Hey,

As you may have gathered I am getting pretty serious about getting a 964 C4 for 365-day-a-year use in Minnesota.

The question is, would the cabin heaters on a 964 be equal to the job? The windscreen defroster? Bear in mind it gets down to -10 F around here 15-20 days a year and I still have to get to work on those days, although I'd prefer to hibernate.

thanks in advance

Thaddeus

 

There is no thermostat on the air-cooling for any 911 engine, so heat-up is a problem on really cold days. The 964 system is highly refined and works much better than any previous 911. Is it as good as a liquid-cooled engine with an effective thermostat? No. My E-class Mercedes has much more effective climate control Summer and Winter. Defrost? Same story. Is the 964 system good enough? I think so. I get comfortable. The windshield gets clear even on cold foggy days. It just takes a little longer than more modern cars. YMMV.

 

I've driven mine on cold days, though not that cold, and certainly not in anything more than 1/4" or so of snow. Great heater imo. Starts up fast too.

The defroster setting onn the ccu works great for me. The rear window heater screen works well as well, especially if you take the time to clean the window first.

Now I've never driven it during a real snowstorm. When its cold, sure, but my car is not setup for winter precip.

 

I drove my '93 C2 rear-round here in NJ (where it gets reasonably cold). My heat was great and would start blowing hot within 1/4 mile.

 

The heating system uses heater boxes around the exhaust system so you get heat almost immediately compared to a water cooled car. The heating systems work great and the 964 is much better than the older ones. I use to drive my tubo in the winter on nice days and had heat by the time I was backing it out of the driveway. It is the air conditioning that needs help in a 911.

 

The heater is one thing you get plenty of ! Like the others said it is blowing hot air by the time you get out of the drive way.

 

No other car will defrost as quick as a air-cooled late 911 ! We only go down to -20 C in the winter but even then no problem .
964 heating is not an issue but the air con - hmm !

Good luck with your search

Geoff

 

I drove my C4 all winter this past year and in multiple snow storms. In one storm the roads were as bad as I recall. The heat, and the driving were excellent. As others have stated, the heat, for me, comes up very fast and the defrost is excellent. I also have decidated snows and the car goes very, very well.

 

I think you must have something wrong with your heater! I don't know of any modern car that works as well as a 964/993 when it comes to heat and defrost (because of the heat from start up).

 

Thanks for the insights!

I am locked and loaded. The search has begun.

 

You will be very happy with it....I had a 964 C4 as my demo years ago and drove it year round......the heater works great.......as do the heated seats.

 

You'll likely have more problems with the battery getting cold & having a hard time spinning that engine with so many quarts of frigid oil in the sump. If you use a battery tender (as I do in the winter) and dangle the chord out the boot... you may find the boot lid gets frozen shut with condensation now and again. And that happens in the Chicago area. Minnesota will be even more fun That aside, the C4 is great in the cold & as long as your blower bearings hold up you'll defrost & heat the cabin just fine.

 

Just to add, the heated seats in my 964 cab, if set on full will burn you! Well certainly far too hot for comfort, even through several layers of clothing, in winter!

 

Try an E-class Mercedes. I have heat in the first block, and the temperature/fan controls are far superior to the 964 system. On AC there is no comparision. A 964 has adequate AC. Most modern cars are good to excellent.

 

my input on this:

even with my rear blower motor bypassed, the flow of heat in the winter can warm up the cabin so much that i have to turn the temp down. you won't have a problem at all. as geoffrey mentioned, it's the a/c that struggles on really hot and sunny days, but on those days you should have ur windows down; no excuses.