stripersteve

Hi guys ! Need your opinion on the best way to get my 997 delivered . I bought the car from a dealer in the next state over, just before Christmas, and just before leaving for a 5 week vacation in Florida. The dealer was nice enough to give me free inside storage until I got back.
When I get back in early Feb, chances are that it will be very cold here in Rhode Island and Mass ( dealer location ). The car has max performance summer tires on it, and you are not supposed to drive in temps below 45 degrees. Who knows how cold it will be in Feb, but very possibly 15-30 degrees. The dealer is only about an hour and 45 minutes away from my house.
I was originally going to have my wife drive me up to Mass, and i would drive the car back, but am starting to rethink this. I'm sure I'll be a little nervous driving a new to me Porsche in potentially very cold conditions. The dealer is going to get a quote on an enclosed trailer delivery, but I imagine this could be a little pricey. I also saw that Uhaul has car hauler trailers that I could tow behind my truck for about $55/day that might work. I have a Dodge Dakota 4x4 with the V8 engine that would handle the weight requirement, and I am used to towing boat and horse trailers.
For those of you in cold climates, is driving the car in cold weather really that much of a risk ? It's a 2009 C4S, and the current tires are the Pirrelli P zero's. It's probably about 90 miles or so to the dealer, on major highways. Am I being too cautious about this ?
If anyone has any experience with the tow behind car hauler trailers, I'd be very interested in your feedback. The cost seems pretty cheap if I might be taking a risk driving the car back in frigid weather.

doclouie

linderpat

I would definitely not drive it in conditions under 45F with those summer tires. I've had my share of spin-outs with summer tires on cold roads - they turn into hockey pucks. Trailering from that distance is quite cheap. U-Haul, even cheaper. You will have no problem with your truck towing the trailer and that car. I have towed cars, and there is nothing to it. Give yourself a little extra braking distance.

DaBigBR

90 miles?

You could probably have it towed to you practically on demand (flatbed or dolley) for $200-$300. Or look at something like uShip. Probably very cheap.

holgum

I don't drive much in the winter, but sometimes I just need to drive my Porsche. I've been out driving around back roads and/or highways plenty of times when the temps are in the mid to high 30's as long as it's dry.
If you can stand to wait for a day like that, it should be no problem. Just drive easy, especially the first few miles until engine and tires warm up a bit.
(Keep in mind there are plenty of things that go wrong with towing as well)

Iceter

I wouldn't think twice about driving the 90 miles back. Plus, your car is a 4, so AWD. Don't drive like a hoon and you should be fine.

If you are more cautious than I and listen to the grannies, you can haul the car with a UHaul trailer with no problems. I have used their dual axle car trailers before and they're cheap and easy to use. They have inertia brakes so your tow vehicle doesn't need to be wired for electric brakes. Be careful with the nose of the car when loading.

Good luck and congratulations on the new car. Post pics here when you get home.

bgoetz

4Driver4

Another vote to drive it.

C4SDayton

Dry or wet, no ice or snow, no problem at all. I drove the last 4 years on summer tires year round with RWD and AWD cars, zero tire issues. AWD with summer tires on dry roads has better stopping distance than winter tires. You said mostly highway, not that it matters much, but you will be fine. Your car and tires will be fine if you don't go looking for bad potholes.

linderpat

The resident grannie will chime back in I've done my share of 180's and 360's on nice, dry, but sub-40F roads driving on summer rubber in my old 928, Boxster, plus assorted Mustangs. I DE, so never felt stupid scared, but when you are on a ramp, or pulling out of a road and suddenly finding yourself facing an oncoming large, loaded dump truck with seconds to spare, well let's just say that it is better than coffee in the morning. And none of these drives were far from home. The distance is irrelevant. Nevertheless, I might be just dumb enough to drive it too, but a short trailer ride, for peanuts, is the more prudent course for a new to you car.

rap

captainbaker

Given the short distance, I would wait for a clear day and drive it with some caution. As a kid in snow country, I would drive anything with 4 wheels in any conditions.

gtvr6

My only concern would be not being familiar with the roads in a new car. That said, like others have said, wait for a clear day and drive it home. Take it easy and don't push it. Yes, summer tires aren't ideal for low temps but as long as there is no snow on the ground (and I truly mean NO SNOW, not a flake) you should be fine.

Petza914

Driving it on a clear and warmer winter day will be fine. Once you get it home, do you plan to drive it in the winter or put it away until spring. If the latter, you may decide not spraying the undercarriage with salt is a good idea and then trailering it might be the better way to go.

There are 2 problems with the U-Haul cat transporter trailers

1. There isn't usually enough ramp length for the front bumper to clear and not scrape as you try to load it, especially if it's an S and or an aero kit car. Be prepared with some 2x6s or 2x8s to put down to help change the approach angle of the nose to the ramps. I've used these a few times and the only eat to get my car onto one is to put it on backwards, which worked fine for the 2 hours I had to tow it, just make sure the rear spoiler is down. Also, don't cover it tho king you're protecting the paint - the cover moving around in the wind will destroy the paint.
2. The drop away fender is only on the driver's side, which means if you do have to back it on, don't open the driver's side door as you'll smash it I to the fender. My car is lowered and my doors won't clear the drop away fender on either side. Luckily, I've recorded my car for comfort WI doe features so I can open and close the windows with the key fob. I have to back it on, open the window, shut off the car, climb out and then close the window with the key fob button. If your door won't clear the trailer fender, I'm not sure how you'd get the windows closed back up for the ride.

After typing this and thinking about it as I type, I'm more in the camp of just drive it home. I drove mine an hour each way (about 60 miles) to pick up someone at the airport last night. It was dry and 38 degrees and I'm on Extreme Performance Summer tires. No issues as I kept it under 100, mostly. The car is stored in a heated garage though so the tires were at about 60 degrees when I left and probably just got warmer from there due to driving on them.

Good luck.

drivrswntd

Steve I also live in RI and my car was delivered end of November. I have had the car out a couple of times when it is around 40-45 just to get some seat time in the new toy. Take it easy and you'll be 100% fine. Tires start to get warmed up after about 25-30 minutes and they are not like driving on ice. Just avoid trying to get it home this weekend with the pending snow storm we are getting. Latest is 8-12" Saturday. Enjoy the new toy!!!! Feel free to PM me since your local.