After looking at chains, and realizing they just arent going to be the best option for me being in Alaska, I was hoping the group could recommend some winter tires. Costco has Michelin ICE-X ($100), the local tire place here has studded Hanook 404's, ($120) and I havent been up to Anchorage to see what the independents up there carry. I can carry 400# of sand (181.44kg for our metric friends) in my pickup and get traction there but if I did that on my Subaru the headlights could be mistaken for the northern lights.
I'm really leaning to studded tires as I have 2 miles of gravel between me and the road, and the mtn passes are only another 2 miles north. I figure studded would be a little harder rubber then the stud less ones so they would last longer, and provide more bite. While the stud less would handle better on the few snow less days and be quieter but if that were the case, I'd just remount the rims with my crummy geolanders and swap back.
Thoughts?
-Dave Seward, Alaska