Does anybody have any idea where to get a set of 19 inch snow tires? I have spent most of the day looking and have come up empty. This car is my daily driver and while I do not need to drive it when it snows out, I do need to be able to drive it on a typical cold winter day. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am becoming desperate to find these.

 

tirerack.com has the Winter Sottozero tire is Pirelli's "dual-season" Performance Winter tire that was developed to be effective from mid-autumn until early spring by generating its maximum performance on minimum grip surfaces in cold temperatures compared to summer tires. Currently available in selected low profile sizes, the Winter Sottozero tire is for the drivers of high performance sport cars, coupes and sedans who don't let their enthusiasm for driving cool off in winter.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....h=true&index=2

 

Weissy--I got my 997 here in central Kentucky back in November...this is also my daily driver. I made a deal with the dealer...I'll get the car, but you guys throw in a set of Carrera III wheels with winter shoes...and it's a deal. Well, they promised me these things by the end of November--then it became the end of December--I still don't have them. Called TireRack and Wheel Enhancements and someone at Porsche Club of America--no fitments for our car in either 18 or 19's. I have the lobster claw 19's now, but personally feel that 18's would be better for winter application--less concern with bending a wheel on the potholes.

I have to admit, my dealer felt bad about the whole thing--they have loaned me an '04 Cayenne S for the time being until the snow shoes arrive. I miss driving my 997, but don't want to risk driving without some winter rubber.

Sooo, I would not hold my breath on these tires...I have been working on getting winter tires since November...if you have better luck, let me know.

 

One thing to consider is having the PS2s siped to create a set of winter tires. You could then buy a new set of PS2s (or perhaps something else) in the Spring. The price for the Sottozeros appears to be similar to that for the PS2s, so it's not as if you'd save much either way. In any case, it's worth looking into as the alternatives are not driving the 997 or risking an accident due to the wrong tires.

 

rnlartic997:

I had my dealer just order a set of CIII wheels/Conti Wintercontact 810s from Germany in late December 2004. They arrived from Germany in the middle of January 2005. There were over 30 sets in Germany when they checked the computer. It literally took my Parts Manager 1 second on their parts inventory computer to locate a set in Germany. Check with your parts manager...

BTW, my dealership is Napleton Porsche in Westmont (Chicago). Parts manager is Roger.

 

alin2: Thanks for that info--I will check again with my dealer...as recently as last week, they claim that the Continental folks had run out of those tires--furthermore, they said that further production of those tires was unlikely until later this year!

Your setup with the Conti 810s + CIII wheels is exactly what they promised me--how do the tires/car perform in Chicagoland's snowy conditions?

 

rnlartic997:

The wheels and tires are sitting at my dealer awaiting my 997S which is somewhere on the Atlantic ocean. I will post a review as soon as I get the car!

 

I GOT GREAT NEWS TODAY!!!! Apparently tire rack got in the 19 inch conti winter tires the other day. However they are only being sold to dealers with vin numbers. So if you call your dealer they can order them for you. My dealer is charging me highway robbery for these to the tune of 1800 mounted and balanced but none the less I need them. So if anyone is in my boat I would call your dealer today and ask them about it.

 

Weissy--thanks for the info. Are you going to get seperate 19" wheels or just remove the summer shoes and replace them with the winter Conti's? If the TireRack has the 19's, I may get a set of the 19 Classic 5-spokers and mount the winter Conti's on those. I have the lobster claw 19's on right now. I'll get my dealer to call tomorrow.

 

I am not going to get seperate rims. My summers are going to come off and the winters are going on. The summers will go back on at the end of march. By the time winter comes around again my summers will have to be replaced anyway. I put 70 miles a day on my car so it's not like the same set will be going on and off alot. Plus once my lobster claws get alittle nicked up I will replace them with some HRE's and keep my summer tires on those.