Re: Tire width in snow Was: tire size for 94 dakota?

From: Bruce Aaron Hefner (gt9742a@prism.gatech.edu)
Date: Fri Oct 24 1997 - 12:22:27 EDT


> >Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are assuming there is a solid layer
> >beneath the snow, if there is 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground (Which
> >does happen occasionally) and you try to sink the tire to the solid layer
> >beneath the snow (3 feet down) you're going to be sitting on your axles
> >aren't you, and it doesn't seem like you'd get any traction. I didn't
> >personally drive in it but when we had a blizzard (2-3 feet of snow)here
> >in GA 5 years ago I remember the vehicle that did the best was my brothers
> >truck with the big huge mud grips on it (31 or 32 - 10.50) that he had let
> >about 10 lbs of air out of so he could float above the snow, I remember
> >even hearing the news stations telling everyone don't leave your
> >house, but if you had to get out to deflate your tires to about 15-20 psi
> >and to be sure to remember to inflate them after snow was gone.
> >
> >Bruce
> >
>
> Hmmm, I dunno. Maybe it depends on the type of snow? I've always been
> told narrow is better for snow. I suppose if you had a couple feet of
> hard packed stuff, then you wouldn't want to sink in that, but if you had
> a couple feet of fluff & slush, you probably want to get down to the ground.
> I suspect that might be the case, since roads generally don't have that
> kind of volume on them, unless its right after a serious snowstorm (in which
> case it would be fluffy or slush). If that's true, then maybe I should
> revise my statement to be "narrow is better for snow on the roads".
>
> Anyone know for sure what the deal is?
>
>
> -Jon-
>
> .--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu -- http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/~stei0302/ ---.
> | DoD# 1038, EAA# 518210, NMA# 117376, USUA# A46209, KotWitDoDFAQ, RP-SEL |
> | '96 Dodge Dakota v8 SLT Club Cab, '96 Kolb FireFly 447 (#FF019) |
> `-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
> I do not speak for the SUNY College at Fredonia; any opinions are my own.
>

I know that here in GA we don't get the fluffy stuff, it's either slushy
or it's packed pretty hard, and unlike up North our gov't isn't prepared
for snowstorms so it's always several days before they get the roads
graded (I know during the blizzard it was a week before they got to our
road but by then our neighbors had already had the roads cleared off for 2
or 3 days using their tractors) so you have to rely on your 4X to get you
through, and it seems that wide tires work better in the packed stuff we
get, but if you get the fluffy stuff, then you're right narrow is better.
Later-

Bruce



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