Rate your tires winter performance here!

[ricosuave]

Nokkian' Hakka@'s, you can't get better. :wink:



 :twisted:

me too.

rico

[Centurion]

Thanks for the tip Patrick - but I would never clip a spring - tosses ou tthe spring rate too quick! - also - I run the car with heavy loads sometimes - and need this capacity to carry the load!

Sometime I have to run over a scale loaded and see what I am pullin.

C

[Patrick]

Actually, when you cut the spring it gets stiffer. This is a lot better (and safer!) way to do it thanjust heating the spring in the car and letting it sag. Seen it done, wouldn't do it! The front end of my 84 Jetta is actually too stiff now, but that's the way I like it anyway. Just go a little at a time, 1/2 a coil or so, and start with one that's too much. If what you've got works for you, leave it alone! Cheated (short term fix) on the back of the 84 a couple of weeks ago and bought some of the twist in rubber bumpers to fix the sag. helped, but not the way I like to do things. Rather find another spring (stiffer) that fits the A1, but only found one listed in the book. They wouldn't happen to be the same diameter as the A2 springs, would they? I'll have to check when my wife gets home from work with the 92! (Audi springs in the 92, 92 moved to 84?)

[deepmud]

Here in Alaska, I am sold on Bridgestone Blizzaks. Also known as Winter Duelers in the light trucks. Not mounted on a VW. My VW has 39.5x18 boggers . I have a set on my Expedition, on my Contour, I talked a friend into mouting a set on her Taurus wagon. Her response to them was"How long have these tires been around? Why haven't you told me about them before!?!". Ice racers make them the non-studded standard. And the "magic" outer layer has lasted 3 seasons, might go 4 or 5 before becoming a "normal" all season radial - AND they are just as good as new for as long as there is any of that layer left, while a 2 or 3 year studded tire is not nearly as effective as when new. If you can't run studs, run these. I can run studs, and I like these better. Today, with rain on packed snow and ice, they are marginal (so slick you can't stand up). But so are the studded tires, several cars with studs in the ditch this morning on my commute. Really, I should just mount chains. But the rest of the time, I think they are superior to studded tires. Perhaps if you could get the "magic" rubber compound on a studded tire, you would be even better. But they are the best I have found by a wide margin.

[srivett]

Could you post some pictures of your boggers?  They are very rare, even in Northern Ontario.  Well, they are becoming common for ATVs but not for regular vehicles.  You must really drive slow with boggers and chains on your cars.

You don't think studs don't help that much on Ice?  Or is it just the drivers?  I crashed into a snowbank yesterday, with my new snow tires (non studded), but it was my fault.  I was actually just trying to park the car but there was 20 feet of glare ice hidden under the snow. hehe, it was fun riding that one out, I didn't slow at all until I hit the snow bank.

Steve

[deepmud]

Studs are the BEST< except for Blizzaks. I guess I assumed everyone was at least familiar with the name.

Chains - if the Blizzaks aren't sticking, the conditions are BAD BAD BAD< studded or not, it's slip slidey time. So I was saying if the Blizzaks aren't doing the job, you should be chained up. Today, in Ancharage, it's like 40 degrees and raining on ice. That's as bad as it gets. I still haven't chained up, I should, but haven't. My daily driver is a Jeep Cherokee or a Ford Contour, depending on who needs which car. The Contour has been getting around fine, once in a while it's nice to have the 4x4 Cherokee. The Cherokee still only has 4 wheel stop, however, just like everybody else, 4x4 or not. The 4x4 can instill a false sense of confidence. Most the cars in the ditches are 4x4, often with standard all season tires.

Blizzaks:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Blizzak+WS-50



The magic is not in the tread pattern, but in the rubber compound. It's a "sponge layer", that actively absorbs the microscopic layer of water between the ice and the tread. It has siping, of course, and a good tread pattern, and works well on wet pavement, but the "magic" has to be felt to be believed.  Braking in heavy snow  and packed, glazed intersections at stop signs and such is greatly improved over most any tire, studded or not.

Those Nokia tires look pretty damn good, tho, and I have't tested a high caliber studded tire back to back with  my Blizzaks, just a Sears brand winter studded on another Cherokee my friend owns. In most conditions, the Blizzaks out perform the studded tires ( on their 2nd season, at least). I haven't had a chance to compare them in the conditions of the past few days, but my friend reports he doesn't have much traction - neither do I. It's been scary on the side streets.

Boggers
My VW is mounted in my Suzuki Samurai , currently getting redesigned again. Not getting driven chained up. Or even driven lately. Big ol' intercooler will make turning those big ol' tires that much more fun
Erik

[DVST8R]

hey deepmud I thought that you were going to post a pic of the tracks when the ultimate snow "tire" was posted.

So it looks like you decided to go single link  in the rear and I can't tell by the pic for the front is it single as well or a three link?

Your going to need a giles pump a twins to keep the 40's spinin like the 35's  :twisted: , regardless it will be fun once its going again.

[deepmud]

Yeah, doin' the "onelink" front and rear, coils, big ol' Saab intercooler, and..... hmm. Giles pump may be in my future all right. The Axles got swapped too, 4.88's, locked front and rear, should kick butt.

Y'all may not know it, but the 1.9td is a seriously awesome off-road motor  :twisted:

I may get to hold off the Giles pump for at least awhile, the 1.9td pump seems to have a lot of fueling ability. Maybe one of those mechanical TDI setups would be the eventual goal, I wouldn't mind 150 horse or so.

And the tracks.....getting modded to bolt on the Toy axles, you betcha!
I miss 'em.

[eudiesel]

Nokkian' Hakka@'s, you can't get better. :wink:



I have the same tires Nokian Hakapelita 175/70 R13. Goes like SUV