Bxstr

As others have said, driving schools with a skid pad can help you with this. But, growing up in Cleveland, I started off driving in snow slowly and practicing drifting in parking lots, and accidentally drifting on the street, at low speeds of course, like when going around turns. Over time, you build up confidence and it is pretty natural on what to do. But I think the more times you do it the more confident you will be. Even then, the tight conditions you are on in the street is totally different, curbs, cars and people so it makes it a lot more challenging and not panicking can be more difficult.

Curvfun

BMW has a “Performance Center West” in Thermal, CA providing everything you are looking to learn. I know it won’t be driving a Porsche, so the cars won’t be quite as “tail happy” as the 911, but you can still learn a lot about car control and vehicle dynamics, and you’re doing it in their cars. Once you develop your skill set, you can apply it to anything you drive. Google the name for more info and links to the school. BTW, if you spend $48 to join the BMW CCA before scheduling the classes, you will receive 10 - 15% off the price of the schools. You don’t need to own a BMW to join the CCA. BMWCCA.org gets you there. I’ve done all of their schools and know I’m a much faster and better car-control pilot because of them, both on the street and track.

AlexCeres

+1 for PEC. Had a great time at the LA one. You can do multiple sessions a day, and play with a bunch of cars. i’m absolutely going back to try-before-buy when GT4 and Taycans arrive.

BlueNorther

Another vote for Sunday morning snowy parking lot. I took my son to his high school's lot and had him practice recovering from skids, with and without stability control, on a beater 3 series, it was fun and educational for sure.

I also learned a lot at a 3 day Skip Barber racing school event at Lyme Rock Park, using a single seat open formula ford-style mid engine car. They would have you purposely spin the car at low gear, and then work on catching skid to prevent the spin. By the end of the 3 days it became a reflex to flick the wheel and catch the rear before a full spin. This skill has definitely kept me out of trouble multiple times entering the interstate on a decreasing radius on ramp on wet/cold pavement, where the back end starts to kick loose.

spdracerut

Snow covered parking lot. Or a rally car school; Dirt Fish, Rally Ready, Team O'Neil, etc.

DBH

Where is that??

BlueNorther

About 80 miles northwest of Old Lime, Connecticut

worf928

PEC first ‘cause you get a ‘full-time’ instructor.
Then PCA or parking lots.

I’ve done many days of paid-for driving school over the decades and PEC is the highest learning-to-dollar ratio. Just ignore the testosterone that makes you think you have to rent a GT3 or Turbo$ for ~$1000 and spend $300 on a base 718; you’ll learn just as much if not more.

AlexCeres

you don’t have to but it’s a hilarious amount of fun. Personally I’d sign up for whatever you drive or whatever you think you might want to buy.

worf928

Depends upon your goals. OP has a 991 already and wants to learn skid control (and presumably other stuff.) One session won’t do it. So, one or two ‘cheap’ sessions to do the lion’s share of the learning and then maybe a more-expensive experience for S&Gs or if he’s just interested in tasting a GT3. Learning skid control is - at first, and more-or-less - independent of the type of car if you are starting from zero.

97supratt

I’m sorry but snow/ice is completely different than wet conditions. You can have all the car control skills in the world but if you have summer tires and you are on ice, good luck controlling your 2wd anything.

AlexCeres

snow in RWD with summer tires is doable. Practice and patience with extremely low speeds. Small patches of ice can be managed a bit like instant hydroplaning. Large amounts of ice are just futile. Stay home. Fluffy or slushy snow are less bad. Freezing rain is the worst. If you can’t even walk in it, driving is suicidal.

also, just because you can doesn’t mean anybody else on the road can ...

97supratt

Yeah snow is much easier for car control when it’s dry but in icy conditions and adding % grades into the mix forgettaboutit.

DBH

Been there, done that and believe me - do this in extreme emergencies only.

Gus_Smedstad

Snow tires. Pirelli Sotto Zeroes. I knew I'd be facing freezing temperatures and snow.

It seems odd that you'd think snow tires would render you immune to control issues on snow. Unless you've never really driven on packed snow, just on cold (but dry) pavement, or only driven at fairly low speeds.

The car was very stable and felt totally under control until it wasn't. No problems going straight, or negotiating curves at 45 MPH intended for 80 MPH when dry. Plowing into the snow on the shoulder put a lot of drag on the right front tire, and that's what put us into the initial spin.

I'd rather some expert instruction than trying to learn on my own. I think I'd probably learn entirely the wrong things.

I'm not sure how easy it is to replicate the conditions I was facing in a parking lot, either. The road had been plowed, so it's not like fresh snow, but the plow and traffic (though sporadic) had pressed down what was left. The resulting surface was a lot better than ice, but had definite limits on traction.

Just for the record, I have the AWD variant of the GTS, not the RWD.

I've done icy roads in a RWD car with summer tires. By coincidence - given your screen name - it was in a '97 Supra Turbo, when I was moving from California to Boston, and wasn't anticipating ice on the roads on the trip so didn't have the foresight to change tires. That was pretty horrible, I felt a constant wobble at 30 MPH. The AWD 991.2 with snow tires was a pleasure to drive by comparison, and I was feeling quite safe up until the incident.