[s-cars] NAC - Snows on an 04 Jetta

[Ian Duff]

So, I'm in a quandary. I need snows on my 04 Jetta TDI commuter, as  
it is no quattro, and the round, black, holds air now balding OEM  
skins suck in anything by dry, sunny, SoCal advertising weather.

I have "found" two studded snows, and two non-studded snows from a  
neighbor. Neither is still available new or used, even looking at the  
local used tire shops or craigslist or ebay. The local tire shop says  
they will not stud the old snows, too difficult, and too hard to  
clean out the stud holes enough to get good seating of the studs,  
leading to shedding studs as I drive. Not something I'm looking  
forward to, and the travel brochures recommend against it.

Obviously I can't have studded snows on one end, non-studded snows on  
the other end. I might be ugly, but I'm not dumb. Not that much,  
anyway. However, I am cheap, so I don't want to buy four new tires,  
particularly as I already have two. So, I can buy two studded snows  
or two non-studded snows, and drive the "found" tires into the  
ground, then replace them next fall or even the fall after that with  
two more of whatever I buy now.

So, given that this is a commuter, 95% of my miles are on eventually  
plowed interstates between New Bedford and Cambridge, MA, I don't  
want to get stuck, and I'm pissed that there are no quattro TDIs,  
what do I do? Studded snows will make the FWD Jetta closer to quattro  
invincible, but are prolly not necessary in the vast majority of  
driving I do. Non-studded snows will prolly suffice, but will they be  
enough for a FWD car?

Nokians are the brand of choice. If I go studded, it looks like Hakka  
5 is what's cheaply/easily available, whereas if I go non-studded,  
Hakka 5  or RSi is available. I'm leaning toward the RSi.

Thoughts?

-Ian Duff.