[OPRN]

The first year I had my '83 we struck out for Armstrong BC on a Saturday night after work(10 hours on good roads). We got into a freak spring snow about 1/2 way and at midnight. I had a pair of Pirelli snow tires on the back and summer skins on the front. The snow was wet and heavy and about 5 to 6" deep. I took the back roads to keep away from all the idiots and it was going super well until I broke through a ridge of snow left by a snow plow merging onto a different highway. About 2 miles later the temp gauge was pinned and she was steaming like a freight train!

Plugged the rad solid! Had I set the car up sideways to blow through that ridge all would have been fine! Once the rad was chiselled free and water added the rest of the trip through the Rodgers Pass went fine. Our Jettas would have been stuck in the middle of the road and our Dodge 3500 4x4 diesel may made it at 1/2 the speed IF I could have kept it out of the ditch. Given a choice of which one to repeat the experience in... well, ok Dad's '69 VW van with winter tires! The 944 comes in real close 2nd!

I don't drive my 944s in the winter on a regular basis for the reasons Slam stated, heating and defrost totally inadequate and stupid drivers, but I do take them for a romp now and again to circulate the fluids!

By the way if you want a standard to shift in the winter, drop the fluid in the fall and fill it with ATF. Shifts like summer time and is way easier on everything! Been doing it on all my cars since about '82. Learned that trick from running Ford Escorts - that's thier factory fill on standards!