tooloud10

The car will do just fine in the snow...just get winter tires. I'd recommend a winter performance tire if you're not planning on being in much snow. Please do not drive it in the winter on summer tires even on dry pavement--you won't realize why it's a bad idea until it's too late.

C4CRNA

Summa tires get "squirley" below 40F.

rpolin

Thanks for the info all. It looks like I'll be getting a second set of tires for the non-winter months and will likely get a seperate set of rims for them. Anyone have an extra set of 17" rims they are looking to part with for a reasonable price? Need them for winter use.

babylonboots

You gotta love Colorado! Rest of the country under heat alerts and we're fighting global warming with snow. Supposed to be snow skiing to at least 4th of July.

Quix

As a newbie myself, I had a lot of the same questions. There is good info on "winterizing" your car if you don't want to drive it. However living in Connecticut as you do and Minnesota as I do, not driving it in winter means that it sits for almost half of the year. My take on all the various advice out there was that: 1) these are cars meant to be driven in the winter; 2) there is definitely more wear and tear on your car when driven in the winter, as it gets salty, you can't hand wash it and the alternative isn't perfect; and 3) there may be some validity to the theory that the cars that are garage queens and/or stored for the winter may be more prone to catastrophic engine failures. I'm not trying to start any new "I" threads with this last one, please refrain, all. I did get winter tires on a new set of fairly cheap wheels, but after driving it in the snow I didn't feel that the winter tires were really much better than good all-weather tires. These cars (and by that I mean C4s) are great in the snow, with the exception of when there are clearance issues. We have a Lexus SUV and an Acura SUV, and the C4 goes up my very steep and slippery driveway better than either of them. The weight is in the back, and the tires are huge. You will want to find a place that can gently wash for you, or even wash by hand if you're willing to pay for that. I also found that my cab seems like a completely new car once the hard top is on because it's so much quieter inside. If you do have a hard top, before you put it on, make sure to wipe some silicone spray on the rubber gasket at the top of the windshield/front of the top to avoid the the squeaking that comes along with any body flex if this isn't done.
There were times this last winter when I didn't drive it much. We had a really bad winter. I bought a trickle charger to keep the battery charged, and tried to drive it every few days when there was a break in the weather and the world didn't seem so white and Porsche-hostile. I definitely was glad to have my SUV backup, but did enjoy the P-car in the snow as well.
So, there's my .02, hope it's helpful!
q

Sneaky Pete

I drive mine year round. Winter time I have a set of 18" Pirelli snows. They are a separate set (tires and wheels) all together. The car is un-stoppable with anything 6" of snow. The car is justa blast to drive in snow.

spender

I live where there's REAL winter (see pic, that's -25 F) and I drove my 2003 C4S all winter. Had it on 18" narrow winter rims (w/ Conti WinterContact "sport" tires) as recommended in the manual; used some spacers on the rears for visual appeal. It was amazing. I've had several 4x4 SUVS in the past, and they weren't even close to the traction, braking, cornering, everything I had with this car in the snow! Also heats up fast in the interior. Granted, you don't have a ton of clearance, so if it's a really snowy day probably better not to take it out - but this wasn't a problem for me here in Calgary.

Best winter car I've ever owned!

Quix

[QUOTE=spender;8658899]I live where there's REAL winter (see pic, that's -25 F)"

Wow, that's cold. my coldest in the P-car is below, "only" -13 F. Sometimes I'm amazed that there is a whole country north of Minnesota. Incredible that anyone lives there!

rpolin

QUIX: I hadn't thought about getting a hard top for my '02 cab but not a bad idea. I'll take a look into it although if i end up deumping $2k+ on new rims & tires for the winter, the new top may have to wait another year, especially since i am doing the IMS retrofit next week.

Quix

There may be some out there for less $$ than you think. Some folks who live in areas of the country where it's perpetually summery probably don't put them on much, and may be willing to part with theirs.
q
Just looked down the page a bit and there's someone offering an arctic silver top for $5-800 in Houston..

rpolin

I just sent the guy in Houston a PM to see if he's willing to ship it. I love a nice drive but CT to TX is even beyond what i would consider a fun drive, especially with the hard top on for half the trip.

carcster88

I live in Colorado...granted....I have a C2, but would never take it out in the snow. My wife has an Audi A6 Quattro....just like my last BMW, even with snow tires, I leave the Porsche in the garage.

Main reason....other drivers...and sand/gravel rock chips. That weather is what my Durango 5.9 R/T is for...and it is still not the best in it, but I will not get that upset if something happens to that or if someone slides into me. Just my personal opinion.

spender

The nice thing about our cars is that they are no longer worth a ton. I agree that if I had bought mine new ($140,000 new in my city), I would park it in the winter. But I paid less than a quarter of that, so why not? Life is too short to drive lame cars! Anyway, my Porsche loves the snow!