C4S in the Snow

All, I live in the mountains in California part time, and so I'm in heavy snow quite often. I am able to plan my trips around storms, though. I previously owned a '04 Cayenne TT and now an Audi A8, both of which have be great snow cars, with the proper tire set up. I've owned a '03 Targa and '06 C2S, but I miss driving the 911, and am seriously considering a C4S as my driver. I'm checking on all the water cooled forums. Does anyone have any experience with a C4S in the snow, with proper winter tire set up? Thanks! Craig

I have a c4s as my daily driver and with snow tires, it's great. Just don't push into any heavy drifts. I run a 285 Pirelli Snowsport in the rear. So a bit narrower than standard on an 11 inch rim.

I drive a 2002 C4S every day, in almost all weather conditions. I put dedicated winter wheels and tires on it in mid October and leave them on until mid May. I live in the mountains at ~8,000 feet of elevation, and we get a significant amount of snow every year. The C4S is good in winter conditions. The weight of the engine over the drive wheels helps with traction in the slippery stuff. Overall, the C4S is quite capable in the snow. There are a few things you need to consider before you make your decision. First of all, deep snow is a problem for the C4S due to the low ground clearance. Anything over 5-inches of fresh snow can be problematic. It's not impossible, but I wouldn't want to drive a long distance in deep snow. Secondly, the AWD system used by the 996 is a viscous coupling. It always sends at least 5% of the power to the front wheels, and it can send up to 40% of the power to the front if the rear wheels are slipping. Typically the PSM and traction control systems are activated when the rear wheels slip, so the front wheels don't see much power. It's actually better to drive with the PSM switched off if you think you'll need AWD traction (like going up a steep driveway). Finally, the car sits so low to the ground that it gets peppered with rocks and slush quite easily. You have to keep your distance from other cars. Overall, the C4S is a good winter car. However, it will never perform like an Audi or even the Cayenne in really nasty conditions. When it gets deep up here, I leave the C4S in the garage and take the Cayenne.

^^ THIS My car is a C4 with winter tires and it gets around great in the snow. I do drive something else when it's really bad out, but mostly just because I have a better option for those days. No 911 will drive like an SUV in the snow, but it's a perfectly reasonable car to drive year-round. Fair warning: you will run across these people that snort and scoff when they realize that you're driving a Porsche in the snow. They're usually the guys driving the $50k SUVs through all the snow and salt that lecture me about driving my $20k Porsche all winter. I think someone once even referred to me as "irresponsible" for doing so, for some reason.

^ little do they know that the way these cars are constructed let them hold up to inclement weather better than their SUV does

Absent the newer 997 with electromatic clutch or a C4 with a 90's period VC Porsche does not have a modern day "911" AWD system. Somewhere post ~1998 the VC fluid formulation was revised such that the VC never "stiffened".

I daily drive my C4S up here in the great white north. It is lowered on H&R springs and I have no problem, actually it is one of the best winter vehicles I have ever had, and those others have been Subaru sti, Infinity G37x, Ford Edge, Dodge Ram 3500, Toyota Tundra, Ford F150, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango etc. The AWD is awesome, PSM provides a lot of safety, PSM off is a blast or in sticky situations. Road clearance does suck in deep snow, but as long as speed is maintained I just plow the streets for the city, most of the time when there is deep snow on the ground it is quite soft and easy to move. I have only been high mounted twice in the 4 winters I have driven it, Once pulling into a 7-Eleven parking lot after a plow had cleared the street in front of the entrance. I got stuck on the pile with all 4 wheels almost a foot off the ground. The other time I parked on a snow bank, I made sure I could move initially, but after about 5 hours the car settled and became stuck so I had to dig it out.

My 03 C4s is a tank for city (not mountain) snow, read: no drifts... It goes without saying that the AWD does NOTHING for snow driving without winter rubber. Good tip, BTW about the PSM.