In a message dated 9/23/04 2:34:35 PM, dun_roamin@YAHOO.COM writes:

<< If anyone should want to suggest a tire for my van, I'd be very grateful.
>>

Nokian Hakkapeliitta's.  I ran Hakkapelliitta 10's until the were
discontinued.  I then switched to the C2's because Nokian said, of their new styles, the
C2's were the most like the 10's.  Since they are a dedicated snow tire, I
used to exchange them for summer tires.  I got bored with that hassle, so I
started to run the Hakka's year round and, other than being a little noisier, they
seem to perform and wear as well as a good radial summer tire.  I do not use
studs and I have a Syncro.  I also used them when I had a 2WD van, but not year
round.  The Hakka's and a couple of hundred pounds of ballast over the rear
axle were de rigueur for the 2WD in the winter.

I have used Hakkapelliita's for over twenty years on both Vanagons and
Volvo's and I can think of no other winter tire which can even smell them.  Years
ago, I ran Vredestein's which were quite good, but the Hakka's are a notch above
them.  Hakkapelliittta's are made in a country which REQUIRES winter tires to
be mounted from November until May by federal statute, so the Finns must know
something about making them.

The one drawback which results from the excellence of their design is that
they have a directional tread and this, of course, precludes rotating the tires
side-to-side.

George