Winter tyre experience?
Discussion
We're being told that this is going to be a cold winter, so I've been thinking about getting some winter tyres... It's always seemed strange to me that we don't even consider them in the UK, whereas they are mandatory in other European countries.
A quick search revealed similar questions last year, but no real-life experiences from 911 owners. Would like to hear pros and cons of fitting for UK driving in the winter, from someone who's tried them.
A quick search revealed similar questions last year, but no real-life experiences from 911 owners. Would like to hear pros and cons of fitting for UK driving in the winter, from someone who's tried them.
Check out my threads last January regarding taking my 993 to Verbier. It's 2 wheel drive and supercharged, so looking back I was being a very silly bastard attempting it.
I bought a set of Pirelli Snow Sport tyres, in 205/50ZR17 and 255/40ZR17 i.e. the same size as my summer tyres. They have deep tread and plenty of 'sipes' to cut into snow, and the compound works much better than summer tyres below 6-8˚C.
However on packed snow / ice, you will still slide around dangerously. Doing some research afterwards, Porsche recommend (sensibly, looking back) a reduction in tyre width for snow driving. The fat rears, winter tread or no, simply 'snowplane' when conditions get difficult. Narrower tyres will cut through, but then you need to also invest in a new set of rims.
Chains are hard / impossible to fit safely under the arches of my car. There is now a product called 'Autosocks' which are coarse fabric bags that wrap over your tyres, these now look like the best bet.
The winter tyres are actually also fantastic in UK winter i.e. wet but just above freezing. The deep tread cuts through all standing water (not aquaplaned on them yet, and I've always had aquaplaning in 993s with summer tyres in heavy rain). They also grip from cold. The downside is that you lose sharpness, the car feels a lot more mobile and you can feel the tread blocks moving around when cornering hard.
I ran mine from Dec last year to April this year, no discernable tread wear so far. And this includes a Verbier to Calais thrash in 7h45 which must have heated the tyres up somewhat
Luckily the Pirelli Snowsports are rated to 150 mph.
For a one-off Alpine trip for example, I'd probably choose the Autosocks and make sure I was travelling with a mate with a 4x4 (just checked your profile, you've got 4wd already so you may be able to get away with the Socks)
But if you're using the Porker as a daily driver through the winter, then I now recommend winter tyres. They don't wear more than summers so you're not really spending more, as your two sets will last twice as long.
* Caveat - I'm talking about a 2wd 993 with more torque than expected and no driver aids. The 996TT IIRC has a load of traction control stuff that may make it less of an issue for you. And I'm not sure whether the Pirelli snowsports are available, or reasonably priced, in your tyre size.
I got mine from Elite Garages in Horsham (?) who did a good job, hand torque wrench, proper balancing and no short cuts. Full set for just over £500 IIRC.
Any other questions - fire away
I bought a set of Pirelli Snow Sport tyres, in 205/50ZR17 and 255/40ZR17 i.e. the same size as my summer tyres. They have deep tread and plenty of 'sipes' to cut into snow, and the compound works much better than summer tyres below 6-8˚C.
However on packed snow / ice, you will still slide around dangerously. Doing some research afterwards, Porsche recommend (sensibly, looking back) a reduction in tyre width for snow driving. The fat rears, winter tread or no, simply 'snowplane' when conditions get difficult. Narrower tyres will cut through, but then you need to also invest in a new set of rims.
Chains are hard / impossible to fit safely under the arches of my car. There is now a product called 'Autosocks' which are coarse fabric bags that wrap over your tyres, these now look like the best bet.
The winter tyres are actually also fantastic in UK winter i.e. wet but just above freezing. The deep tread cuts through all standing water (not aquaplaned on them yet, and I've always had aquaplaning in 993s with summer tyres in heavy rain). They also grip from cold. The downside is that you lose sharpness, the car feels a lot more mobile and you can feel the tread blocks moving around when cornering hard.
I ran mine from Dec last year to April this year, no discernable tread wear so far. And this includes a Verbier to Calais thrash in 7h45 which must have heated the tyres up somewhat
Luckily the Pirelli Snowsports are rated to 150 mph. For a one-off Alpine trip for example, I'd probably choose the Autosocks and make sure I was travelling with a mate with a 4x4
(just checked your profile, you've got 4wd already so you may be able to get away with the Socks) But if you're using the Porker as a daily driver through the winter, then I now recommend winter tyres. They don't wear more than summers so you're not really spending more, as your two sets will last twice as long.
* Caveat - I'm talking about a 2wd 993 with more torque than expected and no driver aids. The 996TT IIRC has a load of traction control stuff that may make it less of an issue for you. And I'm not sure whether the Pirelli snowsports are available, or reasonably priced, in your tyre size.
I got mine from Elite Garages in Horsham (?) who did a good job, hand torque wrench, proper balancing and no short cuts. Full set for just over £500 IIRC.
Any other questions - fire away
Thanks Cyberface, very useful comments.
One thing I'd heard about winter tyres is that they "go-off" quicker than summer tyres - ie they don't retain their elasticity or grip as long as summers. Did Elite advise how long you should keep them, or was it just assumed that they would wear out before they got too old?
I think Porsche recommend slightly narrower rears for winter tyres. For example 996turbo uses 295/30 in summer and 265/35 in winter. Now that would mean getting a new set of rear wheels for the turbo, which is going to be expensive!
Autosocks look like a great idea - unfortunately they only go up to 235 width. Still, I might get some for the Golf instead...
One thing I'd heard about winter tyres is that they "go-off" quicker than summer tyres - ie they don't retain their elasticity or grip as long as summers. Did Elite advise how long you should keep them, or was it just assumed that they would wear out before they got too old?
I think Porsche recommend slightly narrower rears for winter tyres. For example 996turbo uses 295/30 in summer and 265/35 in winter. Now that would mean getting a new set of rear wheels for the turbo, which is going to be expensive!
Autosocks look like a great idea - unfortunately they only go up to 235 width. Still, I might get some for the Golf instead...
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