With modern high performance snow tires, the issue of a matched is not
just for snow performance. Especially on the Vanagon, match tires make a
huge difference in handling on both dry and rain conditions.

Traction tires do not have the same rubber to road contact and the
aggressive tread does not offer the same directional stability as a summer
type rib tire. The new found over steer is sometimes quite obvious and
scary. If the winters happen to be larger in diameter than the summer
tires, things get worse. Adding more caster angle helps but really matched
sets are the way to go.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Don Hanson
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:35 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Snow newbie needs snow tire recommendation

 You mean "Moi"?
 I dunno, guys and gals, but I always found that when driving in the snow
and ice, if you need a "steer/stop" reaction from your vehicle, both at
the same moment, you likely are going off the road.  You can get one or
the other but not both simultaneously.(unless you are very skilled and
light with your inputs)  You must snow-drive to avoid that type of driving
situation, or you are surely going to be one of those "snow idiots".
 Your tires only have so much traction.  Period.  Like your bank account
only has so much money in it.  You can make withdrawals up to the limit of
your traction "account" (just like your bank account) but once it's used
up, you are "overdrawn" .  If you are using nearly all your traction to
slow as you approach a hazard and you ask your front tires for more to
make a turn, too...You will over draw on your traction account and become
a passenger in your own vehicle.  Modern ABS systems help with this, but
the Limit is the Limit..ABS is like a charge-card...it helps short term
when you 'jab the brakes' but you still have to 'balance your traction
account' and "pay it off" before the bottom of that hill or that stopsign
or that semi that is cross-wise down the road in front of you.
  Snow tires are configured to help with straight-ahead traction.  So
having some on the front may give you slightly more straight line braking
traction but I've never found them especially good at helping you steer.
And if you try to steer and brake simultaneously..you're asking for
trouble..
  Studded winter tires on all four wheels DO make sense to me.  That kinda
setup is great on ice and packed snow at winter highway speeds.  So, if
you want to run four  regular snow tires on a Van it might not be a total
waste of money, I guess...But I have found, and I have tried 4 snows a
couple of times, that having snow treads on the front makes no difference
in a 2wd/rwd vehicle.  YMMV
  Don Hanson
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jake de Villiers
  To: Don Hanson
  Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
  Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:47 PM
  Subject: Re: Snow newbie needs snow tire recommendation

  Some of those 'snow-idiots' are the ones with winter tires on the drive
axle but not on their steer/stop axle!  :-)

  On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 3:18 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson@gorge.net> wrote:

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Date:    Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:13:13 -0400
    From:    Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
    Subject:

    And do get all 4.

    Dennis

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
Behalf Of
    Mike Elliott

    Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 11:50 AM
    To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

    Subject: Re: Snow newbie needs snow tire recommendation

    So I hear. Just gotta find some here in Bend.
    --

    Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott

     If you have extra money you want to spend, Dennis may be right, but
I've
    never seen the need to put snow tires on non-drive wheels.  25 years
of
    winters in Jackson Hole, Wy. where winter is long and roads aren't
plowed
    that well.
     If you get studded tires, then yes, get four..If you drive a Syncro,
get
    four.  Otherwise, normal tires with a good tread will work just as
well and
    aren't usually so pricey as Hakepelitikas (sp?)..
      Take your van to a deserted driving venue and experiment with it in
the
    snow and on the ice.  Learn how to drive it in slick conditions, but
be very
    aware that you'll encounter other 'snow-idiots' who have not a clue as
to
    how to behave on snowy roads...and drive 'defensively...
     Don Hanson

  --
  Jake
  1984 Vanagon GL
  1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
  Crescent Beach, BC
  www.crescentbeachguitar.com
  http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27