Tupper

Some of you are slowly convincing me to get winter tires and drive my car in winter.

It’s currently kept in a garage and I’m missing it!

So how do people here advise to best protect against corrosion from salt?

My car has full frontal PPF and ceramic coating on the body. I can get the wheels ceramic coated, but would that plus a weekly undercarriage rinse be enough?

Id appreciate any advice.

John Mclane

Some stories:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...er-the-winter/

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...as-doubts.html

https://www.macanforum.com/threads/u...inters.175344/

https://www.personalizedautohaus.com...oating-Process


I confess I was surprised to see that many modern Porsches being destructed by corrosion. I drive my car in Chicago in the winter. I wash it when it has too much crud attached but that's it, at least it's another excuse to trade cars often.

Richard_Wallace

Well my 992 C4S is my daily driver. I have the 19/20 winters (more sidewall). I try and hose it down (once salt is used on the roads) about 1 time per week, maybe every other week or go through one of those touchless car wash places. This is my 6-7 porsche, of which this is my 3 DD used year round. Really don't think there is that much concern. I really would not worry that much, drive it and enjoy it. If this was a collectors car, I would think differently - but it is not. Drive it and enjoy it.

I have PPF on the front, sides and rear quarter area, and also Ceramic coated my 992 (do it myself). I feel that gives me a little added protection...

Russian Mafia

Utah has a dry climate but an abundance of cheap salt sitting in easily mineable veins. They aren’t shy about coating the roads with salt. A lot of folks have their undercarriages flushed when the snow storms have passed in the spring. I do it. I’m willing to subject my Cayenne but not both Porsches.

gcurnew

Driving a 911 is winter is really no different than using a Panamera, Cayenne or Macan. In the case of some Pannys and Cayennes the cost can equal or exceed a base or lightly optioned S, and I’ve never heard of anyone putting those cars away for winter.

The key in my experience to keeping corrosion at bay on ANY winter-driven car is frequent rinsing. Get the car at least once a week into a hand-wash bay and spend most of the time spraying down wheel-wells, suspension components and the entire undercarriage, including the engine cradle with fresh, non-recycled water. To do it properly requires getting down low, and my MO in a public car wash is to clean the area around the car with the wand an actually get down on my knees to really see where I’m spraying. In the private wash bay in my building it’s a bit easier as I can rinse a couple of times a week and take all the time I want (usually in the evening), then drive literally 100 feet to my parking spot where I do a quick dry of the surface and door jambs and let the rest of the car dry overnight.

For a winter driven car, full PPF with ceramic on top makes rinsing/cleaning a whole lot easier, and the PPF will prevent chips in the paint on metal parts that break through the layers and can start to rust if left unattended. Rubber floor mats that capture and contain any salt brine before it soaks into the carpet are highly advised, and the OE Porsche ones for the 992 work well and don’t look bad at all.

Following the above regimen, I have used three 911s and one Cayman as winter cars and have never seen any evidence of corrosion save a seized front inboard anti-vibration damper in its bore on a 997.2 GTS driven four winters in a row, and some light rust in the same place in the Cayman. I now spend a lot more time rinsing the front caliper area on the 992, and when things get especially salty at times throughout the winter will turn the front wheels while washing to ensure I’m throughly cleaning the backside/inboard areas of the braking system.

Tupper

Thanks to everyone for their input.

I think what’s being lost is that, as I said, I have full frontal PPF, not complete car PPF like some people here do.

Plus the amount of labor and time involved to keep the wheels and undercarriage rust free reveals to me that I’m best off just keeping my car in the garage in the winter.

You are right that some Panamera and Macans can cost as much as a 911 and people don’t discuss “wintering” such cars. But hey—it’s your money—if you want to spend that much money on a daily driver sedan and SUV that carts you to work and back every day, be my guest. But my 911 is my recreation car and I want to at least take decent care of it. Looks like winter driving won’t be in the cards for me based on what I’m reading here.

Bxstr

Also consider doing the rocker panels in PPF. I think that's actually an essential area to get protected. I know with PPF, it's easy to start adding pieces and by the time you're done, you've done the entire car, but the rocker panels do take a lot of chips.

Consider a product like Fluidfilm for the underside. Apply before winter each year.

Then rinse as you're able on the underside and also very well in the spring. If it's not a car you're keeping forever, which most people aren't, then drive and enjoy it year round if you're able and aren't super particular.

Russian Mafia

I agree it doesn’t matter, Cayenne or 992, they’re in about the same boat. I just don’t want or need to subject both so I winter drive the one that can carry skis, people and gear.

However two comments as to your routine. First, many of us can’t do it for one reason or another. I have to wait until temps accommodate and that at times can be a month. I do the best I can following a similar routine. Second, the corrosion issues I’ve seen here don’t happen in easily accessible, visible areas, they are hidden from view and manage to collect salt and moisture. You would hope manufacturers would prevent that sort of intrusion but they don’t. If I had no reasonable, fun option I’d still drive the 992 most seem to do fine but the risk/issue is real.

gcurnew

My 992 is actually the first winter-driven Porsche that has had any PPF, and while it makes winter washing/rinsing easier it's not a necessity. This time I've done the entire car in PPF except the roof, the spoiler, and the top of the rear bumper cap. Yes, rinsing takes time...but no more effort than I would take with any other car driven in the winter that I cared about...that said, I don't buy or drive cars I don't care about lol, so I'm hooped.

Yep...if you can't rinse regularly for whatever reason, then park the vehicle in a heated garage so it dries completely, there's risk that salt and moisture will be collecting in hidden areas. If I didn't have the setup I do, I'd be tempted to store a car I cared about as well...in fact did just that with the Cayman S the first year I had it. When searching for current abode, having a private car wash bay was important as I knew I wanted to drive any Porsche I had year-round. Before having a private bay, I'd do washes/rinses at the closest commercial wash bay, then beeline it for my heated garage. Practically, though, it would be tough keeping a 911 salt-free if you didn't have a warm place to park it after rinsing.

Carsten Doil

@Tupper If you'd just spend half of the time you're posting here for car wash, your 911 will easily survive many winter seasons
Seriously, you're thinking to much about protecting your car. It's a German piece of engineering and we are in 2020, not in the 70ties anymore. Just drive it and have fun.

gcurnew

The PPF on my rockers is already showing a few marks that are evidence it's doing its job, but nothing like the hips. I did a full layer of PPF there, and another piece slightly larger than the OEM film on top of that to give double protection. The top layer took a few hits driving in summer and fall, but after just a few weeks of winter conditions it's peppered with hits.

craig66

Did you do the double protection over the OEM yourself or was it professionally done. I am trying to figure out how complicated it would be to do myself.

gcurnew

I had almost all of the car PPF'd professionally, and then had the installer do a second layer on the "hips."

detansinn

The 992 features a fully aluminum shell and an aluminum chassis. Aside from a few steel members for crash protection, this is largely an aluminum car — it’s not going to rust through like a steel car. It’s also a flat bottom car without a lot of nooks and crannies to create issues.

Keep it clean and show it love. Enjoy the car. Don’t get yourself worked up over salt. 👍

tmslc

has anyone done multiple winters in areas that use salt to melt snow in their 992? i am curious if there is any noticeable corrosion.

winter is a coming and here in slc we use a ton of salt on the road.