EnyChevyUK

For the previous couple of Winters I've had a 4x4 but at the moment have a 98 Express Conversion Van.
I had a G20 a few years ago and that was terrible in the snow, so was wondering if you guys could advise on tyres etc. Winters are not very severe here in the UK but even a light dusting of snow causes chaos !
I was thinking of buying another 4x4 but want to keep the van. So if I get new tyres should I buy a standard 4x4 type tyre or go for a special type of Winter/Snow tyre ? (do I need a set of 4 or just 2 for the drive axles ?).
Any advice on how to drive in the snow would be welcome, I ask this as the Van is auto and I'm only really used to driving the 4x4 and front wheel drive manual gearbox cars. Also, should I weigh the back end down, full fuel tank etc for better traction ?
Thanks,

old dog

always keep the fuel tank full ,give's extra ballast weight ,keeps condensation down in the gas .keep two to four bag's of sand (tube sand ) ballast and extra traction on ice in a emergency you can spread it under and in front of tire's if you slide off the road .
keep the tire in a set of four if you can swing it .i like cooper atr's good traction not to much noise .it would be nice to have a circulating tank heater from kat's keeps it toasty ,van's have a lot of dead air to warm up .helps keep the window's heated up faster .

EnyChevyUK

Thanks for the advice. I watched this video about tyres so am thinking of buying some 'Winter tyres' as apposed to an all terrain/4x4 type tyre.
http://www.rubberassociation.ca/wintertires.html

sewman

I'll have to agree some weight in the back helps,I have Michelin LTX M&S on my van & they seem to stick to the road really good in the snow & ice.I like them so much that I'm getting them for my wifes Honda Element.
My van just turned 60K mi & they are getting pretty thin.

EnyChevyUK

I've just ordered 4 Cooper Discoverer M+S Sport Winter tyres. Had to buy them online and have them shipped to my local fitter as they are not available 'off the shelf' due to lack of demand.

EnyChevyUK

Well, having never used a 'Winter' tyre I must say I've been really impressed with the set I have on the van. You may or may not know that here in the UK we've had the worst spell of Winter weather for some years. Not as bad as some of you guys are used to but bad all the same, especially when local government don't have the vehicles/funds to keep the roads clear. We have no laws regarding Winter tyres so nobody has any fitted and it causes chaos !
Temperatures were -15 oC and snow falls varied but the van drove faultlessly and gave me confidence which was great.
I drove into my place of work every day without any problems even though the majority of staff couldn't get off their driveways so stayed home !

bjl8691

on my g30 i run mud tires in the back and the back end loaded with tube sand works fine we get alot of snow here in northern wisconsin