porsche in the winter

[a9jlu]

hey guys!

i was wondering if my 996 C4S with around 6.5k miles will do in the winter season in NYC. this is the first winter my porsche will be experiencing and does anybody have any good advise? like, i keep on feeling it is not designed for winter use. hehe. i mean, yesterday it dropped under freezing and i noticed that the LCD screen for the radio was kindof laggy while updating what it read. my amg mercedes never had a problem in the winter season, how reliable is my c4s for the winter?

thanks.

regards,

jason

[peter-pa31]

Interesting. I have also had problems with the radio in my 04 C4S as it has gotten colder. If the car is very cold (sitting outside on a cold day) the radio re-boots repeatedly for the first few minutes. After it warms up, it is fine for the duration of the drive. If it is a warmer day, or if the car is sitting in bright sunlight, this does not happen.

Other than that, I have had no problems in the cold. I have my snow tires on the car, and I intend to drive it every day through the winter.

[C4S Surgeon]

You will need winter wheels and tires, I have zero problems in the snow driving in/out of manhattan daily. My first yr I tried my pzeros, very slippery in the snow, it pays to get snow tires.

[dphil66]

Porsche ARE designed to be driven year-round. They truly are the "everyday supercar". I drive my '99 996 Carrera 4 all year, and my girlfriend drives her 944 all year. Definitely get snow tires. Not 'all-season' tires, but SNOW tires.

Here are some things to consider with driving any car in the winter:

- Beware of hidden potholes that can bend your wheels

- If you have not purchased snow tires on separate wheels (yet), I would recommend (for the 996) getting the 17x7 and 17x9 wheels instead of the 18s. The wider 18-inch rims make the rears more like snowshoes that stay up on top of the snow instead of digging down deep into it. Our 944 with narrow snow wheels/tires does better in the snow than the AWD, PSM C4 because of this.

- Start driving right after you start the car. This lets the entire drivetrain warm up at the same time. If you start the car and let it idle, you're putting excess wear on your catalytic converters and the transmission and everything else are still cold.

- Your LCD screen will not come up to full illumination until the car is a little warmer. The PCM manual for my nav system says the same thing, it is normal.

- Don't force it into gear, just apply gentle pressure until it goes into gear. Ripping on a cold transmission can wear out your synchros

- Be cautious of how much throttle you apply. This is not much of a concern if your car has PSM, but if not, be careful. Even the right tires can let you do a 180 in a heartbeat on icy roads

- The body of your Porsche is galvanized steel and aluminum. It is virtually impervious to rust.

- Take it out to a big open parking lot and spend a half hour doing donuts. If for nothing other than the fun factor...

Best wishes,

Dan

[a9jlu]

Start driving right after you start the car. This lets the entire drivetrain warm up at the same time. If you start the car and let it idle, you're putting excess wear on your catalytic converters and the transmission and everything else are still cold.

thanks for all the advise guys!

i always let my car idle for a few minutes before i drive it (i thought it would be better, less wear) but apparently not. :help:

there has been times where i drive my porsche without warming it up and it never seems to drive right. have to rev is up a little higher than usual to get it started...

help of this matter?

i mean, some people say never to idle your car while others say you should always idle your car. people who tell you to idle your car says it will wear less if you do and people who tell you not to idle your car says it will also wear less. hehe. :help:

[toddel68]

... yesterday it dropped under freezing and i noticed that the LCD screen for the radio was kindof laggy while updating what it read. my amg mercedes never had a problem in the winter season, how reliable is my c4s for the winter?

You do realize that LCD is short form for LIQUID Crystal Display don't you? This is perfectly normal system behaviour in cold conditions. Even your Mercedes wouldn't be able to defy the laws of physics if it had LCDs.

Concerning the other part of the question: I'm currently running 225/265 winter tires on 18" rims and had no problems two days ago with 8 inches of fresh snow. Of course braking is just the same as with any other two wheel drive. Even the 25° ramp in front of my garage was no problem despite me being too lazy to remove the snow before.

Thorsten

BTW: Tires are Hankook W300 rated 240km/h

[Ray S (Chicago)]

Put on some snow tires and you'll have no worries. I just had my 996 C2 out in the first Chicago snow of the season on Friday. The car (on Blizzak's) performed very well and was very stable.

As the other member indicated a lag on your radio LCD when cold is normal (my Audi A4 did this also).

Good luck!!

[911porschefan]

- Start driving right after you start the car. This lets the entire drivetrain warm up at the same time. If you start the car and let it idle, you're putting excess wear on your catalytic converters and the transmission and everything else are still cold.

Best wishes,

Dan

Dan - not to discredit you, but does anyone have any other opinions to this. I just bought my first Porsche and will probably take out a few times in the winter and want to make sure I am doing everything right.

[dphil66]

I suppose there may be pros and cons to idling the car vs. not idling the car, but I think the most important point to take away is that one should be more gentle until one's car is at full operating temperature. Avoid high revs, fast shifts, 'spirited driving' until the car is warmed up, in order to avoid premature wear on the car's many drivetrain components. Optimally, "operating temperature" would mean the engine, transmission, differentials, wheel bearings, etc. etc. are all at operating temperature. Even though an engine may have been idling for 20 minutes, the transmission and everything else will still be cold.

We've just had 8 inches of snow in the last 12 hours, and I'm telling you...the 911 may be the best car ever for doing donuts! What a gas!

[wross996TT]

According to the Porsche Manual...you should be ready to drive your car immediately after start-up. You should not warm your car up in idle!

Edited December 7, 2005 by wross996TT

[PeterC4]

I have a 2000 C4 and I live in Toronto, Canada. Generally, I keep my car in my office underground during the winter but drive it about once a week when its clear. Since I do not have snow tires I will not drive it when it snows and if you do drive in winter, you really need snow tires. I find the car runs fine even in the coldest weather. I use 5W-30 oil in the cold weather. I have never had a problem.

[stanm5]

My '02 c2 cab with the hard top in place and 17" snows performs flawlessly in the snow. We had a bit of a snow storm last night and while driving home I did notice one unusal thing, each time the psm kicked in, the radio (am band) went to static.

Also radio related, I use a Treo 600 and each time it picks up gsm signal I hear it through my radio. Is there a way to shield it so that I don't hear it?

Cheers,

Stan

[dphil66]

I've had some kind of strange noises through the factory stereo every time my Nextel rings. Not while in conversation, but only when it rings. Strange thump-thump-thump-thump-thump noise with each ring of the phone. Very odd!