03-08-2015, 05:13 AM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 856
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Driving the Boxster in the snow.
How these cars would handle inclement weather has always been a secret concern of mine.
The other day I was on a remote job out on country roads in the middle of nowhere and go caught out in a snow storm. The forecast was for possible light snow or freezing rain, but it hit quickly and heavily, accumulating fast.
I ended up driving a collective 70miles in the mess at night. While 4x4 pickups and SUVs were littering the ditches, the Boxster got me safely home without incident or even a white-knuckle moment. And I'm on Michelin Pilot Sports, not even all-season tires. She handled it just fine.
As a plus, I discovered that the fog lights and anti-lock brakes work fine on the beater.
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"Remember, I'm pulling for ya! We're all in this together."
Last edited by Retroman1969; 03-08-2015 at 05:16 AM.
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03-08-2015, 05:52 AM
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#2
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I am my own mechanic....
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 3,433
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Anything more than a skiff or if it's frozen underneath, I'll take my Ranger any day. Hate the sound of snow chunks knocking around under me and in the fenders. The intake openings scoop snow well.
Wife's Touareg does very well.
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'04 Boxster S 50 Jahre 550 Spyder Anniversary Special Edition, 851 of 1953, 6-sp, IMS/RMS, GT Metallic silver, cocoa brown leather SOLD to member Broken Linkage.
'08 VW Touareg T-3 wife's car
'13 F150 Super Crew long bed 4x4 w/ Ego Boost
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03-08-2015, 07:31 AM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: usa
Posts: 560
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Where you driving Timco? Aside from a couple of days, we've had it pretty mild.
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2k13 Boxster Amaranth Red/Black
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03-08-2015, 08:50 AM
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 49
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If there is a chance of snow or frost the Boxster says on the drive. We don't get a great deal of snow here in Britain but when we do nobody has a clue how to drive in it, the roads come to a stand still and the chance of someone sliding into you is high! Oh and when its frosty i cant get in the damn thing because the windows freeze shut and the don't side down from under the top.
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Steve
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2004 Boxster 2.7 - Atlas Grey
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03-08-2015, 09:02 AM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Posts: 800
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Retroman, be really careful on those Michelin Pilot Sports. I nearly had my Boxster swap ends when I took my foot off the gas on a snowy, slight downhill while driving on Pilot Super Sports. I switched to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s which are much better. I'd use snow tires, but when the roads are snowy I try to only drive my F 250 4x4, or my wife's BMW 325xi which has Blizzaks and handles snow like a snowmobile!
Of course this winter I've been able to drive the Boxster nearly every day. I wish we had gotten some of the snow that they got back east this year!
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03-08-2015, 09:54 AM
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#6
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Porsche "Purist"
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,123
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Drove my 01 with snow tires and a hardtop most of the winter, no issues.
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1998 Boxster with 7.8 DME, 2005 3.6 liter/325 hp, Variocam Plus, 996 Instrument panel
2001 Boxster original owner. I installed used motor at 89k.
1987 924S. 2002 996TT. PST-2
Owned and repaired Porsches since 1974. Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.
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03-08-2015, 04:01 PM
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#7
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I am my own mechanic....
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 3,433
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfos
Where you driving Timco? Aside from a couple of days, we've had it pretty mild.
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Experiences from last year. I was out of town for the New Years storms then the car has been in the air for a month. No snow this year.
I'm by the U.
__________________
'04 Boxster S 50 Jahre 550 Spyder Anniversary Special Edition, 851 of 1953, 6-sp, IMS/RMS, GT Metallic silver, cocoa brown leather SOLD to member Broken Linkage.
'08 VW Touareg T-3 wife's car
'13 F150 Super Crew long bed 4x4 w/ Ego Boost
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03-08-2015, 06:11 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA
Posts: 730
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Of course the drill these days is winter tires whenever ambient is consistently below 45 degrees F, regardless of moisture on the road.
And Porsche does sell a ski rack for these cars.
__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
2001 Boxster
2007 GL320 CDI, 2010 CL550
2 BMW motorcycles
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03-09-2015, 04:48 AM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: S. New Jersey
Posts: 1,239
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I've been caught a couple times in 5+ inches snow on my Summer tires. Car handles fine but I know I can't stop or make it up a hill from a standing stop.
Even Black ice on a 270 degree exit ramp, car's balanced handling and not panicking kept me off the curb and out of the alignment shop (It still didn't keep me from having to change my underwear)
I think the limited traction forces us to drive very conservatively and keeps us out of the ditches along side all the 4x4 trucks and SUVs (I have a 4x4 but I keep it on the road)
Retroman1969 - I notice 1500 RPMs on night picture (Should you really be taking pictures Driving, at night, in the snow) Sorry - With a manual, it would be hard to drive with rpm's that low
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2002 S - old school third pedal
Seal Grey
Last edited by kk2002s; 03-09-2015 at 04:50 AM.
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03-09-2015, 05:39 AM
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 156
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I'm pretty sure the freezing temps finally did my rough idling engine in, not driving in weather that cold ever again after it's fixed. Which sucks because it's my only car. Hankook ventus v12 evo's are also not suitable for icy driving at all, maybe snow, but all we ever get here is ice. Mid-rear cars also have something called snap oversteer, which means once you start to rotate, especially on ice, you're done, no countersteer can save you. Learned a lot driving the boxster on ice this last time. But hopefully, my area is done with it for the year.
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03-09-2015, 07:20 AM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 856
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Yes, I kept the rpm's low on purpose to keep the torque from spinning the wheels.
Typical for Oklahoma, the jingle bell nightmare was almost completely melted and the main highways dry by 1pm the next day. I'm never driving my clean weekender Boxster in this stuff, and the Jeep is still broken, so this car it is!
__________________
"Remember, I'm pulling for ya! We're all in this together."
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03-09-2015, 07:32 AM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Ottawa, ON
Posts: 452
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I live up in Canada and driving in the snow and cold here is next to impossible unless you buy some snow tires for the car and even then would be rough driving. I can barely get out of my driveway with my summer tires on. Took car out of storage Friday and barely got home in one piece. lol Was a fun ride home thats forsure.
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03-09-2015, 07:42 AM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: LB, Germany
Posts: 1,453
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Wll i think it works with summer tyres, because he has the 16" rims with 205 tyres and it looks like the streets are wide and there are no pitches.
If he would have 18" rims with 225/265 tyres no way to drive even if there is very little snow with summer tyres. First hill with a snowy road and you can't get any further.
Over here in germany we have to use winter tyres by law when there is snow and ice on the road. Also insurance won't pay if you cause an accident. And you have to pay a penalty if the police catches you without winter tyres.
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03-09-2015, 01:42 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: KRK, PL, EU
Posts: 255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Retroman1969
I ended up driving a collective 70miles in the mess at night. While 4x4 pickups and SUVs were littering the ditches, the Boxster got me safely home without incident or even a white-knuckle moment.
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Way cool.
I went skiing one weekend last month, taking the Box to the mountains. I overtook a Volvo XC90 with snow chains going uphill...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smallblock454
If he would have 18" rims with 225/265 tyres no way to drive even if there is very little snow with summer tyres. First hill with a snowy road and you can't get any further.
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...and I'm on 18" 225/265.
But hey, even my avatar has snow.
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Past: 944 NA white '86
Present: 986 black '98
Future: 959
Last edited by PaulDash; 03-09-2015 at 01:45 PM.
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03-09-2015, 02:26 PM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,120
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As much as I'd love to zip around in my Box all year - just too much risk up here in the Great White North. Wouldn't want to total my ride cause someone forgets how to drive in the winter and slides into me. Small accidents with these cars can be very costly.
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2011 Boxster 987.2 Arctic silver / Black leather, PDK with Sports Chrono Package Plus
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03-09-2015, 02:39 PM
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#16
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Artist, 986S tinkerer
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 1,821
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In Montreal, winter tires are mandatory from December to mid-March. Big fine if you're caught without! Although I can theoretically get my car out next week, today is the first day since December that it has risen by 1 degree above freezing! Still a couple of feet of snow in my yard so I think I'll have to wait a wee bit more!
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James now has: 2008 987S 6 speed
Crashed: 2010 987.2 pdk in speed yellow!
Sold to a cool racer chick: 2004 986 S
YouTube channel: the PORSCHE as seen by NewArt
www.youtube.com/channel/UCohdrH2xHTklM1thxk0KKOQ?
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03-09-2015, 02:43 PM
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#17
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: QC
Posts: 412
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Giller
As much as I'd love to zip around in my Box all year - just too much risk up here in the Great White North. Wouldn't want to total my ride cause someone forgets how to drive in the winter and slides into me. Small accidents with these cars can be very costly.
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Not to mention windows frozen shut,( dohh, can't open the doors), ice damage to roof and back window, sandblasting, calcium and salt, wheel well ice blocks ripping up the wheel wells or hitting the ones that fall off other cars...
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03-09-2015, 03:18 PM
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#18
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Rennzenn
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,369
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996 C4. ********************en snow Boxster!! Dressed with Conti DWS tires.
__________________
Rennzenn
Jfro@rennzenn.com
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03-09-2015, 04:19 PM
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#19
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 71
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Sucks to suck btchzzzzz
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03-09-2015, 05:10 PM
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#20
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Posts: 800
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desert_porsche
Sucks to suck btchzzzzz
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Yeah, yeah, yeah; who cares! Show us the temperature in July or August when it's 115°. If we wanted to live in "hotter than hell," then we'd all move to Tucson (I was born there and I couldn't leave soon enough !).
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