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I DD my 997.2 in NE Ohio. Carrera 4. No problems with winter tires. The only thing that rusts is the exhaust bolts (had to cut them off) and the manifold bolts (have not had to work on them, thank god). The rest of the car doesn't rust. We see lots of salt and I have had no problems with things like brakes. Theses cars are made for the snow. That being said, pot holes this year are horrible. Bad enough that I plan my routes around the bad roads. Car handles them fine. My coffee on the other hand spills a lot. Bumps are bad enough I take someone else's car when I can because I can't handle it. This is the first year I have done that, though.
So to summarize, don't worry about the salt. Worry about your back.
Thanks, thats more like it! I am trying to get more of a feel of the car culture up there (hopefully not as bleak as everyone seems to think). Whats the nearest track?
Weather and road conditions not withstanding, there is always something you can do with your car around here. You just have to look for it a little. Porsches are not very common and always attract attention at the local car meets and there are plenty of those. There are some beautiful and little traveled country roads in the Holy Hill area of Wisconsin. They wind through the Kettle Morraine hills,so driving can be a challenge.
Lived in Chicago for 18 months. Biggest problem you'll have is the street parking by Braille method that is considered acceptable there. I guess they figure they're called bumpers for a reason. That alone is enough for me never to move back there, let alone that the state us broke, housing market for sellers is in the tank, cars last for less than 10 years if drive n in the winter, traffic stinks, etc.
I’ve been on both sides of the DD’ing my 997 in Chicago debate over the last 5 years .... I live in the Northern Suburbs straight up the Lake from the City, and I’ve got a 2010 4S Cab that I daily drove for 3+ years with a set of winter tires (Pirelli Sottozero’s) on a set of .1 Turbo rims:
My daily commute is 24 miles straight down the highway (94) to the Loop, and since I work in the markets I’m typically on the road by 6.15am, meaning that my morning commute is 80+ mph while my return trip home at 5.30pm is slow for the first half then typically opens up after the 90/94 split, at which point you get up to 75mph from about Touhy to Dundee. With proper winter tires and regular manitence these cars are friggin’ bulletproof for winter driving, but as rightly pointed out by others life for an ungaraged 997 in the city can be brutal between crappy city bumper-car parking and pot holes. I was comfortable DD’ing the car due to my decently-long highway commute allowing me to get up to an appropriate engine and oil temp every day and the ability to garage park both at home and in the Loop at work. The only downside was that the highway driving in all conditions does take a toll on your paint job. After 3 years of DD’ing my 4S, here is what my front end looked like (which I took as a badge of honor for driving this thing the way Dr. Ferry Porsche intended ):
But after 3 years of DD’ing my 997.2, I bought a low-miles 2012 Cayenne S as my winter beater to give the 911 a rest in winter storage alongside my 1968 911L. I took the opportunity to do a full front-end respray and a full front Xpel film application to keep it looking good now that I’ve been putting less stress on the paint with a reduction on Winter driving duty. NW GTS did me a solid and pointed me to the best body shop and paint correction guys in Chicago who did the work and it came out great last summer:
So I guess what I’m saying is that life in Chicago for a 997 can be hard if you don’t have a garage, live in the City and do mostly downtown driving. But if you’re out in the ‘Burbs with a garage and can have a long enough commute to get your car up to temp each time you go out and have a limited amount of city traffic and city pot holes to deal wtih, your 911 will be just as comfortable in Chicago winters as they are in Stuttgart winters
I lived in the Chicago area years ago. Some common themes look to be the same. Potholes the size of moon craters and tons of salt dumped on roads during the long winter....but then there were those truly lovely summer drives on Sheridan Road from the northern suburbs into Lake Shore Drive.
There's a great thread in the regional forums with driving roads in and around Chicago including neighboring states. There's even a great downtown driver's loop known to those of us who live down here (ohio ramp, to 90, to 55, to LSD, to lower wacker).
LEO free vmax runs on the express lane from ORD.
Most of the car shows and clubs are reserved for American classics this being a stone's throw from detroit and the heart of the midwest.. makes sense. Fuelfed is one of best European classic and modern clubs in the country. Once you're here, look into it and there's plenty to keep you happy. Just need to try harder than folks on the coasts and mountain areas. Better than Florida at least.
Best local track is Autobahn Country Club less than an hour from downtown (no traffic)... gingerman, blackhawk, milwaukee mile are an hour or two drive. Road America is 3 hours. Couple track across the border in Indiana too. Lots of good options for tracking and diverse cars too which makes it fine.
Would love to see another 997 on the road. Reach out when you're here. Would be glad to show you the ropes (at least what I know) and an excuse to get my car on the road.
honestly, once you get a taste for the restaurant scene you'll be too fat to fit in your 997 anyway.
There's a great thread in the regional forums with driving roads in and around Chicago including neighboring states. There's even a great downtown driver's loop known to those of us who live down here (ohio ramp, to 90, to 55, to LSD, to lower wacker).
LEO free vmax runs on the express lane from ORD.
Most of the car shows and clubs are reserved for American classics this being a stone's throw from detroit and the heart of the midwest.. makes sense. Fuelfed is one of best European classic and modern clubs in the country. Once you're here, look into it and there's plenty to keep you happy. Just need to try harder than folks on the coasts and mountain areas. Better than Florida at least.
Best local track is Autobahn Country Club less than an hour from downtown (no traffic)... gingerman, blackhawk, milwaukee mile are an hour or two drive. Road America is 3 hours. Couple track across the border in Indiana too. Lots of good options for tracking and diverse cars too which makes it fine.
Would love to see another 997 on the road. Reach out when you're here. Would be glad to show you the ropes (at least what I know) and an excuse to get my car on the road.
honestly, once you get a taste for the restaurant scene you'll be too fat to fit in your 997 anyway.
NwGTS - Thanks again for the pointers and I'll be sure to loop you in if I do pull the trigger! Honestly I am going through simultaneous interview processes and at this point it is between CHI and RVA so I should probably know in a few weeks.
05-05-2018, 11:28 PM
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