It seems to me that a "sports car" should have LSD as a standard option, but it does it not. Yeah seems like LSD would be a big help in the winter. I don't drive the car nor in the rain for that matter, unless I get caught in the rain.
I know this has been covered in prior topic threads (search is your friend) but succinctly NO you don't LSD to drive in the snow, or any other drug. . An open diff rear end is fine as long as you know what to do when driving in the snow. I'd suggest a set of winter tires and wheels, that will be the most effective way through the snow. Please click the Tire Rack ad here when ordering to help this site! Thx!
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I know this has been covered in prior topic threads (search is your friend) but succinctly NO you don't LSD to drive in the snow, or any other drug. . An open diff rear end is fine as long as you know what to do when driving in the snow. I'd suggest a set of winter tires and wheels, that will be the most effective way through the snow. Please click the Tire Rack ad here when ordering to help this site! Thx!
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I am here: Google Maps
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk which means I'm probably traveling at the moment so please excuse any brief or hurried replies, spelling errors, etc. Etc.
When I got my car ('07 Cayman 2.7), I knew I would be driving it a lot in Winter. I as going to get a LSD in it asap to get the most return. Well, I went into my first winter without and I have to say the Cayman was better than expected. It's not great though and my plan now is not to put the several thousand $ in the rear and use our extra car in storms. In other than fresh snow, the Cayman is great with the Pirelli Sotozeros (Tire Rack). Plowed roads, wet winter roads or light snow is all fine and I drive all winter with confidence. C.
yes, indeed i have the right tires - lot of threads on that topic.
on the lsd, i just noticed on porsche website's "build your own cayman"
that lsd is not available with 17" wheels - you must have 18" or 19"
so if you spec'd lsd as an option, you couldn't use 17" rims/snow tires?
The LSD was an absolute must as far as I was concerned when ordering my Cayman. I plan to drive year round and the winter conditions can be terrible up here. Just switched over to 17" wheels with winter tires last week.
To me it goes without saying that winter tires are standard issue from December to April. An open differential just won't cut it as far as I'm concerned though, if you live in a place with severe winter conditions, especially in a rear wheel drive car (granted mid engine would be better than front engine).
I'm not really confident in the electronic helpers' effectiveness. I'm convinced of the usefulness of LSD after driving an LSD-equipped RX-7 for years through some awful winters without ever getting stuck. Actually it performed much better on snow/ice than the Mazda3 that succeeded it (winter tires, open diff).
This is all anecdotal evidence of course, but it informed my decision making when it came to ordering the Cayman and deciding whether or not it would be suitable for driving year round.
Coming from a BMW 335i with a six speed manual and nearly 400 pounds of torque, the Cayman is a beast in the snow!
I have Dunlop winter sport 3D tires on 18 inch wheels and really was only limited by the depth of the snow. I do not have the LSD but used my four wheel drive SUV when it snowed more than a couple of inches so Idid not have any problems, especially compared to the 335i.
The PDK works great in the snow as well and driver experience is also a key factor in winter driving.
As I've posted previously when this question has been asked:
Since new, my '06 CS has been 90-95% year 'round daily driver and 5-10% track car. Getting up hills/driveways in even light snow with my winter tires was frequently challenging. PSM/TC helped, but not much, and certainly not enough.
I installed a Quaife ATB several years ago & it's made a huge difference in improved handling, stability and driveability, not just in snow, but in all wet/slippery conditions. I can easily drive up snowy hills/driveways that were impossible before the Quaife. There's also a noticeable improvement in the rain with my summer tires.
My relevant recent Porsche snow experience is:
- 911 Carrera (2WD) with LSD and winter tires (5 winters)
- CS without and then with Quaife and winter tires (4 winters)
The CS pre-Quaife was inferior to the 911. The Quaife brought the CS on par with the 911. With the Quaife I have no problem with driveways/hills that had stopped me in my tracks.
You know I did neglect to mention that I drove through the mountains of southern virginia/northern Tennessee about this time last year in a snow storm on my summer tires (PS2's) and was able to maintain traction for the most part, though there were some scary moments for sure. In summation, get good winter tires, and get a TBD and you should be good.
Ask Tess at Motordrive whether or not he's got any Quaife specials going on...