I love my winters. Pirelli sottozero's, 19". V-rated. Pushed those babies to 125 mph with no issues.

 

I drive in winter with the summer tires when the roads are clear. Using the TPM monitor, I wait for the tires to warm up for a few PSI before I drive normally but not aggressively. Prior to that I drive quite cautiously.

Noticed that the Michelins on my old 997 "warmed" up faster than the 991's Pirellis do.

So far so good for 5 winters.

 

That's what I've been doing for past couple years. Daily driver. "Normally, not aggressively" describes my approach well in the winter.

That said, I finally bought a set of winters and mounted them a few days ago. Few reasons: 1. I got a very good deal on the wheels from a friend 2. I think I want to keep the car for at least 4 or 5 years 3. even over 2-3 years of daily driving, buying winter tires may be zero sum when considering the wear on the summer tires 4. the wheels can be sold someday when you sell the car 5. cold summer tires make annoying skips on cold starts 6. I do occasionally commute in the cold and wet and even in the dry as cold as it's been this winter I've grown more nervous.

At the end of the day I guess I realized that it's a somewhat steep (call is around $2k) initial investment but over a few years it mostly if not totally pays for itself (and that's w/o any $ credit for the increase in safety). I'd recommend buying a set of 997 wheels on ebay (OEM strong and should run around a grand for a set in very good shape (I've done that twice previously for track wheels -- 997.1TTS wheels for my previous Targa and 997S Carrera Classics I'm using as track wheels on my 991S).

One other thing: I skipped the TPMS but if you want a set that will run around $500.

 

I used a discount coupon provided by Porsche and purchased the 19 inch wheels and winter tires for $3600 last year. I see the purchase as a form of insurance: I drive all year round in all weather except for snowy conditions and was concerned about liability associated with driving using summer tires in the winter. Stuff happens I may be overly cautious bordering on ridiculous but I don't worry when I drive

 

^^^Coupons? Dang. I never get coupons.

 

Check your mail. Look at the dealers website. There is usually Tequipment coupon. PCA discount is 10%.

 

I live in NJ also and have driven 1000hp cars in freezing temps(quick trip for tuning).Just because you can doesn't' imply it's the right thing to do. The problem is if you get any type of precipitation at these temps summer tires are completely useless. I have winter tires for every car that gets driven during these cold months, I guess I'm cautious.

 

FYI - You can get TPMS for much less here www.oewheelsllc.com

I bought a set of these last year when upgrading my wheels. They were immediately recognized by the car with no issues.

 

It is not only about the performance or safety of the summer tires. The summer tires will wear out abnormally faster when cold, so you are chewing up your expensive summer tires, rather than winter ones built for the cold weather. This is not my opinion, it is a fact.

 

HI...I didn't think that 997 wheel/tire set would fit the 991? I read on tire rack that dropping down to 18" will not fit. Apparently not true. I would much rather purchase a set off of ebay for 1/2 the cost of tire rack if I knew the 997 set would fit my 991. thank you!

 

The best investment I made was with my winter tires. The bottom line is that the rubber compounds are different and display different characteristics at different temperatures. That said I have 19" Pirelli Sottos on a C4S and they are very compliant and make me feel confident in the capabilities of the car at low temps no matter the type of precipitation.

Have to say that my biggest issue is with the amazing grip of the tires. Some idiots seem to think they can accelerate, corner or brake as aggressively as me in a car with all season tires - even SUVs. Let me tell you I have had a lot of near misses because of it.

 

I too have a C4S and Ditto!

 

They must be 19"s. The 991 cannot be operated with 18"s.

Gripster -- Thanks for the TPMS tip. That's big savings

 

Do you have a source for that? I'm not sure either way but it doesn't seem intuitively correct that a tire would wear quicker when it's hardened. Wear quicker when softer than intended, i.e. winter tires during summer?.... Yes that makes sense.

 

Yup. http://books.google.com/books?id=IEQ...ed=0CCsQ6AEwAQ

And at page 13

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/699806.pdf