - 911 - 997 Language: English Region: Worldwide Share/Save/Bookmark Close

Forum - Thread

    Dec 27, 2005 12:31:37 AM

    bluelines
    Rennteam VIP
    bluelines
    Loc: Argovia , Switzerland
    Posts: 11655, Gallery
    Registered on: Apr 29, 2005

    Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    Okay, so who has got the 18" Carrera III wheels with winter tires and done some serious driving in snow and ice, steep mountain roads, etc. with the 997 Carrera / Carrera S (rear-wheel drive, not 4-wheel drive). I am considering getting the winter tires and give the alps a go, unless someone tells me it is a really stupid idea. I have no clue how this car handles on snow and ice, how PSM works under these conditions, if snowchains are a must, etc. Feedback appreciated.

    Dec 27, 2005 6:01:43 PM

    jack49
    Junior
    jack49
    Loc: Minnesota , United States
    Posts: 69, Gallery
    Registered on: Aug 31, 2005
    Reply to: bluelines

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    Bluelines,
    I received C2 on 11/18 and have been driving it in our Minnesota winter. It is very good. We have had 4 or 5 snow falls/with ice,,,and I have had no problems. No mountains here, though. I have ContiS winter tires with 18" wheels. I put on 3M film. Once a week, I have to go to manual car wash stall,which is fairly good (16 US quarters). We have a 'ton' of car washes here ,but I will not try them(too low,wide tires,wheels,crude on equipment). I have met many other high end car guys at the wash. A bit weird. The Honda Accords are in the automatic washes and here we are with our $90 to $150K cars in the manual stalls.
    To the chagrin of the Southern Cal./Spainish/Italian advisors who store,and/or wait for sunny days (I think above 65F,no wind,concrete roads,no dust,indirect sun=lol.),,,I chose to go year round. So far, no regrets,,but the dirt/salt etc.,is a pain to behold. My rubber matts are on their way=highly recommend.
    PSM works great,,,turn it off when in deep snow/rocking out. Otherwise,,,just drive... 90% of the time our roads are clear.. They do a great job moving the snow and preventing ice build up. Every day !,,I get to drive one of the best cars in the world... and Not have to look at it in my garage. I have an old 325I,Lincl LS(fun Miata is stored) to use, but have not... Too Much Fun !
    How is your weather,,? I'll be in Geneva in three weeks.
    Merry Christmas and have a wonderful 2006 !
    jack49

    Dec 27, 2005 6:24:44 PM

    jack49
    Junior
    jack49
    Loc: Minnesota , United States
    Posts: 69, Gallery
    Registered on: Aug 31, 2005
    Reply to: jack49

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Rocky Mountains

    Addendum:
    Past experiences with several cars(all rear wheel drive,not P cars) in the Rocky Mountains have been good,,,with the high tech snow tires. I always bring tire chains ,snow wiper blades , and a useable jack. We have used the chains ( in the snow passes) twice in all of the years going skiing there. The P cars that I saw seemed to do well. I intend to have many 'field trips' this coming year, including the Canadian Rockys....
    take care,
    jack49

    Dec 27, 2005 7:25:19 PM

    bluelines
    Rennteam VIP
    bluelines
    Loc: Argovia , Switzerland
    Posts: 11655, Gallery
    Registered on: Apr 29, 2005
    Reply to: jack49

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Rocky Mountains

    Thanks jack49! Sounds like a lot of fun. Just what I was hoping for. Guess I will get the 18" tires and give it a go

    Anyone else? Where are the hardcore all-year-round drivers on this forum? Stuck in the snow..

    Dec 27, 2005 7:51:54 PM

    nicholas j
    Senior
    nicholas j
    Loc: Upstate New York , United States
    Posts: 646, Gallery
    Registered on: Dec 23, 2004
    Reply to: bluelines

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    I have the 18" turbo wheels with Continental winter tires. Drive in the mountains of upstate NY. So far, so good. Not one "close call".

    Dec 27, 2005 7:54:22 PM

    JasonF
    Junior
    JasonF
    Loc: New Jersey
    Posts: 114, Gallery
    Registered on: Oct 13, 2004
    Reply to: bluelines

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Rocky Mountains

    I drive a 997 C2 with a dedicated set of Carrera III 18-inch rims and Conti Wintercontact tires.

    Thus far, I have driven in all conditions with the winter tires and can report that:

    1. The Wintercontact's provide remarkable grip in fresh powder on streets that have not been plowed. Snow depth was around 6-7 centimeters of snow. I had no problem starting from a complete stop and the car did not slide into turns, or when stopping.
    2. On roads covered with sleet/ice the tires still do a great job and sliding during spirited turns is kept to a minimum. The PSM only kicked in once or twice. No problems getting going from a complete stop parked on packed snow/ice.
    3. On dry roads low speed grip is about 85% as good as the stock performance tires. The ride is noticably softer. At highway speeds above 140 kph (around 90mph) I did notice some "floatiness". At 177 kph I really had to be attentive.

    All in all, I am quite satisfied with winter tire performance. In fact, the C2 with winter tires handles winter conditions much better than my 2002 BMW 355xi (awd) did.

    Dec 27, 2005 10:33:35 PM

    KiwiCanuck
    Co-Pilot
    KiwiCanuck
    Loc: Canada
    Posts: 210, Gallery
    Registered on: Sep 14, 2005
    Reply to: bluelines

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    Hello bluelines,

    I had a thread on this and here it was:"This last weekend was my 1st really cold drive. Here in Jauary the mean high is -15C and mean low is -25C. Snow fall is quite light, but by mid dec the countryside is usaully covered in a foot of snow, liewise the city backstreets (packed snow). The other city roads are fairly free of snow most of the time, although sand/salt is ised copisosly by the idiots (road engineers) who claim they know what they are doing ( no time to discuss that). 6 months is too long not to drive the 997-PASM-18in with Conti 810S, so we drive it on weekends that have dry (city)roads. That may mean driving at night when there is no sun to melt any snow on the edges of the city roads --- the highways are almost always clean and dry.

    Getting a warm engine was not easy -- unheated garage of course (heated melts any snow on the car and RUST emerges). All new cars (except Porsches )have engine block heaters or 'stick-on' heaters (VW)here. Porsche told us that the car would start at -35C with 0-40W ----but thta is no answer ----- I need a mildly warm engine. So, the old Canadian trick of cover the engine-back with 2 sheets/blankets and put 2-3kw of electric-fan heater aimed atthe engine area. This has worked wonderfully well in cool summer days or night and also the fall (the whole engine area is nicely warmed). Even at -20C this has worked, but now I use a kersoine heater for 3 hours, and that brought the garage up to 0C.Car starts happily and stlles into a nice mild idle. ( I love warm engines, and all of my cars have appreciated this --- -20C is the lowest I will drive the Porsche (or the NSX previously), as other bits get cold and that is my limit, whatever Porsche says).

    Anyway the car ran beautifully this weekend, and the PASM on normal gave a very very nice and comfortable ride (just like in summer). The NSX at -15 to -20C was very stiff as the dampers etc became very hard.

    So ---- with PASM we have a very roadable sports car in winter --- great in the snow ----- enjoy!"

    The adhesion in snow, packed ice, and ice is very good---be very careful in really icy conditions ---- see below. Just like the NSX was.

    Do be very careful near 0C when the ice-water transition is present. Grip can go from zero to lots over merely 100m ---- watch the road surface like a hawk, watch other cars for hints of sheet ice. Also ---- and I have a thread somewhere on this --- the RWD/engine can bite you, if you do anything sudden, or let the tail drift ---the 997/NSX are tail heavy, and if given the chance will slide tail first down a really icy road. But in 8.5 years of NSX-997 it has only nearly happened once.

    Ice driving is like you are driving at 100mph on a curvy, wet road grip---- total concentration! Search for grip on the road BEFORE you slide --- like the edge of the raod where there may be a few stones/gravel. Touch the brakes very gently, and throttle change even more gently ----engine braking MAY send you into a skid(at the back).

    Enjoy---and treat this as seriously as ANYTHING you have ever done in the Carrera.

    Cheers

    KiwiCanuck

    KiwiCanuck

    Dec 28, 2005 8:03:48 PM

    bluelines
    Rennteam VIP
    bluelines
    Loc: Argovia , Switzerland
    Posts: 11655, Gallery
    Registered on: Apr 29, 2005
    Reply to: KiwiCanuck

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    Thanks for the info guys. The Carrera III wheels with wintertires are ordered and I will get them installed tomorrow.

    Looking forward to some fun in the snow!

    Dec 28, 2005 8:48:57 PM

    Rich997
    Newbie
    Rich997
    Loc: Montreal, Canada , Canada
    Posts: 44, Gallery
    Registered on: May 2, 2005
    Reply to: bluelines

    Re: Winterdriving with 997 C2/C2S - Feedback appreciated

    Just drove my 997 C2S through a Canadian snowstorm!!!
    Having the winter wheels/tire package on my car, I decided to use my car to visit my relatives for the Christmas holidays. Not a great idea!!! A heavy snowstorm hit Northern Quebec on the 26th and I was facing a 300km ride back home.
    I have to say the car handled surprisingly well giving the circumstances (heavy snowfall, strong winds and icy roads). Changing lanes at speed was a little scary at first since I could REALLY hear the snow hitting the wheel wells and being trounce under the car. The PSM kept the car straight the whole time.
    The fun part was seeing peoples reactions from being passed by a 911 in a snowstorm! I can only imagine how cool a 4S would have been!!!
    From experience, I would advise the following:
    - Only use the PSM once you are up and running. It can be dangerous from a standstill. It will sort of stall the car when taking off from an icy/snowy corner (not a cool feeling when another car is heading your way!). Better to spin the rear tires to gather momentum.
    - Put some extra weight in the front compartment. On snow, you need that extra traction on the front wheels so that they will grip.

    Living in Montreal, we have access to the GP/formula 1 track all year round, although we are not allowed to speed on it (it's actually a road through a park), I've been seeing more and more car enthusiasts coming out after a light snow fall to throw their cars sideways on every corner. It's an absolute blast in the 911!!!
     
    Edit

    Forum

    1. All 

    Boards

     
    Board Subject Last post Rating Views Replies
    Porsche Sticky SUN'S LAST RUN TO WILSON, WY - 991 C2S CAB LIFE, END OF AN ERA (Part II) 4/17/24 7:16 AM
    GnilM     		762377 1798
    Porsche Sticky Welcome to Rennteam: Cars and Coffee... (photos) 4/7/24 11:48 AM
    Boxster Coupe GTS     		435326 565
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Cayman GT4 RS (2021) 5/12/23 12:11 PM
    W8MM     		260500 288
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Porsche 911 (992) GT3 RS - 2022 3/12/24 8:28 AM
    DJM48     		257550 323
    Porsche Sticky The new Macan: the first all-electric SUV from Porsche 1/30/24 9:18 AM
    RCA     		80945 45
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Taycan 2024 Facelift 3/15/24 1:23 PM
    CGX car nut     		5321 50
    Porsche The moment I've been waiting for... 2/1/24 7:01 PM
    Pilot
     
     
     
     
     
    		 872235 1364
    Porsche 992 GT3 7/23/23 7:01 PM
    Grant     		807603 3868
    Porsche Welcome to the new Taycan Forum! 2/10/24 4:43 PM
    nberry     		387170 1526
    Porsche GT4RS 4/17/24 8:53 PM
    GaussM     		385304 1452
    Others Tesla 2 the new thread 12/13/23 2:48 PM
    CGX car nut     		368285 2401
    Porsche Donor vehicle for Singer Vehicle Design 7/3/23 12:30 PM
    Porker     		366278 797
    Ferrari Ferrari 812 Superfast 4/21/23 8:09 AM
    the-missile     		289149 550
    Porsche Red Nipples 991.2 GT3 Touring on tour 4/11/24 12:32 PM
    Ferdie     		286147 668
    Porsche Collected my 997 GTS today 10/19/23 7:06 PM
    CGX car nut
     
     
     
     
     
    		 259113 812
    Lambo Huracán EVO STO 7/30/23 6:59 PM
    mcdelaug     		237277 346
    Lotus Lotus Emira 6/25/23 2:53 PM
    Enmanuel     		225331 101
    Others Corvette C8 10/16/23 3:24 PM
    Enmanuel     		219901 488
    Others Gordon Murray - T.50 11/22/23 10:27 AM
    mcdelaug     		166996 387
    Porsche Back to basics - 996 GT3 RS 6/11/23 5:13 PM
    CGX car nut     		138943 144
    BMW M 2024 BMW M3 CS Official Now 12/29/23 9:04 AM
    RCA     		115692 303
    Motor Sp. 2023 Formula One 12/19/23 5:38 AM
    WhoopsyM     		107471 685
    Others Valkyrie final design? 4/28/23 2:45 AM
    Rossi     		99322 219
    Porsche 2022 992 Safari Model 3/7/24 4:22 PM
    WhoopsyM     		83625 239
    AMG Mercedes-Benz W124 500E aka Porsche typ 2758 2/23/24 10:03 PM
    blueflame     		74897 297
    Porsche 992 GT3 RS 3/3/24 7:22 PM
    WhoopsyM     		53183 314
    Motor Sp. Porsche 963 3/16/24 9:27 PM
    WhoopsyM     		24703 237
    Ferrari Ferrari 296 GTB (830PS, Hybrid V6) 1/21/24 4:29 PM
    GT-Boy     		20957 103
    BMW M 2022 BMW M5 CS 4/8/24 1:43 PM
    Ferdie     		19224 140
    AMG G63 sold out 9/15/23 7:38 PM
    Nico997     		16469 120
    129 items found, displaying 1 to 30.