aegiswings

I recently bought a 2019 Cayman GTS. I love the car so far but I live just outside Boston and I am not planning on driving it in the winter (roughly from December to March). I also have a 2015 BMW M235 for which I have a set of 17" rims with snow tires on them. Its been totally fine in the snow despite being rear wheel drive (good snow tires make all the difference). I was assuming I would drive the BMW in the winter.

I am single, though, and I feel kind of silly owning two cars when only one will ever be driven at a time. Also, I only have one off-street spot at my condo so one car will always be parked on the street (sorry BMW). It is usually easy to find a spot right outside my home, but I have to deal with street cleaning and snow emergencies which can be a headache. That said, both cars are paid off and insurance is actually very reasonable so it doesn't cost me much to own the second car.

I'm considering selling the BMW and making the Porsche my only car. I realize I rarely need the extra space and I never drive around more than one person. The BMW is really only useful for ski trips and camping as the Porsche has enough room for most other vacations. So my only other concerns is how will it do in the snow. Obviously I'll get a set of smaller rims and snow tires. Will 17" fit? What size rims/tires will work on a Cayman GTS? Does anyone have experience driving their Cayman in New England winter weather? Is the Cayman GTS too low?

Ksdaoski

718 in snow
Love the idea
What do people think?

.2PDK

No.

worf928

Pretty sure 18” is minimum wheel diameter. tirerack.com knows for sure. Obviously you want the smallest diameter that will fit.

With dedicated snow tires 718 should be able to work in the snow - it’s essentially the same as a 981.

However, low clearance means you’re only going to be following plows. If that’s a problem for work then it will be an issue a few days per year.

Winters in NE are really tough on cars. If your 718 is a ‘keeper’ then I would keep it away from salt, freeze/thaw cycles, and Beantown winter driving idiots.

If you can’t imagine owning it for more than 6 or 8 years then it’s a non-issue.

ToasterThief

I drove a 981 CS in Wisconsin for a winter as well as Philadelphia after I moved. I had a set of 19" OZ wheels and snow tires. Honestly, the thing was fantastic and I had zero issues. You do feel kind of bad driving it in the snow/winter though. I'd keep the second car.

michael818

I think it's fine. I've used all of my Porsches, both 911's and now the 718 in the winter, always with dedicated snow tires. The only obvious issue is ground clearance. Since I generally would only drive on plowed streets or in light snow, never been a problem. In heavy snow I just wait it out and don't drive. I like the Michelin Alpins for the winter. I go down one size from the standard tires. I treat my cars like cars - not works of art. Yes they get a few chips here and there but it has never seemed a big deal. These cars are engineered in Germany, a place where they get snow and bad weather. Yes, I don't like getting salt all over the car but I run it through a car wash (gasp) and use the underbody wash to get most of it off. I have the car professionally detailed both before and after the winter and have had no problems. I only downsized to 19 inch rims and I'm okay with it. I don't think 17 inch will fit, you might try 18's. I know this is probably an outlier position but you do what you're comfortable with. I bought the car to drive it and it is my DD. I prefer to spend my time driving it rather that admiring it. Good luck with whatever path you choose.

BlueNorther

I've had mixed results in Northern NE. I had no real issues with the 06 Cayman S, but a couple of white knuckle drive in the Cayman GTS (no PTV). I've used dedicated snow tires with 18" rims, from tire rack, but only thing they've had when I ordered are Pirrelli Sotozeros. They are performance winters. Great initially, but as the tread wears on the rears no longer so great in snow. It isn't bad though if you don't have steep hills and the kind of wet snow that packs in between the tread blocks (snipes?). I've had a E46 3 series bmw with awd , that plus blizzaks was an amazing performer in snow, so I ended up using that when the conditions were bad/salty. Unfortunately it was taken down by a collision with a coyote last Spring. I'm going to give the Boxster a try as winter duty, but I would like to find some aggressive winter tires for it. Dealer claimed he could get me studded Hakki's but it looks like he was only half right: front half, not for the rear tires (grrrr). Same for blizzaks I believe.

So if anyone has any tips for a make of real good winter tires (not "performance winter"), the kind you'ed take up an access road to a new england ski area (snow to rain to subzero ice in 24 hours), please post!

.2PDK

PA4s on my 991.2 were great performance tires, useless in snow/slush.

Hakka's on my 1M were pretty good with mild weight in trunk.

Semitone

Between the low ground clearance, the low seating position and looking at the car caked in road salt, I would pass on driving the car in the Winter if I had a second car. I keep a B7 RS4 with snow tires for my winter machine.

I like switching between cars for the summer and winter. Makes each one feel a bit more special. If you have the money to keep two, I would keep two.

iliveoncaffiene

I've been DDing my 718 in Cleveland for 26k miles now - survived last winter just fine on michelins.
The key to it is being very smooth (and gentle) with throttle changes... any sudden throttle input will cause the rear end to break loose. Otherwise, it worked just fine. You can become a bit of a plow depending on how much snow there is, but in only a couple of inches you'll manage just fine and not really ever get stuck.