Boxster and winter...do they mix?

[Mat 71]

I live in Canada. We get snow. Can I drive a Boxster year round? A colleague of mine drives her '02 Z3 all year with snows on, and has never had any trouble, so I figure how bad can a Boxster be? I don't drive everyday anyways, and I have a truck for bad snow days. Does anyone have any experience with this? The car would be garaged daily as a note, not left out in the snow. As a side bar, has anyone ever used, or have any knowledge of the electric rust proofing product on the market? I would definately get one of those if they work.

I currently have an '83 928 and two trucks. I am thinking about ditching the eldest in favour of a '97 - 2000 Boxster for year round use. I may even move the 928 in favour of a 911 SC. As much as I love driving the 928 (I use it almost everyday), I would love to have the Boxster for everyday and the 911 for occasional use. I noticed that a lot of people have gone this route.

Am I crazy for these thoughts?

Thanks,
M.

[racer]

I have been told the Boxster makes a great winter vehicle, with the correct snow tires. A hardtop might be nice too. The limiting factor to the Boxster's success seems to be ground clearance rather than traction.

[stealthn]

Hi Mat,

I know two owners here in Calgary that drive theirs all year round (and they don't plow here). Both say the car is great due to the mid engine. (and good tires as well) I say go for it, but the rock chips is what will really get you


Cheers

[Ferrara_racing]

It's awfully low to the ground. I'd plan on getting stuck frequently in any accumulated snow and the top will let out much of the heat. Have the plastic rear window? Good luck, scraping, and seeing will be hit or miss, no wiper either. In short, if you can afford a rat there are many more reasons to put your baby away for a nicer day.

[Mat 71]

All valid points. I haven't decided either way at this point. The only reason I would consider is that I don't drive everyday, and for really bad days I have a truck. No need to tie up money in another vehicle if not needed.

I don't think that I am going to make any drastic immediate changes, but we'll see!

Thanks,
M.

[hytem]

I had a Z3 for a couple of winters in PA--no problem with all-season tires.
Though I didn't drive in anything but very light snow once or twice. Cold is no problem. Obviously, the car needs to be garaged or covered.

The Boxster should have more traction than the Z3, since the engine is over the drive wheels in the rear. Clearance in deeper snow should be the only problem.
That's where the higher SUVs have an advantage. Probably the only advantage
unless they are 4 wheel drive.

I have all-season tires on my Boxster, and expect no problems in the winter.
Though I won't drive it in snow.

If you have to be out in all types of weather, you probably want an SUV.

[Michael Jekot]

I live in Minneapolis and drive all year here. Snow compond tires are a must. Never, ever been "stuck" in the snow here in 2 years. My 2000 Boxster is a fine winter car.

[Mat 71]

Thanks for all the advice guys. A friend up here has offered me his 2000 with very low miles, so you never know for 2008!

I think that if I do get one, I will definately drive all year with it.

Thanks again,

M.

[Doug&Julie]

I've driven two of the three Boxsters I've owned in winter...they're really quite good. Winter tires are a must. A hardtop is nice, but not necessary. Stop by the "you-spray-it" car washes a lot to get salt off throughout the winter. Otherwise, really quite good.



Some more reading:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=331013

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=331013

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=331013

[Mat 71]

OK.

We are going to get a Boxster in the next 6 months...wife wants tiptronic, as we have a friend who drives "hers" daily, but my wife doesn't like manual. This will be driven all year long.

What can you tell me about the tiptronic system, and what am I giving up with it vs. the manual?

We have also decided that I am going to sell the auto 928 in favour of another 911 as I can't have 2 automatic, water cooled P-cars! (I put my foot down)

Thanks for all the responses and insight!

M.

[Doug&Julie]

Originally Posted by Mat 71

What can you tell me about the tiptronic system, and what am I giving up with it vs. the manual?

I've not driven a tip, so my knowledge of the tip is from research and other owners, but....

The tip is "sporty", while the five speed is sports car. You can have some fun with a tip, but the shifting in a Boxster is excellent (up and down...oh how I loved to heel-n-toe in my Boxster!). In real world, you won't lose any speed in the tip, just a little feel.

Overall the tips seem to be very reliable. But, again, most of my knowledge is from "enthusiasts", who don't typically buy tips, so maybe I'm just not hearing the complaints?

In the real world, a tip can be a good thing. In fact, I'm about to trade my Forester in for a new Impreza that has a tip (Subaru calls it the "Sportshift") because I really need an auto for my drive to and from work, but I'd like to have some manual control for weekend fun. They truly are a best of both world transmissions, and I expect to see more and more sports cars with some kind of variation on the manumatic gearbox.

Hope that helps.

[Pat S]

Originally Posted by Doug&Julie

I've driven two of the three Boxsters I've owned in winter...they're really quite good. Winter tires are a must. A hardtop is nice, but not necessary. Stop by the "you-spray-it" car washes a lot to get salt off throughout the winter. Otherwise, really quite good.

Hey wait, that's MY car
Up to 42K miles on it and no issues, thanks Doug!

I'll be driving it all winter in northern VA and can't wait. I do want to get a hard top though. I'm currently #2 on the order list for a zeintec top but they just delayed production again so I may have to drop my order and get a factory one.

Pat

[Doug&Julie]

Awesome Pat! I'd love to hear from somebody who has one of those tops and see how well they work. Hope it works out for you. If not, you might try eBay for a used top. They seem to show up fairly regularly and even if you can't find the right color, they can be easily repainted.

Keep on rollin'!

[casino]

The new Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) is available as an option for both the Boxster and Boxster S, and provides significantly improved fuel economy and performance figures.nguishable from the outside through their newly-designed nose and tail - featuring halogen headlights inspired by the Carrera GT while the tapered tail lights utilise LED technology.The Boxster and Boxster S feature the latest generation Porsche Stability Management (PSM) now offering two new functions: Brake Pre-Loading and Brake Assist.When the driver suddenly lifts off the throttle, such as in an emergency situation or on the race track, the Brake Pre-Loading system shifts the brake pads slightly toward the discs for immediate effect if the brake pedal is engaged. new models in the Boxster range are also available with a new option of a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, providing a substantially higher level of performance on winding roads.Inside, the optional Porsche Communication Management (PCM) 3.0 adopts the role as the central control unit for all audio, communication and navigation features.

[mikefocke]

A '99 and an '01. I prefer the '01 as it allows downshift via the steering wheel switches even when in auto mode, the only functional difference in the 2 I've ever experienced.

I drove stick exclusively for 25 years (including a 914 and 2 Alfa roadsters) but when the traffic got too bad, and I wanted a Porsche...I tried the Boxster with a TIP and liked it. Enough so when I totaled it, I got another.

Hear of very few problems with them. Zero problems or even maintenance with my 2.

[craig2148]

I've found my Boxster to work quite well during the brutal winters here in Southern California. In fact, believe it or not, you could survive a So. Cal. winter riding a motorcycle.

[Dai]

I live in Calgary and temp. has dropped down to -40F/C before and I have 01 Boxster S. I use my Box as daily driver and when it is cold and icy, I get very nervous driving the Boxster. The car slide around easily due to the well balanced car with rear wheel drive and I do have winter tires. Any other condition including snow accumulation is fine. Do not lower your car or it will not be good when snow is deep. If you plan on driving in Canadian winter, you must have hardtop and winter tires.

[Jay H]

I'll add my $.02 to this post which is from '07...

I bought a 2002 Boxster this fall and use it as my everyday car. I drove it through quite a bit of snow in December here in Wisconsin with the stock 17" tires on it (Goodyear F1 All Seasons). I could get to and from work without much issue, but the rear 255 width tires were just too wide for stable driving on slippery conditions. Heavy snow conditions found me spinning the rears for traction more than I cared for. I would not have dared to drive the car with summer only tires on any conditions that were under maybe 35 degrees F and/or included snow. Summer tires in the winter will insure that you head right into the ditch within seconds.

In mid December, I bought a set of 16" base Boxster rims and mounted Hankook iPike 409 tires in the 205 front & 225 rear widths. These tire are just average winter tires, but have aggressive tread pattern and 13/32nds of tread depth. With the switch to 16's and winter tires, the car has become very stable in all conditions from wet, deep snow to slippery, light coatings of slush. I can nearly floor the car in most snow conditions and keep the car pointed straight most of the time. Controlled drifting on snow covered roads is exceptionally fun! Good tires are everything.

I'd recommend a glass rear window as found on the newer cars (2003+).

I've driven the car in -22 F temps with zero issues. Starts right up after sitting for 10 hours outside after a day of work. My wife and I drove the Boxster for 2.5 hours one way to a friends house for New Years and I had to drive in some pretty slipperty conditions due to fresh snow fall. I passed most all the SUV's and such with ease on the freeway (most people were doggin' it at 35-40 and I was able to have complete control at 55 mph [on a 65 mph freeway]). Good snow tires are everything.

Of course, you need to insure the car is fully serviced with a relatively fresh battery (which is no different from any other car you may wish to use in the winter). A full tank of fuel helps with adding a bit of weight in slippery conditions.

I don't have a hard top and during sub zero weather, the top does rattle a bit more due to the extreme cold, but other than the rattles, there is little to complain about with the soft top in place.

The heater will melt your feet after the car is warmed up fully, so that's a non issue.

These Boxsters are good winter cars. I would suspect a 4x4 vehicle with better ground clearance and a really good set of name brand dedicated snow tires would be a better vehicle when heading out in that 12" blizzard, but that vehicle could get pretty boring when the weather turns better...! Did I mention good snow tires are everything on these cars?

[win.cash]

The boxster brakes give a better pedal fell and have virtually no flex because they are a monoblock design, radially mounted. They dont require as much maintenance and you could use your factory rotors with them which will be cheaper when it comes to replacement.
I really like the boxster setup, calipers can be found on ebay or Pelican parts and the carriers can be found at Pure motorsports along with lines. The cars I drove with both these setup were tracked. The owner that upgraded from wilwood to boxster says he is much more happy now with the brake performance, he also said that his brake pedal is right at the top and stays there for a complete day of lapping and the pedal is more consistant. Hope this helps.

[941MXVET]

I had a little issue this weekend, I think it was driver error though!