Winter Whoes, Winter driving, Really? Options

[Gunn1]

Knowing that back in the 70's when 914's were being sold and driven as daily drivers, I am sure there were those that drove them in the snow and ice during the winter months.

That being said ......is there anyone out there that used/drove the 914 in the Snow and snirt? Curious as to what they handled like and if they were a good winter car.

I have owned a few older beetles and Corvairs, these cars were very good in the snow and with a gas heater option you would never have to worry about being cold.

Never have had the opportunity to try a 914 in the snow, bur I bet it would be quite a rush....

[Luke M]

A real good friend of mine ( may he rest in peace ) use to drive his 72 914 1.7 every winter. He would always add winter tires to the 914 when winter came along. I've taken several rides and even drove his 914 in the crazy winters that we get here in Western NY. I can tell you first hand the car handles great in the snow provided that there's not 3 feet of snow on the roads. The only complaint is getting heat out of the car. He would let it warm up and it was ok for the first few minutes of driving. As time went on the heater became less effective but did an ok job at best. He also drove his VW bus which had a gas heater but that thing was dangerous as heck even on dry roads. Oh that reminds me that 72 914 eventually split in half about 20 +/- years later. It's still sitting in the field where it was last parked.
That being said if you had a 914 with a water pumper engine in it, good heat drive it, but know that it won't last forever.

[jd74914]

A real good friend of mine ( may he rest in peace ) use to drive his 72 914 1.7 every winter. He would always add winter tires to the 914 when winter came along. I've taken several rides and even drove his 914 in the crazy winters that we get here in Western NY. I can tell you first hand the car handles great in the snow provided that there's not 3 feet of snow on the roads. The only complaint is getting heat out of the car. He would let it warm up and it was ok for the first few minutes of driving. As time went on the heater became less effective but did an ok job at best. He also drove his VW bus which had a gas heater but that thing was dangerous as heck even on dry roads. Oh that reminds me that 72 914 eventually split in half about 20 +/- years later. It's still sitting in the field where it was last parked.
That being said if you had a 914 with a water pumper engine in it, good heat drive it, but know that it won't last forever.

I drove my 914 in snow (in CT) for a few seasons in college when it was my only car. The heat sucked so I'd wear 2 jackets and often ride with the windows cracked or top off to keep the windshield from fogging up too bad if it was wet out.

With a set of Blizzaks (forget the section width; it was literally the narrowest they make) the car was unstoppable unless the snow was deeper than the floorpans. After driving in really deep snow I used to have to kick it all out since it would wedge so badly under everything. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

We used to drive around and do all kinds of stupid things since the car would just go. In fact, on my way home from school, you need to go up either a 16% grade or 12% grade hill-it never had any problems with the 16%, regardless of the weather. My Mazda3 with snow tires can't touch that hill. In fact, I still much prefer its poor weather handling to my dad's 4x4 truck or bother's 4x4 SUVs.

Rust is a different story...pretty sure all that snow and salt is why the bottom got so rusty again and forced me to redo it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)