Date:         Sun, 2 Feb 2014 23:31:13 -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
In-Reply-To:  <BLU177-W673263C81C8BEC5B7BD26E0AF0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

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)
>