P-Nuts

Ok, who is expert on driving a 997 for 365 days a year in all weather conditions ?

I'm about to order a 997 to replace my 986S, which has been driven all year for the last 4 years, including four fairly brutal North East (US) winters. I only had 3 or 4 occasions where I had a major problem with traction, each time was in fresh snow...and I was on regular tires. However we just moved to a more remote house with slightly less efficient snow clearing by the town.

So...which will deliver better traction in winter.. a C4 on regular tires, or a C2 on winter tires ?. (I know C4 on winter tires is the best combination, but my budget may not stretch that far).

TrackJunke

I would rather be driving a C2 on winter tires. You will have the benefit of winter tires in stopping and turning which is pretty important to me.

PbPedis

I guarantee that if you try driving the C4 in the snow with high performance tires on, you will end up sliding into a curb, another car, or end up in a ditch. Get the C4 and get snows. If your budget doesn't allow the addition of snow tires, perhaps you should look at another car. RS4 maybe?

nkhalidi

C2 on winters, hands-down. The tires are the only things between you and the road - not places to skimp. Even the most sophisticated Porsche all-wheel-drive isn't going to save you from the laws of snow-meets-summertire physics.

AeroSmith

Man, a C4 with snow tires would be hard to beat. What a blast that car would be in the snow.

There is no way I'd drive any car in the snow on 3-season tires. I'd suck it up and buy a second set of wheels.

19" Snows.

More 19" Snows.

Fortunately this isn't a concern down here in Florida.

Coochas

Note sure I agree with the consensus here - I think a C4 w/o snows would actually be better. I now drive an Audi TT (admittedly only around 270 hp) which I've gone through 5 NE winters with and NEVER put snows on her...and I have driven in some pretty deep white stuff with it where other non-AWD cars simply could not drive as easily. On the other hand, most TT enthusiasts I have met online put snows on their TTs, S4s etc...I guess it depends on what you're used to.
Something else to consider is when it's raining...if the 4S drives anything like my TT can in the rain then I'll be very happy - I can easily drive 80-90 mph in pouring rain w/no drama.

Le Chef

Frankly you don't need awd. A C2/C2S will do just fine on winter tires. The main thing to remember is that summer tires don't work in winter because of temperature - there's no grip below about 45F because there's no heat to create "stickyness" - not because of snow specifically. If you need awd then the chances are the hieght of the snow will destroy your front spoiler and damage the muffler system.

A better option all round is to save the difference between the two options and keep you C2S on summers and buy an old Subie for winter months and bad weather in general. Someone in VT must have one to sell!

But if you want to stick to your plan, it's a no brainer: C2S with winter tires.

P-Nuts

Thanks for all the replys...I got the message on winter tires !!! So the order of preference for me is as follows.. 1. C4 with winter tires. 2. C2 with winter tires 3. C4 with regular tires. Or, in summary...screw the cost and go for the C4 with winter tires !!!

btw - anything other than a 997 for all year round is not an option...no Audi, no Subie. Porsches are for driving all year in my book !!. Period.

Coochas

Sounds like a good game plan. I myself had considered waiting for the new RS4 to arrive in the US but ultimately decided that I wanted to get my dream car - a 911.
Not that it will likely influence things (for me, for you, for anyone!) but I just posted a winter tire poll for 996 owners:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/231865-snow-tire-poll.html
I'm curious to see how people reply,...but I'm fairly certain that the first thing I'll do on delivery in December is to swap the tires for winters...besides, we'll need to break the cars in, so having winters on the rims shouldn't be too bothersome.

PbPedis

Did you have all season tires on the TT though? I got caught in the snow with Michelin Pilot Sports on my S4, and it happened once years ago in my AWD Talon with BFG Comp T/A. Both are summer high performance tires. Let me tell you, it was downright scary. The second I even touched the brake, the ABS would come on. Forget about stopping or turning. High performance tires turn rock hard as soon as it gets cold. There doesn't even have to be snow on the ground for them to loose grip. I would think a C2 with snows would be adequate, obviously C4 with snows the best option. I just can't bear to put my car through the salt of a winter here.

JFScheck

Even my AWD Cayenne with summer tires (at the smallest bit of snow) slides like it's on grease! Throw on the M&S (Mud and Snow All Season tires) and it's a whole new ride when the white stuff is on the ground! Night and day!

C2S with Two sets of rims, summer tires and winter tires!!!!

fast1

I use to own an Audi TT 225R and it handled OK in light snow with the Pilots. The problem with performace cars is that they all have low profile tires which don't exactly provide great handling in the snow. Also, it's important to keep in mind that AWD is of no use when going down hills. Snow tires on the other hand provide great traction when driving up and down hills. I do agree that the TT handles superbly in the rain.

Coochas

Nope, high performance tires only. People are always impressed with the AWD on my car...it really does a great jobin the winter.

JFScheck

My wife's A6 with quattro came with a set of all season P's that are great in the snow! That Audi will drive all day in the bad weather, be it snow, rain, etc.

JasonF

I owned a 1995 Carrera 4 (awd) and had the misfortune of having to make a very short trip home - 5 miles - during a snowstorm. The car was wearing Michelin Pilot Sport (performance) tires.

Despite the awd, I have never had a scarier experience trying to drive a short distance on well-traveled roads. There was less than an inch of snow on the road, and my car slid and fishtailed into every turn I made. The awd system was working because I could feel the front wheels trying to "dig in", but the summer tires were such poor performers that the awd system was useless.

I plan to install winter tires on my 997 C2 and continue to use it in all weather conditions. You may also want to search the archives on the 993 board, this topic has been discussed in detail there as well.