snow tyres for 996 C2 01

Hi all, I own a 996 C2 01 with 18'' carrera 02 wheels. 285 at the rear.. i really want to use my car in the snow but I assume that it is virtully impossible to go with normal tyre and 18''....and RWD car....(even if you have psm) I am thinking of buying a second set of 17 inch wheels together with brand new snow tyres. what front and rear tyre size should i look for? If I keep the 18''. will I be able to use 265 0n the same wheel as the 285? I currently have 285-30-18....is it the same with 265-35-18? will I need extra snow chains if i will buy snow tyres? can anyone suggest? thanks in advance.... any help willbe appreciated.

I have 18" on my 2000, run 225/40 and 265/35, both summer and winter tires. I have the Dunlop Wintersport M2, They are great. I think Dunlop now makes a M3, which is essentially the same tire. Running your summer tires is a big problem. Below about 40 degrees F they get rock hard, no grip. I tried it when I first got my car (2000). Don't risk damaging the car. While mine is a C4, lots of member run C2 in the winter and seem to have few problems.

Here's my $0.02. I just bought and installed a set of Pirelli Winter 240 Snowsports on my 2002 C4 Cab w/ 18" wheels. Just in time for the weekend blizzard. This late into winter you won't have much choice in tires, most places will be sold out for season for most brands in the size you need (I got mine at wheelenhancement.com). On top of that, not all brands come in all sizes. Personally I went with a second set of 18" wheels because I knew I wasn't planning on driving the P-car in deep snow or sheet ice where a narrower tire width is advantageous (and I have an Audi allroad as a winter beater). I figured that a second set of 18" wheels gives me a spare set of 18" wheels to swap with in case I bend a rim or blowout a tire. Although it must be said that 17" wheels will be a little less prone to damage from winter road hazards and might give you more selection in winter tires. Here are some size options I was given by tirerack.com: Front: 225/45/17 or 205/50/17 on 17x7.5 Rear: 255/40/17 on 17x9 Front: 225/40/18 on 18x8 Rear: 265/35/18 on 18x10 (this is the same stock wheel size as for 285/30/18 summer tires) I don't know if snowchains would be an issue. Unless you are driving on a frozen lake, I think long before you run out of traction the low ground clearance will be the rate limiting factor. I was out and about on Sunday afternoon without problems. Forget about driving in any snowy, icy or slushy conditions on summer tires, you won't be able to stop or go or turn.

Harris, I have the same model 996 C2 that you do (Black too!!). I run on 17" wheels with Blizzaks in the winter and they work very well for me (although they do look a little silly on the car). I do know you sacrifice some traction with 18's, but I'm not sure how big a difference it really is. For what it's worth, you can generally find used "take off" 17's from the '99-'01 models pretty cheap. Additionally, snow tires are much less expensive in the 17" sizes. Good luck

when we use snow tyres means that we do not use snow chains?

I will second Ray's thoughts. I have a 2001 C2. I purchased some 17" take offs for less than $300 on ebay and purchased 17" Blizzaks from tire rack. This is the end of the season and it may be very difficult to find tires right now. However, it is starting the season for getting wheel upgrades so there should be some 17" wheels starting to surface. I will have to check but I think I got the 205/50/17's on front and 255/40/17's on the rear. I personally think chains are not necessary for normal winter driving because the ground clearance issues.

Just snow tires, no chains. I have driven my car in over 30cm of snow with this set up and experienced no problems. Traction is certainly degraded but the car performed well.

I currently have a 1999 C2 and am running 17" Blizzaks. They provide all the traction you are likely to need unless you want to run on a frozen lake. The only real problem with a Porsche in snow is the depth. There just isn't a lot of clearance underneath and it is too easy to ride up on top of the snow when it gets deep and then nothing is going to help. I also own a Jeep Grand Cherokee with all season tires and I actually feel like the Porsche has better grip in the snow with the Blizzaks then the Jeep even with full time 4 wheel drive. Car & Driver had an article about winter tires and reported dedicated winter tires get 20-30% more grip than all seasons. And in my book that more than makes up lack of AWD. Of course any fool who drives a Porsche with summer tires in winter conditions deserves to end up in a ditch promptly. Below 40 degrees Fahrenheit you are essentially driving on marbles.

I have a set of OE Turbo Twists, 18x8 / 18x10, with Dunlop winter sports that I no longer need. If your interested let me know.

yes I am!! can I have your e-mail please? thanks mine is [email removed]

I run 18" wheels with summer and winter tires....no problemo. You'll be fine. The key is finding tires. Make sure to order very early next season to get the best selection. Gcohen, I'm pinging you too. Why ship to Athens when a fellow New York neighbor can grab them next door?

cause anotherfellow n Athens might make a better offer, and arange with UPS to collect the stuff!!!! just jocking.... the problem here in greece is that almost noone is using hese type of tyres ....which means that it is almost impossible to find!!!!

I'm run 17s on Blizzak LM22 with no problems other than the speed rating which isn't a problem when driving legally.

Harris, the wheels gonna be yours since they're the rears are the wrong offsets for my car. Good on you. From the photos, they are sweet.