Annual Year-End Touring

At the end of last year, I went on my usual year-end tour. In our family, my wife and kids head to their parents’ home, and I take off alone on a trip with my beloved car—that’s become our tradition.

Usually, this time of year means snow and icy roads, so the destination tends to be somewhere in the south like Shikoku or Kyushu. But this time, since I was driving the 911 Carrera 4 GTS (991 pre-facelift) equipped with winter tires, there were no particular restrictions on where I could go.

I was quite torn about where to head, but I decided to aim for a snowy area and settled on Higashiomi City in Shiga Prefecture.

3:00 PM. After finishing the last meeting of the year at an office in Osaka, my work for the year was done.

The 911 parked in the lot was already loaded with luggage for the trip. As usual, I got into the driver’s seat, turned the key cylinder on the door side—a Porsche tradition—and fired up the engine.

Thinking about the journey ahead over the next few days, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

To Snowy Shiga

Checking traffic info and weather forecasts, I drove the 911 onto the Meishin Expressway. Around Hikone, signs warned of road closures due to snow. It looked like a heavy snowfall.

Fortunately, although snowflakes were falling, driving conditions were fine, and I arrived at a hotel in Higashiomi. There was a fair amount of snow on the sidewalks around the hotel, but the roads were completely cleared. I went to bed early to prepare for the next day.

The next morning, I woke up early and looked out the hotel window to see a snow-covered landscape as far as the eye could see. Snow was piled on the roads too. It was a bit too much and made me nervous, but after a quick nap, I left the hotel around 8:00 AM.

By then, tire tracks had formed on the roads, and some snow removal had been done. After brushing the snow off the 911’s body, I headed north toward Hikone Castle.

Porsche 911 on Snowy Roads

This was my first real snow drive with the 911 wearing winter tires.

My impression was that, thanks to the four-wheel drive, there was absolutely no lack of traction. It accelerated powerfully and stopped firmly even on snow. There was no unease in corners; the car felt completely stable.

Heading north from K52 to K553, the snow accumulation increased significantly around K2. I started seeing cars stuck here and there, and large trucks unable to leave convenience stores.

The 911 never slipped or got stuck, so that was no problem. But the issue was the snow in the center of the road. Because the 911 has a low ride height, the snow in the road’s center occasionally hit the front spoiler, turning it into a sort of snowplow.

The dull scraping and grinding noises coming from the front and underside weren’t exactly pleasant.

Before long, traffic jammed and the line of cars barely moved. Seeing this would take a long time, I decided to detour onto side roads.

Since these weren’t main roads, the roads were narrow. Locals had shoveled snow to the roadside, making the roads even narrower. Large minivans coming the other way made passing extremely difficult. It was like driving on a narrow, hard-to-drive road—a kind of “酷道” (koku-dō) situation.

Moreover, tire tracks were barely formed, so the road was bumpy with snow. There were many large bumps, and the 911 scraped its belly with a rough sound as it moved forward. On this rough snowy road, the FF compact car ahead eventually got stuck.

After about five minutes of struggle, I watched it get free and then followed behind. Since my ride height was even lower, I pushed on expecting to get stuck, but surprisingly, it was no problem.

Don’t underestimate the Carrera 4’s PTM (Porsche Traction Management system). Its superb, precise torque distribution made even this heavy, slushy off-road snow easy to handle. I was amazed at how effortlessly it escaped as if nothing had happened.

I wanted to reach Hikone Castle, but the snow in the road’s center was just too deep, and it felt like the front spoiler might come off. I heard dull noises so many times I thought, “Maybe the front spoiler’s already gone.” Still, I kept going but eventually decided I couldn’t go any further. I quickly headed south along the lakeside road of Lake Biwa and stopped at a convenience store.

After driving on a road that was basically a “酷道,” my shoulders were stiff, and I was quite exhausted. While drinking warm coffee, I checked around the 911’s front spoiler—and it was completely unscathed. Despite all those dull noises, not a single scratch.

I often see videos of Porsche 911 development tests where they blast through even worse snowy roads, so it seems they really do put the car through harsh testing. Clearly, they anticipated conditions like this during development. I was relieved that there were no issues at all.

While resting, a guy driving an Impreza came over and said, “That’s an amazing car! Incredible!” We chatted about four-wheel drive and ride height, and wished each other safe travels before parting ways.

From Hieizan Driveway to Tsuruga

Later, traffic info showed the expressways were still closed, so heading north was difficult. I drove further south, crossed the Biwako Bridge, and took the Hieizan Driveway in the 911.

I used to come here often as a student, and I remember joining meetups here when I had an Audi TT. It had been over ten years since my last visit, so I decided to stop by again.

There was a winter tire requirement, but no snow accumulation, and the road was barely frozen.

Of course, no one else was out driving on such a cold day. I had the driveway all to myself as I climbed up. The winter tires showed amazing grip here too. Their stability and grip on the icy dry road were truly impressive.

I took a break at Yumemigaoka Observatory, gazing down at Lake Biwa, and pondered my next route.

Since heading north was still tough, I considered going toward Nara and Mie, or maybe Nagoya, or even turning back toward the Chugoku region. Then I heard news that the Meishin Expressway closure had been lifted.

With that, I decided to head north after all, and quickly drove up the Meishin Expressway.

I booked a hotel in Tsuruga, and by the time I arrived, night had fallen.

At Suzuya near the station, I had a seafood bowl and warm soba to warm up my chilled body. The place had great reviews, and it lived up to them. It was very delicious and I highly recommend it.

Back at the hotel, I contemplated the route for the next day as the second night drew on.

To be continued.