I need a little advice...............I live in sunny California right now, but might be considering a move to the Boston area. I'm not the kind of person who can put their Porsche into hibernation for the winter. I use my car as a DD and would still want to if I'm in the snow. That being said, is it worth the hassle of switching to snows every season? Also, how good is the handling/traction on a C2 with snow tires versus a C4 or Turbo? Would I have to switch tires on a C4 or Turbo anyway? My thought right now (without knowing any better) is that I'd be better off with AWD, but if I have to switch tires no matter what, I might be OK with my C2S as long as it can negotiate a Boston area winter.

 

Either one with proper snow tires will easily get you through the winters here. Only caveat is deep, unplowed snow. That might stop you.

 

all wheel drive does help but when the snows over your bumper and the summer tires have no traction its a 4 wheel stationary burnout quite quickly

all wheel drive is over rated, Its the tires that give you the traction. in my northern canada experiences.

if the underbody of the car doesnt clear the snow your going nowhere regardless of how many wheels you have. although rear wheel drive just plain sucks in snow, it's really a nightmare

 

I think you will need snow tires either way. Boston gets heavy snow and some ice and summer tires even on a 4wd 911 will probably not cut it.

FWIW I drove my 2WD 325i from Boston to RI on Rt 95 during the blizzard last year. I had snow tires and had no problems. Going at a decent slow speed and todays stability and traction control helps a bunch. I once tried my 325 in snow without snow tires, just the OEM tires, it was not plesant.

 

Boston traffic/drivers is/are bad enough, but Boston WINTERTIME traffic...??

NOT...!

The only Porsche I might drive in that circumstance would be either a rental or a throughly dinged up Cayenne.

Drive a junker car for the first few months of the winter weather and you will understand.

 

You need snows no matter what.

 

C4, or Turbo are DEFINITELY BETTER for Boston and during winter (for pure snow, C4 might be better as Turbo torque may make it harder to control). I drive my car all-around, albeit in Vancouver with much less snow than Boston.

However, as others eluded, if you plan to take your car out duing a snowstorm, you most likely would have trouble with ground clearance. Also, ANY QUICK TRADE to C4/Turbo would have a big hit on your car...

So, unless you can find an easy trade from C2 to C4 at cost of under $10K (with all taxes, fees), I'd rather keep C2, find a small car with good AWD (like Subaru or Audi) around $10-15K. Use C2 with winter tires on days that's just freezing, and use the AWD car during actual snowstorms... best of both worlds!

 

Anywhere you have ice and snow like Boston where the snow is wet - unlike the snow out West - you need snow tires and more! I wouldn't think of driiving a nice Porsche thru the Boston winters. I had a friend that lived there - not a good idea. I'd do just what others have said - get yourself a beater and it will be cheaper than trading your car anyway. My 2 cents...

 

put snows on and drive it proudly!!

 

Get the c4 and put the snows on and go!! here's my DD in any weather:





Tom

 

Why do people think a Turbo is any better in the snow than a C2S? I don't get it

 

love these threads.....

I always say drive your C2 with snows...but not today....

today I say buy a $2-5k POS and have some fun, you will enjoy your Porsche more when you get back in it and will not worry about the POS when rocks and sand blast the paint off the nose

my C2 was wonderful in wet yukky snow WITH snow tires

 

I just switched over from a cayman S to a 997.2 (rwd) and cannot believe the grip the car has in bad conditions. To get familiar with it (ahem), I took it out in our recent storm, at around 1 inch of slush/ice accumulation, before the salters came out. Even with summer tires, it did more than ok in my short loop. I'm not recommending to keep summer tires, not at all, in fact I won't even drive my car once there is salt out. Just saying the 2wd is quite strong in this case.

The suggestion above, to get a beater, is actually quite good. Boston & NYC are not kind to cars, it's good to keep something else on the side. Not just for the worst of the worst storms but also for miserably busy times/days, for roads that you know have craters, forays to rough areas, etc.

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...1&d=1320180335

 

Keep in mind that driving in snow and on ice are not the only issues. A lot of the other people on the snowy roads are driving POSs without snow tires. You're more likely to get nailed by one of them.

If you can't garage your P-car on both ends of your commute, then you'll often find your car coated in ice. Maybe it's just me, but I would hate to take the chance of causing body damage body while scraping ice. I even cringe when I have to scrape my Acura.

During the winter, the roads here are bad - even without snow. A road that's flat during the summer and fall can turn into a roller coaster of frost heaves during the winter. Pot holes can consume a wheel. Salt and sand are the norm. When the snow banks melt, the roads get wet and the salt is going to coat your car. This seems to happen almost daily. The lower your windshield is to the road - the worse it is.

Sorry for being negative. Does it sound like I hate the snow? Nope. Just the oposite. I love it - just not in my 911.