Steven:
Hopefully, you've solved this by now.
For anyone else curious, Michelin Alpin or Pirelli Sottozero seem to be the best sporty winter tires around. I'd suggest getting the sportiest version of either tire in the sizes recommended by Porsche. 255 in the back for winters, I've used 265s and they work but the thinner tire will work better when it snows. Those two brands have N-spec numbers which mean Porsche approves them.
Don't buy anything "stud-able" or plain-jane, like low-end Blizzaks because they truly will make the car handle like mush. Not worth it for a little extra snow traction. Most of us do most of our winter driving on plowed or dry or wet roads, not in deep snow or on ice. There is a Blizzak tire that is made for sports cars in low profile sizes. That one would be OK.
Don't be drawn in by winter traction tests where they measure one tire against another in deep snow and ice. That's not the point! You'll probably be happiest with the tire that does worst in that test because it's likely the one that handles real life plowed, dry, salted and wet roads best and makes your car feel like it should.
Dont' confuse these winter tires with the snow tires your dads used to buy for the back end of the Buick. Those were loud and handled badly on dry roads. Good winter tires handle great and don't make a ton of tread noise.
Good winter tires are a blast. The rubber compound sticks much better to cold, dry pavement. All season tires are a compromise in this area and summer tires border on dangerous below 30 degrees and are dangerous below 10 degrees. Sport Winter tires dig into the snow but they are not supposed to be ultimate snow diggers, they're supposed to be great for all winter conditions and they are. You have to have them on all 4 corners of the car.
Another cool thing is that they ride better than summer tires generally. Limits are not as high as summer tires in summer conditions, but much higher than summer tires in cold and winter conditions. You can find and learn about winter tires at
www.tirerack.com . You can find lightly used wheels, some with winter tires installed, in the classifieds here, or on PCA classifieds or Reenlist or a number of other places. Tire rack also sells wheels for winter tires. I'd rather get someone's stock Porsche wheels that are filling up his garage. That's just me. Most of my add-on parts have come from P-9's classifieds. A LOT of stuff. I've found P-9 members to be really honest and open about their goods and transactions have been trouble-free.
The best thing about running my Cayman in winter? It's so well coated and galvanized and the entire bottom back to the engine is covered with thick plastic panels. Those keep the muck out of the intricate bits.
My '95 M3 really didn't like winter. I tried it one season and decided to stop because some of the bits I work on for track days were getting rusty and difficult. This Cayman is on it's 5th winter season and still looks new underneath.
I spray threads and things that look like they could be vulnerable with some wax-oil product from Germany that comes in a can. Not sure of my brand but I know Wurth makes some of this stuff.
I'm happy to say I have a heated (to about 45 degrees) garage. It's just warm enough to keep chemicals from freezing and allow my cars to be dry when I get in them in the morning. I drive an A6 most of the week, but on weekends and one week night, the Cayman gets a workout regardless of the weather.
If any of you're on the fence about driving Caymans in winter, well, I understand. You can save your car for the day you sell it or you can be the one who gets to enjoy it. It's up to you. My car had 16K on it when I bought it. It's at nearly 85K now and it runs better than when I bought it, for sure.
I envisioned using my car mostly for track days. I bought it used and paid minivan money for it. What ended up happening was this:
1. I started reading reports from a lot of other track-rats who had blown up their engines due to a less than fully thought out oiling system on Gen 1 cars. That was fixed in '09.
I bought my car used about the time these '09 cars were coming out. No one knew if they'd be track-worthy or not at that point. I wasn't in to investing new-car money on one of them before knowing more about their care and feeding. I instead invested in a lot of parts to help the my '06's oiling system, power steering system, suspension and air-oil separation system do their jobs better.
2. By the time I'd finished, I'd put enough street miles on the car to realize what a joy it is to drive. I kept my mods modest so as to not destroy the street experience. My exhaust is not stock but not really very loud either. (TUV approved). Similarly, suspension changes have been with comfort in mind.
3. Now, I'm doing fewer track days although the car is really terrific on track. I have the most fun with it tearing up back roads in the SE USA. Love finding my way through the mountains on those little roads. This car is so neutral and corners so flat now, and I've got extra negative camber too, so my cornering limits are pretty high. It also doesn't wash into understeer when you go in hot. It turns IN! Use the throttle to steer it through and get ready for the next one. I will run down to South Carolina once this winter at least with my Sottozeros. If it snows? Well, it'll be an adventure.
There are tire shops that have rooms for their customers' off-season tires. For a fee, they'll store your other tires. It's only twice a year. With an appointment, you can wait for them to change them out...less than 30 minutes. Finding the right shop takes a few phone calls. Compared to driving something boring all winter or buying a winter car, it's cheap and a lot more fun.
I realize we don't all have the same lifestyles and resources, but if you are keeping your Cayman hidden away all winter and you don't really have to, you're missing out on a special experience. They truly are a lot of fun in winter driving.
:cheers: