Melbourne15

Hi Rennlisters,
As winter is approaching in the Midwest, i am looking for advice from anyone who has driven their 911 in the snow. I am either going to buy snow tires for my 997.2S 19" wheels or a set of 18" wheels and snow tires. My question is regarding driving on the 19" wheels, even with snow tires mounted is the wide wheel width and low sidewall working against me, or is it doable to dd in the snow? Used to drive ,y BMW 540i all winter with a set of wheels and snow tires no problem. Any advice is always appreciated! Oh, and my 911 is a manual tranny if that matters.
Cheers, David

BIG smoke

My C2S was fine up to the headlights in snow on snow tires. The problem was the other citiot out with their no season tires. And the poor clearing of the roads ... 10 days ... frozen ruts.

Dennis C

I drove my 996 through midwest winters for many years. Proper winter tires are the key. Deep snow can be problematic, but that's about it. Also - get some good winter floor mats from WeatherTech.

awrryan

I recommend 18" because they are narrower and have a taller sidewall for ice and potholes that you won't see because of, well, snow and ice. Narrower wheels and tires also make it easier to drive in the snow. This is coming from living in Montreal, Canada for 20 years.

myw

exactly. minus size for best winter performance (costs less too)!

Melbourne15

Thanks to all of you fir your advice! Thats why i love this community! I am looking for a set of lightly used wheels and snow tires, near Chicago. Tire rack website says i can save $500 by just getting snow tires for my 19" rims versus 18" rims and rotes. And i will not have to mess with tpms sensors.

awrryan

Definitely cheaper, but wheels are more prone to damage in the winter so I always viewed a second set of winter wheels as a way of protecting my summer wheels. The cost to refinish your summer wheels could easily amount to or exceed the cost of a second set of wheels.

Melbourne15

Good point awrryan. On the hunt for a good used wheel and tire set before the snow flies.

Dr.J

Hi, Melbourne15 &

I have a nearly new (about 600 kms) set of Perelli Soto Zero Winter 240 tires in the following sizes:
Rear: 285/35 R19's
Front: 235/35 R19's

Pm me if you're interested!

Thanks,

John

chuck911

The advantage of going smaller/higher profile will be felt the first time you hit standing water. The normal deceleration is much less as the narrower tire cuts through so much better. Much bigger improvement than you'd think. The same thing of course happens with slush and snow, the smaller area results in greater pressure per square inch. Kind of the opposite of dry traction where the bigger the footprint the greater the traction.

A narrower/taller tire also stays more inside the wheel well, and throws up less crud, so fewer chips in the paint.

This was the advice the Tire Rack gave me years ago. I tried it, found out they are right, and credit where credits due!

911searcher

(1) Snow Tires.
(2) Leave early and take your time.

ChicagoSpeed996

Do you need TPMS sensors in your winter wheels? Or can you get by all winter without them?

namronorman

You don't need them but your car will give you an annoying message every 30~ minutes about it.

Melbourne15

Question, will 18" winter tire and wheel package off of a 2009 911 turbo wheels fit a 2009 911S car? I know turbos are wide body and my car is a narrow body, but not sure how this affects wheel fitments.

3Series

Widebody wheels will fit, the offset pushes the wheel out. Probably not the best for a winter setup becuase you want all the road crud to be caught in the wheel well instead of being spit all over your rear fender.

I might have a line on set of 18in wheels and winter tires with less than 1,000 miles for sale in the Chicago area. It includes TPMS for a 997.2.