99er

The fitment of the width was more the concern. .3 could technically affect rotational speed, but I don't really care since I'm always obeying the speed laws...

99er

I'll check this out - thanks for the lead.

99er

When I mean short run, talking about a good 20-30 miles on local roads and some highway.

99er

225 width tires fit on a 7" wide rim? 20mm wider than 205. Sorry, I have a pretty limited knowledge of car maintenance/mechanics.

mongrelcat

Select the word "blizzaks" in this post, right click and search google. The first result is the TireRack Bridgestone Blizzak page:

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/bridgestone/blizzak.jsp

Click a model, then Specs. That will get you Rim Width Range and Meas. Rim Width

See the notes for each of those categories but basically the first is the range of acceptable rim size you can use, and the second is what you really should shoot for.

If you're going to use the tires in snow, narrower is better, otherwise, wider is better.

Donster

You do know that most of BC is mountainous, right? You sound like one of those people who thinks Vancouver is all of BC. I live a little over 500km from Vancouver and yes, we get lots of snow.

Boston annual snowfall: 111.3cm
Vernon BC annual snowfall (valley floor): 102cm
Coldstream BC annual snowfall (where I live): 127.9cm
Silver Star annual snowfall (ski hill 20 min. from my house): 700cm

Source: Wikipedia

nile13

I do know, Don. It's just... after that many winters in Rochester, NY (snowiest city in US) I have healthy respect for snow but also a fairly clear understanding of what works and doesn't work on it.

When, for example, I hear that RWD cars are horrible in snow and AWD are all that much better, I quickly lose interest. You can accelerate better with AWD, but not turn or stop.

Having said that, I figured out several years ago that you can buy summer year around for enough money. And so I did

JimPA

OP:

I have snows on dedicated 17" wheels. My C2S has been a NJ and PA daily driver for 14 years. It goes just fine up to about 6" of snow. The front can feel a little light in snow but rear traction has never been an issue. I adjust speed and driving style to compensate. If you drive your car in the winter, it will require more TLC to clean it every spring.

My first set of snows on this car was Michelin Arctic Alpin. When they wore out, Michelin no longer sold that rear size so I switched to Dunlop. Sorry I can't provide size specifics but I am traveling and don't have those details with me.

p993c4

I purchased some time ago Porsche genuine CUP II winter wheels, meaning 8Jx17 back and the normal 7Jx17 front. A very good option if you find such a set, surely a good investment as well + several tire options.

BesideTheBox

Although I have a 4S, I ran 17" 7's (front) and 9's (rear) for 2 winters.
The wheels were Boxster Twists, but they have the same width and offset as stock 17s on a narrow car.
Tires are General Altimax Artic - full snow tire.
front: 215/50 R17
rear: 235/45 R17
In my opinion, the rear tire was too narrow for the 9" rim.
For this winter, I acquired a correct set of 7" and 8" Cup II rims.
The 235/45 looks much better on the 8" rim.

nile13

235 should be fine on a 9" rim. 9" = 229mm, so 235mm tire (assuming it has about the same mounting width as thread width) is pretty much perfect for it.

What did you not like about it?

Tom T.

For the past 14 years during the winter I've kept my 993 covered in the garage with a trickle charger with no problems. Just make sure the battery fluid is topped off with distilled water. And to protect the tires from flat spotting, I fill them to 45-50psi, and also turn them a few times to vary what part contacts the ground.

Donster

OP: There you have it. While clearly there is some disagreement about whether or not you should actually drive your 993 through the winter, I think everyone agrees that if you do, you should invest in proper winter tires and not go with all-seasons. I agree that dedicated winter rims are a good idea too.

BesideTheBox

Here are some pictures so the OP can see why I felt the 235mm was too narrow on a 9" rim.

First picture is the 7" wide rim with the 215mm tire.


Second picture is the 8" wide rim with the 235mm tire. Now imagine the sidewall with roughly .5" less protrusion on each side when it was mounted on the 9" wide rim. It fit. It worked. Didn't look right.

nile13

Thanks for the pictures, BtB! Snow tires, having notoriously soft sidewalls, will, generally look different from performance tires once mounted. Both 8" and 9" rim would work OK with 235 tires, especially snow tire as we are not talking about minutia of sidewall deformation leading to a degradation in performance of a Hoosies A6, for example.

But... I would not change from 9" to 8" wheel for a 235 tire. On the other hand, if that looks better to you, why not, if you find the right pair of 8" wheels.