Sea of Japan drive from Tsuruga to Kyogamisaki

The morning in Tsuruga was very cold. Fortunately, yesterday's snow has stopped and there seems to be no snow.

Board the frozen 911 and warm the engine, PDK, and moving parts of the undercarriage at a slower speed than usual.

Both Boxster of 981 and Carrera 4 GTS of 991.1 do not easily raise the oil temperature.If you are not good at it, it may take about 15 to 20 minutes to reach the proper temperature. Especially in the case of GTS, the fact that a center cooler has been added to the front may also have an effect.

While warming up with a seat heater, I decided to head west along the coast of the Sea of Japan today. Initially, I tried to head toward Kanazawa and Niigata, but I decided that many of the freeways were difficult to pass due to the heavy snow this time.I changed my schedule and decided to head toward Kyoto and Hyogo.The first is the "I" in "I".

First, take K33 to Tsuruga Peninsula. In particularThe section connecting the peninsula from east to west is quite a fast trackAnd I can run at a good pace. A drive to enjoy the scenery of the Sea of Japan in winter while tracing along the western coast of the peninsula is exceptional.

Continue westward while grabbing Mikatagoko. Then, entering R162, the traffic volume decreased and the pace increased, and the finest winding along the sea running on the right side of the Sea of Japan continued.

I thought about going from Maizuru to Miyazu and stopping at the famous Amanohashidate, but it seemed to be crowded, so I went through.

Head north on R178 to Kyogamisaki. The road is very good around here, but the pace cannot be increased because there are many tourist cars.As you approach Kyogamisaki, you can enjoy even more pleasant coastal winding.Therefore, it's a good idea to keep a little distance from the car in front of you and then run at your own pace.

While taking a break in the parking lot of Kyogamisaki Lighthouse, look for the next destination.

"Do you want to run down the mountains of Hyogo as it is?" Or "Do you want to go further west and run 911 to the direction of Okayama?"After all, I decided to go to Okayama because I wanted to run on a fast track... Looking for an inn tonight, Okayama booked a hotel in Tsuyama.

911 to Snow Mountain Winding

Drive R178 toward Toyooka. After passing through the Kawanashi tunnel and approaching the pass, there is a lot of snow. Although the snow has been removed, it is a completely snowy landscape.

On the way, continue running west on R178 while passing through the bypass section. By the time we arrived at Road Station Sanin Kaigan Geopark Hamasaka no Sato, the sun had completely set and the darkness was approaching.

From now on, there is quite a lot to Tsuyama. Moreover, I'm going to go over the deep mountains in the mountains, so I'm a little worried, but on the contrary, my adventurous spirit ignites. Feeling excited somewhere, I entered Tottori City and headed south on R53.

Then turn left onto the R482 you are looking for. thisR482 has been introduced many times on my blog, but this section between Tottori and Okayama is a famous road.However, no one turns left to R482 during such a pitch-black snowfall.

From here it's a completely solo trip. There are no cars in front or behind.

Trust the 911, open the accelerator, pass through the village and run up the mountain road. The outside temperature is negative, but the road surface is barely dry.

There are no street lights, so in the dark, only the headlights are relied on. In Sport Plus mode,The control of PDLS (Porsche Dynamic Light System) will also change, and it will illuminate the direction of travel even more quickly.

Even if you apply traction in 2nd and 3rd speed at such a low temperature, the grip of the winter tires is tremendous. And since it is a 4x4, I run up the winding with plenty of room. When you open the window a little, you can hear the piercing cold air and only the roar of Flat Six echoing in the pitch-black mountains.

As the altitude went up, there was more snow on the road. Slow down considerably and go up carefully.The brakes are especially important on snowy roads.I think the key to running safely is how to run with minimal braking.

The splendor of Porsche's 4x4 control (PTM)

Looking at the torque distribution before and after the PTM (Porsche Traction Management System) on the monitor of the instrument panel, I noticed that the control was completely different from the previous one.

On dry roads, torque is applied to the rear wheels, and the distribution is about 1: 9 to 2: 8 even when starting or accelerating, but when you start running on a little snow,PTM begins to distribute a lot of torque to the front wheels as if you were looking at the condition of the road surfaceThe first is the "I" in "I".

As a driver, I don't feel like I'm slipping, and it seems that PTM control changes even when I'm running on sparse snow from time to time.Even if you enter a place without snow, the control will continue for a whileIt seems that the distribution to the front is always controlled from 3: 7 to 5: 5.

991 4x4 mechanism

When I dared to try starting on a road surface without snow, it started to start at about 3: 7 to 4: 6, and it started.The 911 itself recognizes that it is "running in an area where there may be snow now"It seems as if. Therefore, the running is very stable. It is not a cheap control that distributes torque to the front wheels after slipping clearly, but in a place that the driver is not aware ofIt turns out that PTM controls it quite proactively.

As I approached the pass while being impressed by the precision of the 4x4 control of Carrera 4, snow was piled up in earnest. In total darkness, I put my full trust in my partner 911 and rushed through the snow. It's even more fun than scary.

I wondered if this situation would continue for a while, but for a short while, I turned left onto R179 and headed toward Tsuyama.

If you run on wet roads in winter

R179 is also a wonderful road with little traffic and is my favorite road.

This time it's night, so the traffic is even lighter. The snow on the road was completely melted, and it was more like heavy wet.

Even so,Winter tires have excellent drainage and wet grip, so you can run with great peace of mind.This is one of the major differences from studless tires and one of the reasons why I am particular about winter tires.

It seems that the wet performance of recent studless tires has improved considerably, but it is generally said that studless tires are vulnerable to conflicting wet performances because they improve ice performance.

However, except for heavy snowfall areas, most roads in Japan were quickly cleared of snow, and due to the effects of snow melting agents,Rather than snow, the ratio of running on cold wet roads wet with thawed water is very high.That's why I choose winter tires over studless tires.

By the time I arrived in Tsuyama, the 911 was already in a muddy state, even though I saw it. Car wash while refueling at the gas station. I took the 911, which had regained its brilliance for the first time in a long time, and headed for a hotel in the city.

to be continued.