josephsc

Chase, my 944 was more of a weekly driver in Boston. I drove it on average twice per week. Boston had great public transportation system -- I really miss it. Plus, I lived in BackBay so you often chose not to drive for the fear of not being able to find a parking space again...

Anyhow, I used an older set of Blizzaks mounted on a spare set of Phone Dials. Went to Vermont a few times in the snow -- not a problem except my rear end was tail-happy and kept sliding around. The day we had the first huge dump, I still drove the 944 to avoid getting towed (because I was parked in a snow emergency zone). There were few inches on snow on the ground -- so driving in that sucked -- not enough clearance. One of the more exciting drive around one block.

Chase72

Boffam: Thanks for your comments. I was looking at the Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSports and the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22's you mention. Have you tried any other brands other than the LM-22's?

As for Rims, I was thinking of going with steels and caps so I don't cry from the sand/salt dumped on our roads. What do you think?

And Boston winters, although harsh, probably don't compare to those in Ontario!

Thanks--Chase.

pcarfan944

Why do they give you heat right away? I've never had a car warm me up so fast. It seems like the heat is contingent upon how far the car has been driven, and not how long the engine has been running. I can let it warm up for ten minutes and I still won't get any heat until the wheels have started turning.

Pat

Chase72

Hey Joe: I used to live in the South End (boy do I know about not losing your parking spot!), then recently moved out to JP (designated parking spot). But the parking spot is outside, so I am trying to get ready for the Porsche's first winter... Bet you don't miss driving on Boston roads, now that you are in Sunny Cali...

Snow storm you refer to--last December's? And as for the Blizzaks, did you put any weight in the back, like sand bags?

Thanks--Chase

Dave in Chicago

I swear I read something somewhere about Porsche designing the system to get warm coolant to the heater core very fast with some trick valve design, but I haven't been able to find it in years. Maybe someone out there has tripped across it. In the meantime, I am happy to benefit from the fast heat.

Mighty Shilling

all I know is my heater is so freaking hot, it can melt ice faster than a BBQ... OMG...tried that out today...my skin nearly melted off...

Chase72

Yup. I got my first taste of the heat blast when the weather turned chilly last month... You can cook breakfast during your commute. Still looking for the "Pop Tart" vent holder to be invented...

josephsc

Yep -- the one that lasted the whole weekend. It was beautiful until you had to deal with.... It took me awhile to dig the car out. Only have the snow plows bury you right back.... If I needed to drive the car that day, I wouldn't have been able to (hence the car was not a daily driver in the winter) -- but still drove the car as soon as the roads cleared.

Anyhow, I didn't put any weight in the back, but didn't reduce any weight either (since then, I have removed the spare tire, rear seats and rear carpet). I also didn't have LSD at the time, but was wishing I did.

Yea, the heating system we have is great -- I wish our AC system was as good. It's still hot down here!

Chase72

Joe: I envy the warm weather and nice roads you are now enjoying... it's still pot hole city here, and it's only gonna get worse over the winter... I had an X-5 last winter, so it wasn't too bad... but this year is a different story! I will call in "sick" if it's too difficult to drive in... not worth messing up my baby!

How did your Blizzaks do on dry pavement? Lots of noise? Any problems cornering? Still undecided on those tires... any experience with the Pirelli SnowSports?

--Chase

josephsc

I didn't do too much driving in the dry -- took them off as soon as I could (back in March, which was actually too early...) I didn't get to compare with other tires, either.

I also remembered another thing that might be of use -- you want to keep your battery well charged. A lot of guys use a trickle charger for such purpose. I found a cheap solar panel that attaches to your cigarette lighter and kept the battery charged that way.

Chase72

Funny you should mention the Solar Panel trickle charger... does that really work? I just saw one today at Pep Boys--small one for around $50 and a larger one for $69. Was afraid to get it (thought it might just be a gimmick). What brand, Joe?

Really works huh? My car is outside, so it's too far to string an extension cable from the condo... but maybe the solar charger is an idea... Anybody else have experience?

Chase72

Also, are there any problems with sulfation caused by trickle chargers??

--Chase

Chris_924s

Put a car away for the winter? OK i'm really confused now.....

Chase72

oh no... I'm driving this winter!

josephsc

I used some cheapo one I found online (I think it was harborfreight.com) -- less than $10. I use it more as an insurance against slow battery drain. A larger one might have been nice, but then where would you put it?