PEOPLE OF THE 911s!

I have my first 911 c4s ready for the winter and I want to make sure it's set up properly to conquer snow/ice/etc.

I currently have a set of 19" 295/255 tires... winter pirelli 240s. Any one recommend these or anything else? (They are wide tires.. so i am wondering how they fair in snow/ice).

Is there anything else I should/do purchase for my vehicle to make sure it rolls smooth in the winter? Any useful suggestions are appreciated. thanks,

 

I have the pirellis on my C4. Second winter, no issues. I wouldnt compare it to an SUV but it handles at least as good as my 325x did when I had that.

 

I wouldn't fuss too much. I've driven my C4S in winter with summer tires. I'm talking chicago winter. Of course i wasn't speeding or driving aggressively. quick errands really. I had the winter tires in the garage but just couldn't bring myself to go change wheels in the cold.
While the winter tires are obviously a lot better, they are not magical snow crunchers either. A couple of times i couldn't get out of the garage with winters because the snow was so high. I got in my range rover sport and it was like there wasn't any snow on the ground. i could see the shame in the C4S eyes when it saw what the RRS did. I closed the garage door to save it further embarassment :-)

 

.1 4S. Winter driven. running 18" sport technos (BBS OEM forged) with 265's in rear, and 235's front. Blissaks.


Traction no where near as good as my 13 audi S4 which was better than my
4x4 truck, but I wouldn't be scared taking it through anything traction wise.


For that matter, I wouldn't have any reservations taking a 2S with dedicated snows out in any snow event either.


Only issue I have this time of year is ice chunks falling off cars laying in the road... with only a few inches of clearance, its really a gamble driving the car at night... the chunks really come quick on the freeway.

 

I would not have put wider rubber on the fronts. They are wider by 20 mm than Porsche's specs of 235. So I would be careful on icy sections. Other than that, the all-wheel drive in that car with its low centre of gravity, makes for a great winter ride as long as the road clearance is there.

 

Yeah those are a tad too wide for winter driving in my opinion. Even if they are winter tires, being that wide it will have trouble cutting through snow and slush. <br />
I'm on dunlops winter 3D 235 front 265 back. Although at times it feels like rears are floating on top and not cutting through like the fronts, traction off the line and in straight line is still awesome. need to be careful and give space to brake and slow in corners else it slides. But overall quite good as DD in chicago..

 

Tires would be the most important part of the equation. You will see a rear drive w winter tires go where a c4s could not on stock tires easy.

 

I got a set of Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 265 40 R 18 on the rear and 235 40 R18 on the front on my 997 C2 and it handles better than anything else out there on snowy/icy roads. Our winters in Oklahoma are not the worst, but we get a sleet rather and it has gripped better than most SUVs out there. It is actually a lot of fun to drive on snow/ice conditions, the car can be throttle steered.

 

I use Hakkapelitta 8
235/35/19 295/30/19

 

I use Pirelli Wintersport Sottozeros on my 997. My rears are 295 width, as Porsche recommends. My 997 is my daily driver, in all conditions. As noted above, ground clearance can be the only real issue, especially in deep snow. On deep snow days, I drive my Audi SQ5 with Nokins.

There are a couple of important things to note. First of all, the Pirelli winter tire recommended by Porsche is a high performance winter tire. It is designed to provide good performance in cold weather on dry streets, as well as reasonable performance on snowy or icy conditions. You could change to a tire like a Blizzak which was designed to provide better traction on snow and ice, but it compromises more on cold, dry pavement. You need to decide how you will drive your car and which option makes the most sense.

Secondly, it's important to note that proper winter tires make a HUGE difference in performance compared to summer tires. This is true in acceleration, but more importantly in cornering and stopping distances. All tires are round - they will all roll. It's foolish to think that summer tires will be okay in the snow and ice if you drive carefully. The other side of that argument is that a Blizzak snow tire will be fine on the race track if you drive slowly and carefully. While that may be technically true (they are round too... they will roll), you would be dangerous on the track to yourself and to other drivers.

These cars were made to be driven all year. If you put the right tires on them, you'll enjoy the winter experience.

 

Dennis is correct Gusto - with the right tires you can go just about anywhere. Please call me if I can help. I'm happy to help you decide the right tire for your needs.

 

I've always loved white cars...

Here are a couple of shots of mine in the garage after dinner tonight:

 

I'm glad you don't live close to me. Driving in winter conditions with summer tires endangers you and your fellow drivers. It's idiotic.