[jaxg8r1]

Hi all,
Have a couple of questions for those who live in colder climates.

We very rarely get snow in the city but on occasion I like to get up to the mountains surrounding Portland (Oregon) to do some skiing. (I hope to go 3-4 times this winter) I have a T6 AWD XC60 and was wondering if I'd need them at all, and if so what would you all recommend as far as brands, characteristics, etc.

Since I only get up there a few times per year I don't think its worth the investment to get separate snow tires.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Putertech]

Hi all,
Have a couple of questions for those who live in colder climates.

We very rarely get snow in the city but on occasion I like to get up to the mountains surrounding Portland (Oregon) to do some skiing. (I hope to go 3-4 times this winter) I have a T6 AWD XC60 and was wondering if I'd need them at all, and if so what would you all recommend as far as brands, characteristics, etc.

Since I only get up there a few times per year I don't think its worth the investment to get separate snow tires.

Thanks in advance!

Invest in a set of good winter tires and you should be good

 

[eyeloveteeth]

i doubt you'll need chains.

I have to admit a fresh set of the Pirelli Scorpios did phenomenal the last 2 winters. I just bought another set.

However, getting a blizzak set for winter would make sense too -

The Haldex have a few different iterations in each of the model years, but they are very reliable

For reference, 2 years of my XC60 was done driving around a town in Sea Cliff, NY - if you do a google maps run, you will see it's completely littered with massive hills (and we live right by the water)

 

[clzppt]

I used to live in Seattle and drive to the Cascades in my previous AWD vehicles (VW R32 & Acura RL). Both had all-season tires and I never felt the need for chains when driving at reasonable speeds on the average snowy road. Keep in mind that not every "all-season" tire will give the same snow & ice traction. Take a look at the user reviews on tire rack to get a feel for where your tires rate. Also, remember the more wear on your tires the worse the snow & ice traction is going to be. If they're close to the wear bars they will likely suck on the snow (I ran into that on the RL I had).

You may be required to carry chains when traveling through the mountains during certain periods of the year and depending on the weather and road conditions on any given day you may be REQUIRED to use chains regardless of having AWD & all-season/snow tires.

Here's Oregon's comments on chain requirements:
http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/minimum-chain-requirements.asp

Another option might be 'tire socks'. A quick search makes it sounds like Oregon allows the use of tire socks in lieu of chains. Might be a reasonable option?
http://www.autosock.us/

 

[zerimar]

According to the manual and likewise advised by my dealer, snow chain can't be mounted on 20" rims. The max is 18". Secondly, only single sided snow chain are permitted.

 

[jaxg8r1]

Awesome, thanks for all the information. You guys make owning my Volvo even better!