Snow Tire Sizing 17s
10-09-2014, 04:42 PM
#1
Snow Tire Sizing 17s
Sorry if this topic has been around, but I haven't found it answered in search. I just purchased a 993, but am looking for winter tires to get the car out once in a while in the cold months. My BMW rotted away in these months with summer tires, and I don't want the same to happen to this car.
So, with the standard 17's, it seems snow tires aren't made for 255/40. The closest option seems to be 245/40/17 which makes the overall diameter of the tire .3" smaller.
The other option would be to get a set of all season tires where the proper size is made.
Since I would only be driving this just to get the car out vs actually in the snow, any thoughts if going snow vs all season would be better?
Thanks.
So, with the standard 17's, it seems snow tires aren't made for 255/40. The closest option seems to be 245/40/17 which makes the overall diameter of the tire .3" smaller.
The other option would be to get a set of all season tires where the proper size is made.
Since I would only be driving this just to get the car out vs actually in the snow, any thoughts if going snow vs all season would be better?
Thanks.
10-09-2014, 05:01 PM
#3
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Since I spend winters in FL now, I need to sell my snows on 10-spoke 996 wheels. Depending on where you are located, let me know. They are, I believe, 205/45/17 fronts and 255/40-17 rear and are pretty good.
To answer your initial question, 245/40-17 would be perfectly fine for rear snow tires.
To answer your initial question, 245/40-17 would be perfectly fine for rear snow tires.
10-09-2014, 05:15 PM
#4
96 Carrera narrow body in Southern CT. I think TireRack wasn't going to guarantee fitment because of the .3" difference causing rotational speed errors with the speedometer and such.
10-09-2014, 05:58 PM
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What do you mean your BMW "rotted away"? Did it rust, or did something else happen?
Personally I would not drive a 911 in New England in the winter. You're likely to subject your Porsche to salt or even more corrosive liquid de-icer. On top of that, a lightweight rear-wheel-drive only car will be terrible in snow or cold conditions..
If you feel you must drive it in winter, get real winter tires for sure. The issue isn't really snow, it's cold. In below freezing conditions, all-season tire compounds lose their grip. Winter tires are made from a compound designed to remain sticky at much lower temperatures.
In Canada, we call all-seasons "3 season" tires. They're definitely not for winter, snow or not.
Personally I would not drive a 911 in New England in the winter. You're likely to subject your Porsche to salt or even more corrosive liquid de-icer. On top of that, a lightweight rear-wheel-drive only car will be terrible in snow or cold conditions..
If you feel you must drive it in winter, get real winter tires for sure. The issue isn't really snow, it's cold. In below freezing conditions, all-season tire compounds lose their grip. Winter tires are made from a compound designed to remain sticky at much lower temperatures.
In Canada, we call all-seasons "3 season" tires. They're definitely not for winter, snow or not.
10-09-2014, 06:52 PM
#7
I live a block away from the Long Island Sound, and the air seems to be somewhat salty as the chrome trim on my BMW started to patina. Unfortunately the garage was occupied because storage space was needed during my house renovation as well as Hurricane Sandy. Therefore my BMW had to sit outside. Because my driveway is gravel, it can't really be shoveled and so my BMW sat outside for a few months unused. Aside from the dead battery, the cycle of snow, melting snow in the day and refreezing at night seemed to accelerate the decay of all the rubber seals on the car. By the time this past spring rolled around, anytime it rained, the passenger side of the interior was a flood zone.
Now that the garage has finally been cleaned out, the 993 will stay there and mostly brought out for short runs on the weekends and perhaps occasional getaways. I am paranoid about having the car sit with a battery conditioner for the entire winter and endure the flattening of tires, improper lubrication of moving parts, etc. Especially considering that my cousin's husband who has owned his C4s since 2000 suggested getting the car out every so often in the winter.
While I would never plan on driving the car with any considerable amount of snow on the ground, I could see driving with a little slush on the road or in wintry type condition just to get the car out – which afterwards could end with a trip to the car wash where they'd wash the underside.
Perhaps this is the wrong way to think about the car in the colder months. Donster, being from Canada, what do you do with your car in the winter?
Now that the garage has finally been cleaned out, the 993 will stay there and mostly brought out for short runs on the weekends and perhaps occasional getaways. I am paranoid about having the car sit with a battery conditioner for the entire winter and endure the flattening of tires, improper lubrication of moving parts, etc. Especially considering that my cousin's husband who has owned his C4s since 2000 suggested getting the car out every so often in the winter.
While I would never plan on driving the car with any considerable amount of snow on the ground, I could see driving with a little slush on the road or in wintry type condition just to get the car out – which afterwards could end with a trip to the car wash where they'd wash the underside.
Perhaps this is the wrong way to think about the car in the colder months. Donster, being from Canada, what do you do with your car in the winter?
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10-09-2014, 07:28 PM
#8
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3/10 of an inch? With snow tires?
I ran 205/50 + 235/45 X 17 Michelin Ice + Snows back in 2010-11 when I went up to Tahoe 30+ times with the 4S. Mounted on some old Cup 1s left over from the RS America racer. Worked wonderfully, with about 10K miles just that winter. Some days I'd come back from running through snow, and get down into the valley on I-80 where it was 65-70 degrees--could literally smell the rubber burning off when I got home.
(And then there were times when I said "screw it," leaving the 19's with the fair weather/temperature tires on........)
I ran 205/50 + 235/45 X 17 Michelin Ice + Snows back in 2010-11 when I went up to Tahoe 30+ times with the 4S. Mounted on some old Cup 1s left over from the RS America racer. Worked wonderfully, with about 10K miles just that winter. Some days I'd come back from running through snow, and get down into the valley on I-80 where it was 65-70 degrees--could literally smell the rubber burning off when I got home.
(And then there were times when I said "screw it," leaving the 19's with the fair weather/temperature tires on........)
10-09-2014, 07:48 PM
#10
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Oh, and they were excellent in snow and ice once equipped with decent snow tires.
10-09-2014, 07:51 PM
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Man, that is really a shame about your BMW. I'm glad to hear your Porsche will be stored indoors for the winter. If garage space isn't available it should be in commercial storage.
This will also be my first winter for my 993. My winter vehicle is a 2006 BMW 330xi, which is great in the snow. I do quite a bit of winter mountain driving as I usually ski 2 days a week. For winter tires I run Nokian Hakkapelliita R. I've previously used Michelins, which I found pretty good but the Nokians seem to have a little better grip.
My Porsche will spend the winter in a heated garage attached to my house. (Unfortunately that means the BMW will be outside, but here in the BC interior it gets cold in December and stays cold until March, so no freeze/thaw, no salt, and no de-icer.) I plan to take the Porsche off the road in another 3 weeks or so, remove the battery and inflate the tires to 50 psi. It's due for new tires in the spring anyway. It will have an oil change and full tune first thing in the spring. This is standard winter treatment for a summer sports car here. The previous owner lived in Calgary and had it in a commercial storage place for winter since his garage is unheated.
My Porsche book specifically suggests not taking the car for short runs over the winter, stating that the engine oil slowly acidifies over time and can cause engine corrosion. I'm not sure about this, but I am pretty sure that short runs which don't fully warm up all the oil followed by a period of storage aren't the best thing for the car.
One more thing. Make sure your car wash doesn't recycle their water. If they do, the fine grit that accumulates in it can damage your paint.
This will also be my first winter for my 993. My winter vehicle is a 2006 BMW 330xi, which is great in the snow. I do quite a bit of winter mountain driving as I usually ski 2 days a week. For winter tires I run Nokian Hakkapelliita R. I've previously used Michelins, which I found pretty good but the Nokians seem to have a little better grip.
My Porsche will spend the winter in a heated garage attached to my house. (Unfortunately that means the BMW will be outside, but here in the BC interior it gets cold in December and stays cold until March, so no freeze/thaw, no salt, and no de-icer.) I plan to take the Porsche off the road in another 3 weeks or so, remove the battery and inflate the tires to 50 psi. It's due for new tires in the spring anyway. It will have an oil change and full tune first thing in the spring. This is standard winter treatment for a summer sports car here. The previous owner lived in Calgary and had it in a commercial storage place for winter since his garage is unheated.
My Porsche book specifically suggests not taking the car for short runs over the winter, stating that the engine oil slowly acidifies over time and can cause engine corrosion. I'm not sure about this, but I am pretty sure that short runs which don't fully warm up all the oil followed by a period of storage aren't the best thing for the car.
One more thing. Make sure your car wash doesn't recycle their water. If they do, the fine grit that accumulates in it can damage your paint.
10-09-2014, 08:09 PM
#15
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Ok, how's over 80 for early fall? If I didn't have business issues that prevented me from getting to Sears Point today for an instructor seminar/track session, I would have had to worry about high oil temps (if I had a running 993..........).