New Snow Shoes/where to find Vredestein Snow+ tires

On the bike that is. I needed a new tire on the rear of the GS so I decided to try one of the Vredestein Snow+ tires and I am impressed. I don't get the GS out in the Winter too much mainly because of the magnesium chloride they put on the roads here and because it doesn't like going back up the driveway on the ice and snow. I needed to take a run down to Rifle yesterday to meet up with some ADV folk and I needed a new rear so I figured I would try the Vredestein and I can not believe how well it came back up the driveway with a light dusting of snow over the hardpack when I got home not to mention blasting Glenwood Canyon at 70 in the snow squalls.

Wait till the summer--works good on dirt too!

Nice looking tread you have there.
Sounds like you are having some fun in the snow.
What is the significance magnesium chloride when it comes to the GS vs. your other rigs?

Magnesium chloride eats aluminum and stainless steel and there is not a lot of aluminum or stainless steel on the Ural. The guys with the high dollar cars around Vail and such have to buy a seperate set of steel wheels for the Winter because that crap is so hard on their fancy wheels. Also Big rigs hate it because it pits those nice aluminum bumbers and wheels they run. It also likes to eat the metal out of the wiring, I have had to replace the trigger wire to the starter on my Ural because the conducter keeps deteriorating inside the insulation.

A little note from the USDA;

Magnesium Chloride as a De-Icing Agent
A number of state highway departments throughout the country have decreased the use of rock salt and sand on roadways and have increased the use of liquid magnesium chloride as a de-icer or anti-icer. The liquid magnesium chloride is sprayed on dry pavement prior to precipitation or wet pavement prior to freezing temperatures in the winter months to prevent snow and ice from adhering and bonding to the roadway. The application of anti-icers is utilized in an effort to improve highway safety. The use of this product seems to show an improvement in driving conditions during and after freezing precipitation yet it seems to be negatively affecting electric utilities.

Two main issues have been raised regarding the anti-icer magnesium chloride as it relates to electric utilities: contamination of insulators causing tracking and arcing across them, and corrosion of steel and aluminum poles and pole hardware.

The first issue in regard to magnesium chloride relates to the possible increase of outages and pole fires due to tracking and arcing across insulators. There are three cooperatives in Colorado that have seen an increase in outages and pole top fires that have been attributed to insulators becoming coated with magnesium chloride. The insulators become coated as vehicle traffic churns up the magnesium chloride into a fine mist that rises and settles on the pole hardware and insulators. As the solution builds up on the insulators the probability of tracking and arcing increases. An additional safety concern that borrowers should watch for is the possible effects on buckets and booms coated with this material as they may loose their dielectric integrity. Rain assists in removing some of the buildup but utilities have been forced to inspect and clean insulators with a soap and water mixture in certain areas where heavy buildup has occurred. This same inspection and cleaning method may be required for buckets and booms that have been exposed to the magnesium chloride anti-icer.

This is a costly and time-consuming process. In the March 23, 2001, issue of Electric Co-op Today, Jerry Lipson's article "New Winter Road Salt 'Burns' Colorado Co-op Lines" addresses this issue. In an effort to determine whether other cooperatives are experiencing similar problems, RUS asks borrowers to let RUS know whether they have any evidence of increased outages or pole fires in proximity to highways in areas where magnesium chloride is used.

The second issue, corrosion, may also be of concern to cooperatives. In the past, sodium chloride (rock salt) has been used as a de-icer and is known to be a corrosive product. Magnesium chloride is also known as a corrosive agent, but when utilized as a de-icer, other chemical agents are added to reduce and minimize this potential, but the corrosive attributes cannot totally be removed. State Highway departments indicate that they are seeing less evidence of corrosion to their trucks and equipment as well as the steel reinforcing bars inside concrete on roads and bridges when the magnesium chloride de-icer is used in comparison to sodium chloride. A concern still remains on its reaction with aluminum and galvanized steel poles, metal hardware and conductors. There has been some feedback from truckers stating that aluminum components and electrical systems in their vehicles are showing an increased corrosion rate. In an effort to determine whether the magnesium chloride de-icer is creating corrosion problems on electrical equipment, RUS is requesting assistance by asking cooperatives to identifying whether any evidence of corrosion on electrical equipment used in proximity to highways is apparent in areas where this product is used. The amount of corrosion may depend upon the type of anti-corrosive agents added to the magnesium chloride de-icer as well as the chemical reaction to the material utilized by electric utilities.

RUS is requesting any information and experiences that the cooperative can share in regard to magnesium chloride and its effects upon their electric systems. If you have any information to share, would like more information or have any questions, please send the information or contact John Pavek, Chief, Distribution Branch, at 202-720-5082 or jpavek@rus.usda.gov.

Not sure I wanted the answer, but glad I have it.
Thanks.

Hola DirtyDR....

Remember you got the one and only Vredestein for me last year from you local tire guy. Ah, ha, great tire, goes through everything thick and thin. So your tire guy has em' stocked ceiling high??

Hey Elmer,
I figured you would chime in here. When I stopped by the tire shop last week to check he said he couldn't get them but I told him to check anyway. He came back and said he could get all of them I needed. I was curious how they have been lasting for you since I do not remember ever seeing a report on them after you got them mounted up.

On another note you going to be coming up to Coeur d"Alene this July for the sidecar national?

I've been tardy here....lazy too!. Sorry guys. Oh, these darn Vredesteins are so good in the nasty stuff and great on wet pavements. They brake like the devil although squeal loudly when the ABS kick in during a panic stop and scream like a Banshee when braking sans ABS....according to the hearies . So far have 3500 miles on em'...see nothing gone. :huh. They seem to be of good quality....what ya expect from the Dutch? I keep mine around 28-30 psi...a bit high but wears evenly.

Oh, sheettt..love Coeur d' Alene....the best coffee at a shop there and had a fine Moose drool brewski...great stuff. I am supposed to finally slay the TAT..if ever??

Coeur d'Alene is kind of on your way home from riding the TAT isn't it? I am going to run up to Alaska on my way to Coeur d'Alene, finally going to take a cruise through the inside passage on a ferry to Skagway. Inside passage has always been one of those things I wanted to see so I figure why not.

I'm running a BFG Radial T/A pusher and am completely unhappy with it in the wet. In heavy rains over Lake Superior last year I hydroplaned as slow as 40mph. Again in the Adirondacks at 35. I think the tread design simply doesn't shed water.

I've been looking at the Nexen as a better wet weather pusher. More recently I found the Vredestein T-Trac with an even better looking tread design. Any real world reports on that tire?

I had a T Trac on that I just took off for the Vredestein snow tire and I wasn't real impressed with the T Trac on the GS. When I ran the Trans-Labrador I did that with a Nexen SB802 and I loved that tire. I got over 14,000 miles on the Nexen and I am going to put a new Nexen SB802 on before I head to Alaska this Summer. I got rain for 8 days straight on the Labrador trip and I really liked the way the Nexen handled the dirt and pavement all through the trip even in the rain. I think the main problem with the T-Trac is that in the 165 width you pretty much lose the whole center tread of the tire so you lose the rain traction part.

Our size T-Trac:


Full size T-Trac:

Dana, that's a pretty agressive looking thread pattern!

See ya tomorrow....

Dana -- Thanks for those photos and for sharing your experiences. It looks like they took the heart out of the T-Trac to narrow it down. My concern about the Snow + is the tread doesn't look like it would clear water much better than the BFG I'm running now. Have you run it in the rain yet?

I sure wish Nokian made a snow tire in our size. They clear rain and mush like nothing I've ever seen! It looks like the choices are the two Vredesteins, the Nexen, and the Nanking. Harumph!

I like it. We cant get tyres like that here in Australia. Just to confirm, it's a 165/80/15 isn't it? How much did it cost and how many can you get because I reckon there would be quite a few outfit riders here in Australia who would buy a couple each. I know I would. Let me know the availability of them and I might see how much it would cost to get some sent here.
Cheers

3legs

Oops. Iam talking about the mud and snow tyres.

Boonie...get the Vredestein Snow X. You'll like it. I have gone through rains of biblical proportion here in NC. Does great. Look at the channels of the Snow and see it does show escape channels very well.

I knew what you meant. They are 165/80R15 They are around $75.00 US and I can get all of them you want but I think shipping could be an issue to you guys. Here is a place in the U.K. that has them:
http://www.clickontyres.com/Vredestein/16580R15_Vredestein_Snow___86Q

According to Vredestein's website there are 2 Vredestein dealers in Australia:

134, Mcewan Road
West Heidelberg
VIC 3081 Australia
Telephone: 61-3-9458-4433
Fax: 61-3-9458-4795
E-mail address: ben@antiquetyres.com.au
Url: www.antiquetyres.com.au


11 Marker Avenue
Marleston
5033 Australia
Telephone: +61 8 8292 8292
Fax: +61 8 8292 8222
E-mail address: theteam@acetrak.com.au

A note if you didn't know these sizes are for older Volskwagens and Porsches.

So where do you find Vredestein Snows in the US? None of the tire places I've searched online have them in stock.

My little local independant tire shop up here says he can get all I want so I don't get them off of the Internet. I got the one for Elmer from the local shop here last Summer but he said they only had one in the warehouse that he could find because they don't stock them in the Summer. I don't mind grabbing one and shipping it to you but it sure seems to me you should be able ti find one local somewhere.

Actually checking the Vredestein website for Vermont dealers these 2 are in Montpeliar:

VERMONT TIRE & SERVICE, INC

90 River Street
Montpelier
VT 05602 U.S.A.
Telephone: 1-802-229-4941
Fax: 1-802-223-0221
E-mail address: mark@vttireonline.com
Url: www.vttireonline.com

VERMONT TIRE & SERVICE, INC

3 Graves Street
Montpelier
VT 05602 U.S.A.

Thanks. Of course it would HAVE to be the one dealer in VT I swore I'd never do business with again after they snookered me into buying four new rims when the problem was out of round tires... :huh

Ah well, I needed an excuse for a trip to New Hampshire anyway!