porschemikeandnancy

Out here on West Coast. No snow so far this year (Seattle area). But long time New England Resident - and drove/owned 1 '68 912 and 5 911's from a '72 through an '89 in New England. Current car is a '95 993 Cab.

Frankly, the '68 912 was, by far, the best "winter" car of the lot. It had 165R15 tires all around. 5 speed manual. That car would get through any snow. Reminded me a whole lot of my many VW Beetles. Those cars, as well as the 912 - would simply go through anything.

Last December, Seattle had a lot of snow. No snow plows (except the really major roads such as I-5 and the major surface arteries). So lots of snow on all the secondary roads. Frankly, my '95 993 was almost useless. Those wide rear tires would simply not get any traction. I have since thought of buying a set of "quick on" "quick-off" chains. But we rarely get much snow here and in almost all cases, it is gone the next day as the temperature rises back to a "normal" 45-50 degree winter temp.

What are your experiences with the '993? How do the chains work? I also suspect a set of blizzaks or equivalent might work fairly well - but would need to have 4, not 2. When I think about the expense, (4 additional wheels, 4 tires or worse - re-mounting/balancing twice a year) I just think: "okay, I'll walk for a day or so"

alpinadvl

Just had to say.... my 993 C4 was an absolute pleasure to drive through blizzards from the D.C. area up through the NY region.

Never had a problem... and to be perfectly honest, I never even needed put my snow tires on (even though I had boxster / narrow rims with snow specific tires !)

And the fact that the C4, with 130K milese never had the suspension changed... made for the "correct" ride height in the snow !

ps: my suggestion is obviously get narrow wheels for your car if dedicated driving in the snow is what you are looking for. But, to repeat, it is a PERFECT car in the snow !

993/907

Drive mine daily in the snow. 8" cups with Nokian Haks. Lots of fun...except brighly polished snow and black/glare ice, not so much fun but managable.
Only complaint is front brake pads freeze to the rotors when I leave it parked for a bit. Today they tried to freeze at a long stop light.....

The rims will pack with snow....then horrific imbalance when getting back up to speed.

Drove thru some fresh stuff today. Left a flat trail between the tire tracks....shows how slick and clean the underside of the cars are these days...

95C4VanIsle

If nothing else try to pick up some well used wheels and add some winter tires, which do wonders, even driving in the Seattle area. If you plan on keeping the car for a few years it is a worthwhile investment. Well, not really an investment, but it will make winter driving a pleasure.

I live just north of you on Vancouver Island. Winter tires really help out even when the daytime highs are in the 40-45 degree temps. If it snows they make a huge difference.

timothymoffat

So true. I had brand new summer tires mounted on the 97 this time last year. The combination of fresh from the mould rubber, cold temps, and the tires' warmer temp compound resulted in a scary (or fun depending on exactly which moment) trip home. "Summer" tires are just that.

Birol

I managed several winters with a standard 993 and made even some adventurous mountain trips through snowy Alp regions.
I perceived that I began to love the car the same way as I did it on tracks or elsewhere.
My biggest fear has always been braking before downhill hairpin bends when these sections were more or less fully icy.
I never knew what the car will do when I carried a bit too much speed into the turns,
not very reassuring when there was nothing on the other side of the guardrail if there were any at all.
Until I joined an ice drift training with the 993, a perfect decision !
You get a feel what happens when you accelerate and brake in slippery curves, how to drive sideways, to handle the car in bends while instable,
even when you make a panic brake from 80mph or more.
To describe the last, nothing happens, the electronic helpers hold the 993 in a throughout straight line.

Good winter tires in narrower sizes will be enough for 99% of the road conditions.
I would never use chains on such a car.

richardew

I've driven my car year round since it was new. From '96 to '04 I lived in southern VA and snow never was a big issue. When I moved back to Philia in the winter of '04 I bought Blizzaks and used them from Nov. - Mar. for 4 winters. Last winter and this winter I've left my "summer" tires on (I've got an FX 45 and a BMW 335 XI with Blizzaks). The Blizzaks were standard size 17". I would make 3 road trips a month. If I knew it was going to snow, the 993 stayed home, however I ran into unexpected storms many times. My profile pic is after a 3 hour drive in a snowstorm through the Appalachian mountains in SW Virginia/West Virginia. Even with the wide standard sized Blizzaks the handling in the snow and ice was awesome. One aspect of the winter tire that is often overlooked is it's enhanced performance compared to summer tires in the cold. The winter tire compound is soft and compliant in the cold, wheras the summer tire compound is brittle and slick in the cold. Although a C4 with summer tires might get going in the snow/ice due to its' all wheel drive, awd does nothing to improve handling or breaking. All told, I've driven ~275,000 miles in 993's year round (my first was a '95 C2 w/LSD, 25,000 miles), and my experience is not from just an occasional ride in the snow.

jungleboy

All this talk is encouraging 'cause it's a winter wonderland out here in the DC area right now! Expecting nearly 2' of snow... anyone venturing out in their 993's?

johzev

We enjoyed a wonderful trip last year over snowy roads. The 993 was a blast to drive and very controllable with blizzaks all around. We were very comfortable except for one day when the snow depth on the road started to exceed about 5 inches.

The softer compound of the blizzaks on 17 inch cups are a great combination for a C2.

J.A.W.S.

christmas 2007

jungleboy

Just for kicks, there are a few 993s in there too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHXsn...eature=related

JimPA

It's 22 deg and snowing heavily here now but my car's in the shop for a few more days getting a top end rebuild. When I bought it 7+ years ago, I found a set of virtually new (500 mi) Italian aftermarket 17" twists with Michelin Arctic Alpin snow tires. The tires are narrower (relatively) and taller so the overall diameter remains similar to the 18" Pilot Sports I run the rest of the year. I've noticed that the front end feels a bit light in the snow.

The Arctic Alpins will be retired after this winter. They've been great and never failed to provide adequate traction while living in central NJ and, now, southeastern PA. I drive the car daily except, perhaps, one day each year when the snow is really deep.

As to swapping snow tires onto your wheels each season, BTDT and strongly recommend against it.

alpinadvl

HOLY **** !

95 C4 993

This video should be watched by all footed garage queens!!

After all, these are just cars and are made to have fun. Im playing in the mountains today---car hasnt been out in a few weeks.

twinreds

I got caught halfway home in the 930 last year, that was not fun!