Snow Chains - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

This might be a stupid question, but if i need to use snow chains on my boxster, do I only need them on the rear wheels?

No such thing as a stupid question -- everyone has a different level of knowledge/experience -- that's what these forums are for -- to help eachother out by sharing that knowledge and experiences. Snow chains only go on the driven wheels -- for the Boxster, that's the rears -- if you bought a Carrera 4S, you'd need to fit all 4 wheels. Regards, paul...

Here is what NOT to do, besides buying the wrong car.

I have a set, and I have never had to use them. But they are nice to have if my snow tires (which you must have if you plan on driving in snow) can't get me up a hill or something. Chains for a Boxster go on the rear, and you have to make sure you get a low profile set. I bought these .

what gear should you be in you're on snow tires and moving really slow (hazards on slow)?

it is illegal to drive with hazards on. at least in FL. in general i wouldn't recommend driving anywhere with your hazards on. (if that is what you meant by "hazards on slow) anyway apparently 20-30mph is recommended by chain manufacturers.

When I drive on snow I stay in 1st or 2nd, mostly second because I want to keep the RPM down. The most dangerous part I have found is braking too fast (which on snow is regular braking) because it can throw the back end out, and the second most dangerous part is shifting. You need to match your RPM really well between shifts or else the rears will turn more or less than the front wheels and cause you to skid. If you are driving at a steady 15MPH you will be fine, but when you get an idiot in front of you and you have to brake that is when things get dangerous. I have had to drive on snow 3-4 times, and the Boxster can do it just fine (it's not a Jeep, but I am always passing SUV's that lack snow tires). With chains I would image the Boxster would be perfectly fine on snow, but since I am generally too lazy to put chains on for a 10 minute drive, I just deal with the occasional little skid. I rarely worry about ice, where I am you only get ice on tarmac so you don't have to bother with snow and ice and if you do hit a sheet of ice, in one or two seconds the ice will end and you will regain traction. If you are driving on snow go slowly, match your revs, brake slowly, stay aware, and use chains. And when I say stay aware I mean leave enough room to keep going forward when the guy behind you starts sliding because he's an idiot.

chains sound like a good thing to keep in the trunk when the Pirelli SnowSports are on the car. The other night we had a bad snowstorm. Walked into the nearby mall for an hour. parked the car,Came back and the car was under at least a foot of snow. On the drive home I had it in first thinking more rpms meant better bite, less rmps more sliding. I had the RPMs at about 3K to 4K going about 20mph. Then we started going downhill and everyone in front gets on the brakes. I moved to 2nd gear and start having to go around other cars..the rpms drop to barely 2K but now I'm going nearly 30 mph and the 18 wheelers and AWD SUV's are blowing past. Dicey... The car got sideways jusssst slightly at one point as I tried to move the right lane. Without the snowports I'd a been in deep ****************. All season tires are absolutely useless in any kind of snow.

thanks for the advice chaps. much apreciated

[Without the snowports I'd a been in deep ****************. All season tires are absolutely useless in any kind of snow.[/QUOTE] I live in a micro climate where , a number of years ago, they wanted to put in a bank of small Nuclear Power Plants without any source of water to cool becaue the average temp was so much lower. We get lots of snow, ice and freezing rain and the one thing that is obvious is that all season tires are very good as long as there are only 3 seasons. As winter tires they are responsible for single handedly increasing the number of body shops in our area and keeping the local Emergency Rooms busy. The only thing that they are good for is being able to drive your car when the temps go below 45, not in ice and snow and if you are changing over your tires, why not put on dedicated winter tires and be safe. ED

You actually want to keep the RPMs low, not high and keep the trans one gear higher than normal. If you are spinning your tires starting from a stop you can start off in second gear to reduce spinning for better grip. Keep your RPMs low for better grip. If your engine is revving high any little slip of your throttle foot will send your car sliding sideways. If you're going down hill keep it in a low gear to control your speed but keep your foot off the throttle and brake pedal. Braking during descent will make you slide too. Keep plenty of space in front between the car in front. If you begin to slide Let go of brake and throttle and control your slide with the wheel. If you're going to use the car during winter invest in a set of Blizzaks. They might be pricey but well worth it. Our roads are covered in snow for 7 to 8 months out of the year so we get plenty of practice.