Anyone in the great white north considering driving their Cayman in the winter?
A friend just picked his new 911, got Continental ice & snow tires. But we've only had a couple of inches of snow so far, so he's not sure how good they will be.
I'm thinking of doing same - any advice?
Bruce /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/angry_smile.gif
Bruce
I drive my 993 all year & plan to do the same w/my Cayman. Although the rear weight bias is not as pronounced in the Cayman as the 911, w/proper tires it should do very well within the limits of its ground clearance. The key is proper [/quote]tires. Much of this is generic sports car/winter tire stuff which is also applicable to the Cayman.
Most dedicated snow tires are excellent for ice and snow, but they have low speed ratings and in the dry they wear rapidly and handle/brake poorly. My experience is that they really suck above 50 deg F. So they are best for use only when needed - snow covered roads. Areas that have good snow removal provide you w/cold, but mostly dry roads for which true snow tires offer little advantage & actually decrease performance.
There are H & even V rated low profile Porsche approved winter tires like the Dunlop Winter Sport M2/M3, Pirelli Winter 210/240, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 & ContiWinterContact TS810S that are very good in snow, good on ice and wear and handle surprisingly well in the dry. They also better tolerate higher winter temps for places like mine that have wide temp swings.
Unfortunately, at present AFAIK the only performance winter tire available in Cayman sizes is the ContiWinterContact TS810S which is a very good tire, but it's nice to have choices. I'm sure by next winter other makes will be offered.
If most of your winter driving will be on dry roads, winter tires probably make the most sense. They'll leave your car enjoyable in the dry, but keep you going in the snow. If your primary concern is ice/snow - get single purpose snow tires and, other than ground clearance, you'll be leaving SUVs at the bottom of hills.
In either case, it makes sense to get them mounted on a spare set of wheels. Also remember that in snow narrow tires are better - more compromises. Hope this helps
I am beginning to get spoked by talk about not driving on summer tires below 45 degrees. Is this a real problem? I will not drive my Cayman in snow but what about temperatures above freezing but below 45 degrees?
FWIW, I just found this article:
http://www.conti-online.com/generat...tal/automobile/themes/news/archive/pr_2004_10_06_winterroadshow_technik_en.html
It says that in addition to reduced safety, studies show summer tires experience 20% greater wear below 7 deg. C.
Ruby
Ruby -
That's good information. I, too am planning on driving most of the year and live in a cold weather climate. Although it is not my primary means of transportation, I would prefer to use it as much as I can throughout the year. My thought would be to take it out on dry or wet days but not with snow on the roads. I didn't realize the significant wear differences in colder temperatures.
Anyone else going to be driving in the cold? If so, will you plan on getting alternative tires?
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr id="quote" noshade="noshade" height="1" /> I am beginning to get spoked by talk about not driving on summer tires below 45 degrees. Is this a real problem? I will not drive my Cayman in snow but what about temperatures above freezing but below 45 degrees? <hr id="quote" noshade="noshade" height="1" />
Of course you can drive on summer tires below 45F. They just cease to be great, sticky tires. The rubber hardens and you loose grip.I know it's time to switch to winter tires on my car (We do get snow here) on my car when a turn I make everyday with no problems, all of a sudden lights up my stability control. Usually happens at ~40F. And mind you this is after 1 hour of sporty commuting, so no BS about my tires being 'cold.'
So drive it, just take it easy as braking ability will be lessened, you'll light up PSM more often and generally you don't have as much grip as you would on a 70F or 80F day. On cold days, just pretend it's 70F but some one took your nice tires and gave you some really ****ty all-seasons. Your car is still great, you just have ****ty tires. But it's not as if you're driving on ice. Granted, I've never driven with summer on REALLY low temps. Maybe things do get really bad a 0F.
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Edited by - FC on 01/12/2006 08:32:34 AM
There is so much salt on the roads I just can't take seeing cars like this all dirty - I don't see many Porsches being winter driven but there are some. In addition to the driving difficulties, removing the snow off the car can scratch the paint, salt will make it rust, etc - if you plan to lease the car some of those things might be less of an issue.
FC- Thanks, that is a good approach. I am happy to leave the Cayman in the garage below 40 deg. except to drive it occasionally to keep the tires from flattening in the winter months.
Ruby
I've had great luck (E46 M3 in Connecticut) with the Pirelli SnowSports. I found four Mille Miglia Cup 3's from a totaled '05 Boxster S. (Unfortunately, the driver was 'totaled' as well.... PSM does have its limits) The wheels were scratched, but mechanically sound. The plan is to put on the SnowSports and run them over the winter. The offsets look like they are the same, but I want to confirm clearance on the car before I make TireRack any richer...
Makes your summer tires last alot longer anyway (The M3 was pretty tough on Pilot Sports, go figure...)Snow clearance, not traction was the usual culprit here.Pull out the trusty Land Rover when things get really ugly, fine piece of British engineering that it is.
John
Nokian also makes a very nice winter tire.
Are either Pirelli 210/240 SnowSports or [/quote] Nokian snows available in Cayman tire sizes?[/quote]
