This is a Porsche story submitted by Jeff W. Guess there’s a reason you see Porsches parked in the lots of ski resorts.
One of my most memorable stories while riding in my friends Porsche 924 during college was not one of those ‘best’ moments but it was very memorable for me. We were driving home from night skiing on Mt. Hood and it was a cold night and ice was on the car so we knew it would be slippery on the roads.
We were about half way down the mountain and didn’t have any problems at all, but all of the sudden my friend said the car that just went by is spinning in circles as he saw headlights and taillights spinning in his rear view mirror. Then someone else going the other way also spun out so we stopped along with a couple other people heading down the mountain. Right when we got out of the car we both fell on our rear ends.
Someone immediately called emergency services and the fire truck got there to help them, then the ambulance arrived and slid into the fire truck. They were able to help the injured and get the accident cleaned up.
My point to the story is that even when other cars were having trouble on the ice, the 924 did great and had no traction problems. He was driving careful, but I think the balance of the car along with good tires was our saving grace.
That car handled well on wet or dry roads as well as icy roads.
ummm
sure? what about the other people who managed to slow down and stop with you guys?
All i’m saying, this isn’t a very fair assessment of the poor guy who spun out.
Im just pulling your leg though, great story! I would’ve liked to see the spinning behind me.
Porsche good on ice? Really?
Nice. I know thats true. last time it snowed here i decided to go for a spin just for the fun of it. and at my college we have a pretty steep hill. well it didn’t matter to me because my 944 powered up the hill wil no problem. however while i was halfway up the hill a cadillac escalade came sliding down as he tried to drive up. i drove on by and honked my horn. it was alot of fun.
It’s good to know that Porsche handled so well on ice. I’m guessing most stay parked safely in the garage when snow and ice season dawns. Generally speaking, it’s the other guy you have to watch out when the roads are like that.
That reminds me of this time I was heading up to Mt Hood, and it was really icy, and these two college kids in a 924 ran me off the road.
🙂
Folks, THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a car that handles good on ice. When the road is frozen, ALL cars (and SUV’s) suck…and the great equalizer is that not even an SUV can stop faster than a car on ice.
re: snow – Porsches SUCK in the snow – thanks to their low profile, most of them bottom out on your average speed bump, but in snow measuring more than a couple of inches, they become the world’s crappiest snow plow.
to clarify my last statement: of course, C4’s are better, but again only in small amounts of snow…and they are only a tiny bit better than the average car on ice which still ain’t great.
The Cayenne is awesome in the snow of course, but on ice, it’s a little better than a Hyundai…your survival driving on ice is in the hands of the driver, not the vehicle.
Who needs a 4wd vehicle.. everyone should just drive Porsches in the winter.
Funny ruthless, were you driving the old VW twinkie bus or the other car? Hope you are ok now.
And yes I do agree that on ice it takes a very careful driver to navigate the roadways.
The rear-engine rear-wheel drive layout is what allows it to move in the ice. Having all of that weight on the driven wheels allows it to gain traction a front-engine rear-wheel drive auto can’t. I had an older Honda Accord when I was in high school and it performed better than most cars on the road in the ice/snow. I also had a Ford Explorer and a buddy and I went out driving one night (he in his Accord and I in my Explorer) and he was running circles around me. I assume a Porsche would have too. If you can find a vehicle that has an engine mounted over the drive wheels you are going to be far better off in slippery conditions.
haven’t driven on ice much(from south),but really don’t like it.feel for you guys whenever i see cars on the news sliding around into one another.
Andrew, I agree that the weight of the car over an axle helps in snow, but on ice it doesn’t matter – it’s all about the driver
A 924 with the engine up front and rear wheel drive is not a great combination for snow or ice. Even a 911 can get decent traction because of the placement of the engine. Just like putting a bunch of sand bags in the back of a pick-up truck, it can help.
Having said that, a 911 is one of the worst cars ever for snow and ice (in my opinion). It is the momentum of the rear of the car coming around that makes it scary. I took one of my 911’s out in the snow one night. I always heard stories about how well they handled…maybe it was me…but once it broke loose, there was no getting it back.
My 425 HP Subaru…that is another story.