pewpewpew3000

I'm considering a 911.1 GTS as my only car.

I live in Boston and walk to work so I wouldn't drive it daily but would need to drive it when visiting friends and family. This means I would need to drive it in the winter. I'm thinking that with a set of winter tires (seems like you can get them for the centerlocks) it should be driveable whenever there is no snow on the ground.

This match your experience? Anything else to be aware of before very irresponsibly dropping $100k on it?

Churchill

If you're not going to be driving on snow/ice, you don't need snow tires. For real. The treads are designed for grip on snow/ice, not cold pavement. For cold pavement, you could get a set of all-seasons for the winter months, or (what I would do) just drive on summer tires. I did a couple of NE winters driving on clean, cold roads with summer tires. They don't grip in the cold like they do in summer, so just dial it back a little. Or enjoy the low-speed power slides.

VWfamily

Many others will chime it, but I would go with true winter tires for the Boston area. You get a lot of snow and I am willing to bet you will be in a situation where you need to drive or are already out when the white stuff starts to come down.

Rezus

On P Zero tires, winter driving is scary. I would go winter tires. Also get you car PPF as the rock chips from winter driving is heart breaking

Needsdecaf

As someone who grew up in NE I would say that this is poor advice. Would never run summers in the wintertime under any circumstances. Yes, you can drive them when the roads are none dry and cold. But other times the car is immobile or outright dangerous. And of course winter tires are designed to grip dry cold pavement. Not just snow and ice.

Having said that, a high quality all season is passable if you can avoid having to go out in the worst of it. Something like a Conti DWS06.

computertom

BlackOptic

KenTO

I live in Toronto and drove my Targa GTS all winter. We have similar weather, so you will definitely need dedicated winter tires and anyone who says otherwise is ill-informed. There was only one day this winter where I couldn't get my Targa out of the garage, and that was because there was about three feet of snow in front of it. If you are driving it all year it is good to have it in a garage when parked, also get a paint correction and detail/wax once a year in the Spring. AND here's hoping the Leafs get over the Boston hump next year!

pewpewpew3000

If I get the GTS I am DEFINITELY getting winter tires. Seems like for the CL you can get sottozeros for ~$1600. Worth it. Summer tires are worthless when it's below 5 or 10 C. In Boston you get a ton of potholes, and if you hit one of those with a cold summer tire on you're looking at a tire replacement.

My concerns are mainly around the practicality of a GTS as an all-around KINDA sorta daily driver in a punishing city. Comfort-wise I think it's actually more comfortable than my F80 M3 (even with SPASM). I'm willing to deal with the 7sp in traffic and taking ubers to places where I would normally drive. The winter is the big unknown at the moment.

I'm trying to rationalize having my only ride be a $100k sporty Porsche. I fell in love with it as soon as I shifted from 1st to 2nd

spiderv6

Oh wow - we are starting this debate in June this year???

This is seriously bad advice and 10 minutes of search here will set you straight.

.2PDK

I have a .1 C2 here in southern Ontario and drive it year round with 19" Alpin PA4s.

Pretty good performance tire for cold roads, adequate in light snow.

Monetthecat

+1

Churchill

Naw, it's great advice. I grew up and lived most of my life in a much snowier, colder, and mountainous place than Boston, and have driven all kinds of cars in all kinds of winter conditions (ice rallying on a studded snows on a frozen pond -- now there is some fun). OP asked if it was alright to drive on summer tires on dry roads in the winter, and it absolutely is. I've been doing that the past couple of winters in a climate similar to Boston. Now, if you're going to DD a car in Boston through snowy conditions, in the cold rain, etc, then yeah, you could get all-seasons or snows. But how many days a year in Boston is there standing snow on the roads? A handful? To me, not enough reason to go through time/money/hassle of installing different tires. But OP said he wasn't going to drive in snow -- just dry pavement. In which case summers are fine.

I'd bet some money that in, say, 30 degree F temps, a 991 on summer tires still easily out-breaks and out handles, say, a Camry with snows or all-seasons. The idea that summer tires turn into hockey pucks below 40F isn't really true. They're not as sticky, to be sure. But a 991 is starting out with vastly greater performance than regular cars. So even losing a little, you're still ahead of the game.

njcycleguy

Summer tires in Winter - can it be done? Sure. But the reality is it's not a great idea. And it's not just about driving in the snow. Summer tires chatter in cold weather conditions. (i.e. your front tire skips across the pavement - you can hear it when making a tight turn). They are not designed for temperatures below 36 degrees. Stick with all-seasons. IMHO worth giving up the extra summer grip.

Churchill

The chatter you hear is the Ackermann Effect

FWIW, I wouldn't DD a nice car like a GTS in Boston because of salt. For days after it snows you're driving through wet, salty conditions that bathe your car in salt, and it takes its toll after a couple of winters. Shame to do to a nice car, and will be terrible for resale. The kind of people who want a 991 GTS won't go near a salt car. I certainly wouldn't.