Snow and Ice....

[REF]

Take a look at some of the Chevy rigs Don and the guys build over at
http://www.boulderoffroadvans.com

[MtnVan]

I run a second set of wheels for snow/ice with Blizzak W965 tires (265/75-16 load E). They stick like glue on snow and ice without needing studs. I've passed Subaru's going uphill.

The Blizzaks are no good for warm weather or summer driving, but fantastic in the winter on twisty mountain roads where the snowplows leave a sheet of ice. They also work well in snow deeper than the axles. The other downside to the Blizzaks is that I can't find a load E tire in a bigger size...

Good luck and have a great winter!

[reelchef67]

Ive been Using Nokian (severe weather snowflake rated) All weather tires on my wife's car and my van. The car has wrg3's and I have rotiva LT e 's . They are unbelievable in winter driving and you you can leave them on all year round. Have never liked a tire more for Canadian driving conditions.

[TeleSteve]

Originally Posted by AKPhil

Finally, if I end up with a Chevy and GMC van w/ AWD and traction control, I would want to lift the vehicle high enough to get 33's under it. Don't want a really high-sitting van, and ground clearance is not much of an issue for me, but I do feel the need to put some 33's under there for proportion and 'stance.' If I have AWD and traction control, I just need to get the van in the air a little bit.....ideally with a simple and inexpensive body lift. Is is possible to do this without compromising the suspension/chassis of the van, and also (very important) without creating really dorky looking gaps between the bumpers and body?

Thoughts please, and many, many thanks!

Phil

You might take a look at my build thread I have added a 3" suspension and 2" body lift to my AWD Express. It now has 33.2" tires.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=16339

[yelnam]

If you want a 2016 or 2015 vehicle, consider the new Ford Transit with a Quigley 4x4 conversion. Lots of info on the ford transit USA forum.

[yelnam]

And a tire to consider: Cooper Discoverer ATW. It's like their Off-road tire, good on pavement, but with siping and the severe weather snowflake. 50k miles supposedly.

[beaker]

I run up and down the Parks Highway between the Denali area and Anchorage or Fairbanks quite a bit. I just came back from Anchorage last night, still running my summer Michelin LTX AT2 tires because I am having a Sterling 10.5 rear axle built up and was hoping save some time by swapping the axle and winter tires at the same time. To make a long story longer, the Michelins are not appropriate winter tires. In fact, I'm heading back to Anchorage tomorrow and will be taking one of our other vehicles due to predicted snow and my lack of winter tires on the E-350.

I am currently running Hankook studded winter tires (when I finally get them on the van), which replaced Nokian Hakkapeliitaa LT2 tires. I got a good deal on the Hankooks, but won't buy them again. The Nokians are that much better, in my opinion. Both are better than the Michelins on ice, and far better on snow.

I used to be a fan of studless tires, but in my part of the state, we get a lot of ice storms. As a result, I've transitioned to studded tires. My wife insists on them.

As for stability control, I don't let my 16 year old daughter drive the van in snow yet by herself. There is no comparison between my van and a modern car with stability control. It is an exercise in smooth lines in curves and extremely gentle inputs.

[Blanca]

We run cooper ms studded on our van. Just mounted our third set. Have used nokian haka's in the past but just don't hold up as long. We live in northern New Hampshire but travel throughout the western us and British Columbia in winter. Can't be happier with the performance and saftey. They allow us the chase the snow in pursuit of our ski addiction