1988 911 in winter.. need advice!

[mward21]

Hello All,

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on an 88 convertible 911. I live in Toronto Canada... city is not bad for snow staying on the roads.. but they do salt sometimes. I need this to be a year round car. Thoughts on this... tires? etc.

I currently own a 08' 997 with ceramic brakes so traction etc was never an issue in winter. I'm looking to reduce costs (hence the trade-in for the older car). Appreciate all the advice given.

Thanks all
Mike

[CCM911]

Mike, look in front of the rear wheels and you will see a space where snow and salt collect, eventually causing rust. It is imperative to keep this area clean.

In the winter, you will need to rinse the car at least once a week to keep everything good.

Not at all like your modern 997. But just as fun.

[mward21]

Thanks Christopher. I noticed you drive an 84 targa.... I'm also looking at an 87 targa... Do you drive yours in winter? How do you like yours?

Mike

[mward21]

This is actually the car if you're curious.... would love your thoughts.

1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa For Sale | CONCORD ON

Mike

[pavegeno]

Here are some winter tires for our 88 911 Cab...good luck. I haven't seen these on their website so not sure if these are recently produced...should give you some options...

https://www.tirerack.com/snow/WinterPackageMain.jsp?autoMake=Porsche&autoModel=911+Carrera+Cabriolet&autoYear=1988&autoModClar=

[darrin]

big fan of the nokian wr-g2 tires as all-around winter tires -- available at tiresbyweb.com

work great on snow and surprisingly good on dry roads. They are wearing very well for me. I'm running them square this time around (205/55-16 on all 4 corners) and am quite happy with them this round.

I'm running model T427904 (205/55-16) -- $175 per tire -- They're porsche "n" rated too (fwiw)

[michael lang]

I'm sure that you already know this but just in case, go skinny on the tires front & rear. Also I would go along with Chris and suggest that you visit the self serve car wash once a week to wash out all the salt. Even if you think it is alright, still go. I really don't drive my car much in the winter especially now but I do everything I can to keep the undercarriage as clean as I can to minimize my chances of rust starting. I go to the carwash after every event and wash away all the crap the gets in the little crevaces in the fender wells from being at the track, then once home, I will really go through my car just to make sure that nothing got missed. That may be a little on the anal side but I plan to be buried in that car and since I'm only 45 and my family has a history of long life, I plan to be with that thing for atleast another 45 years.

[SC-Alfa]

I used to daily drive my 81sc year round in Pennsylvania with stock tires. Really not that bad in snow because of course the weight of the engine is right over the wheels. I suspect living in Toronto you are an experienced winter driver, so you'll be ok. Just go easy with dropping the throttle in the snow while going around corners.

Agree with above comments about salt accumulation.