I'll second what George says for the Hakka C2.  Great tire and perfectly
suited for the vanagon.  Unstoppable in snow.  I got six so I can rotate in
an axle set.
-Hans
87 syncro

----- Original Message -----
From: "George Goff" <THX0001@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 12:04 AM
Subject: Re: Tire for '89 Camper

> 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
>