This weekend it was 60-plus degrees here in the Boston area. I took my C2S cab out for some "spirited driving," top down and all. Decided to head up to Portland Maine to see a friend. Beautiful weather there too. Stayed one more night than planned (couldn't help myself :-). Woke up this morning and - holy crap! - it's snowing. None of this was in the forecast, mind you.

I flew down the stairs and hit the road for the 90-mile drive home faster than you could say "summer tires." The snow was falling heavily now. Not surprisingly the road was getting slick. At a top speed of 45-50 mph I was being passed by everything on wheels. As I crossed the Mass. border it got even worse. I considered pulling over to call for a flatbed tow (but, guy that I am, I plowed on). When I finally made it home there was a good 4 inches of heavy wet snow in my driveway. I drove through it and stopped just short of the garage to take these pictures.

Now she's back indoors, and I'm thinking that I don't want to experience *that* again! Spring can't come soon enough for me!

Gene
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05 911 C2S cabriolet
01 MB E320 4Matic wagon
08 Audi A3 3.2 (wife's)

 

Sounds great. A nice winter drive and 90 miles in the snow on summer tires. Home safe and sound. What's not to like?

 

you are very brave indeed, and lucky that there is no ice forming on the road yet.

 

LOL- sounds like something I would have pulled.

Good job on sticking with it! Most pansies would pull over.

 

March is known for unpredictable weather.

 

C'mon! That's fun driving! Get the back sliding around in virgin snow, what could be better? Go to Porsche Camp 4 and they make you pay big time to do what you just did for free.

 

The summer tires (I use the PS2's) are scary in the snow & ice. I've been stuck in my own driveway. A couple inches of snow and the car feels like it want to swap ends, even at very gentle throttle.

 

Glad you made it home safely. Looking at the track in the snow from the back of the car, it is clear to see the contact patch those tires have. That is a lot of grip when the weather is cooperating in the summer. Excellent engineering by the group in Stuttgart.

 

Nah, that post is a good example of why Porsches and using summer tires in the winter don't mix.

 

well done for getting her back safe....

 

Do that often enough and you might actually start to enjoy it. I love fresh snow for the 911... but I have 240 SottoZero tires on. hehe

Good to see you got home safe though!

 

Honestly, if it weren't for the salt and all the lousy drivers on the road, the 911 AWD is about the best vehicle I have driven in the snow (ground clearance issues aside).

I have ContiWinterContact's on, and the grip even on slush and snow pack is quite amazing. I drove through a real blizzard (25cm of snow during the morning) one day after the battery in my truck died and I had no alternative, and I was totally impressed. Accelerating, braking, etc, all brought a stupid grin to my face. I got a bit aggressive, but never a moment of doubt out there. I tried the minivan later in the day, and slid all over the place.

Then a few days later, I washed all the debris off the car when temp came up a bit.

But, I agree, a C2 with summer tires is a menace to everyone around her.

 

When I lived in the Boston area my wife (a Boston native) told me never to take off snow tires until after her mother's birthday. (Middle of May). You just can't be sure! Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures. They remind me of some of the good and bad things about Mass!

 

I haven't driven my 997 in the snow, as we don't get much in So. Carolina, but when I was younger I remember the old 912 I had did quite well in the snow. FWD cars do well, why not rear engine rear drive?

 

Actually, these cars do quite well, with the engine over the drive wheels.

The real issue with the modern 911s is quite simple,--the tires are getting too wide, and there is too much power for snow. You have to be a lot more gentle. My 1977 S with only 157 PS and 6 inch wheels did absolutely fine in snow. Toss some cable chains on them and it was nearly invincible!

Today, i will be settling with 18 inch snow tires on the car. Modern snow tires are incredibly good. He was playing with summer high performance tires,--and they can't deal well with snow and ice. Thus, he had to take it extremely easy to get it home.