Porkers in the snow ? - Page 3 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I saw a 2.7RS replica (or real thing???) in Gerrard's Cross railway station car park yesterday. I almost saluted. That said, I;m sure 9M and Melv love the opportunity to test the handling in their nearby Sainsburys car park

I'm using the Fiesta I'm afraid. Like you say, I wouldn't trust other road users. I've just seen a silver 996 drive up the road next to my office however.

Now this is why one needs a 4WD Porker estate. >> Edited by jeremyc on Wednesday 8th January 10:12

JeremyC glad to see from your profile you have a suberb RS2...I didn't think it would be long before somebody would make a case for the Cayenne,Thankfully it wasn't you!

We've not got the snow in Bristol yet. I wouldn't have a problem with my driving of the car in the snow (4WD), the problem is the other lunatics sliding into you. Hence car stays in the garage. From the experience of living down a country lane for 16 years, I would say the most dangerous drivers in snow are the 4*4 merchants who realise their vehicles can accelerate almost as normal, but forget their brakes are useless just like the rest of ours. DAZ

My Boxster is hopeless, I can't even make it out our cul-de-sac without the bback-end sliding like it's on skates!

What's the problem, my C2 goes to Val D'Isere every year!!! The weight over the rear wheels ensures traction, and believe it or not, you're not obliged to plant the right foot into the carpet at all times!!! Two years ago Porsche GB took a load of cars down with clients and let them play on the Alpine roads!!!

I have been out and about in the Boxster quite a lot here in Glasgow were it is -6 at the minute, have not had any problems at all. PSM though, and I have seen the scary orange traction light a few times. Oh and I found why I now love heated seats, poncey or not. BRRRRRR......

Paul, I think it all depends on whether its your daily driver or not.I am fornunate enough to have other cars to 'play'with in the snow.I woundn't want to risk my NCB or damaging the car needlessly.Who would? Steve

Still running around in my 944 - No Worries

4wd, air cooled, and heated seats... my car was built for weather like this. I have to admit that other drivers do scare me a bit, so i tend to leave loads of room around me. Also got a friend's Skyline at the moment (he's away for a month) and that's hopeless in the snow - as soon as the boost comes in the rears spin up, no matter how gentle i am with the throttle pedal. Oh well.

Steve,have to agree on the NCB aspect,my other car is a Morgan,so I tend to use my mountain bike. I am looking forward to seeing your new car at VW,weather permitting of course!

I remember using my beetle in proper snow when first I acquired and it was ok-ish. Unfortunately, as I find self restraint difficult in these cars, the power/ice ratio would inevitably spell doom thus...cozy hibernation for fat little Germans is ze only solution.

I use mine every day. I was a bit worried at first, but now its fine

Emma's out in the Boxster; no weather stops her (er, well, apart from when the ice at the top of the road gets so bad you can't get out....) Years of driving RWD cars in all weathers Get driving, you pussies !

Greg, I to hve years of driving exprience in rear wheel drive cars.....however its the other numpties that worry me.Just followed a women in a Pug 307 top speed of 5 mph,yes thats Five mph for about a mile.(in the Mondeo)Thats no exageration.She was also on the wrong side of the road!!She hadn't a clue. Perhaps you understand why I leave the Porker tucked up in the garage. Steve

Domster - You sure that isn't the yellow peril you're mistaking in Gerrards Cross train station now??

Domster - You sure that isn't the yellow peril you're mistaking in Gerrards Cross train station now?? ps: I agree with the 'ard weather crew, the CS is happy as Larry sliding about in the snow.... until I hit a lamp post and start crying.

Must say (bit of a 'Demon Domster in FWD Rover scenario, this), some of the most incredible/ludicrous manouevres I've ever seen in arctic conditions have come courtesy of fairly mundane FWD carriages; Novas, Cavaliers, etc. I mean seriously de-ranged speeds and angles of mini roundabout attack type stuff where I've just been nailed, thinking, er, how? But Greg's quite right. In recognition of his righteous chastisement I shall bring oot the blackie on the morrow, whatever the conditions. (On the other hand, I only zymoled the sod a while back so...what a PUFF!)

LOL, your yellow peril is *never* in the car park when my train passes Gerrards Cross at 8.30 you lazy sod!!! You must get into work shortly before elevenses, which then make was for a long lunch, followed by an early night etc. You accountants only seem to do any work at month/year end

Would you believe I left the BoxsterS in the garage this morning and used my (new!) mountain bike... I'd rather walk than use my mountain bike in this weather Don! Steve >> Edited by sb930turbo (moderator) on Wednesday 8th January 20:15

My Boxster's outside the office at the moment under its own little snow igloo - looks like being a fun drive home!!

Not me personally but I followed (for a short distance) a 993TT yesterday in Budapest, we had (at that time) around 10cm of snow, ungritted or cleared. I was far happier in my Niva I think. At least the TT is 4wd. Even the Niva (80bhp) could spin all four wheels in first to third gears without too much prodding. Today the gritting lorries are out, yesterday must have been a vacation day.

I'm afraid I also cycled in this morning, and saw the sad sight of a Boxster that had slid into some high kerbing and looked to have bent one of the front wheels. Not looking forward to the cycle ride home...

Steve, No problem mate, I'd be a bit gutted if some idiot crashed into me. Althought the taxi drives better in icy conditions if you set the slushbox to Winter and turn the traction control OFF (???)

Sorry Don -- you've definitely picked the wrong time of year to start cycling! Surely there must be some market for microwaveable saddle stuff that you detach and then it retains the heat for a while? Failing that, I assume that you take the saddle off the bike and put it near a nice warm radiator or something? btw, isn't it uphill all the way home for you?

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Well I was out in it, on account of I picked up the car (996 C2) today . Bit tentative to begin with, especially on those little roads around Godalming and Egham (popped in to see Manu & Ajay), but the car copes with it very well. Truly impressive grip on wet sweepers, although the tyres need to warm up first, and it really does shift when it comes on cam. Was enjoying myself hugely after being in the car an hour or so. The front end seems to 'drive a bit light', especially under hard acceleration (is this a trait?). It *badly* needs a sports exhaust- no surprises there then! This is my main car now, so I'll be out in tomorrow, and the next day etc., whatever the weather. Looking forward to it too.

I use my 911SC as my everyday car. It gets used whatever the weather. No problems in the snow for the daily commute from Bromley to Peckham.

William...You are not wrong mate..the car will not be going anywhere for a while.Probably the same where you are but we had a good 6" here.I walked home from the station at 6.45pm the volume of traffic was more like midnight on a normal day. I saw a late 993 cab parked up with badly curbed alloys on my way home - a shame. Mine is currently sitting in the Garage on the shag pile with all the radiators on full blast.I managed to Zymol the car at the weekend,so at least it should be protected when it hits the road again. Hope to see you at VW on 02/02 with the 944....Paul

I spotted a belgian GT3 driving at 1 mph on ice the other day Brave bloke!

Hi 456mgt congratulations on getting your new car. with respect to the front end lightness of the car.Yes this is a trait,but you may want to play with the tyre pressures from the usual 36 / 44......maybe 35 / 40 for example,when the weather improves obviously.But in the meantime especially with these conditions it may help to run the car with the fuel tank nearer to full & certainly above 1/2..You should notice some difference in the balance on a C2....Have Fun!!!!

Thanks Paul- now that I think about it, you're right. I filled up on the way home and it certainly felt a lot more planted afterwards. Serious question- does anyone stick a bag of something heavy in the 'boot' in bad weather? I might try this anyway- stick a couple of 25kg bags of salt tablets in the front and see if there's a difference in front/rear balance. Ta Kevin

Kev, congrats on the car! The front lightness is I think common to the 4wd cars as well. I noticed it in my car as well.

Congrats Kevin....shall have to try those tyre pressures on mine when the spring arrives!What tyres/ wheels do you have on your car?,this can effect the balance I think.I don't notice a problem with my car,mines on 18"wheels with Pirelli p Zero's & sports suspesion,but then I'm comparing it with the the 930,not a 456 or 360 Steve

Consider yourselves lucky! - Dads *only* car is a Cerbera 4.5 and he has to drive to and from work everyday no matter what the weathers like!! Its a scary enough car in the dry, let alone in snow. No ABS, traction control, ABC, 4WD or even much weight - so as you can imagine, its err - interesting. If you see a guy in an Estoril Cerbera driving about struggling for grip, give him a wave

Drive my 944 every day no matter what. It's a car, that's what they're for???? Mind you Northants snow is not exactly alpine

Hey Steve- saw your flatnose again yesterday, with a few cm of snow on it. My setup is not that different from yours- 18" wheels, sports suspension, PZero's on the back, Continental Contisports on the front. The light front end thing was quite pronounced on low tanks, and you just notice it as a slightly vague feeling through the steering, or there being a disconnect/floatiness between steering input and effect. I'm not comparing the car to anything else- honest- just trying to understand how this car works. CU Kev

456 MGT I wouldn't try to start to understand how the car works at the moment(weatherwise) A lot of it is due to grip as you can imagine with the size of the tyres. Some say that 17" ride better inspiring confidence etc..I am not in this camp with 18" & sports chassis but it all adds to the learning experience. Like a lot of us you are on the learning curve of the 2wd 911,soon you will revel in the lightish feel to the steering into corners as you get the back to squat and fire you out of the other side.

Just like to add my applause for your new addition, Kevin. Obviously the sports exhaust will change the acoustic landscape dramatically but that's some switch from Maranello to Stuttgart! All hail Kevin 456mgt - clearly a man with more taste than a cloned bank of Gary Rhodes' humanoids in an Italian cuisine judging competition.

The whole of last winter season I would drive up to the local ski station in the 993 TT. Going up was always fine (extra weight on wheels plus the AWD), but it was the coming down that was a bit scary (all that weight at the back). I just drove down in first/second gear being overtaken by 106's/Micra's/etc until I got out of the snow (then caught them up!).

I used to LOVE playing with my old C4 in the snow. Took it to a local airfield to do sort of doughnuts once -that was a hoot!! The only thing that really stops me taking the Cup out is the lack of underseall! It DOES concern me. However, my imported Pajero has no underseal, and appears to be rusting gently underneath...had no qualms about taking that out in the snow. But the laws of physics still apply and it WILL slide........ I'll just keep entertained by practicing handbrake turns on another car, Russ Swift style!! Mel

Hi Kev, I think some of the problem may be due to different tyres front/rear.(when I got mine it had Contis on the rear and P Zeros on the front,it didn't feel completly balanced)Also from what you describe,I think the slightly vague feeling sounds like I used to get on the flatnose,prior to the alignment being done.Does the front seem to 'wander' at speed? Cheers Steve PS:-Can't believe the flatnose is still there,suppose its due to the bad weather,its going to a dealer in Yorkshire! >> Edited by sb930turbo (moderator) on Thursday 9th January 17:44

Sure is. Made it home fine though. Couple of dodgy moments where I had to walk it...but otherwise OK. The bike did better than the wife's Chimaera.... Check out the Oh The Ignominy thread..

3 years ago my wife got a big land cruiser from then till now we have never had any snow in yorkshire bad enough to have leave the others and use this. On 2 occasions it was parked at manchester airport and the country came to a stand still.but we were in spain! So I look out every morning and am dissapointed that the roads are clear Maybee it will snow in june when I get my new Boxster and she can rescue me

Picture from sunday morning

Are they both yours Thom ? Nice scenery, BTW.

If I could afford two I could also afford storing them in a garage when snow falls

Exactly. Think about it. The Germans get far more snow than we do in UK. They cope. Very well. All they do is put proper winter tyres on each autumn, and take them off each spring. Most Brits don't know how to drive in snow - it's not in the driving test so they don't know.

dcb..you have hit the nail on the head when you say most Brits do not know how to drive in the snow. That is exactly why I left mine in the garage,the risk of someone with little respect or understanding of the conditions causing an accident is the biggest fear. The main roads around here are clear,thankfully most of the side roads are still covered.This gave me the opportunity to play last night & early this morning. I spent a while in a large icey B&Q car park,playing at low speeds.The car was much better than I expected in terms of feel & never did anything I didn't expect it to do.Apart that is from the ABS playing a drum solo everytime I lightly touched it.

it snows so rarely (and then stays) in England that I don't blame any brit for lack of experience. I have winter tyres on my Mondeo (which I will change for the summer tyres in spring). The difference is almost unbelievable!!! The Targa stays in the garage until the roads are dry. I was quoted over 2000 quid for a set of winter tyres for the Targa ... Rgds, WalterU

Got a Boxster , no problems in the snow, we have only had a small amount here, but last year had the car in scotland seeing the folks and it was very snowy I was quite suprised by the traction it had.

Doh. Possibly stating the obvious ? A Boxster would have traction - it's a mid engined rear wheel drive car. More to the point, how was the steering ? Much more important question.

I thought that all the Skyline GTRs had 4WD? Or is some electronic trickery going on that doesn't work too well in the snow?

(from Cambridge International Dictionary of English) traction (HOLDING) noun [U] the ability of a wheel or tyre to hold the ground without sliding Traction applies to all wheels on a car whether driven or not. So when I said I was surprised by the traction of the car, that actually means that I was surprised by the ability of all the cars wheels to supply sufficient forces on the road surface to allow me to brake, steer and accelerate and maintain grip at a reasonable level. (or in other words the car had good "traction" ) Doh

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Is anyone using their car in this weather ? I had my first experience of a light dusting in my car on new years eve..I couldn't beleive how bad it was,but 160bhp through each 285 doesn't inspire confidence. I am more concerned at the speeds other drivers consider safe and have seen one van and a car skid out of control to hit the curb. I may have to take a few brave pills as I found it very cold cycling back from the Gym last night and am missing the car already. I have not seen a single Porker on the road even going into London so far this week.