Looking for some ideas for Winter Tires... I have the Stock 19's from my 2011 Panamera 4 S. Which ones are the best

 

I wish that Nokian made 19" tires beyond the 255 width, as it would make for a much easier winter/snow tire decision.

But since they don't, I'll offer that I had a very good winter season last year using the Pirelli Sotto II's on my AWD E63S. Good light snow traction, decent hardpack traction. They held up very well to the warm weather we can see down here during early and later winter. They're a true "winter" tire. Not a snow, which is absolutely fine as any heavy accumulation beyond 8+ inches is going to float a low riding sedan anyway. We usually have cold but clear roads, and the Pirellis felt very planted even during spirited driving. I was pleasantly surprised. And this was coming off a terrible Pirelli SUV snow tire experience.

I have no firsthand data on the Michelin offerings.

 

I've got Michelin Pilot Alpin on stock 19" panamera rims for winter and they are great - with the AWD I can claw through 6-8 inches without much trouble

 

Here's a link to a PDF of Porsche-approved (N-spec) winter tires for its current models (including the Panamera) -- This thread is timely for me, as our new GTS is scheduled to arrive around thanksgiving with 20" summer wheels/tires and I'm working to figure out how to get a set of 19" panamera classic wheels for winter wheels (and then decide on tires)

http://files3.porsche.com/filestore....a-001a64c55f5c

 

Check out this post: http://rennlist.com/forums/parts-mar...condition.html

 

Great info, thanks for sharing...

 

Ahhh... but they DO!


Hakkapelliitta 8's, with/without studs:


https://www.tiresbyweb.com/tbw_frres...d=All%20Brands


I presently have a set of 19" wheels with Conti A/S tires. (Dealer gave me the wheels and tires when I bought my car, the exact setup in Dudec's post above.) When the tires are gone I'll get the Hakka's.



DMoore
'13 970GTS
'13 991S

 

Well, that's good that Nokian finally got them into our market.

They really need to get on the stick and get the Hakka R2 and WRG3 available in wider sizes.

Having said that, Hakka 8 is a serious, serious snow tire. They wouldn't make it to the end of the one season for me, with all the intermittent warm weather we have here during the winter.

One would have to live way up north and face a predictably white winter to drive on Hakka 8's. OR be resigned to buying a new set every year.

$0.02

 

I did my first drive today in my Panamera SeH that I'd consider challenging in terms of snow traction. We've had snow, but generally the streets have been clear or slush. The streets are now extremely narrow with about 4' of snow not quite plowed to the sides, and I had to drive through some snow to squeeze past cars going the other way.

I'm driving on Pirelli Winter Sottozero Series II's. I could definitely feel some traction issues, and a little bit of rear end shimmy, which is, uh, interesting when you're inches away from another car. However, they definitely got the job done. I didn't get more than a little sideways movement, and I never had any trouble moving forward.

My assessment at present is that they're "good enough." Driving over 6-7" of snow that's drifted on to the road and which hasn't been packed down by other cars is generally one of the worst case scenarios. It's not ice, of course, or some of the nastier forms of wet snow, but it's much worse than the typical road that's been plowed and driven on.

 

thx for the report, impressive snow "manners" for a RWD car -- So far this winter, our GTS (4WD) on sottozeros has exhibited snow performance that's surprisingly close to that obtained by our VW Touareg on nokkian WRG2s . . . .

 

Switched the summer tires to Michelin a/s. Just fantastic grip. Note: it's below freezing but no snow or ice on the road. Will not test them on snow. Cold roads no problems. Actually the car handles very well even better than the Pirelli summer tires in the summer.

 

On my PTT in Chicago winters I've had the pirelli sotto zeros on stock 20in wheels, and recently got a new set of michelin alpin 3s on 19in Victor Equipment Badens.

The alpins on the 19s are significantly better in snow, but the pirellis were much better in cold, dry weather. I'll stick w the alpins since we do get quite a bit if snow here in winter.

 

I have 18" Pirelli 240 snows, 19" Michelins PA3, and 20" Bridgestone LM25 Runflat all still in stock. Please give me a call if I can help.

 

Funny, if I do a search on my car in 18", I'm showing no matches for snow tires at the Tire Rack right now. That's the standard 245/50-18 and 275/45-18.

Not that I need them, since I already have a set, purchased at the Tire Rack in November. I was just curious what other choices I might have had.