JBT3, I am in a similar boat. I am looking for an 18" setup for a 997 c4s, which means an 18x8 wheel front (235/40/18 tire) and an 18x10 wheel rear (265/40/18); I will use 15mm spacers in the rear to avoid the sunken in look. The Pirelli Sottozero Serie II is the only matched tire and I'm concerned it won't be up to Colorado mountain winter conditions. I had hoped to use the Michelin Pilot Alpin, which has a more open tread pattern, but size is the issue. I am considering 235/40/18 Pilot Alpin PA3 on front and 265/40/18 Pilot Alpin PA2 on the rear. What real world issues, if any, does that present? I can see that due to differences in tread pattern they might have different lateral grip, but on an all wheel drive vehicle with PSM does that really matter? The car is already anticipating different levels of adhesion, even with identical tires all around (I note that the Pirellis, the only tire that does come in a staggered setup, has slightly shallower tread depth in back than front). Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

 

This post is an update to my earlier post today re the Pilot Alpins. Like others I was giving up hope that there might be an alternative to the Sottozero Serie II. I have a 997.2 C4S and am going with an 18" set up, with narrow tires in the rear. The front wheels are 18x8 ET50 with 235/40/18 rubber while the rears are 18x10 ET41with 265/40/18 rubber (I plan on 15mm spacers to avoid the sunken in look on the rear). (I can't believe I'm saying that 265 is narrow...!) I live in the Colorado mountains and have been picking up a consistent vibe from reviews and comments that the Pirelli, while a good tire, was not so great in snow (round shoulder, less open tread). After a lot searching I came across the Continental Contiwintercontact TS810 at 1010tires.com (Canadian site, but ships to the U.S.) and Discount Tire. The professional and consumer reviews for the tire appear to be great -- great stopping power in all conditions, including snow, and good tread life. Earlier today 1010 had both widths of tire but by the time I got to purchasing them I had to split my order between 1010 (for the 265s) and Discount (for the 235s). My current plan for wheels is to go with the BBS SR (with TPMS sensors) from Damon at Tire Rack.

 

I run 19" Pirelli Sottozero Serie II tires on BBS CH-R wheels in the winter. In the Colorado mountains. I'm very pleased with them.

 

I run Pirelli Sottozero Serie II in the winter on the factory Lobster Forks for my 07 C4S:

235/35/R19 N1 Front
295/30/R19 N1 Rear

They work quite well for the price, and have been tested in some rotten weather on various mountain passes in Colorado. If thats the only option out there, its not a bad one to have. I've got no complaints about them.

They are also relatively easy to find, despite the size. Never had trouble getting them.

 

+1

 

slightly off topic- I'd love to see an in car video of snow driving in our cars. Youtube has little