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I elected a two year membership to support the forum and have spent some time looking around but haven't found exactly what I am after.
If anyone here has the answer or can direct me toward a thread (that no doubt has beaten this question to death) so that I can learn I would greatly appreciate it.
I want dedicated wheels and winter tires for my new to me 2003 996 C4S.
What should I buy?
What configuration have others used?
What should I avoid (other than not driving the car in the snow)?
Hey Bill! Welcome! I don't have an answer for you but wanted to welcome you and say you gotta post pics for us! The gurus on here will no doubt answer your questions for you though.
I have the a 2003 C4S like you and wanted winter tires that would fit the standard 8.5 and 11" wide wheels. I got Michelin A/S 3 all-season tires in 235/40-18 and 285/35-18. The 285 rears fit on 11 rims while the Porsche recommended 265/35-18 require 10" rims. Going up one width on the fronts from 225 to 235 better matches the diameter of the rears and had no rubbing problems. Next time I will opt for 275/35-18 rears to get an exact diameter match but I have about 4000 miles on the tires so far and have seen no problems.
Here in Seattle we don't get serious snows except in the mountains. For Cleveland, genuine winter tires might be better but I have tried the all-seasons in snow and the car felt good to me. I am used to living in New England most of my life so snow driving is very familiar. Michelin says they improved the snow capabilities when they redesigned the tire and now call it an A/S 3+. Tire design seems like a trade off so maybe my tires are better in the dry. In any case they work fine for me. Tire noise is fine and maybe a bit quieter than my summer PS2s.
One note is that the all wheel drive feels effective to me but when you get completely stuck the traction control won't let you spin the tires much to grinding down to pavement. In that case you can turn off the traction control but I am told that this heats up the viscous coupling to the front wheels. If you do this too much, you can fry the coupling.
Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new ride! I'm attaching a link to our helpful guides on the 996 platform. Please let us know if you have any questions!
1. The AWD system on the 996 requires the rear tires to be a smaller diameter on the rear than the front to transfer power forward. a 235/40 285/35 setup doesn't do this. Power won't be transferred forward until the rears spin faster than the front.
2. For snow, real snow, narrower tires are better than wider. You don't want to float on top of the snow, but have the tires "cut" down to the pavement to get grip. For this reason, the recommended 225/40 265/35 combo is probably better.
3. Despite knowing #1 I have been running 235/40 285/35 tires for a year with no known ill effects.
06-21-2017, 08:57 PM
New kid... winter wheels and tires 2003 C4S
