In my 30 years of driving in Alaska - from Wrangell in SE Alaska to the Deep Freeze of Fairbanks to the Banana Belt of Anchorage and South Central Alaska, Seward and Homer on the Kenai Peninsula to Kodiak and Kodiak Island, Alaska to tundra bound Bethel Alaska and all the river driving done out there - I never felt the need for studded tires, on any vehicle I ever owned in Alaska - EXCEPT the 1985 Vanagon GL I bought in 1990. First snow of the season on the Kenai Peninsula convinced me real quick to put studded tires on that puppy all the way around!

John

On 6/15/2014 2:37 PM, Kevin White wrote: > Having participated in the part of this discussion that concentrated purely on traction (spinning or not spinning, Peloquin, or not, etc.), I'll throw in .02. > > Having lived all my life in the Northwest and Alaska, the ability to STOP when you want and need is pretty darn important, I think. in a winter climate. > > My wifes' Passat wears good studs, period. She drives faster than I do, and they have saved her in some situations that I wish she would remember more clearly than she seems to. My 4wd Tacoma wears all weathers, but I drive very, very, very defensively. The only time I have ever slid off a road in 38 years of winter driving, studs would have prevented, so maybe I need to rethink for that Tacoma. > > Ruby, our 84 Westy, got Nokian WRG 2's (a winter rated all season) for last winters travels. They were great for winter situations that I could defensively control (i.e., not having to jump on urban freeways at rush hour in a snowstorm). > > We are staying in Alaska this winter, and I am watching Craigslist for studded tires for the van. I have the option of not driving it, and probably won't, much, so i'm not prioritizing this at the moment. > > I know the Spokane area very well, and personally would spring for serious studs, front and rear, for late October through March. If I had to rely on my van here in Juneau, same thing. While visiting friends there last month, the local drivers struck me as being in training for a move to Seattle. > > If it sounds like I'm completely paranoid about "the other guy", well, yes. > > Hope you enjoy the Spokane area. Great location to launch a lot of Westy adventures! > > Cheers > Kevin > > > On Jun 15, 2014, at 10:14 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote: > >> ---- Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM> wrote: >>> >>> I went out and got two snow tires to put on the rear. Yes, I know that's >>> not a great idea, but money was tight. I've since gotten the other pair for >>> a full set. >> >> So, help me out here. Back in the day, before front wheel drive, we always mounted a pair of snow tires on the rear, regular highway tires on the front, and if we mounted chains we put them on the rear. My owner's book for the Vanagon says to do it that way. Here in Oklahoma I don't bother with snow tires, though we occasionally get some pretty intense storms and my city never plows anything except arterials (the ones designated "Emergency Snow Route"). I will be moving to Spokane, WA, where snow is just a fact of life for 4-5 months. Should I put snow tires on the rear only, or on both front and rear of my Vanagon? I realize that some people just park it for the winter, too. >> >> David McNeely >