KenTO

No such thing as 4 season tires on a 911, you have to bite the bullet and spring for a winter set.

Hurricane

And we haven't even had any snow here this winter! Oy! (But we have had many days below 40 degrees, of course.)

When I was stationed in North Dakota, I used to have snow tires on for six months - I feel your pain! At least you are driving it like it was meant to be driven!

Nin Din Din

My Macan is called a 991.2 C4S

AudiologisTT

Nin Din Din: nice! Is it an Agate C4? I like how the polished trim brings out the 991 lines in this light.

gripshifter

Part of time problem with driving the 991 in the snow even with winter or all season tires is the lack of ground clearance.

Mike Murphy

I don't know why so many people think all seasons cannot go on a 911. I have the Michelin AS3+ and been driving around in 15-35F temps with so much traction I have yet to make the tires chirp, even when pushing my car pretty hard.

Granted, I haven't yet seen what they can do in 90+F temps, but the truth is, tire technology is advancing so fast, that new AS tires can actually outperform some dedicated summers from 5 years ago. And you have to ask yourself, "will I be driving over 8/10 on the street?" Is the answer is no, then then AS tires, especially those ranked at the top of their class, are actually really good alternatives. Especially those with climates that range in temperature drastically, such as Chicago.

I can even make the case that AS tires stick better to the road than "grey area" temperatures, such as temperatures that overlap between what someone might consider winter vs summer. Summers are great when it's hot, winters are great when it's cold, but unless folks are swapping tires ever time the temps swing by as much as 40 degrees in one day (again, Chicago), then you are either getting stuck driving your winters when it hits 65F, or stuck with summers when it's nearly freezing out, and AS tires shine in both of these examples.

Dennis C

I think that there is some validity to your thoughts, although I do feel that all-season tires are a compromise compared to tires that are dedicated to specific conditions. That compromise may not matter; you may be compromising performance in an area that you'll never see, such as driving over 8/10 on the street. I think the biggest compromise comes in legitimate winter conditions. If you see real winters or if you live in the mountains, then you really need winter tires. I used to run Continental ExtremeContact DWS all-season tires as my summer tires on our Cayenne. I switched to a proper winter tire for winter conditions. I can tell you from first hand experience that the DWS (which is highly regarded as an all-season tire) was terrible in real winter conditions. Dedicated summer tires also require compromise; the softer compounds mean that they don't last very long, and they don't perform well in transitions between seasons.

Ultimately, I think that each owner should think about how they use their car and what compromises they are willing to make. For many people, an all-season tire will meet their needs. For many people, they don't.

It's really not that different from the discussion of ultra-high performance summer tires vs. proper track tires for a car that sees track time. If you track your car one or two times per year at DE events, can you get by with ultra-high performance summer tires? Of course you can. Would it be "better" to use a proper track tire? Yes it would, while you're on the track. On the street, it's not better. How you use the car is what matters.

On a related note, some tire manufacturers are now offering all-season tires that are rated as snow tires, bearing the "snowflake on the mountain" symbol. They are designed to use all year long, but they have more of a winter bias. My son has a set of the Nokian tires in this category on his Subaru, and they seem to be very good.

It's all about how you use the car....

Every choice has consequences, and each individual driver needs to decide what works for their unique situation.

The Fat Kid

Have you driven on snow/ice? You should look up comparison testing, especially when it comes to stopping distances on snow/ice and even cold, dry pavement.

You also have yet to drive them on hot days.

The "grey area" is what, a few weeks before/after winter? Just run a winter setup early/late to be safe. I have driven PA4s in the high 50Fs and they are fine for normal driving. Hell, I drove my Audi S4 with Blizzak WS80s (studless snow/ice) when temps jumped above 60F last year.

Horses for courses - compounds/treads for conditions

mtrout

To murphyslaw1978: I'm with you, and I imagine we're driving in very similar conditions. However, this was the original problem about which I spoke: It does not appear there IS an all-season tire (including the AS3) to fit my 2014 Carrera. So I'm thinking Dennis C is right. I need to bite the bullet, and change out tires each winter, just for the few dry-but-cold days I might be able to drive it. I've done this on all my other vehicles for years, and have found that true winter tires are vastly superior to AS in the snow/ice. I was just trying to avoid the $5,000+ investment for a half-dozen winter trips to my breakfast joint. By the way, love the photos of Porsches in winter. Something about a 911 in the snow...

Dgags

Toyo Proxes 4 Plus is an option. You'll have to search a bit but there is fitment for 20" wheel and the 295 rears. Put them on my base 2013 C2 and they were fine. Seattle is pretty much an in between weather area for either summer or winter tires. However, I'm using dedicated summer and winter tires on my C2S now and couldn't be happier with that choice.

Few of us drive our cars close to its full potential so I really don't see a downside to running AS tires in some places (Seattle being one of them).

Mike Murphy

I see your problem - I had that problem with my M5 - too few choices. Hopefully you can find alternative sources and maybe different sizes that will stick work on your rims?

The upside to two sets of wheels/tires is they will last longer. I always drive all my cars years round, so the winter tires stay on for 4-5 months of the year.

Mike Murphy

Yes, snow and ice for all my other Porsche's. I would pass trucks in SUVs that would be too afraid to move into the left lane that was unplowed. I did this in my Boxster S using DWS tires. No, not as good as dedicated winters, but good enough for where I live.

I also drove these these tires on hot 100+ summer days.

It it really does come down to where you live. They plow everywhere here, and the city is 20 mins away. And the grey area around here happens way more times than one might think. It can 12F one day and hit 60F the next. In January. For those not driving in the winter, maybe it doesn't matter, but for DD activities, AS tires, in Chicago anyway, hard to beat

Mike Murphy

Couldn't agree more. Colorado mountain winters vs CHICAGO winters is no comparison indeed. I can run AS here because they plow and salt. But never in the mountains.

boatracer

Agreed on two sets of wheels versus All Season tires. You get better performance in each key season. Also agree on watching forums and eBay. I picked up a 1 year old set of OEM 20s and Pirelli Sottozeros.

Also ordered Macan with summers and have a winter set for it as well....keeps the wife happy.

Dennis C

I ran dedicated winter wheels and tires on my Porsches when we lived in the midwest too. Again, it comes down to how the individual owner prioritizes compromise and risk. My 911 was my daily driver when we lived in northern Indiana, so dedicated winter tires made sense to me.

I don't miss the salt!!!