Tech-Law

I'm looking to use my p-car as a daily driver to avoid having to sell it to get something more "practical." I don't think my current 993 will fit the bill even though it's AWD - it's awesome but very raw and not the most comfortable ride in the world - especially with the PSS9s.

Here's what I'm thinking... sell the 993 and my A8 and getting a 996TT as my everyday car. One catch - it needs to perform in all weather: snow, rain, etc. My E55 sucks in the snow even with dedicated rims and Dunlop M3s - too much power and not enough rear weight IMO.

Anyway, if I were to get a 996TT and outfit it with dedicated snows would it perform adequately or is it inherently not a good snow car due to low ground clearance and stiff suspension.

I snowboard at least 15-20 times a year in Vermont so the snow can get pretty fierce. The Audi Quattro has spoiled me and I'm just not sure what to expect fromthe 996 with AWD.

TIA

GreggT

Tech-Law
Ground clearence is your only issue........otherwise she's a hoot.
Gotta say though bud......you sound like me with your cars.......are you sure you have the "W" button pressed on your E55 ......I too run dedicated (knock-off AMG rims) w/M3s on that car.........it's OK, but no C4 or Turbo.

You didn't run your 993 in the winter (a C4)?........I ran mine 6 seasons.......she's lowered (alot) so clearance was only issue there also.

Advice.........don't lower the Turbo (alot).......dedicate winter tims and either 210/240s or Blizzaks (personally I do not run wide rims in the back as Pcar says & think it's definately the way to go). Take the OE chin spoiler off and put on a C4 chin so you don't plow snow.

The Turbo is outstanding in the snow........great practice for summer autocrossing (never lift ).........only caution I say is.......if you track & tune this car in the summer......salt makes everything a bitch to work on in the spring.

I have heated garage w/water-drain........now spoil the Turbo & she rarely goes out in the muck (for the salt reason).........the C4 goes anywhere, leaves all-wheel SUVs at stop lights (to their amazement)........these are great winter cars, especially in the hands of a decent driver.

1AS

I drive mine thru the winter, this year on dedicated snows with the narrower rear wheels and spacers. The car was marginal on the summer tires but excellent on the snows (Pirellis in my case)
The ride height has not been a problem, and I live in a snow belt.
I don't see any problems. AS

gunther1

I had my TT out the other day in the snow and it was not as much fun as would have liked. The tires are the factory Pirelli's. My uncle in Germany also has a TT and he has a second set of rims and tires that he puts on for the winter and h goes from Kempten to Obersdorf skiing almost every weekend and his car drives very different than mine. Not sure waht tire he is running though? Sorry.

Where are some of the european rennlist members? Surely they can tell us Americans what is working for them?

GreggT

gunther1........w/ OE rubber you have 3 things really wkg against you......Z rubber is way too hard.........tread is not open.........too wide.
No way I would go out in the wet w/temps anything below 40'F with Z performance tires (any car)......just my opin.

Tech-Law

I agree with Gregg - tires make all the difference. I've had a number of Audis which are excellent snow cars but the difference between summer (and even all season) rubber and a set of dedicated snows is night and day. My A8 on Blizzaks is unstopable while on the all-seasons is just adequate.

I got caught in an inch of snow in my C4S on S02's and figured it would be ok... WRONG. Granted the tread was very worn down but it was completely, and I mean completely, terrifying. The gentle crown in the road was pushing me off to the sides! I'm sure this was due in large part to the minimal tread but I was amazed at the lack of traction.

I would definitely go with narrower rims and dedicated snow tires on the 996TT - I was just wondering what Rennlisters who have gone this route could report as far as snow traction is concerned.

gunther1

GreggT,

We just don't get enough snow here in Virginia to merit a dedicated set of snow tires and skinny rims. I also agree with all of your comments. Just got caught out by a poor weather forcast. Besides that's what my 4x4 truck is for.

1AS

Ditto on all the stuff saying you can't judge the car on the wrong tires. On snows, the tt is better than my A6 quattro (on snows) and my LX470 SUV on all weather tires. On worn summer tires, it's almost as bad as a pre-traction control BMW, and that's pretty bad. AS

1AS

Ditto on all the stuff saying you can't judge the car on the wrong tires. On snows, the tt is better than my A6 quattro (on snows) and my LX470 SUV on all weather tires. On worn summer tires, it's almost as bad as a pre-traction control BMW, and that's pretty bad. AS

W8MM

Few people will believe how big a difference tires make in snow performance until they actually experience it.

AWD Porsches have an absolutely agricultural flavor when fitted with the proper rubber in snow. You can make four rooster tails of snow fly out of the wheel wells with dedicated winter tires when "high performance" tires would only slide on top of it like a hockey puck.

I had a minor traffic accident in my 964C4 (with a traffic light control box) while trying to use R-compound tires in a very light snow fall. This occured when I was travelling no more than 5 to 10 miles per hour. I had never been so scared driving a car in my life. When I was convinced to try dedicated winter tires by someone who actually knew about the glass-transition temperature of tire compounds, I have never been so astonished by the improvement in all my years of automotive experimentation.

Go for some winter tires and be prepared for fantastic mobility in snow with your AWD Porsche

JS

Snow tires will do the job, I know someone that runs snows and gets around, you will have a problem with your ground clearance, you can earn extra plowing. Europeans drive these 12 months a year in all conditions.

GBG

What snow tires do you guys recommend?

1AS

Everyone says Dunlops, but those were unavailable thru Tire Rack. I got Pirellis and they are fine. AS

1AS

Forgot to add, Tire Rack got the rear wheels and spacers for less new than I could buy other wheels used. Altogether a good experience.
By the way, if you visit Tire Rack in South Bend, it's huge. Steve, the owner (it's a family held business) is an older European gentleman who works in the service areas like an employed laborer. He is very accomodating, and treats it like it's a tiny one person shop, which is how he started. There are a lot of international corporations that could get a business lesson from those guys. AS

Pierre

As many already said, snow is no problem as long as you have the right tires. I've been using the Pirelli SnowSport for the last 4 winters, and they're great. Check this for more details and some pics: http://www.911turbo.com/feature/2003-12/index.php
Greetings,
--Pierre