Snow Tyres

[barnhill4x4]

I know its all gone now but I am going to sweden!
  Next Feb I plan on going to Sweden to watch the WRC. A freind of mine has gone twice now in his Imprezza RA and he used gravel rally tyres on that with no probs. I plan on taking the P38 but not going to do it on road tyres. I will probably buy or borrow (hint!) a set of 16" steels or alloys and fit them with some suitable rubber but what do you reccomend? I will use them only for about a week so only need remoulds but I would also like to keep them to fit to the RR if I decide to use it for the odd laning trip etc. I would like to go slightly taller to increase axle clearance but modding the body is out of the question. Removing the mudflaps is not a problem though! I dont want to go too high incase the EAS fails while I am there and the tyre rub on the inner wings and prevent it moving at all.
  So, what are the reccomendations? Size and tread pattern.
  I am thinking maybe Colway A/Ts would do the job but maybe I should look for a tyre that can be studded? I will be on the snow for a lot of the time and probably sleeping in the car for the 3 nights of the rally or find a nearby log cabin. Eitherway, I wont be near treated roads for a while.

 BTW, if anyone would like to tag along they are welcome. The more the merrier, would prefer to go with some others, much easier if something goes wrong. I am an experienced rally marshall and Competitor and will likely be organising this for a few people anyhow

[redneck]

I have colway M/T's on a couple of my vehicles and they have holes in them for studs. HTH  
I have a feeling it might even be law that studded tyres are fitted for driving in snow in some scandinavian countries, could be worth checking  

[barnhill4x4]

I was thinking about M/ts but I heard that the A/T's are better in snow. I dont think it is a requirement to have studs but is certainly advisable!

[redneck]

I know when i did arctic training with the military all the tyres were M/T's with studs.
Do A/T's have provision for studs :?: I believe studs can be fitted even if the tyre isn't manufactured with holes but it Just makes me think that if the M/T's come with holes already in then they must be the right thing for the job  :?

[Range Rover Blues]

BFG A/T are amongst the best all-rounder in snow, probably better than an M/T in some situations.

[Manicminer]

BFG A/T are amongst the best all-rounder in snow, probably better than an M/T in some situations.

I'll second that

[barnhill4x4]

Well as the tread pattern is nearly the same on the Colway A/t's and I dont need them all the time, I think that is what I will go for, they wont last as long I know but I wont be using them a lot.
  What about Sizes? Any thoughts?

[Range Rover Blues]

Not too wide for snow if it's on tarmac, you need to cut through, wide as anything on deep snow pack as you don't want to sink.

[Bulli]

http://www.nokiantyres.com/suv_wintertyres_en

I think you will find that the law requires winter tyres in Scandanavia. They are defn not M/TS

[narked]

I'm thinking of going on this trip too, so will also need to sort out suitable boots for the Disco. So what's the best way of going about it, going for a normal A/T with stud holes, then fitting studs once over there and removing upon return, or going for pre-studded tyres and swapping 'em over once in the snow? Or are you able to remove the studs from tyres like those Nokians to use them under normal conditions?

[SteveG]

Well as the tread pattern is nearly the same on the Colway A/t's and I dont need them all the time, I think that is what I will go for, they wont last as long I know but I wont be using them a lot.
  What about Sizes? Any thoughts?

245/75 16's is the max you can go if you don't want it to rub too much on bump stops. It will slightly rub on full lock with these on.

33's (255/85's in this case) will fit though  







Cheers

Steve

[narked]

Well managed to find a few tyres that can be studded. Found Cooper Discovery M+S 225/70R16 tyres with stud holes for £75 per corner delivered.

Just need to find somewhere that stocks studs now.

[narked]

Or for pre-studded tyres, can get the Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT, in either 225/70/16 or 235/75/15 for about £79, plus £9 per pair delivery.

[narked]

I have a feeling it might even be law that studded tyres are fitted for driving in snow in some scandinavian countries, could be worth checking  

Just looked into it, Norway and Sweden only REQUIRE the use of winter tyres by their own nationals.

So I think I'll save myself a few quid, stick with ATs, and invest in some chains.

[rollazuki]

Studded tyres are the Dogs nuts on ice/snow.
I did a half stud on a set of colway MT's I was running, and they were great on ice and (little snow we had anyway).
The studs are damned hard to fit, they really need a special gun, but they can be fitted without, and very hard to buy. When you find some they are very expensive(like 80 quid expensive to do a full set on 4 tyres!!!!!!!!)

They (I believe) are illegal in the UK, but Didnt affect the handling/grip in any way on mine.

Get em studded, you will be laughing.