Date:         Tue, 6 Oct 1998 02:26:21 -0700
Reply-To:     Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Subject:      Re: Snow tires for westy?
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;



Cory Sytsma wrote:

> With all this talk of tires and winterizing, any comments on snow tires?  I
> just recently purchased a '89 westy, and curious about what most owners do
> for the winter.  Snow tires or not?

If you are going to drive in the snow, put on snow tires!


>  Does anyone use studded snow tires?

I have studded re-treaded tires of unknown brand for my 88 Syncro, but studs
are only good on ice, they don't do diddly on snow, and they are noisy to drive
on. If you have a lot of icy roads in the winter, go with studs, otherwise
don't.

> Any recommendations on tire makes?

I wouldn't recommend any tire, as each tire is designed for different climates.
Some are made for snow, other for ice, and even some for highways.


>  How about what type of snow chains work
> best?

Any type would work, but only to be driven on snow, driving on asphalt will
ruin them quickly(been there, done that) Traction with chains is amazing,
however.

>
>
> We don't get a whole lot of snow on the ground normally, but going up to
> the mountains is when I'm most concerned.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Cory
>
> '89 Westy

  Here in Norway, 99% of all car owners equip their cars with two sets of
tires, one set for spring-summer-fall and one set for winter( the last 1% are
gambling). Nobody is so stupid as to drive with summer tires in the winter
here, in fact, if you crash in the winter without proper tires, the insurance
companies may not pay up, as the car was not properly equipped to face the
winter. The well-known M+S (Mud and Snow) is a standardization, but not a
guarantee for a good snow tire. I've seen M+S tires I hardly would have used in
the rain, let alone for snow!
With winter kicking in early-mid november and lasting at least through march,
with a mixture of rain, ice and up to 3 feet of snow, we really get experienced
with winter driving, and good tires is a must! Minimum tread depth should be
3mm, deeper is better.
The different rubber mixtures make tires fit different temperatures, I am
currently driving on studless winter tires on my 88 syncro, and they scream
like a half-dead cat when taking a hard corner, even though the outside temp is
about 8C, but tires made for summer temps are getting harder as the temp drops,
making them slippy on cold, wet asphalt, and IMO dangerous on ice.
You don't see INDY cars on BFG A/Ts and you don't use slicks for offroad
driving.
I am looking forward for the winter, so I can jump in the snow with my
Syncro:-). My last car, a '84 Audi 4000 Quattro pushed itself through 2 feet of
fresh snow(amazing!) with snow flying over the hood, so I'm excited to see how
deep the Syncro can go.

Bye for now,
Per Lindgren

BTW, the outside temp right now is only 2,5C (34-35F?), WINTER IS COMING:-))

[text/html]