Chase72

Hey guys: with the onset of cold weather in New England, it's time to winterize. Any good tips out there for you old pros on "What to do" and "What not to do?" Also, I'll be driving mine this winter--curious if you all have opinions as to what winter performance or snow tires you recommend. Thanks! -- Chase

pcarfan944

Nokia (sp?) makes the best snow tires by far, blizzaks are also very nice. I personally didn't even bother to put any snow tires on last winter, my Pirelli P6000s did well enough that I didn't feel I needed it for the driving I did, but i'm not saying that snow tires won't make a world of difference. As far as the need to "winterize" your car, i've always believed this is just a myth. The cold is a lot harder on your car and more stressful on its parts, so make sure your belts are all in good condition, fluids are all topped up and you have a nice winter weight oil. Know how to work the defroster, be sure that it works, both front and rear. With the 944, it's never a bad idea to keep a shovel in the back in case you get stuck, along with a few blankets for emergencies. I've been told that kitty litter is great for when your stuck, it helps melt the snow and let you get some traction. Make sure you have a newer battery, and as I found out last year, always make sure you have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol around incase your fuel lines freeze.

Last winter was my first with the 944, and i'll admit I was pretty scared the first time I took it out in bad conditions. Be warned, the car does slide around a lot, and you need to take it slow, but if you can do that you'll have no trouble at all. I drove through some of the worst Minnesota snow storms, on the coldest days. More than once I can remember driving down the road with near zero visability conditions, cars in the ditch left and right, temperatures below zero and the Porsche got me safely to my destination everytime. My favorite part of it all was seeing the looks on SUV drivers face's from the ditch as my Porsche sailed past. Good luck.

Pat

Mighty Shilling

I have some Graspic snow tires...they're good. just don't lay too heavily on the throttle and you'll be fine. takes a light foot.

As for winterizing, I did oil, make sure Koni's are soft, new brake fluid, and snow tires. took me all of 2 hours to do all that.

for oil in the winter I use Mobil 1 0W40

shmucklebuckle

what is this "winter" you speak of?

Dave in Chicago

The snow tires are the hot set-up. I've done 4 winters here in Chicago area, using the car as daily driver, never hesitating to drive anywhere in the Midwest. Summer tires get really hard, like hockey pucks, when it gets cold. I had Blizzaks on the 944 and it would climb trees, what a difference. You will eat them up if you flog the car around in the dry, so don't. Use a synthetic or winter oil as noted above.

Cool stuff:

- These cars start to make usable heat within about 3 minutes of driving (very nice)
- Double clutch for the first 5 minutes of driving or so (2nd will be "notchy")
- Your rear defroster also activates your HEATED side-view mirrors - standard
- Plan on one or two good hand-wash jobs by a local detail shop over the season to "de-salinate" the car
- Watch out for all those SUV's that think they can stop (they can't) and have their 'bumpers of death' mounted right at your seated head level
- Your S2 has ABS, which my 944 did not. S2+ABS+Snows = Porsche snowmobile. Your only limitation will be road clearance. If the snow is 5+ inches and unplowed, stay home.

Shamus

Bill Hawes article from NERPCA region covers a ton of detail/options

http://www.porschenet.com/winter.html

Der Rennwagen

I live in Northern Vermont, very similar climate to Quebec. Although, we might get more snow as I live in the mountains. Here the roads stay snowy and icy for weeks on end, with temps common below -10 zero F. I used to live in Lake Tahoe where I have experienced over 20 feet of snow in a winter - there in sunny California the roads go to pavement quicker after a dumping, temps rarely go below 10 deg F and you are much closer to the sun and it warms up after a storm. Fun for the day it's snowing and a day afterwards.

I have much snow driving experience in my ex-Audi urquattro turbos, and including my Porsche 944s'. I prefer a Porsche 944 over a quattro in the snow because you don't experience understeering, you can throttle steer, you don' t need to work them as hard as a quattro to have fun (left foot braking, etc) and 944's just flat out steer better than any other car ever made. The 944 also has heat - lots of it - on your feet (totally agree with Dave on the 3 minutes...). I equate driving a 944 in the snow, like painting on canvas.

Thompson's top ten winterizing tips for your 944 in frozen subzero temps. Most are common sense >>

1. Park in a garage (if possible) easier on everything. Or always clean ever bit of snow off your car and glass before you drive - otherwise it turns to ice if you park outside.

2. New Bosch, SWF or similar wiper blades a must. 20" size front, 19" rear if applicable. Keep the fluid reservior full, and an ice scraper in the side pocket.

3. Keep your petrol tank full - always. This keeps any water in your tank from freezing in the lines if you let it get too low, plus it helps keep more weight over the rear tires.

4. Snow tires on dedicated 7x15 or 16" alloy rims. I prefer eco studded Hakki 1s (or the new 2s) in the 195/65-15 size. Finnish tires are absolutetly the finest.

5. Use Wurth body cavity wax spray or Waxoyl 120-4 clear for extra corrosion protection, before it starts to get cold out. I prefer the Waxoyl because it comes in a larger can.

6. Change your engine oil and filter. I will use Amsoil 15-40w heavy duty oil in the summer and 10-30w in the winter. Since our gearboxes don't have luxury of being warmed up by the engine, use a synthetic gearoil like Amsoil, Redline, or Mobil 1.

7. Check your battery condition and electrolite level. Use distilled water to refill. Don't forget those ground wires...

8. Make sure your lighting and in-car electrical system is up to snuff. ie non-fluted H4s lenses (you know which ones I mean), good wiring, new relays, spare bulbs and fuses. Big tip >> Buy a can of Wurth Contact Ol and some dieletric grease. The Wurth Contact Ol is an electrical mechanic in a can. Use this on your fuse panel, all conectors under the dash and the 9-pin connector in the engine compartment. Good stuff.

9. Drive smart. No matter how much I would like to think that I'm Stig Bloomquist, Hannu Mikkola, Walter Rhorl or John Buffum in the snow, I'm not. I'm just Dad enjoying a healty roosting session in my Porsche 944 - and I want to get home safely.

10. Top ten tip... Easy on the throttle and brakes. Watch this video and you will WANT to drive your Porsche in the snow!
http://www.thompsonsmithdesign.com/m...ife_winter.mpg (65MB). Enjoy!

boffam

I've always felt that cars with "control honesty" are best in winter (provided you have adequate tires). When you can feel the road conditions and your car's grip through the steering, brakes, and yaw, and if you drive accordingly, you are in clover. That is one reason, besides overconfidence, why you see so many SUVs in the ditch...

This is my first 944 winter, and I will be driving as if the pedals are made of eggshells. But my friends seem shocked that the 944 can be driven in winter at all!

Damian in NJ

Cycle your a/c once every few weeks, it'll keep the seals lubricated. And I don't even bother with 2nd gear until the car warms up, you have enough torque to skip it when upshifting.

boffam

^Dang! I was hoping to start out in 2nd...

*EDIT*...although getting into it at a standstill should not be a problem...

Dave in Chicago

One other point... Pull/scrap/or otherwise free up the wiper blades before driving off. Wiper motors seldom fail, but are not happy with having to wrench the blades from the clutches of caked-on ice and snow.

josephsc

I stored my car outdoors all last winter (back in Boston) -- I always had problems starting the in the morning (never would start when it hit the teens). In hindsight, a fresh battery with high CCA and a rebuilt starter would have been nice. If stored outside, you'll also want the usual stuff like a good snow shovel and lock de-icers.

Chase72

Guys: thanks for sharing your knowledge. Lots of things to do in the coming month...

Tires: any experience with performance Tires that are M+S rated? (not dedicated snow tires)

Joe: Was the 944 your daily driver in Boston? That's my situation for this winter--unfortunately I don't have a garage and need to store outside (wife would kill me if I drove the car into the living room). What did you use for tires?

Thanks all! ... Chase

Peckster

It's what normal people get instead of hurricanes.

Actually it's pretty nice, but we just say it's bad to keep the southerners off our roads.

boffam

Bad idea. These tires are meant for occasional cold snaps or a dusting of snow. If they were 185 section, you might have a chance, but not 225's. If it is a daily driver, invest in a set of snows on beat-up OEM rims. We have Blizzak LM-22's on the wagon and they are very good on snow and ice, excellent in the wet, and surprisingly good on dry pavement. And they are light-years better than the stock Continental ContiTouringContact all-seasons in winter...and these tires are far from high performance M+S.

Of course, I know nothing of Boston winters...