tom_hargreaves Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Alright guys, getting tonnes of snow and ice where I live at the minute and the 330 is getting on my nerves coping with the conditions. My question is, what will my Porsche be like in snow and ice with the 4WD, I hear it can send 40% of its power to the front wheels if it needs to? So I can use this while the snow is here. Is there any particular way I should set the car up to make it better in snow and ice? I work at the top of a steep hill which has no grit whatsover on it, and I live at the bottom of a steep hill which has no grit (Typical of the local Council's). Getting up these hills in a rear wheel drive car is a nightmare, even with TC turned off. Cheers, Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Yes, the Porka would behave more sensibly, in terms of sending torque to the wheel(s) with the most grip, but I would leave it at home, tbh, esp if you think about all the other people around who won't be able to drive in snow and ice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Funnily enough, my RWD auto Omega was the BEST car in snow and ice (until I got any of my quattro's). Even with the gearbox in winter mode - it would go up the snowy side streets of Berkhamstead without issue. Watching BMW's in the snow was/is funny - as they just go from side to side! However, as Mook says, might be best to leave the Porker as you don't want people skating into you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 (edited) Tom I guess I can offer a bit of help, having switched from a BMW M3 to a Porsche 997 C4S………. I found the M3 an absolute nightmare in the snow – had I been on a track with a huge run-off area I’m sure it would have been huge fun, but on ordinary roads with lamposts and kerbs etc it was extremely intimidating and stressful, even with TC on. I recall a 7 mile trip home from taking my wife to collect her car from the Audi dealer after having it serviced – there was a heavy snowfall while we were there and the roads became very slippery to the extent that many people were actually forced to abandon their cars at the side of the A21 (mainly rear-wheel drive cars). My wife’s A2 (since changed to an A3) with narrow tyres was fine, and my immense driving skill :roflmao:meant that I managed to get home, albeit I spent 6 of the 7 miles going sideways……. I don’t expect the C4S to be a particularly good car for the snow either, mainly because the tyres are so large. However, I would expect that in the situation described above it would be easier for me to drive the car home without crashing it. In those type of conditions, my intention would be to leave it in the garage and walk or take a taxi to get to the station! I only have the one car though, and although I could potentially borrow my wife's A3 Quattro, I don;t fancy letting her drive the porker instead Sidicks Edited December 3, 2008 by sidicks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Cheers for the replies guys, I think the thought of somebody sliding into me is the main worry I have. I'll give it a try on my street and see how it handles. It couldn't be any worse than the BM though I suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Leave the porka at home and struggle with the BMW, the porka will be an expensive repair if someone bumps you or you slide into the curb and wreck an alloy and/or tracking. We have about 20cms at the moment and I love taking my M6 around the car park but I would never take it on the road because I know that some old volvo will slide into me. Its all down to tyre choice and UK summer tyres just can't hack the snow and low temps. Even my C6 allroad is a pig to handle in this weather with its standard Mud & Snow tyres however, as soon as I switch to snow tyres then everything is sweet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted December 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Yeh I might just buy a Range Rover specifically for the 3 days of snow every 5 years we get. If you don't have a low range gearbox, 4WD or not, you have no chance I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapsuds Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Loving the ice covered lanes around here in the Forester..... pop it in snow mode, floor it and 4-wheel drift around the bends!! The 320d would not have made it up or down my road over the last 2 days. Absolutely not a chance. It would have been abandoned sometime Monday morning! More snow set to come here (after 2 days of it already). Jolly good!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 Yeh I might just buy a Range Rover specifically for the 3 days of snow every 5 years we get. If you don't have a low range gearbox, 4WD or not, you have no chance I think. With the current price of used RR's I sure you could buy a couple and perhaps keep the second one for spares Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 blah blah 4-wheel drift around the bends!! blah blah Don't you drive everywhere like that anyway mate ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Man Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 I used to have a Lexus IS 200(rwd).....very, very scary in the snow.However many years ago I had a mk1 then mk2 Toyota MR2 and neither car was bothered to much by the snow....yes you had to be very light footed but you never felt you were going to end up in the ditch....unlike the Lexus....I came to the conclusion that the heavy engine in the MR2 over the rear wheels kept them more firmly planted to the road.....So my solution for the lexus(short of recruiting two fat people to sit in the back and increase the weight over the rear axle) was to put three 25 or 30 Kg bags of spuds on the back seat.....and it worked....well it was a huge improvement anyway......Although what I should have done and what you may consider doing, is fitting a set of winter wheels with snow tyres.I think by law in Baveria in southern Germany snow tyres are compulsory after a certain(forgotten) date in November Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 As usual no snow to be found around N. London! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Why don't you put a set of winter tyres on the BMW?? My cousin lives in Geneva, well just outside, and they go up to the mountains all the time, RWD Merc E Class estate with winter tyres on and on freshly covered mountain hairpins the car sticks like normal. You can feel the tyre bite into the snow. Also the compound is softer, so when the temps drop below 5 degrees they feel like normal tyres in the summer. I think I am going to order a set for out Merc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJS4 Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 You're right, Gizze, winter tyres make a huge difference. So much so that in Switzerland if you have an accident in Winter without them you are held partially to blame even if it 's not your fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 I'm not sure why they are not used here more?? I think a lot of people think they are for snow and ice, I certainly did. But the compound is designed to make the tyre grip like a regular tyre in warm weather even when the temps drop. regular summer tyres start to loose their traction as soon as temps drop below 7ºc, this is when the winter tyre start to make sense. We get about 4 to 5 months when winter tyres would be a better bet, which is a good chuck of the year, you can buy a set of 17's for under £400. I know in some countries your insurance is invalid if you don't swap tyres over between certain dates, if we followed this there would be a lot less prangs and we wouldn't grind to a halt when we get a couple of inches of snow either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bangle Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 you can buy a set of 17's for under £400. I know in some countries your insurance is invalid if you don't swap tyres over between certain dates, What you have to remember is that not all winter tyres are the same, much like summer tyres you need to pick the right ones as cheaper ones tend to have a lower speed rating and less grip. Its the law here that you must have winter tyres between 1 December - 31 March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 Absolutely, I would stick with the Michelins as they are my favourite summer tyre too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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