When I was up at White Horse in Canada, I talked to the firechief there who said that when the temperature drops down to about -40 Celsius in winter, the town becomes deserted and the occasional brave drivers loose their fanbelts on the roads.  Hence the appearance  of the "snake" on the snowy white roads.  He also said that the tires don't want to roll well after parked longer and kind of wobble, not wanting to give up their shape easily.
My air-cooled Vanagon ran great up to the Arctic Ocean and back to the Seattle area.  I would not have taken a water cooled Vanagon on that kind of trip where the distances are so great between garages.
I hope, I gave something new to your already wast knowledge boys.
Zoltan