Having learned to drive in Montana, and at the end of 14 miles of seldom-
plowed mountain roads there, I think I can say with some authority that
WIDER IS WORSE!
Montana gets quite a variety of snow conditions, from light fluffy stuff
that a Dakota can drive through, even six feet deep, to slushy goop
[after a Chinook Larry] that's a lot like mud -- except for the ice on
the road beneath it.
A narrow tire does cut through to a load-bearing surface, and it does
melt the contact patch (except maybe at more than 20 below -- when the
snow gets squeaky, I don't spend a whole lot of time outdoors looking
into such things). You want snow tires with moderate-size channels
between the blocks, and sipes in the blocks to help stick on ice.
And you want a sharp sidewall! Round, road-tire sidewalls are quieter,
but you lose alot of your steering ability.
As for the idea of wide tires giving you flotation on top of enough snow
that you'd be plowing it otherwise -- have fun! I think you're asking
for a hefty towing charge (or wait 'til spring). You might go along
fine for awhile, but once something like a hill or a curve slows your
momentum and you stop, you're going to have a lot of digging to do!
Really heavy, deep snow is a call for chains on all four wheels. I've
seen vehicles stuck even setup like that though. Basically, some
people insist on driving until they are stopped. In the mountains,
there's always a road with enough snow to stop you...
Think Snow!
Jim
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:07:55 EDT