As we head towards winter, we all need to be thinking about preparing our Porsche’s for either winter driving or hibernation (that is, unless you’re taking it with you to Arizona). Over the next few months in the Tech Blog, we will discuss winter related topics, much of it pulled from our previous ORPCA winter tech session titled “Fun With Old Man Winter.”
Our first topic will be winter tires. There is plenty of information on this topic, so we’ll just focus on some key highlights.

If you’ll be driving your Porsche this winter season, do you really need winter-specific tires? If your tires are bald 10 year-old summer tires, then you certainly should not be driving any further on them due to their expiration, winter or not. If you will be headed into the mountain passes, then you’ll definitely want to use winter-rated tires for extra safety and security. If you’ll be staying in the Portland/Vancouver metro area only, it’s worthwhile to seriously consider winter tires this season. While it’s great to have the luxury of staying off the roads when it’s snowing, it’s even better to have the freedom of movement that winter tires provide. As we’ve seen in previous years, how do you know where you will be when a winter storm hits–maybe at home, at work, or out of town visiting relatives for the holidays. And who ever had an emergency that they could schedule around the weather? Bottom line, is it worth gambling with the safety of your vehicle, yourself and others, especially when your collision deductible and future insurance premiums are on the table?
We all know that tires are a compromise. One tire can’t be the fastest on the track, most controllable in the snow, and longest wearing. The ultra-high-performance summer tire that grips the track is incompetent as its tread compound becomes like “hard plastic” at below 32°F. Specific winter tires deliver much better slush, snow and ice performance than summer or all-season tires because their tread designs/compounds are engineered to master those colder temps and winter conditions. How do they do this? New winter tires begin with deeper tread depths and more open tread designs, and they also feature softer tread compounds that remain pliable in extreme cold temperatures. Keep in mind that while the extra tread depth and softer compounds allow new winter tires to provide more traction in deep snow, it also contributes to more tread squirm and drivers may notice a reduction in handling responsiveness. A recommended 3-5psi increase in inflation pressures increase tire stability and help offset the reduction in responsiveness.

Are 2 winter tires enough, or should you use 4? Nearly every tire manufacturer recommends four winter tires be used on rear wheel, four wheel/all-wheel, and/or front wheel drive vehicles. This is because if you use two dissimilar types of tires on your vehicle, you’ll have a vehicle that has a “split” personality. One end of the vehicle won’t react and perform the same as the other in the dry, wet, slush and snow conditions you may encounter before the end of winter. Especially in emergency situations, you’ll find that your vehicle will probably understeer in one condition and oversteer in another. By installing four winter tires, you maintain the most balanced and controlled handling possible in all winter driving conditions.

Should you use the same sized tires as you do for your summer or all-season tires? Actually no, as a wide and low-profile tire has to “plow” a wider path through snow which causes more resistance. The narrower the tire, the easier you can get through snow. So, if you have the option of going with a narrower/taller tire, this would be preferred.

As they say, until next time, keep the shiny side up and the (winter) rubber side down.

Jeremy Williams is the Oregon PCA Technical editor. He co-owns Matrix Integrated Inc. (Matrix Integrated Inc.) with his brother Justin. Jeremy can be reached at [email protected]

5 Responses

  1. Jeremy, great blog, thanks for the input. The question I have is about driving in the Portland area during our rainy season. I looked at the Porsche Winter tire set for my Boxster S and I’m thinking, well it’s a lot of money but I will have them for a lot of years and my summer tires will last longer. Any thoughts.

    1. You’re very welcome Mike, thanks for the feedback!
      Yes, you’re correct–if you use the Winter tires only for the winter season (let’s say Nov-Feb), then you’ll be well-equipped (and MUCH SAFER) for any rain or nasty winter weather, and your summer tires will last longer since they’re taking a break from ~4months of use. As well, another detail to consider is that IF you drove on your summer tires, got caught in snow, got in even a minor accident, how much lost time (and $ for deductible) will you have without your Porsche? I can speak from experience when someone backed into me (thankfully causing only minor front end damage) last winter, and due to all of the vehicles that got crunched in our snowstorms, the backlog for body repair/paint at a top body shop was months! If my vehicle wouldn’t have been drivable, and insurance wouldn’t have paid for a rental, renting a car on my own dime would have been $$.

    1. That’s a fantastically informative video Mike, thank you for sharing! I hadn’t seen it before but will keep the link for future. He makes a terrific point about the extra siping on winter tires–helps evacuate rain/snow.
      Glad to hear you’ll be driving safely and confidently this season on your new winter tires. Let us all know how they feel vs summer tires (although I imagine that you’ll feel so secure with them that there won’t be any drama and thus you’ll never think there’s snow on the ground).

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Carol Hedstrom

People Power

I have been an advocate and cheerleader of our many volunteers for several years. This year we have
had even more members step up and help out! Clearly, in order to organize and host over 100 separate events, it takes some peoplepower. As we are at mid-year, I want to share an update on what our volunteers are doing for the Club. It’s your Club and we want all of you to enjoy the fun and of course help out if you feel inclined to do so. 

ORPCA’s Autocross Team layout courses, set up and take down cones, implement safety procedures, keep time, manage standings, train and encourage new drivers, and do it all at the break of dawn. This is a hardy, knowledge-heavy group of dedicated people who produce one of the strongest autocross organizations in the Pacific Northwest. If you have not participated in autocross, you should. You will be introduced to the sport by some of the best and probably become a better driver. 

Our Social Committee and volunteers organize our monthly dinners, scout locations for future events, and plan the new-member orientation as well as the holiday party. They also monitor tickets for each social event, help prevent allergic reactions, and are on the lookout for all mobility needs. Have you tried one of the new Road and Fork events? These small-scale, intimate, elevated experiences are the brainchild of the Social Committee. Cheers to this team! 

Drive Team volunteers scout routes and roads, lead drives, curate drive groups with leads and sweeps, check out potential stops for restroom breaks, maintain a large library of routes, handle oodles of pre-and-post drive logistics including insurance and follow-up reports. The drive team works closely with the Web Team to ensure that all drives (70+ this year) are listed and described accurately on our website and that registrations open in a timely manner to keep it easy for members to join in drives throughout the year. 

The Membership Team orders and distributes name badges and anniversary pins. Name badges are key, but only one element of the many tasks involved in the Membership purview. Team members are master spreadsheet and database gurus. When questions arise around membership dues: what’s included, when and how to pay, this Team jumps in and clears the confusion. Additionally, Membership and supporting volunteers staff our tents and booths at public events to encourage new members to join and answer all questions relating to ORPCA. 

Our new Community Outreach Committee is currently a small group of volunteers strategizing on how to serve others. This team guides our charitable giving efforts as well as finding opportunities to enhance our image and reputation in the small towns and cities we pass through on our drives. We will hear more from them as the year goes on. Please be sure to check out the June Anzeiger message from member Wendy Wells regarding this team effort. Your input is needed; remember, it’s your club and you can help guide the future. 

Web Team, oh geez, what don’t they do? The Web Team, together with Social Media and Member Email, are the heartbeat of your Club. These people guarantee that you know about drives and upcoming events, and that you can register for events. They maintain lists of who is attending, handle cancelations, provide instructions, share information, and announce changes when needed. 

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Your member newsletter, Anzeiger, is produced by a team of people, but mainly the editor and editorial support team. They are joined by a small group of experienced proofreaders, and many member contributors. Anzeiger is a big monthly project that showcases our many events and entices members to participate in future events. 

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While I have not listed the names of everyone on the above teams, the list is long. I want to thank the entire unnamed list of people for their efforts, commitment and sense of fun for all that they do. I hope you thank them too! I know that after many events, some people will drop a short line of thanks to the organizer. You may not realize how good that makes them feel, but trust me, a little thanks goes a long way. If you enjoyed reading an article, had a good time on a drive or one of our multi-day tours, please give a nod and a thumbs-up to the organizers and volunteers who made it happen. It’s your club and it is 100% volunteer run.

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You can reach me at [email protected]