Oh the Horror!

But it is fun to see the looks on peoples faces when you do something so unexpected in your PCar.

 

I drove in wet new snow from my home to the Mtn that morning, heavy snow the whole way...never had an issue with the conditions.

 

You do have a heavy flat 6 over the drive wheels - much more stable in the wet stuff compared to most other rear wheel drive cars, PSM or no.

 

I've driven mine in the winter for the past couple of years. The PSM really only kicks in when you push it too hard. During regular driving situations, it isn't an issue.

FWIW, it was snowing this morning in Evergreen when I drove down the hill to DIA. Nothing too serious, but it was snowing. I'm a bit concerned about deep snow this winter, but we'll see how it goes.

 

+1
agree- I just cleaned mine. It had a mountain of leaves and dirt packed in between the rads.

 

you'll be fine without psm, but if you're out there buying a car today, why not just spring for the psm? the main reason i wish i had it is because I'd feel more comfortable letting other people drive it in weather.

 

What? You let other people drive it?

 

HT

You would be surprised how many DO NOT have PSM. A majority if the CAB's out there are without PSM.

 

That all depends on your age, mental age, and wintertime, adverse condition, driving experience.

Slow and easy wins the day, something adverse to most Porsche 911 owners.

There is also the question of the "other" driver...

 

Just watch out for cambers, turns over crests and downhill braking. As long as you're accelerating, you're fine, but if the tail gets unsettled and you have to slow down it's big trouble.

 

That hasn't really been my experience. In fact, I never really understood the passive rear-steer properties of the Weissach axle until I got it onto a slippery surface. It was a lot better than I was afraid it was going to be (although I absolutely avoid braking in turns, it's true). On slippery stuff, the car never gets enough lateral Gs to unsettle the back end. I think you really have to lack finesse to get the car into a serious pickle. My .02.

 

I am sure with studded tires no PSM is not a problem in the winter. I have studless winter tires under my C2 and on icy road the car can be a challenge to handle. 996 C2 does not spin as easily as one might think but you have to be gentle with the throttle.

 

haha nope, don't have PSM

ah pardon my inattention, i missed the cab bit Tim, but i guess that's not all that strange, heck my 02 coupe has a rear wiper but no PSM.

my point was only that it wouldn't cost extra in a used car, and there are a lot of 996 c2 cabs in the world. Plus you mentioned something about your wife driving it (which is why I highlighted the "other people driving" bit, I would just feel more comfortable knowing a poor throttle or brake input in the wrong gear in the cold in the wet would get shut down without requiring me to be in the passenger seat yelling about it). PSM can't raise the limits of traction, it simply tries to prevent the driver from overcoming the limits. So if whomever it is that will be driving is well educated on driving rwd in the snow, judicious in their inputs, and properly equipped with some skinny snow tires, you won't get any use from PSM.

this really is the key for me

- Hans

 

I have PSM on my '99 C4 and it rarely even activates. Honestly, I don't know that the AWD makes it any better of a winter vehicle than the C2, which is to say that either will work just fine until the snow gets too deep, at which point many vehicles don't work very well.

Remember, we all drove for decades before PSM even existed and survived just fine. Winter tires are an absolute must, though.

 

On a slippery surface, there isn't enough body roll for the Weissach axle to toe in the rear suspension. On snow and ice, you're stuck with your static alignment.

Driving on very low friction surfaces in a rear engined Porsche does indeed require finesse.