Winter Tires...Bessie needs a Stud!

[73kombi]

Ok, first off, I have been through the tire sticky, and I understand all about load ranges and the benefits of good tires.......but I live in Cripple Creek, CO and travel every month or two to Missoula, MT in Bessie. She needs some help sticking to the road! (she is my only ride, the Harley is way too cold)

Don't know how many of you have driven trough the mountains in the snow, but it makes the heater a little less important, (I have a BN4) staying on the road, becomes the priority! and Bessie handles like a couch on skis......ever see the furniture downhill?

I am thinking of getting these Hankook Zovac HP W401 Studs from Discount Tire, they are only $65.00 each, 195/75R14, and they will only be on in the winter. (that means six months here)

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireDetail.do...mp;rf=true

What say you Samba? Any of you ever stud up your Bus and drive? Any other studded brands that may be better? $260 is cheap insurance for one crash!

[Randy in Maine]

Just my 2 cents here. Really your call to make.

I am not a big fan of studded tires as they do not stop as fast as non-studded tires on dry pavement. They do stop better on ice.

I think I would rather have something like this in the rear only

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=COMTRACWIN

or these Nokian Hakkapelitta CS 195R/14 (but I don't know where to buy them).

and use the regular all season up front. At least they would be better able to handle the weight of a bus. I would also throw a couple of tubes of sand in the rear.

"All season radials are the South's revenge for the North winning the Civil War" (also known as "the war of Northern Agression").

[steponmebbbboom]

Nokian Hak IIs are the best snow tire available for your bus in the correct reinforced sidewall and load rating. Beware the tread compound is much softer and will wear very rapidly in mild weather, it is for cold temperatures only. For the price of the tire youd best heed that warning, too.

[73kombi]

Thanks for that link Randy, and only two left in the USA. The tread on those sure doesn't look "Snow Tire Like"......but they are from Holland! I am not too concerned with braking distances, (as I've never rear ended an SUV yet) more like cornering, and uphill traction (without chains) issues on the ice......

Fortunately, (for rust), they don't salt the roads out west, so you just replace the windscreen more often......But the hills, (read Rocky Mountains) where Me and Bessie live are 7% grades, and just yesterday I almost had to back down a grade and get another run! I do keep a little weight on the rears, and I make Moses lay in the way-back......He weighs in at 110lbs. Chains are kind of a bitch, as you only need them for a minute, then take 'em off.

peace

on edit: those Nokians are bad ass, and the names are hard to pronounce too! Hakkapelliita......I will look into them tomarow, they appear to be mail order only? not much on the Google. THey also don't come in a 75 series, (in the 14inch) but the 70's would work, and the load rating is proper. They are pricey! $132.00 on tiresbyweb.com, the only source I've found.

I wish Chris at busted bus was easier to get with, as I would like to purchase a spare set of wheels for the Studs, so I could "use them as needed". And he is just up the road in Boulder, CO.

thanks Step!

[steponmebbbboom]

[jeremysmithatshawdotca]

I've gotten curious about the Nokians, but they are a bit hard to find. Their North American website is www.nokiantires.com/en (don't forget the /en, they have an error on their index page, and it won't load stricly as a .com!). Seems like the CQ is their heavy duty winter tire for the vans (no studs), CS is a sort of all season that will do alright in the snow, and C2 is a studded version of the CS. The winter tires for vans are here:
http://www.nokiantires.com/en/winter_van.aspx

I emailed the sales email address yesterday with a question about local availability, and got a reply today, so they are willing to help prospective customers.

Jeremy