I own a 2006 997 coupe with 55,000 miles . It’s been a great car w no problem with the IMS or bore scoring. I drive the car most of the year except in snow . Sometimes Pittsburgh winters get extremely cold . Last year without a windchill we had some days at -15 -10°. Would it be a good idea not to drive my car on those days ? I imagine start up before the engine warms up would offer the potential for bore damage . One thing that I think has contributed to the excellent performance of my car has been holding the revs below 3K before the oil temperature is fully warmed up to 200° . Thank you & Best ! Russ Dejulio Pittsburgh PA

 

Russ,
I can only assume you're running 0w-30 or 0w-40 during the winter. I'm sure you're going to get answers all over the place, but if you have easy access to another car, I'd n bench your 997 on those brutally cold days. It can't be fun driving anything when it's that cold. Further,. you have to figure the cold will negatively impact your suspension's performance, as well as your serpentine belt. I;m only guessing, but the wear and tear to those items as well as bushings and the like would greatly be accelerated at those temps.

You've got to be running some sort of A/S or Snows on the car. Any high performance summer tire would be likely to deisinigrate at those temps.

I can remember skiing in VT in those temps when I was younger. I had a pair of RX glasses that I left in the car overnight. As I was driving to the mountain,
one of the lenses just fell out of the frame. both the frames and lenses were plastic. It was crazy. Luckily it warmed up to about 12 deg during the day, but
it was truly bitter cold.

I'm sure you'll get more feedback, I figure this would be a start.
Bill

 

[QUOTE=BillB128;18569735]Russ,
I can only assume you're running 0w-30 or 0w-40 during the winter. I'm sure you're going to get answers all over the place, but if you have easy access to another car, I'd n bench your 997 on those brutally cold days. It can't be fun driving anything when it's that cold. Further,. you have to figure the cold will negatively impact your suspension's performance, as well as your serpentine belt. I;m only guessing, but the wear and tear to those items as well as bushing and the like would greatly be accelerated at those temps.

You've got to be running some sort of A/S or Snows on the car. Any high performance summer tire would be likely to denigrate at those temps.

I can remember skiing in VT in those temps when I was younger. I had a pair of RX glasses that I left in the car overnight. As I was driving to the mountain,
one of the lenses just fell out of the frame. both the frames and lenses were plastic. It was crazy. Luckily it warmed up to about 12 deg during the day, but
it was truly bitter cold.

I'm sure you'll get more feedback, I figure this would be a start.
Bill
Thank you Bill for your response / good advice . I will take my wife’s suv out if we have some crazy cold days this winter ! Best ! Russ

 

Hopefully those brutal -10deg F--15deg F days are few and far between and your wife is understanding.
If she is, she's a real keeper!.

I just see that many of the rubber/urethane bits facing so much extra stress. Again, just a guess, but during that same ski trip
I mentioned, I remember my car making all sorts of creaks and groans when I first got moving, I felt bad for the car

 

It's supposed to be a fun car. Driving a sports car in -10 is far from fun. Plus I'm sure there's salt on the roads from the previous days snow. I'd avoid it if possible.

 

I leave ours parked when it's below 40 F. For one they're on summer tires and 2, I think that cold is the major contributor to scoring even with a quick drive off.

 

If you must start and drive your car in low temperatures, you are doing the right thing. Light throttle and below 3K rpm until the oil reaches 200F.

By the way, Wind Chill temperature is not relevant. The actual temperature is what matters. Still, with the temp/wind conditions you described, my guess is that the actual temp in situation was 0-10F depending on wind speed which is very cold.

 

2009 C2S 186K miles

EuroNation Bob talks about bore scoring and cold weather. Not good... NOTE: this is for 997 .1 cars only and not GT3 or Turbo models that do not use Lokasil.

Go to 10:00 and he describes his CarFax analysis. If you listen to all of it, you will get a feel for Manhiem wholesale vs retail pricing.

If you don't know who Bob is, well he is a used car dealer and one of the folks in Tyler Hoover's sphere of YouTubers. Mr Hoover is making his bit of the world in Kansas quite popular... he has his own show on Motor Trend called Car Issues. All low-budget stuff but entertaining none the less.

By the way, Tyler Hoover and Hoovie's Garage on YouTube is the exact opposite of Petrolicious.... Petrolicious is a snooty highbrow production where Hoovies is the total opposite.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

 

One positive of having a heated garage, initial start temps are always in the 60s.

I don't drive if its below freezing or if there is salt on the roads. I will drive during the winter months if those conditions are not present. I have other cars for that (IE not fun cars).

 

I drive my car all year round. Pic below when it was 15F degrees out.

 

I personally would not drive my 997.1 in sub zero weather as a precaution although there are several 996 & 997 models in my area owned by people who couldn't care less let alone any starting / driving precautions , parked outside with a pile of snow on them and year after year they are out there and being driven without issue to present ? Keep in mind early Cayenne's have the same cylinder process and although some score many are still in use being driven in all types of cold climates without issue including mine ! So go figure ?

 

Your legs must be freezing in that weather.

 

Yeah, but got some nice shots. So cold that the lake froze over. 😁

 

How do you know you have no scoring? Have you have done a Bore Scope Inspection recently with photos of each cylinder?
The Non-S 3.6L engine is less prone to scoring but I'd be interested in seeing your recent Bore Scope photos

 

I applaud your willingness to head out in all sorts of weather! Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed, especially the 911, which might be the best example of
"One Car That Does it All'. Its all about enjoying the ride. As Clint Eastwood says in the movie In The Line of Fire, "Tomorrow is promised to no one".
Enjoy the ride!

I try to follow that ethos, but do keep my car in the garage when temps drop below 40 deg. or the road are really salt covered. Otherwise,
I look for any excuse to get out and drive my 997.....As I type, it is sitting in the garage with a good layer of dirt on it. However, it's supposed to be 50 deg on Wed
so I plan to do a little road trip...... I just bought a '22 BMW 230I with the M sport package (It'll be my daily). I have to drive about 45 miles to pick it up which poses
a slight logistical problem. But my buddy who owns a 993 has agreed to give me a hand after I suggested we head down to the dealership in the 997. He can
check out the 997 and put it through its paces. It should be a fun day.
Bill