OEM snow chains advice PLEASE - Page 2 - 6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource

Jan 9, 2011 | 08:12 AM

#16

egreaves20

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Go with snow tires for a season to get a feel for how they change the traction. I started using snows in the winters 5 years ago and will never turn back. Unless you drive in snow daily during the winter, then chains may make sense.

Jan 9, 2011 | 01:36 PM

#17

tarzancoe

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I use aftermarket low profile chains from vulcantires ONLY if I happen to need them, on top of all season tires. 99 C2, 19" wheels, no spacers. As said, it is a major pain driving with tires and it rattles. For general conditions the all seasons work like any other 2x4 car, and if I get caught in a blizzard I put the chains. I rather get caught with them than without as I did before getting a pair.

Jan 9, 2011 | 08:10 PM

#18

teflon_jones

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Quote:

Originally Posted by fourempties

We seem to have veered off topic. Let me refresh. Porsche makes OEM snow chains for the 996. A review from someone who has used them may be more useful to me than "drive your other car", or ' put on snow tires". I don't have a lift, an extra set of rims, or a set of tires, which is why the subject of my post was SNOW CHAINS FOR A 996! Those who replied previously, please refrain. I am aware that a C4 just might handle better in the snow, and that snow tires are better than Z rated road tires for driving in snow.

Wait a second, so you want to use snow chains on Z rated tires? That's a bad idea. The snow "chains" are actually just cables, not true chains. You're going to get TERRIBLE traction. Snow chains are designed to go over snow tires, not Z rated tires. You still need the traction of the snow tire tread pattern. The snow chains are just there as an emergency measure in deep snow. Think about it this way: The majority of the time, you'll be lucky to have one crosspiece of the snow chain from every wheel contacting the ground if you're braking. You're more likely to have 1-3 or maybe even none of them contacting the ground, which means you're trying to brake on snow with a Z rated tire. And the Porsche snow chains aren't really made to help with turning very much, just braking and acceleration. Please, just buy a set of snow tires and have them mounted on your stock rims since this is your daily driver. Snow chains are absolutely NOT the answer.

Last edited by teflon_jones; Jan 9, 2011 at 08:13 PM.

Jan 21, 2011 | 03:09 PM

#19

Tim941NYC

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Hey, We got some snow again and was wondering how you made out?

Jan 21, 2011 | 07:22 PM

#20

fourempties

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I bought some chains from Vulcan Tire made for my tire size and for minimum clearance. I have used them twice and they work. Instead of spinning out trying to ascend even a little incline in a coating of snow I actually get some traction. Kinda squirrelly if the road has been cleared. It's sort of like trying to accelerate on ball bearings taking off from a dead stop on uncovered pavement. Overall, since I can actually move forward on an incline in the snow instead of spinning in place, they are better than nothing.