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Date:         Tue, 4 Feb 2014 20:54:06 -0500
Reply-To:     James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives
Comments: To: "SDF ( Scott Daniel Foss )" <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
In-Reply-To:  <52F07F8A.3050609@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Scott, as you also replied about getting the latest, most modern rubber in winter tires - so too with studded tires. The latest studded tires have pretty much the same grip in soft snow and 90% or better of the same grip on dry pavement, but also dig into ice and packed snow in a way that studless tires can't match. Check out videos from Nokian's proving grounds, or talk to some Finns or Swedes - or Canadians who run studded Nokians in the winter. The studded Nokias (previous name) I had 30 years ago were not as good on pavement - but in Nova Scotia, driving on dry pavement in winter was a rare luxury. Hard-packed snow and ice was much more common! James Ottawa > Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 21:50:02 -0800 > From: scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM > Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > > Depends on what you're driving on. > Studs don't help in soft snow. > The stopping distnaces on pavement have to be much higher than a good > pavement tire has. > packed snow > and ice ..sure studs help some. > > for people that have not tried really good Studless Winter tires .. > you really should. > When I bought Bridgestone Blizzacks a few years a back .. > after 5 decades of 2WD winter driving ... > I'll never run anything but those now ...with chains for the really bad > situations to put on if needed. > > Also ...RWD vanagons are very traction-challenged. > A good 2 to 300 lbs in the rear compartment over the engine sure doesn't > hurt. > > On 2/3/2014 5:46 PM, James wrote: > > I love studs. I had them on front-drive (Rabbit) and rear-drive ('76 Toyota Corolla) cars in Nova Scotia for a decade. But they're illegal here in Ontario. > > > > James > > > >> Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 01:13:29 -0600 > >> From: ki4tlf@GMAIL.COM > >> Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives > >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > >> > >> Tires and driving style are the majority of it. If it would work and I > >> could get away with it, I'd run the studs like the Ice Racers do. > >> > >> GregM > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > >> JRodgers > >> Sent: Monday, February 03, 2014 12:44 AM > >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > >> Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives > >> > >> Saw this in Alaska every fall at first snowfalls. All the Chechakos > >> (newcommers)with their fancy 4WD rigs had to learn the hard way., > >> > >> John > >> > >> On 2/2/2014 10:31 PM, James wrote: > >>> To add one more note to this, was out and about in yesterday's snowstorm > >> in our front-wheel-drive Toyota Matrix, equipped with Michelin X-Ice 3 tires > >> all around. It was greasy and slippery, being just below freezing with 5 > >> cm/two inches of fresh snow and more coming down. Going along one > >> principal, six-lane street at about 40 km/h (25 mph), saw a 4WD Kia Sportage > >> spinning and sliding all over the place on a moderate grade. When we both > >> stopped - he out of an inability to go forward, me so I wouldn't have him > >> slide into me - noted that he had old, cheap all-season tires. He wasn't in > >> a mood to take advice, so I carryied on upgrade with my two wheels pulling, > >> leaving behind his 4WD to slide gently backwards down the slope... > >>> James in snowy Ottawa. > >>> > >>>> Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 00:02:16 -0500 > >>>> From: jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM > >>>> Subject: Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives > >>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > >>>> > >>>> Syncros and limited slip differentials really help in the snow and ice, > >> but most critical are the tires. True summer tires are rarely used up here > >> in the 'Great White North' (unless you have a full-zoot set of high > >> performance tires on a sports car), but the year I was posted in Atlanta I > >> remember being surprised how uncommon even 'all-season' radials were - a lot > >> of cheap summer tires on sale. And the thing about cheap, long-life summer > >> tires is that the rubber gets hard, hard, hard when it gets cold - and hard > >> rubber doesn't have any traction on ice. > >>>> Softer rubber, with the right tire sipe pattern, can have surprisingly > >> good traction on ice. I haven't driven our Westy in the snow and ice, but I > >> have driven a lot of front-drive and rear-drive cars and trucks in snow and > >> ice. A decent, careful driver in a 2WD car with good 'ice and snow' winter > >> tires can get through on most icy, snowy roads. 4WD helps, but if the 4WD > >> has been crippled by not having winter tires, they are no better than 2WD > >> (and worse, if the driver is overconfident because of 4WD). My favourites > >> of the really good ice and snow tires are Nokians, Continentals > >> WinterContact, and Michelin's X-ice series. Studded tires are illegal here > >> in Ontario, but those three tires all will stop on ice for me. > >>>> My sympathies to all of you living through the ice and snow in Alabama, > >> Georgia, etc. While my Canadian neighbours snigger at your plight, I just > >> remember that most of them would wilt in the 100F with humidity that you > >> folks live in every summer. > >>>> James > >>>> Ottawa, ON > >>>> '91 Multivan Westfalia (Weekender) > >>>> > >>> > >


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