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Date:         Tue, 4 Feb 2014 20:04:47 -0800
Reply-To:     "SDF ( Scott Daniel Foss )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "SDF ( Scott Daniel Foss )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject:      Re: Syncros. Positractions, Peloquins, and One Wheel Drives
Comments: To: James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <BLU177-W100EB985EEF8DCAFFBEBD5E0950@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

brrrrr .. sounds like you need 'em. I bet they don't sell studded tires for Vanagons in Hawaii .

what happens here in Southern Oregon is some people mount studs in the fall.. and there may only be 5 days of snow the whole winter. All that rattling around on pavement ... it's rough on the roads too.

Same when I lived in Minot ND long ago ..in town snow gets packed down by cars .. freezes and hardens..and stays for months .

On 2/4/2014 5:54 PM, James wrote: > 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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