NelaK

Get yourself some proper winter tires. Studded if you expect to be in icy conditions often or studdless if its mostly just snow.

Your summer tires will start losing traction as soon as the temperature approaches freezing and they'll freeze when it gets significantly below that. If there's a chance of snow any time during the month - its not worth the risk.

Chains should be reserved for going off road in the snow. They can damage your car, your tires, wheels, the road and won't even provide good traction on paved or even hard packed but unpaved roads. They were used more often in the past when tire technology hadn't advanced as much as it has.

Otto Mechanic

Well, think of it this way; you saved about $700 on PCA track fees. I'd call that a good deal.


Ah, there goes the $700.

Not really.

Otto Mechanic

Caribou. Don't leave home without one.

Speedtoys

Well, it's NOT on the exclusion list in my lease....

Otto Mechanic

And you've been to Colorado how many times in the past 8 years? Which cars did you use them on?

Come now. My '85 was on the western slope of the northern Rockies for 15 years. It never ventured forth after September or before June. Cable chains? Are you mad man? Cable chains? Hrrumph! I'm outraged for you (not at you, for you). Really.

Of course these cars will serve fine if you drive them off a Chicago pier into the Great Lakes. They may have fish in them afterwards, but that's to be expected. In general, it's a bad plan.

Otto Mechanic

You Sir, are the reason God invented agreed value insurance policies...

Speedtoys

NO..those were 928 test mules/press cars if I recall.

Because..there was winter driving clearly in mind...

928 sizes...
Snows are rarely in staggered sizes, you -can- put 225s on the wider rear wheel, but if you're fortunate enough to have a set of 928 winter wheels, then you get a lot of needed rear clearance for chains as well with the proper offsets.

Maybe with the earlier 928 narrow rear wheels you could do that too, im pretty sure.

Otto Mechanic

The first ski capable Porsche, if I recall correctly, was the 912. It may have been the 914. They had ski racks and when you reached the snow line you took the skis off the racks, installed them on the front wheels, and proceeded. It's not at all clear what happened to the rubber tires.

I don't think they were all that popular for winter sports.

Otto Mechanic

Strange though it may sound, in 1986 there was active debate concerning the usefulness of a rear wheel drive Honda in the snow, which might be why Hondas of the time were uniformly front wheel drive cars.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what in the world possessed you to consider putting a 300 rwhp car on the snow? Traction control in that scenario isn't legendary. Studded tires? Might help. But seriously, we have trouble keeping the rear wheels on the ground when the track is smooth and dry. We employ aerodynamic assistance to that end. Thousands of dollars are spent to mitigate the effects of rear wheel drive on ground control. This isn't a new subject?

Using a 928 on snow and ice is at best an advanced driving skill and at worst a fool's errand?

Sincerely,

Speedtoys

And giving a 16yr old is surely a disaster too, right?

Lots of things said on her there are "for sure", but when done right and reasonably, are no problem at all.

People in the midwest where I grew up, drove total ****boxes with open diffs on snow tires in BFE farm country...and had few issues.

There aint nothing delicate about a 1983 Lincoln Town Car (4100lbs) or a 1966 Pontiac Bonneville (4050lbs) that the parents and I drove when I was 14 to school..and we didnt have snow days often...took ugly conditions to do that.

Snow is a 'how you go about it' thing. A drafty 4wd truck without plates works better than the above options, but even today, if your only car is your 928 that is prepared for it..no reason that when piloted adequately, that it's a problem

There's probably going to be a mini unofficial Radwood early Feb in S Tahoe, and I hope it snows.

Do you use all 300Hp in the snow?

No..

Otto Mechanic

No doubt there were few of them? There are more cows in Wyoming than people. I still didn't try running a supercar on ice covered roads. Sure, I was worried about killing somebody, not so much killing a cow, but it wasn't a good plan all in all.

You've answered for me. No, I don't. As I said I put it away in September and bring it back out in June. Going sideways in an out of control spin is something I reserve for the track, where everyone else who might be effected has a clear "heads up" and has agreed to the risks.

No. I don't use all 300hp in the snow. I use a 4W drive Durango Magnum, 245 hp. My mother didn't raise any stupid children.

NelaK

The belief that 4 wheel drive is somehow more suited to winter weather has probably killed a lot of people. 4 wheel drive will keep you from getting stuck and it'll help you accelerate faster. That's all. It will not help you stop, corner or generally stay on the road. If the choice is between being stuck on the side of the road and piloting a 2 ton metal box in conditions you can't handle, please stay on the side of the road.

Beyond that - winter tires, winter tires, winter tires. I would gladly drive a tiny rwd car with winter tires in a snow storm over a pickup truck with 4x4 but no winter tires. A shovel can get me unstuck or in the worst case, I can call a tow truck. I can't really fix it if I kill someone or myself.

If I seem a bit zealous about this, it's because I see this on an almost daily basis. I've driven through a blizzard in a 350hp rwd car and counted 50+ accidents in a 300km stretch. The vast majority were pickup trucks likely running all season tires. In the past 4 days I've seen 5 vehicles go off the highway or lose control. All pickup trucks.

Speedtoys

A supercar driven reasonably.




Is just a car.

Otto Mechanic

Mr. Natural Says; "Use the Right Tool For the Job!"

NelaK

... That is still super cool.