Empirical Evidence That There Really Is No Substitute

[Wrecked944]

I live in New England and last night we had a snowstorm. The roads in my town were covered with a nasty mixture of slush, ice, rain, snow, etc etc. My house is on a steep hill and on snowy nights one can usually find a collection of vehicles parked sideways at the bottom where they got stuck trying to get up the hill and slid down sideways. Last night was no exception and so I passed a number of stuck cars on the approach to the incline. The last vehicle I passed was an SUV - obviously a 2WD model - with flashers on and the owner looking wistfully up the snowy hill. Then I watched his head turn all the way to the right and slowly back to the left as he watched me pass his "Snow Useless Vehicle" and drive my red 911C4 straight up the hill without missing a beat. Heck, the traction control didn't even kick in.

911 Carrera4: You might say it is the "porsche" of all wheel drive sportscars.

[djmcmath]

Yeah, I've been thinking long and hard -- the C4S is very likely to be the next addition to my collection. I've heard nothing but good stuff about these cars. Seems like the perfect balance and AWD along with absolutely stupendous engineering would make for a great snow car. Do you ever have problems with damage to the car due to bad roads, though? Salt, gravel, ice-chips, etc?


Dan

[Wil Ferch]

In my area...Buffalo, NY...we term SUV ..."Suddenly Upside-Down Vehicles"...

...for those who get too brave thinking they're invincible on slush and ice because of 4WD.

---Wil Ferch

[911boost]

4wd helps you start moving, nothing helps you slow down.

[Wrecked944]

"I've heard nothing but good stuff about these cars. Seems like the perfect balance and AWD along with absolutely stupendous engineering would make for a great snow car."

Well, I've been told they tend to understeer on the track. I have no clue because my car has not yet been to the track. But in rain and snow, the thing is awesome.

"Do you ever have problems with damage to the car due to bad roads, though? Salt, gravel, ice-chips, etc? "

The car has a complete undertray for aerodynamics. So I feel pretty safe from debris damage. This is my first winter with the car so I'll know in a few months if salt is an issue. But my guess is the galvanizing will do its job.

"4wd helps you start moving, nothing helps you slow down."

Absolutely. Anybody who goes fast in winter around here is high on crack. That being said, the C4 is very sure-footed. Sometimes I even punch it just to cut the wheels loose on the slush and then feel the car regain its grip...very fun. But only at slow speeds.

[MonkeyBoy]

The 964 C4 is a great snow car. I have 2 Saabs which everyone says is great in the snow, but it is nothing compared to how my old C4 handled. Hopefully the 993 isn't too bad as I'm in the market for one of those.

[john_colasante]

The 911 has always been a fantastic snow car from day one. It's all in the snow tires - they need to be tall and skinny and with aggressive snow tread to give good bite in the snow/ice. Conversely even a C4 with wide summer tires will NOT be any good in snow.

[thabaer]

My first drive in snow with a C4 was a shocker, but only because it was happening in a 911 that didn't do what my SC would have done in the same circumstances. I didn't feel like waiting for Porsche to catch up to Audi so I'd already been enjoying quattro fun for a decade. (more $$ than a Porsche when they arrived on the scene!) and Oh yeah... the SC on P7s was a fine ski car, thank-you!

You want to talk about oversteer on the track ? Take out a rig with an I-5 slung out ahead of the front axles