Subject: Re: high performance street tires?

[thejimrose]

berthoud and rabbits ear are both GREAT places to be when the white stuff
falleth. ive been over both. in a quattro with snow tires. never a worry.
got stuck one year too driving from boston to steamboat [rabbit ears pass]
in a freak icestorm in nebraka. we were on spring break [early march?]. and
cars were just getting blown right off the road. me and friends in the 4k
with blizzaks and had no problem. we could run a steady 40-50mph. funny
because i  remember thinking to myself..

"self, it's march. do you REALLY want to drive 4k miles on snowtires? when
youve got thos new, yummy roadracer tires over there?" for some ODD reason i
chose wisely. boy did that turn out to be a good call. for the record we did
that trip straight thru. 36 hours drivng 24x7 in 3 man shifts. now THAT"S
love for the snow. =)

and yes tom, that is a plowed road. behind creeping suv's. BOR ring! pics
never come out when the snow is deep.

cheers
jim
98 a4 - summer and winter tires
97 triumph daytona - summer tires only

On 3/26/07, Tom Winter <tom at freeskier.com> wrote:
>
> On 3/26/07 7:44 PM, "thejimrose wrote:> wrote:
>
> > at this point you can score a set of 15"
> > wheels and tires for so cheap it's not worth messing around.
>
> While I agree with thejimrose (particularly about the deals out there
> right
> now), here are my experiences:
>
> 1. '89 Audi 100q. Bought for $500 with tires that were done. In November.
> In
> Colorado. Car purchased in Aspen. Dry pavement to Vail. Had to drive from
> Vail to Boulder (two very high mountain passes) in early season snowstorm.
> Shitty tires didn't stop car from going up and over passes, it was the
> stopping that was fun! (slip slidin' away). Replaced shitty tires with
> dedicated snows.
>
> Lesson: When rocking quattro, you can drive with the shittiest of tires
> almost anywhere, just leave plenty of room to stop!
>
> 2. Purchased 86 4000 csq with good all season (m+s) tires. Unstoppable and
> fun to drive year round, plenty of rallying in the snow (thejimrose,
> that's
> a pic of a plowed road, right? With quattro, that's cheating!). Favorite
> memory?  Berthoud Pass, unplowed 2am w/ 10" new. Plenty of sideways
> acceleration around the switchbacks. No other traffic. If you've been
> there,
> you know. 'Nuff said.
>
> Lesson: high quality rubber is good for something. And if you live in less
> snowy climes, you won't have too many problems unless you start
> high-centering, which is, well, reason enough to sit by the fire and wait
> until you can drive a nice, plowed road (just leave early prior to the
> rest
> of the fools going out and wrecking into each other, thus preventing you
> from getting first chair on a powder day).
>
> 3. '95 S6 Avant with snow tires. Yes, I run 'em all winter, starting in
> Oct
> and ending, well, when it gets really summer-like here at 8,500 feet. If I
> lived, say in Boulder or Denver, I'd think about something different, like
> M+S tires. But I don't. I live where it snows. A lot. I like driving in
> snow
> and driving in snow with the best equipment for the job. Spring - like
> right
> now - is the time to score said tires with rims for cheap. If you love
> snow,
> and live where you get plenty of it, then do it. If you don't, well, many
> other options out there.  All of which will work, some better, some worse.
>
> Lesson: Location, location, location.
> Lesson 2. Don't overthink this stuff. It's pretty simple and, fortunately,
> you do get what you pay for. Reason enough to listen closely to thejimrose
> when he hints about spring being the time to score a winter tire setup.
>
> For the record. I - 4000 csq excepted, and that was only for part of the
> winter - always run dedicated snows when the leaves change...
>
> Tom
> '95 S6 Avant (with snows until July, most likely)
>
>


-- 
--------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.