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  #1  
Old 6 Mar 2005
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Snow tyres on 2wd
Are snow tyres an advantage at all on a 2wd coupé on piste? I'm thinking of driving it as far as Nouakchott at most, it's really the as-yet-unsurfaced parts of the Mauritanian bit of road that I'm thinking of. I wouldn't want to deliberately plan on getting towed

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  #2  
Old 7 Mar 2005
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I'm not sure what a snow tyre looks like (gnarly or smooth?) but regular road tyres in good shape will get you to NKT. Among other items, taking a couple of spares and dropping pressures where necessary is what counts - and self recovery is easy if you stop before you spin too much.


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  #3  
Old 7 Mar 2005
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I'm not sure about this but I would say that a snowtire is designed with cold wether in mind.
I can imagine the compound getting soft because of the temp, and then being punctured because it's to soft.

As for the tread, I don't think there'll be much diference between standard and snow tires. Snow tires might dig a bit deeper...

ROb
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  #4  
Old 7 Mar 2005
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Mark,
Do you mean an M+S Tyre ?Mud and Snow biased road tyres with a harder more defined block tread and a little more open than a normal car tyre
Or a Full Snow tyre - narrow and aggressive ? Dont use a narrow aggresive tyre in sand with a 2wd - you are better off on road tyres.

With a 2wd car - you may find that normal road tyres will work just an well as an M+S tyre in Sand - they will not dig quite as readily, though it will not make too much difference.
The pressure you have them at is more important - and as Chris says, as soon as you are stuck - stop spinning the wheels and dig !!!
Either Use a guide or meet up and travel with others doing the same route- a 4x4 is always handy !

Cheers
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[This message has been edited by Gipper (edited 07 March 2005).]

[This message has been edited by Gipper (edited 07 March 2005).]
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  #5  
Old 7 Mar 2005
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Thanks everyone for the advice, they're Michelin Alpin, quite low profile as it's a Saab 900 M reg that's got a bit of body damage that would realistically be uneconomical to repair here, so needs a new home with a careful African owner

Bit worried that the car's got quite low ground clearance in general, plus it sounds right that the compound is designed for low temp; tread pattern is relatively standard, it's the split tread blocks and low temp softness that give it the grip in snow, although in fairness the Michelins were at one time the snow tyre that was regarded as far better mileage than the others.

I'm hoping that I stick to the best routes and should make it, the more I read on these forums though the further I think I'll have to drive I gather that Mali's the place for avoiding customs hassles.

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  #6  
Old 8 Mar 2005
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Snow tires, everybody uses them here in my part of montana usa. I just have experience with light trucks and 4WD subaru. There are all sorts of tread patterns and compounds. I couldn't get up the private road to my cabin without "snow tires". Street tires are probably tougher as far as punctures. As far as mileage My daily commute for 4 years was 140KM.I would chose snow tires on all 4 wheels anytime,summer or winter on less than good roads.
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  #7  
Old 8 Mar 2005
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There is a steady stream of people driving cars down to WA - either use a guide or hook up with someone who has done the route before.
If thats the tyre you have got dont waste money changing - the saab will be quite good on the piste - though I have never seen one in WA so it may not sell as well as a Merc or a puegout !!!
Good Luck
Grif
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  #8  
Old 9 Mar 2005
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Cheers Grif, a bit of optimism sounds a good idea
Quote:
<font face="" size="2">it may not sell as well as a Merc or a puegout</font>
Well I'll think of myself as a good taste pioneer/ambassador then Particularly given the number of people into their Japanese 4wd's <g,d,& r>

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  #9  
Old 9 Mar 2005
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You may start a demand for Saabs !!!
Shame it is damaged - the 900 has started to become a bit of a collectors car in the UK !!! - owners club and rallys etc.
Its just a fact that Mercs and Peugouts are the cars that get taken down there to be sold normally.
Write a trip report and take some photos of driving your 900 down through WA and send it to the Saab owners club !!!
Cheers
Grif
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