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Does anyone, particularly those who live in 4 season climates, drive their cars in the colder and/or unseasonable weather -- rain, snow, sleet, etc?
Looking for feedback and experience. I live in the Northeast US.
Also, what tires do you recommend?
Many thanks.
-DC
I'm in the PacNW which can occasionally get snow and ice down near sea level elevations where I live. I drive my car year round. I have a second set of wheels with Michelin Alpins on them for the nominal winter months; these are great with as much as an inch or two of snow on the ground and seem to cope with cold & wet road surfaces pretty well too.
I suspect the only thing that would stop me driving is snow depth that would exceed the height off the road surface of the front the car...not really a great snow plough vehicle given you'd be pushing snow right into the radiator grill up front
I'm in the PacNW which can occasionally get snow and ice down near sea level elevations where I live. I drive my car year round. I have a second set of wheels with Michelin Alpins on them for the nominal winter months; these are great with as much as an inch or two of snow on the ground and seem to cope with cold & wet road surfaces pretty well too.
I suspect the only thing that would stop me driving is snow depth that would exceed the height off the road surface of the front the car...not really a great snow plough vehicle given you'd be pushing snow right into the radiator grill up front
Agreed re: snow depth and car height.
Thanks so much for your feedback.
Anyone have experience with Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II?
I have 991 TTS and plan on getting winter tires and driving it in the winter. Previously I had Nissan GT-R that I drove 3 Winters in Lake Tahoe. I did Sottozero this past Winter and while they were good tires, I preferred the Blizzaks I had on a prior Winter. Not sure if Blizzaks are available for 991 T/TS. I would be curios to hear comparison with Alpin vs Sottozero.
I use the Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II on my 997 turbo in winter months. It's a great tire. It's definitely geared more towards driving in cold weather on dry pavement as opposed to deep snow, but it has worked very well for me. I've used Blizzaks in the past too. Blizzaks are better in snow and ice, but they are very "squishy" on dry pavement.
Michelin Arctic Alpin tires are great. I drove my new 911 turbo cab here in Alaska from last December until breakup using them and they were great. I only drove the car when it was super cold outside because I hate driving my car in slushy weather. It will just get filthy. If you're doing a lot of winter driving, buy a silver car, drive it only when it's super cold or the roads are clear and visit a touchless car wash often. Also, no matter what you do, the back of the car will get filthy and stay filthy all winter. Raising the rear wing before you enter the car wash helps the rear end get a little bit more clean during the wash, but after 5 minutes of driving, it'll be filthy again.
Nice feedback. Thank you.
Did you guys buy separate wheels for your snows or have your dealer or indy do a tire changeover using the same wheels?
I imagine that a tire changeover using the same wheels is likely the best option for those with center lock wheels?
I have center locks and I stuck with the stock wheels. I had the dealership change the tires over and they did a better job than any tire shop I've been to. All of my previous 911's had wheel bolts and I always purchased a separate set of winter wheels/tires so I could do the changeover myself. It can get pretty crazy up here with people waiting in lines outside the tire shops after the first snowfall. If you like your stock wheels, using them with your winter tires just means there's less stuff to sell later when you sell the car. I still have wheels/tires in storage from cars I haven't owned in like 10 years.
I have 991 TTS and plan on getting winter tires and driving it in the winter. Previously I had Nissan GT-R that I drove 3 Winters in Lake Tahoe. I did Sottozero this past Winter and while they were good tires, I preferred the Blizzaks I had on a prior Winter. Not sure if Blizzaks are available for 991 T/TS. I would be curios to hear comparison with Alpin vs Sottozero.
The Pilot Alpins are better in
Snow than the Sottozeros -- I have the Alpins on my 991 TTS and the car is a mountain goat in the snow. The Sottozeros on my E63 S suck at snow traction
Nice feedback. Thank you.
Did you guys buy separate wheels for your snows or have your dealer or indy do a tire changeover using the same wheels?
I imagine that a tire changeover using the same wheels is likely the best option for those with center lock wheels?
I use the stock wheels for my snow tires and aftermarket wheels for my summer set
I run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
on all 4 of my winter drivers...top notch ice and snow tires..this is the only tire I would run on the P car providing sizing and if I were to actually decide to winter drive it which is very unlikely as long as I have the ML63
I run my car year round in the Chicago area. I have a second set of center lock wheels with snow tires mounted (Pirelli Sottozero M+S, IIRC). I switch to the winter wheels/tires around Thanksgiving, and switch back late March or early April (exact timing for both dependent on weather and travel plans).
Between those tires and the 911 TTS's fantastic all wheel drive system, I've never had a problem.
I run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
on all 4 of my winter drivers...top notch ice and snow tires..this is the only tire I would run on the P car providing sizing and if I were to actually decide to winter drive it which is very unlikely as long as I have the ML63
I run Hakkas on my Audi SQ5. That's a great winter tire, although I don't know how much I would like them on my 911!
I run my car year round in the Chicago area. I have a second set of center lock wheels with snow tires mounted (Pirelli Sottozero M+S, IIRC). I switch to the winter wheels/tires around Thanksgiving, and switch back late March or early April (exact timing for both dependent on weather and travel plans).
Between those tires and the 911 TTS's fantastic all wheel drive system, I've never had a problem.
Did you purchase a set of OEM center locks for your winter tires?
Or, are aftermarket center locks wheels available?
I think I am going to use my one set of OEM wheels and simply swap tires 2x/year @ ~$200 per changeover ($400/year).
The Pilot Alpins are better in
Snow than the Sottozeros -- I have the Alpins on my 991 TTS and the car is a mountain goat in the snow. The Sottozeros on my E63 S suck at snow traction
06-26-2016, 01:13 PM
All Season & Winter Driving
