Drove my Boxster in the snow again.

[ProjectM96]

Last time I drove in the snow almost 2 years ago, it was just over 1 inch and I had trouble braking to a stop without sliding, but otherwise I had no issues.

I drove a few miles in the snow last night with my performance summer tires. I never slid unintentionally, but then again I kept it under 20mph most of the time and it was under 1 inch of snow. It was just fine. I didn't even need to start off in 2nd gear since it the rear wheels did not spin out in 1st. 14,000 miles on rear tires and 5000 miles on front tires.




Off topic. I just drove this the other day. 05 Audi TT Quattro 1.8T 225HP 6 speed manual. 116k miles. Great condition and drives like new. PM me if interested as it is for sale in Philadelphia, PA. Has Intake and BOV and LED lights. Very clean.


FYI, I was driving home from work when it started snowing. I wasn't driving in snow because I wanted to.

[Perfectlap]

if you live where it snows you really need to be off summer rubber by Thanksgiving. And all season tires are pretty useless once the snow starts to inch up. Driving 20 mph while cars on snow tires and AWD are zooming past at 60 mph really puts you in a danger since you can't predict what they'll do to get around you. And summer rubber in below freezing temps really doesn't get along with ice patches on the road which I consider to be a bigger danger than the snow.

[Porsche Chick]

First photo is really cool, I would print that out and frame it.

[rondocap]

I got caught in snow with summers on. Very slippery - never again! I ordered some winter tires, evn though this isn't my main car, I can't help but drive it.

[fatmike]

Just so we're clear. It snows in Germany. The car is tested in Sweden.


Put some winter tires on it, and the car far exceeds expectations in the white stuff.



/

[faverymi]

Not just for showing.

[faverymi]

[CoBeerToad]

I want to drive in the snow so bad. But I'm scared to death of salt. Petrified. 1997 Boxster and as far as I know, it's never seen snow / salt. Are my fears rational?

[MConte05]

Originally Posted by fatmike

Just so we're clear. It snows in Germany. The car is tested in Sweden.


Put some winter tires on it, and the car far exceeds expectations in the white stuff.



/

Damn straight it does.

Just remember that if it starts to get away from you, more throttle WILL fix the problem. Stepping on the brakes will not.

For those of you terrified of driving in the snow, next time it gets wet or snowy outside, go to the local parking lot and play around. Don't just do donuts. But try sliding around, maintain a slide, use engine braking to slow you down, learn how to threshold brake. Not only will you be giggling with a big grin on your face, you'll be learning valuable car control!

[Pilot2519j]

I did it for 9 winters in NY. My limitations were over 4" of snow since at that point the nose would sink and there would be too much snow under the car to drive effectively. I did use winter set of Bridgestones Blizzard tires which coped with the winter driving adequately. My first car was a VW bug that drove over everything so logically speaking the Boxster's configuration is not much different engine in front of wheels instead of behind as the VW, therefore I knew what I could expect from the Boxster in the winter and I have to say it never let me down.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by CoBeerToad

I want to drive in the snow so bad. But I'm scared to death of salt. Petrified. 1997 Boxster and as far as I know, it's never seen snow / salt. Are my fears rational?

Yes. Look underneath a Boxster that's been driven in winter. You can tell even on a very well cared for car if it has seen salt.

[CoBeerToad]

That's the answer I was looking for. I almost had myself talked into taking it for a spin which would result in more driving which would result in turning it into my winter and summer daily driver.

Y'all need to quit posting pictures of driving in the snow as it looks very appealing to me.

[Perfectlap]

I don't think the salt is so bad. It's more the beating the car as a whole takes in cold starts, busted up roads, huge pot holes from the salting that you can't see because there's snow out..
Everything on the car has to work harder. I think its a big reason why I had to do so many repairs on my car when it crossed over the 70K mile mark. I only drive it weekends and its largely been garage kept.... but I drive it year round. Looking back it might have been better to get a winter beater. I probably could have bought a decent one for what I spent fixing the Boxster.

[ProjectM96]

30mph, 2nd gear, on summer tires and doing just fine.

[Perfectlap]

^ summer rubber is not formulated to hold it shape and traction in below freezing temperature.
All that anyone is doing driving in icy conditions is pressing their luck.

[Bmod986]

I drove the range rover in a snowy parking lot with my friend who was in his wrx. I didn't take the porsche because it was a bit too much snow. Its supposed to snow tonight and I might be tempted to go out with the box. But we did get our attention called by the people who were plowing the snow of the parking lot so, I don't know who much trouble an officer might give you for messing around in an empty parking lot.
P.S. The range was almost impossible to get to drift. Good stable car didn't like how the electric steering played out while attempting to drift with it. It felt like I wasn't really steering.

[CoBeerToad]

Watch them empty parking lots. Took my 1973 Caprice in one a long long time ago. Got airborne from a hidden parking block. Smashed my front grill to pieces. Luckily the car was a beater. I'd be crying if that happened to my fancy car.

[Bmod986]

Took the box out in the snow with my buddy in his wrx. Well i have to say that the Michelin pilot sports are amazing tires. There was so much communication and grip from these tires. If there wasn't enough snow in some areas the tires would catch and i would be forced out of a drift. We ended up going to three different lots until we found the perfect one with open space and untouched snow. I got some good sideways action but the box is a hard car to drift even in the snow. I spun out a few times but the majority I was able to keep it composed. Good Stuff I will take my car to the car was later today and leave it in the garage until most of the newly added salt is disolved. Definitely recommend it to any box owner and as always take a friend just in case things go south for any reason. Pics will be uploaded when I get some.

[mountainman]

Had a trip planned to the coast for the weekend. Woke up with 3/4 of an inch of solid ice on a driveway with a slope of about 12 degrees. Boxster won't go, C4 won't go, Toyota tacoma won't go, 4 wheel drive Kubota won't go, ATV won't go, slipped and fell in the driveway when I tried to walk. Think maybe I will stay home and jump the wife.

[southernstar]

Altlhough I live in the Great White North, my 2000 has never been winter driven (corroborated by mileage post end of season and next season oil changes/dates) and has been once again off the road since mid November. Do I get the urge to drive it? Absoutely, but even if the roads are dry there is still dried salt residue that I do not want accumulating under the car. In a winter like last year, with weeks at a time without snow and salt, I will take the car out for nice run. Otherwise, it remains parked.

As to the suggestion that salt is not a problem, I disagree completely. Yes, the entire shell was galvanized prior to painting; nevertheless, various bolts and components on the car will corrode with access to salt and dampness and even unanodized aluminum will corrode in such a corrosive environment. Forget about snow, consider that even cars that are in the Caribbean and kept close to the sea tend to corrode due to the salt air.

Can a Porshce be driven safely in the snow? With proper tires and assuming the snow is not too deep, absolutely. However, there will be an impact on the condition of your car.

Brad

Brad