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- John Davies
November 2, 2003, 10:24 am
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hope I can get some good Jeeply tire advice.
Spokane is getting its first snowfall of the season, and I was
finally able to try out my MT/Rs in about an inch of fresh and packed
snow. Up to 4 more inches expected by the end of tomorrow. No ice
though...
The MT/Rs are siped full depth, 90 degrees across the center lugs
only. Tread is essentially un-worn. Starting and stopping seems fine.
It takes a good bit of pedal force to engage the ABS. Directional
stabilty seems a little low - I feel a lot of tail wagging around
downhill curves and the front end plows during sharp low speed turns.
Kicking the tail around with the e-brake is easy, controllable and
fun. All this leads me to believe a set of good snow tires with multi-
directional siping is in order.
Has anyone gone from siped MT/Rs to pure winter tires? What results
did you see? My local Discount Tire dealer has a set of 285/75R16
Geolander I/T+ winter tires ready and waiting for my US$600. What I
would like to know is: are the results worth the cash?
http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/geoit.pdf
BTW, Spokane gets many light snowfalls during the winter - deep ones
are rare. Mean snowfall is 41 inches per winter. I don't anticipate
doing any serious 'wheeling during the winter, but do want to travel
the mountains safely.
Thanks.
John Davies
96 LX450
Spokane WA USA
http://home.comcast.net/~johnedavies/page2thb.htm
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions
;-D.
As a far as the tires go....I would just carry a good pair of chains around
with me, if your not going to be going crazy in the snow (read staying on
the road) then your MTs should work for you fine....and if you do find
yourself in a situtation where you need more traction then slip on the
chains. Also if you think you need real traction in ice chains are going to
be the way to go. I hope my endless rambling makes some sense.
....of course if you want to spend 600$...go for it. You might want to
check tirerack for more reviews/prices of those tires.
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions
Nope - I haven't owned it long enough to find any, after the driest
summer in a century in Washington State. But it is definitely NOT a
mud bogger - more of an expedition vehicle in the Aussie/ Outback
sense. It's much too nice to flog and abuse.
A little sense....except I would have to have two pairs. I have no
problem whatsoever finding traction to go and stop. The truck is
Fulltime 4wd with center viscous diff, and 2 electric lockers. The
siping helps forward traction some. I would like better steering and
lateral control, and I don't believe putting 4 chains on at every
snowfall would be appropriate.
They don't carry that tire, have no information about it, and they
told me on the phone that they have no plans to stock it. Neither do
they carry ANY 33 inch snow tire. This one looks like a winner since
you can get a 33 or a 35, and the price isn't a factor for me anyway.
I don't want to downsize the diameter for esthetic reasons. I just saw
a nice older Range Rover with winch, armor, lights, roof rack and itty
bitty wimpy little snow tires. It looked rather comical, though I am
sure the owner was happy with the way it got around.
John Davies
96 LX450
Spokane WA USA
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions
. I don't anticipate
For street use a narrow set of snow tires would be better. Studded tires
works best on ice, but I doubt you will need them unless you go uphill
often.
My Jeepster has 35x 12.50 MTs, with an auto trans and 2 Powr-Lok limited
slip diffs. My VW Jetta with studded tires does better on icy roads, and
snow under 4 inches on the highway--
Paul Calman, Hathaway Pines, California
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions
turning a corner.
My BFG Mud tires are 'way' better than my BFG AT tire in this situation
because the lugs will clear faster.
I find it better to drop to 2 WD at intersections when I need to turn no
matter which Jeep I am driving.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
John Davies wrote:
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions - getting off-topic.....
Macchiarolo) wrote:
Well, yeah, and when it's unlocked (which is the way I usually drive
it) it ain't. So the truck shouldn't plow in turns.
For street driving in snow I usually leave the center diff unlocked so
that the ABS stays operational - the Lexus LX450 ecu disables the ABS
with the center diff locked.
John Davies
Spokane WA USA
Re: Siped MT/Rs vs snow tires - comments and questions
More important than the siping is the tread compound, particularly
for mild Spokane type winters. You'll want a hydrophilic
non-hardening compound so it stays flexible and sticky in the
range not too far below freezing. Tread filler material also
helps, the silica filled treads being an example. Too bad
neither the old Blue Blizzard [blue silica filled tread] nor
Conti Contacts are still available, but there are several
brands of similar performance. Studs are really good, but
you probably don't hit enough snow long enough to spend the
money and hassle unless you do hit the mountains.
--
My governor can kick your governor's ass
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