DavieGravy

I've seen a lot of videos on youtube of cayennes getting stuck in the snow and pulled out by little subarus, etc. Either that or they're driving in 2'' of snow and losing their back ends as if they have absolutely no control over the vehicle. I've also seen quite a lot of shaky reviews about the cayenne's snow performance without winter tires (which I know make a difference). Just wondering if the people I see getting stuck in these things know about the diff lock / low range switch and if they're actually using it. Does it make a difference in the snow? I've yet to drive mine in snowy conditions until I get some better tires. If someone could speak from experience; say driving in 5'' of snow or more with mediocre tires I'd really appreciate the feedback.

williamr91

I'll probably be flamed however I am running p-zero rosso's summer tires at the moment, deciding on an all season and wheel combo or winter tire and wheel combo. Anyways I've had to use it (not to get unstuck) but just having some fun and the the air suspension and locking diff's it pulled pretty easily out of 10 inches of snow with summer tires.

My old CS without air did fine with all seasons, I used the diff's once when playing in a ditch/taking photos with at least 1.5 feet of icy snow (was in the middle of nowhere, 20 minutes went by and not one car).

With all that said, winter tires without or with air I'm sure would be quite capable. The videos you saw are probably someone being very dumb or not knowing how to drive through deep snow. These are great on and off road with or without snow IMO.

mtnrat

With blizzaks I have no issues in deep fresh snow to rain melted snow ice, (as in you can actually ice skate on it), on steep 300' driveways. The locking centre diff and reduction really help in very marginal conditions that you will not find on most roads. My other car is a fully locked, lifted, armoured, and regeared, 97 landcruiser with 35" ice radials, and the CTT holds its own. I have pulled out a couple of trucks with the cayenne using a ****** strap and shackles. The guys in the trucks were pretty surprised at how easily the cayenne just dragged them out. On that note when the blizzaks wear out I am looking at hakkeplettas with studs.

kalyan

Drove our Cayenne S with Blizzaks on frozen lake with patches of ice and lots of snow in other areas. The pig did great! We also drove two identical Audi Q5's (one with snow tires and the other with all-seasons). Huge difference in handling on ice and snow.

Cheers,
-A

996FLT6

Don't drive summer tires on moderate snow!!! Scary as ****!!! Do all season for moderate and snow tires on severe- that won't miss a beat. Mike

Frank 993 C4S

Summer tires in the snow is just crazy, whether you have AWD or not. It's not about acceleration or getting stuck but braking and turning. All-Season tires are a joke too when it comes to performance in snow. Watch this video:

http://www.tirerack.com/videos/index.jsp?video=23

Dennis C

I'm running Michelin Latitude Alpin N3 tires on 18" wheels on my CS. It's a fantastic snow vehicle. I've had it in deep snow many times and it does very well. I wouldn't even consider driving it with my 20" wheels with summer tires in the snow. Even all-seasons are a big compromise. If you drive in snow or ice, then you should get the right tires.

Dennis C

Adding to my previous post: I live in the mountains where we get lots of snow and have lots of steep grades. We can see snow in any month except for July and August. As a result, I run an all-season tire (Continental ExtremeContact DWS) as my "summer" tire on 20" wheels. Usually snow that we get in early June is slushy and only lasts for a day. That being said, I wouldn't want to drive in it on proper summer rubber (because of the slush and the temperature). I run proper winter tires from mid-October through mid-May. I drop down to 18" wheels for a bigger side wall to avoid wheel damage on rough roads. I also run a narrower tire for snow performance.

This year, my wife was out in the Cayenne in the early fall while the car was still sporting the all-season tires. We had a light snow (3 or 4 inches) and she got stuck in a friends' driveway. She was eventually able to get out by putting a little gravel down by the tires for traction. Now that the Cayenne is sporting proper winter tires, this driveway isn't an issue at all. The tires make a HUGE difference.

I've never used the locking differential in snow. With the right tires, you really shouldn't need it. I view that as more of an off-road setting than a snow setting.

Cole

The Cayenne does just fine. The one thing I would say is that the PSM is tuned for performance and "allows" a bit more play before it steps in to help. Unlike the Audi and VW that run a MUCH more conservative system.

But, the problems are more often uneducated drivers. I've taught winter/ice driving (and ice raced) for 20 years. I've taught hundreds of car enthusiasts and "racers" that "thought" they knew how to drive. Most of them have it all wrong!


This picture below is with "Ultra high performance all seasons ". There was no drama getting here or back. In a modified Turbo Fwiw.

Dennis C

Cole, you should get up here and ski! I've been out every day this week at Keystone. It's snowing hard this morning!

KevinGross

My first winter with my Cayenne was on all season tires. I had no problems driving it in fresh, deep snow and in particular remember driving up a steep incline without a hiccup. I bought a winter wheel & tire package from Porsche this year, just because, and a few trips in snow and ice here have been uneventful. (However, I've been a DE instructor for 20 or so years and my sensibilities are a bit twisted. My wife's MB has a "traction control on" lamp, and I try to keep it flashing 100% of the time when driving in snow.)

Kevin
Catellus Engineering

mr2sc

my 09S has studded Hakkepilettas. Its an unstoppable tank in the snow/ice. Its astonishing how hard you can accelerate, stop, or corner on icy or deep snow surfaces.
Having said that, dry road grip with the studded tires ain't all that great, but I don't need to be on the ragged edge of grip on cold winter asphalt anyway.

Today, I happen to be driving a 2013 958 courtesy car (v6) with new Pirelli ice radials...and there's no comparison to mine. It feels like my wife's Subaru. Not bad at all, but clearly not like mine...not even close.

I agree, with Dennis C, that the off-road settings aren't really necessary for snow/ice.

Now, I'm just pondering whether or not for next summer, I should buy actual summer tires, or an all season like the Conti DWS (no, I don't really "off-road"...just tow)

Dennis C

Lots of people run studded tires where I live. I've thought about it, but we often get sunny days in the upper 50s in the middle of winter here. They just don't make sense for me.

touareg

One of the reasons I bought my Cayenne was because I enjoyed the snow performance with my Touareg. I have had no problems going through fresh 8" + powder or half plowed parking lots with a fresh 6" layer on it. If I have ever got stuck, I was able to lock the center diff and was able to get out no problems.

The 955/957 came with:
"An automatic progressively locking centre differential (with manual override), and a "low range" setting that can be activated with in-cabin controls. Options to make the vehicles more capable off-road include an available air suspension system which can raise the car's ride height on command, and an interior switch allowing the rear differential to be manually locked."

Don't know of many trucks with the rear diff lock. Also the 958 dropped either the low range or center locking diff to save weight, not sure which.

extanker

hey do not worry you have 4 wheel drive and we all know they do not follow the laws of physics so neither should you...floor it