Scenario:
-Most northern capital city of all provinces in Canada
-24 hour period of constant snow
-Environment Canada classifying it as a "Winter Storm"
-10-15cm of snowfall (approx. 3-5") but it certainly seems more than just that
-Snow type = mid-weight powder
-Standard drive times extended to 6 times normal duration (my 20 minute drive to work took 2 hours)
-Coming back home from work to a low traffic residential area + a driveway with FULL snow accumulation (didn't have a chance to shovel)

Vehicle:
-2006 C4 (stock)
-Arctic Alpin snow tires
-PSM stayed on until it was turned off to "ascend" the driveway

Conclusion:
The biggest sweat I broke all day was when I shoveled the snow, I felt very confident and comfortable driving the car in these kind of conditions.
Don't hesitate to use your 911 year round, it's a great experience and you certainly get a lot more "looks" than usual



911 Front Plow - available at your local Porsche dealership



Snow packed into the wheels helps with rotor heat dissipation, no more brake fade!



This is what the radiator had to plow through



Standard 4L (1 gallon) windshield fluid jug. Snow height on the left = actual height, snow height on right = what was left after plowing.



Better shot of the fantastic snow removal job a 911 does



This was completely smooth before making multiple attempts at climbing the driveway (first couple times had PSM on)

 

Sounds very snow capable.

 

When I bought my first C2S, I enquirer about a C4S and was told unless you plan on driving it in the snow, the C2S is fine. I se that they were right!

Are you enjoying the rear end slides in the snow?

 

wow...i could never...

 

Don't they salt the roads up there?

 

Thanks for the post and the pictures. Reminds me of my youth on Long Island (New York east of NYC). Which brings me to my question. At the time I had a VW bug which did better in the snow then most other cars because of the weight in the rear, but if the snow was too high the front end would lift off the ground eliminating steering control and making for an exciting ride. Does your Porsche perform the same way?

BTW, we had a snow storm here in Georgia this morning. Wet heavy flakes came down for about twenty minutes and melted when they hit the ground. That’s my idea of a picturesque snow storm :-)

 

It's as if PSM never turns off!


Nah they use sand. Edmonton stays below freezing for the vast majority of winter, so there isn't much issue of the snow melting then freezing into ice overnight. I'm not too worried about it, plus the car is on a regular wash schedule.


Actually the gas tank is almost empty right now and I really didn't notice any difference but keep in mind this 911 is AWD...not sure your bug was
Although I do have to admit, with it being mostly RWD and having all that HP on tap, turning the traction control off does put you into "exciting" driving territory haha

 

My first experience with my 911 involved a winter storm.....

When I bought my 911 I had to fly to Vancouver to pick it up and drive it back to Calgary. I was a little worried because it was the end of March and I had to drive through the mountains and the car had P-Zeros on it. I spent a week worrying, checking the road conditions prior to my trip to pick it up. Anyway, Saturday came and my friend and I were on an early morning flight to Vancouver. We arrived to a Vancouver and it was raining lightly but fairly warm. By about 10 am, we were in the car and leaving Vancouver. Still light rain and about 11 degrees C. By 10:30, the rain was gone and blue skies ahead. We drove the old highway 1 and avoided the Coquihalla Pass (high altitude, high probability of snow). The highway was wonderful. No traffic, lots of winding roads, sunny day. What an amazing way to get to know my Porsche.

Along the way there was a major accident which cost us about 3 hours due to delay and detour, and it was dark by the time we reached Revelstoke BC. After a food break, it was about 10pm but the weather was still good so we decided to keep going to Calgary (about 4 hours). No traffic and dry roads through the Rogers Pass, Golden and the Kicking Horse Pass. Thinks were going well. Then, about half an hour from Lake Louise, we hit a big snow storm. High winds, poor visibility, low temperatures. The tires turned into greasy hockey pucks. The "Zero" in P-Zero stood for zero traction. Luckily there was no traffic as we were sliding around the middle of a the TransCanada highway doing 40kph. We made it to Banff at about 2:30 am, found a hotel with underground parking and hoped the storm would blow over.

By 11 am the next morning the sun was out and the highway cleared, so we happily continued our journey home.

Needless to say, we made it home safe and sound. An amazing first experience with my first 911.

BTW: My winter traction is MUCH better with my Michelin Alpins

 

Wow, I could never do that to my C4S. But I'm glad to know that it's very capable in all weather conditions. Thanks for sharing your experience and photos.

 

WooooooHoooooo!!!!!

 

Us Alberta guys get the full four season Porsche experience

 

I love doing that in my C2S - last winter did the same kind of thing on our long country driveway (at least it's paved, which helps) and had a blast.

Thanks for the great shots - you've got me excited for our first real accumulation here!! And I switched from the Sottozerros to the Michelin Alpines this year, so I am happy to hear your having fun with them in the snow!

Will try to post same when we get a good storm...

 

My 911 will be doing year round duty here in Ontario. Just installed the Pirelli Sottozeros. My car is only a C2. Wonder how it will do in the snow. I drove my (now gone) Boxster S in the snow and it did just fine. I'm assuming with the weight on the rear wheels the 911 should do better in the snow?

Anyone here drive their RWD 911 in the snow? How does it handle?

 

Mine is a C2S and the rear wheel drive + snow tires works great. The only issue when driving in the snow is ground clearance.

 

Nice to know. FYI, we had no problems in Finland at Camp4. No special tyres or car prep.. And we used both front and rear as snowplows!