996FLT6

Just get a 2nd set of rims. U can get some real good deals on used cayenne wheels. Also if u happen to get stuck doing a trip up for some skiing/snowboarding- DO NOT even try snow chains(wires) at a nearby gas station. Not proper fitting(I wouldn't even recommend Porsche tire chain(wire)- they start breaking off and starts whipping the crap inside the wheel well. Caused abs/psm sensors to break off or just went into dizzy mode and fried the sensors. Cost me from dealer $2200 to replace all 4 sides. Tried one chain at front 1st no cigar then added rear side if I go 5 mph no problem if 10 mph cannot stop car if panic brake. Mike

996FLT6

What's worse my friend has a Toyota 4 runner with the proper tires for snow told me that my car is a pos since I was doing dyno runs on his driveway : (. Mike

Brit6

Another horrible option. Winter tires in the summer will actually wear so fast you will not get very much use out of them.

CaptJim

All I was saying that I have driven many cars over the years, in the snow too. I have never experienced such a poor traction. Even my 2wd conversion van was better then the Cayenne. I have had bald tires work better in the snow. I will be saving the car for days it is not snowing. I have other 4wd trucks that can out perform the Cayenne, regardless of tire type, in the snow.

How bad is it in a rain storm?

mudman2

a bad workman blames his tools. the laws of physics always applies

Your beginning to sound like a redneck

CaptJim

Would it sound better if I said my Mercedes and my Jaguar handled better in the snow. What I did learn was that the Cayenne is not a tool for the snow. Even if I put better tires on her, I have better tools for that job. I simply could not tell that the knife was so dull until I used it to cut something.

It surprised me that the summer tires were so significantly bad in the snow.

I will stick with keeping the High Heels and stockings on her and put her away in the snow, flip flops don't look good on a sexy pair of legs.

mudman2

Since 2003 I have driven in every sort of weather with Sport, All Season and Snows in essentially the same weather you have around Reading

I leave generally before dawn certainly before Pendot, I am on call during the night also NEVER had one issue, always works all the time better than my ML 430 my wife's Lexus or Explorer or Audi

Never a drama

Every storm I do the same exercise, middle school or Redners parking lot, use as a skid pan to remind me, always tip never auto, highest gear no brake no flooring except on skid pan

In 2003/2004 your like minded friends posted identical posts all trying to change the laws of physics, the dealers knew nothing better until the crashes started and they learned

Ask BMW dealers/drivers the same question, same answer

CaptJim

Maybe its all about the tires, the width especially. I know how to drive and know when a vehicle is having trouble, less about the car and more about the shoes. I have another vehicle with better shoes on it.

Dennis C

My first introduction to the true need for snow tires was back when I used to own Saab automobiles and I lived in the midwest. We bought my wife a brand new 2003 Saab 9-5 Linear Sportwagon. It was front wheel drive, and it came from the factory equipped with Pirelli Four Seasons. They are an average all-season tire. That car felt unstoppable in the snow. Less than a year later, I bought a brand new Saab 9-5 Aero sedan. It was also front wheel drive, but it was equipped from the factory with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso summer tires. My dealer misinformed me that it would be fine in the snow if I took it easy. He couldn't have been more wrong. The Saab with summer tires was so dangerous in snow, slush and ice that I very quickly got proper tires for it for driving in the winter. The difference was unbelievalbe. It completely transformed the car to a winter beast. You're experiencing the same thing with your Cayenne.

This year, I waited a little bit too long to switch to my winter tires on the Cayenne. I run Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires as my "summer" tires, even though they are technically all-season tires. My wife got stuck on a snowy driveway with a very light uphill grade. The car simply isn't good in snow without the proper tires. Once I switched to my Michelin Latitude Alpin winter tires, the car feels unstoppable. Like the Saab, the right tires totally transform the vehicle.

I like to use a shoe analogy when describing the need for winter tires. Have you every tried to walk down a slippery driveway covered with ice or snow while wearing sneakers or leather-soled shoes? If you have tried this, then you have probably fallen on your *** or come close to it. If you walk down the same driveway wearing winter boots with a cleated sole, you'll easily see that you have more traction and are able to navigate the hill more easily.

pawnstar

My 2014 GTS with summer Pirellis 20s had no trouble dealing with a blizzard last night. The car was so composed and controllable even at a somewhat enthusiastic rate of travel, that my passenger remarked, 'holy s***! Slow down! Wow, must be a Porsche thing!'

There were a few twitchy moments but nothing a quick correction could not recover. Remarkable drivetrain.

HOiYA

You didn't mention where you are located so can't determine which of the may winter storms are battering the US you experienced. But either way, count yourself lucky. Summer tires are NOT meant for temps below 40F.

996FLT6

Tyra panic stop on a turn on summer tires in the snow- laws of **** in the fan will take over on summer tires. I don't care what car u have. Safety of others and yourself and family is priority no 1. Why go playing Vettel on a week track on slicks? Mike

Shawn Stanford

You figured it out in your first post: It's your tires. I live near Scranton and I've driven through snow over a foot deep on multiple occasions and never had an issue. Get a set of 17" or 18" Cayenne wheels and Blizzaks to go on them. You'll never want to drive another vehicle in the snow ever again.

CaptJim

Here is a pic of my driveway when this happened to me. If I didn't try to steer off the side, I was gaining speed and the anti-lock feature was not helping me, I would have slid all the way down and it could have been bad.

dryadsdad

I"m not agreeing at all with the direction of this thread. I've never bought snow tires for my DD and have lived in Denver, Wyoming and New York. While NY wasn't as cold, it was pretty snowy too.

Some place earlier on someone posted that riding even on dry cold pavement with 'summer' tires was tantamount to asking to die. I have no had that experience or even close. I will agree that different vehicles wearing the same or similar tires will behave drastically differently on snow. Frex, a Honda Civic we had was adroit on the snow but a BMW 3 series was a disaster. Still, I drove it knowing it was a difficult vehicle in the snow and nothing bad ever happened.

I'm not arguing that snow tires are useless. I run mud and snows all year long on my 4 x 4 and it makes a huge difference but IMO, the typical person does not need these highly aggressive tires for general purpose use. Sure, if you have a steep driveway and a good deal of snow, you may but that's outside of general purpose use, IMO.