Advice on driving/preparing 996 C2 for a trip to Norway

Hi, We are thinking about taking the 996 North into the Arctic Circle. Normally we would take a Range Rover. What considerations do we need to think about. Cooling/Oil etc. Are there sensible snow chains for a 911? Has anyone done a trip like this? Cheers Spart

What time of year? I worked there for a while and I think its basically law you must run winter tyres over certain periods. I wouldnt go with chain, winter tyres are far better option, chain are only really needed in extreme conditions. Keep it for summer time if you can then you dont have to worry about it. Great idea though as Ive always said I wanted to drive right up north, its a stunning place.

If its over winter you really need studded tyres. Chains are great and a game change but a pain trying to fit them, especially if it's dark.

Consider snow socks. Much easier to fit and a much smother ride. Some brands have studded ribs. Discussed them with a few taxis drivers that swear by them at the ski resorts we have visited!!

As above.

Some research material. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdNcbsgOiM&ab_channel=Harry'sgarage

It's going to be pretty dark, many cars for additional lights for winter, check the regulations for what tyres you will need- I'm sure you will need winters, but depending on where you are going you may need spiked tyres. Also worth considering how you are getting the car there if you are going over Christmas as you may have issues getting back (if your trip runs into Jan).

Thanks guys, Yes it was a winter trip. A guess some reading on the traffic laws in Sweden and Norway is in order. Studded tyres sound fun but not sure how practical trying to find them and in country somewhere/wheel/storage of usual wheels/tyres etc. Chains probably more practical or Tyre Socks look interesting I have never used or seen them. Never had to think about this before as usually it would be Range Rover and AT3's which are M+S and have Alpine ratings. Thank you all for the input. Any issues with Coolant/Oil? Cheers Spart

I fitted winter tyres to my 944 earlier in the year when I was going ice driving, I also had a spare set of wheels with studded tyres in/on the car for that actual activity but I had a set of snow chains for the winter road tyres in case I got stuck somewhere, practice fitting them before you go, they aren't actually that hard to fit if you know how to in advance. I fitted a roof rack for a couple of the wheels and I also fitted an LED light bar to the roof rack for the longer darker days, most locals fit extra lights for Moose spotting, you don't want to hit one of them, I have seen the mess that a hit left behind when I was working in Sweden a couple of years ago. Other than making sure the car is serviced and checked over beforehand I would take a sheet of perspex made to fit the radiator inlet on one side or the car will run too cool and potential may damage the engine? You also need to run with headlights on all the time in Scandinavia. Also...... can I come with you :lol:

I always drive with headlights on. If one of my boys doesn't want to come then I may be looking for a co-pilot! Cheers Spart

A winter run up to the Arctic sounds fun, I'd also love a trip, but I wouldn't stop at the Arctic Circle, there's a hell of a lot further to go before you're in the sea. You will definitely need proper Nordic friction or studded tyres from the likes of Nokian or Continental (as chains are crap and no fun at all to drive for any distance whatsoever at any speed in double digits, and no-one in the Nordics runs chains. You'd probably get arrested, certainly a lot of funny looks from some old dear in a 15 year old Corolla on Nokians). You will almost certainly need to pre-order the tyres, as no-one keeps stock in Porsche rear sizes, not even Nokian. Ask me how I know. My suggestion would be to order some tyres from a shop in say Oslo or preferably Gothenberg in Sweden (as less expensive), drive there, have them fit your new tyres to your stock rims, and ask them to keep your summers on a pallet. You can then have them sent back home. There are a couple of other issues. First of all, midwinter is dark, darker than a line from Blackadder. As in, no daylight. Most of the locals run spots. Or nowadays, those 400eur light bars. I'd suggest that you save your trip for later in the winter, say March or April. It'll still be cold as hell and there'll be more snow than you've ever seen, so much that you might only be driving along snow canyons. And second, you might find yourself running very long hours to get a little bit further into nowhere, as Norway is very very long indeed, and well, you might be able to run at 80-100kmh max. Some of the time. Much of the time, you'll be cantering along at just 50 or 60kmh. And since Northern Norway is very sparsely populated, there will be one road, about the size of a narrow A road. And very few places to eat, sleep, and fuel. The one place I would definitely go to is the Lofoten Islands and Svolvaer. Achingly beautiful. You might also want a DEFA Smartcharger to pre-heat the engine block, pre-heat the interior of the car, and top up the battery. It's a Norwegian company but I've used DEFA for 20+ years. I'd suppose you can get one installed in Gothenberg too. As such you don't need to worry about your coolant or oil, as it'll still be runny. Without one, you may well struggle to start your car without; and I've heard about cracked blocks and frozen gearboxes when it gets cold. Lastly, as nice as Norway is, it is very expensive (no, seriously, ridiculously expensive), especially if you like 95, food and alcohol. Alcohol is basically a currency and a bottle of brandy might get you towed out of a ditch a lot faster than a phone call to Falck. Take as much as you can carry in your 911. You might find out why it is such an appreciated asset as there isn't much else to do, unless you can erm... sleep with your co-pilot.

Cool OK, I've changed my mind. :lol: I used to go to Oslo quite often as I was seeing a Norwegian girl a while back and I would always get orders for VSOP, as many bottles as I was allowed on a flight to take for her friends, when I drove the drink orders got silly and as I had foreign plates I got stopped by customs in the centre of Oslo, they asked plenty of questions. I think it was around £7 a pint 20 odd years ago?

This was great to watch. thanks for the link. Made it look too easy! Cheers Spart

@Infrasilver @MaxA Thanks for the detailed information. I am not sure how a smartcharger will pre heat engine block and interior! What am I missing? Is it something like the Range Rover which I can set to start itself up warm the seats and interior and defrost the windows? I don't drink so that probably reduced the trip cost by a third! Cheers Spart

This brings back memories. Here are a few thoughts on what 20 years (8 yrs driving a Datsun 280Z) of winter driving in Canada has thought me . - I would put on a 996 4 new snow tyres and forget chains or anything else in that department. - Make sure the windscreen wipers are new as well - Make sure the windscreen washer is filled with the fluid that can endure -45c ( remember there is no engine in the front to generate heat for the washer fluid) -I would not put a block heater on the car as synthetic motor oil resists the cold much better than the old mineral one. -Check engine coolant to make sure that it can take the cold I would try to keep the car in an indoor parking lot if possible or away from the wind I would make sure the car windows are well defrosted so that the window can go down when you open the door - A newish battery is important as the power goes down quickly in the cold - a heater for the inside of the car might sound OTT but might come in handy Finally make sure the car is well warmed up before going as you have 9 litres of engine oil and 22 litres of engine coolant to warm up . _- the other usual ones like warm clothing a small shovel are all fine but the idea is NOT TO GET STUCK in the first place . Hope this helps