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All seasons are actually just 3 seasons.....no replacement for dedicated winter tires....ask me how I know.
Actually, the season I would skip would be summer. Lots of the high performance all season tires are actually quite capable in the winter and the wet. Something like Conti's DWS is pretty capable in the winter but gives up lots of summer performance.
Always best to have the correct tires for the conditions. Suggesting driving around in freezing temps on 1" of snow is OK is just a bad idea. The manufacturers will specifically tell you this is a bad idea. They publish such information for a reason. The tire compounds do not grip when it is cold.
I would argue that Conti DWS are not very capable in winter conditions. My experience is that they are passable at best in snow. If you're driving on a flat road in light snow, they're okay. I used to run those on our Cayenne. It couldn't get up our driveway (slight incline) in snow or ice. With proper winter tires, the car drove up the driveway like it was dry pavement.
Tires are all round. They will all roll, even in snow and ice. If you are super careful and drive super slowly, you will probably be able to reach your destination in winter conditions on any tire. The differences in cornering grip and stopping distances are quite dramatic comparing a summer tire to an all-season tire to a winter tire. In the real world, you're looking at the ability to stop at an intersection as opposed to sliding into traffic. Personally, I prefer to have the best possible grip for the weather conditions for me, my family and for other drivers on the road.
My C4S DD with Pirelli WinterSport never complained once last winter in a good amount of snow and occasional ice - was actually having an easier time of it that many "SUVs" that were shod with all-seasons.
Take the advice and get the snows. Well worth it below 40 degrees - intact continuing to drive the dry weather in the cold temps could cause damage to them in addition to the whole car when they let go.
I took my C4S up to Paradise at Mt Rainier National Park last Thursday. It was well plowed but pretty snowy. The car never skipped a beat. Maybe it was the all wheel drive. Maybe it was the Michelin AS/3s. Maybe it was years of driving in New England storms.
My wife captured an image of me from the National park web site.
Carrying chains is required in the park. I have fabric Autosocks which are approved substitutes. I also have them for my BMW and they are easy to put on that car. The clearance on the Porsche and the wide tire makes it hard to get them on so I hope never to have to use them for real.
Tires are all round. They will all roll, even in snow and ice. If you are super careful and drive super slowly, you will probably be able to reach your destination in winter conditions on any tire.
I would have to add if you are super careful and drive super slowly *and are super lucky* you will probably reach your destinations on any tire.
I've driven my Boxster a couple of times in pretty bad snow conditions on Pirelli high performance tires and while I managed to make it though a horrific snow storm I had some pucker time. About 8 hours' worth as I drove from Ft Smith Ark. to Butler MO.
At one spot on 71 highway the Boxster actually slid down a banked turn and I actually had to let it slide/roll down onto the shoulder of the median where the gravel gave me some grip in the ice that was under the snow. Even then I had to rock the car to get it going again.
I'm currently in the mid-west with my 996 Turbo and on summer tires. I was out today and the temperature was 19F. No snow but it was cold, cold, cold.
Tried to find a set of snow tires/wheels before I left CA. I was going to have them shipped to a dealer on my way back east and then on the way east stop and have the dealer swap wheels/tires but couldn't find a set before I had to leave.
So far all I've encountered is cold rain and very cold temperatures. Tonight it is supposed to get down in the low single digits and remain quite cold all day long tomorrow.
As long as there is no salt, I really enjoys 911's in snow. Used to drive my '87 regularly. Now starting with the '02. The key, as noted in this thread is winter tires. Brand is less important than having them on both axles. Too cold for PS2 is about 40 degrees F in my experience. They are fun, if you like either tiptoeing or sliding
Did my winter tire swap yesterday and had a chance for a test drive right away.
I have C2 -00 as a daily driver here in Finland with studded Hankook iPike RS's, Defa electrical engine heater and PSM.
At the moment we have 4 inches of snow and we are expecting more. PSM is nice and necessary but switching it off makes driving great fun. Ofcourse, I have to be careful.
Last year I got caught driving in sub freezing weather with summer tires on (wasn't planning on driving the car in the winter, but other car was in the shop). Even though there was no snow on the streets, I was sliding all over the place.
The reason is that the composition of the tires are different. A summer tire in sub freezing weather turns into hard "ice skates", which means minimal traction even in dry conditions. Winter tires remain pliable at low temperatures.
What model of Defa engine heater do you have installed?
This is the model:
http://www.defa.com/file/dc2599c19907/411575.pdf
Little bit pricey, 500 euros but worth it, i think.
Easy to install, only problem was that the cable needed some extra heat protection because of exhaust.
The outside plug is placed under the rear shield.
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