On dry roads with a sprinkle of salt here and there...

My main concern is not the tires as I'm well aware of their limitations in colder weather (running PSS) and can adjust driving accordingly.

Main concern is how vulnerable will the underbody be to corrosion with the exposure to salt. I have read that Porsche has galvanized the chassis but not sure to what extent. My plan is to keep this car very long term, should I resist the temptation to drive her in these frigid salty months? It will not be a daily driver, but rather an occasional drive on the weekend. Thoughts??

 

I'm pretty you're going to get lots of different advice on this, and some of the folks out there are not going to agree with my answer.

Anyway, I'd say its fine to drive the car in winter provided you wash it off more than you do in summer to get rid of the salt etc. That's the approach I've taken with all my cars since living in Europe, drive a little more conservatively in winter (from a safety perspective) and wash the cash more frequently (from a maintenance / up keep / look perspective).

The only thing I would look at is getting winter tyres, and yes you can get them for a GT3 (I have them). From my perspective this serves two advantages:
- you get to play with the look of your car as the standard wheels won't accept winter tyres you need to get another set of wheels, so you can play with the look and have something different for the summer vs. winter
- second, I know you said you take count of the weather but I wouldn't be driving around on the Pirelli's in winter, far too little grip for my liking and I believe no matter how good you are or how careful you drive why take risks with your baby and others lives?

Hope that helps or at least provides food for thought and discussion

 

I think the under-bodies of these cars are built to withstand typical winter weather. My car has the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and they are fine in all weather except sleet, snow and ice. So, I drive my car in the winter, except in these three conditions.
Mr. B

 

No reason not to drive it. As Swiss Aussie said, it does snow in Europe My turbo was not my DD driver but I did manage to put almost 70,000 miles on it before I sold it last year. I drove it during the winter.

I found plenty of days in NY winter's where it was warm enough to wash the car. The neighbors thought i was nuts but it was fun. I just used to fill the bucket with warm water which made it much easier on my hands.

I figured it was no better or worse than any other mass produced car as far as underbody protection was concerned. Enjoy it, it's not a museum piece.

 

When washing cars outdoors in winter, I wear rubber or latex gloves. It keeps your hands dry, which makes the job much more tolerable. Wet hands are cold hands, which is not pleasant.

And yes, I drive my GT3 in winter, but only when the roads are dry and free of snow, slush, and ice. I also put on winter tires. Traction on summer tires is really limited in freezing temperatures. Even though you can drive on summer tires, braking depends on having traction and it becomes compromised when it gets really cold. It comes down to safety. With winter tires, I never worry if I happen to get caught in unexpected snow whereas it would be a disaster on summer tires.

 

I don't believe the GT3's have undercoating. Maybe that is why the rust warrantee is only 3 years. For me, I just would not drive even if undercoated in the salt. Fortunately to have a Cayenne that could be used for those extreme days.

 

Thanks gents! The limited warranty on corrosion does make one question driving a GT car in the winter. I think I will stick to my Quattro.