I can't wait for the first snow in mine. (I missed the first few storms of the season.) When I had my old Targa...I wouldn't go outside if it was even remotely wet (without chains). These pictures have inspired me.

BTW - any Targa owners on this thread in Maine?

 

Great thread!!

Reflux, thanks for the great pics. Unfortunately here in Quebec they use so much salt I put the 911's away for the winter. In fact now they have taken to putting down crushed gravel as well....so if the salt doesn't get you the stone chips will!

I have a Cayenne as my winter drive, so at least I get to drive a Porsche year round! It's very capable in the snow. We just got hammered by our first snow storm of the season last week......

 

The California desert has nothing to match Quebec or Maine, but I've been concerned whether I should buy a second set of wheels to have 18" winter tires four months of every year. We had our first serious storm of the season this weekend, so last night I told Cindy I'd be out for half an hour and I took our new 997.2S out for some serious traction testing. All in the spirit of scientific inquiry of course.

The roads were thoroughly washed by that time. The oil film was long gone, so of course it wasn't the worst possible conditions, but the temperature was down to the forties, which is when summer tires start getting iffy because they can't reach working temperature. That's about our worst case here.

Withal I was impressed. Starting from about fifty and working up to real speeds, I tried to get the ABS to engage. This is my first try and an ABS system in 2009 might be less apparent than the ones I've used in the past. So it might have engaged without being felt. Possibly, but with or without ABS, the car stopped on a wet road just as if it suddenly hit deep sand. After three trials, with the last from [ahem] mph, I went around the block again, clockwise this time to take a right hander at an intersection that I'd just confirmed had none of the standing water beginning to lap over the road in many places. At a brisk speed, but nothing really serious, I went into the turn in second and applied strong though not full power just before the apex. Again, the Michelins felt glued to the road.

I'm satisfied for now. I may re-think things if we have one of those very unusual winters that include snow every few weeks, but those are rare here in the high desert. I think our new darling with the summer Michelins exhibited all the adhesion needed for sane driving. I felt like it could have handled full power in that corner, but I don't care to explore the tail-wagging characteristics of the latest model on a rainy night in the lonely desert. I'll do that someday on a skidpad.

Incidentally, don't be misled. All this was perfectly safe, even for the car's finish. The 'block' I'm talking about is a surveyor's 'section' in very lightly populated desert, one mile on a side, and with a total of three homes, all clustered on the corner diagonally across from my experiments. Or 1.414213562373095 miles away from my maneuvers to be exact.

Great car by the way. First time I've asked for more than nominal handling and it shone. Even in the dark.

 

I like having a second set of tires...having the second set extends the life of both sets and has given me a better sense of tire-change continuity when I change on a regular interval. (I keep a logsheet for my tires in the glovebox...I never quite figured out the tiremanagement history thing on the PCM). More importantly, it really gives peace of mind when driving in winter on 18 snows in winter weather. In Maine, it has been known to snow and freeze OCT - APRIL. (I've been swapping weather tires since my first accident in my old targa: I was pushed into a ditch at 10MPH by an Oldsmobile careening on ice...... I saw it coming, but couldn't get out of the way..tires spun aimlessly b/c they had no traction!)

The sand, salt, and grit doesn't bother me at all. The paint job on these cars is much improved. It is pretty resiliant and hides most of the blemishes. These cars are made to be driven 12 months out of the year. Iff you are really worried about scratching up your toy...just add the clear wrap for the winter or a bra. (personally, I'm not a fan of putting a bra on a car...I like a car to show its true age and wear.)

 

I agree, though tastes vary I know. To me, using a bra is like taking a super model to the beach and then throwing a blanket over her bikini-clad form, lest she develop tan lines.

 

The 3M or Ventura bras are almost invisable. So it would be more like rubbing some sunscreen over her bikini-clad form.

BTW large trucks are the worst for kicking up large stones. I have a clear bra and I still avoid driving near the large trucks.

 

Here ya go

Welcome to Nevada High County living (6500')...lols

My 18" Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero Serie II N2 will hopefully be here Wednesday! Cayenne GTS served fine duty in the meantime this weekend.

 

Ah, I've never seen one of those. Are they called a 'bra' also? I was picturing one of those black shrouds hung over the bow. No worse than a sunscreen, huh?

You're sure right about large trucks. First, they have much larger spaces between the tread so they pick up large stones more easily. A car may pinch a rock out the back, but they don't usually get very high. A truck can throw a stone the size of a golf ball into your windshield.

We get a lot of the truck type called "gravel truck and transfer" up here in the high desert and the problem with those is they often are loaded in messy conditions so they have loose gravel on parts of the truck. If you encounter one near where they loaded up, it can be like driving through a trap range if you're foolish enough to get near.

 

I have an 07 non-S with 19'' Nokians and its fantastic in the snow,here in Toronto. I'm sure not as great as the C4 or C4S but quite capable and reliable in the lousy weather. I dunno how some people can put their Porsche in hibernation for months!

 

I agree. After waiting most of my life to get a 911, I drive it every chance I get. 911's are not only capable in the snow/cold, they are a lot of fun. In Calgary you see lots 996's and 997's on the road throughout the winter. Saw two out on the weekend when the temp was -30C. Your car is depreciating every day anyway, why not use it?

 

Haven't noticed any temp issues, however if I noticed the front intakes were fully blocked, I'd clean out the snow. The snow in the pictures fell out of the vent eventually.

You're very welcome! It's awesome to see all the enthusiasm for winter driving a 911. Too bad Montreal's taken to putting down GRAVEL but you've got to deal with more freeze/thaw cycles than here in Edmonton so it's understandable.

So very true, when you're on low traction roads (snowy) you can learn much about how your car behaves at the limit...and you're barely even out of 1st gear so the speeds are super manageable!
I recall spending much time at Race City's skidpad trying to break the limit of the car/tires but there's so much grip I didn't get many opportunities to "live on the edge."

 

Lots of fun lately in the snow...too bad mine is parked for winter.....I bought Michelin Latitude Alpins for the RR Sport SC instead of the 911 :-( I miss driving her, long ways till spring.

 

Fun thread! Way to go guys. Personally, I'm not gonna do it with my next PCar (but it was fun enough in heavy rains with the worn tires that came with my old SC ...). Hard enough to handle the salt and the windshield and front-end demolishing gravel they put on the roads here (no longer sand) with my truck and suv. Maybe I'll just go south for the winter like a goose or something...

 

You are wrong and if you have new car the sooner you get clear bra on it - the better. You will be very frustrated to see how easy this new paint on 997 chips off. It is not what it used to be on older cars at all, be aware of that.

Also search a lot for a best installer. Clear bra is a transparent film that gets glued t entire front surface covering half or entire hood and bumpers. It has to be done professionally so it would be no bubbles or other imperfections. When done properly it looks terrific and preserves car perfectly. It is really a very first mod that should be done to 911 car and it is a pity that dealers do not do that by default as it is MUST HAVE thing.

Now, there are 2 options for this - to use pre-cut clear bra or solid sheet one. Previous owner of my car installed pre-cut and it is generally fine with exception - that I hit cones at auto-x in lower bumper area very edge of clear bra can separate a bit. If I notice it early enough - little bit of superglue helps to get it back. If I do not notice it - it gets dirty and becomes visible. Whole sheet bra would be wrapped around edges and would look better, but it costs more. Choose for yourself which style works best for you.

 

I will give it serious consideration, though I've always considered a certain amount of small rock chips to be evidence the car is... well, the real thing. A sports car that is, not a boulevard betty.

I washed our new one for the first time yesterday and we have our first rock chip. (The wonder is we haven't more since they decided to lay a new four-foot water supply line along our road the same month we bought our first p-car.) It isn't as bad as many I've seen in years past. The factory clear coat seems to have done a respectable job. All part of a hero car's life on the road we've always figured.

Not that I don't cringe at each one...