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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,149
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,149 |
Never have run studs in my 40+ years of AK driving.
You guys who run 'em, better hope HB-50 (studded tire tax) doesn't pass.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,499
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,499 |
How many miles do you get on a set of Blizzak tires? The grit material embedded in the rubber last around 12,000, I believe, then the tires are just winter tires without the metallic or whatever particles are used for traction. So far the ones on my wife's car have gone through four seasons, and the ones on my car five. But I leave them for a week or two after the snow and ice on the roads melt, then replace them with the summer tires. The 8 tires (4 for each vehicle) are mounted on their own wheels with TPM sensors. I take the cars to Alyaska Tires in Fairbanks, and they reset the TPM sensors free of charge. I would think that the grip on the Blizzak tires lasts around 6 seasons in Fairbanks if you don't have to drive long distances on bare pavement, and as long as you replace them with the summer tires once winter has ended. As you mentioned before, metallic studs don't last but a season or two (maybe three) before they wear out. The rubber lasts a long time, but not the carbide or steel tips on the studs. I know you shouldn't run the studless tires year round but we've done it for nearly 2 decades it here's what I've found. The tires have good winter grip for two winters, or ~25k. By the third winter you can tell the same grip isn't there. I figure we could either have two sets of rims, summer winter tires and get roughly six seasons out of both, or run the blizzaks year round and replace them every three years. One of my coworkers leaves the Blizzak tires on his F-150 year long for three seasons, too. Like you, he doesn't want to deal with two sets of 4-wheels each. I will be replacing the ones on my wife's Rav4 this weekend, and mine on the following weekend. I have also noticed that the Blizzak tires do not cause a lot of road noise.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
Always changed whatever vehicle mom was driving to studded tires, until she bought the '07 Taco then went blizzaks.
I'd run them on everything but am too damn lazy and don't have enough room to store all those tires and wheels
Her '15 taco has the blizzaks still on it, and she just drove it to Tok this weekend on all that dry pavement (cringe)
Those tires and wheels cost me $1200 and I got a bit of a deal
Yep makes me cringe to think of that soft rubber on dry pavement at hiway speeds
But not as much as I'd cringe if she were in an accident
It's been costin me $$ for 30 years to cover her azz
Don't see that changing
I'll pay the freight
Will say changing tires twice a year and rotating them certainly prolongs tire life
Again if I wasn't so lazy I'd rotate tires on all vehicles
But six vehicles? Nah. I just take care of moms stuff
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317 |
We went through a couple sets of blizzaks on the rav 4, I think three sets on the benz wagon and on the third set on the sedan. If an adult is driving, you can get 40k out of the tires, but as mentioned the soft gritty rubber lasts maybe 20k so if you're driving say 15k a year figure put on a new set every third winter. Since our summer roads don't get that hot, the tires don't wear down super fast.
Now if you have a teen aged son driving the car, the tires won't last nearly as long and when you take them in to the tire shop they'll say your car looks like it has an alignment problem. I assured the manage, no problem with the alignment, the problem is with the driver.
Even with a 3-1/2 ton floor jack, 1/2" impact wrench, torque sticks and a torque wrench it's a PITA to swap tires on vehicles if you have multiple vehicles.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
Lol true words Paul.
Think the 23 year old that bought moms '07 for a song is gonna get the hard lesson on how long blizzaks last when you're a leadfoot
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168
Campfire Oracle
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OP
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168 |
But they're so grippy in July!
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 429
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 429 |
Never have run one year without studs, just too good, don't want to be in a wreck.
Taking them off this week, could have done last week, but service station packed.
You can piddle with the puppies, or run with the wolves...
Better living through chemistry!
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,070
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,070 |
I do it the easy way. I'll put the summer tires in the Expedition in Soldotna this weekend, park it at Agens in Anchorage Monday afternoon on my way back to Kotz.. When I come out on the 13th, they'll be changed over.
They are all on rims, so iI could do it myself, if I wanted to. I don't. That's what they make lifts and air-wrenches for, neither of which I have.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168
Campfire Oracle
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OP
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168 |
I don't have that either.
My neighbor has that* plus a concrete apron in front of his shop.
*Well not a lift, but a floor jack. They are a biotch on gravel.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793 |
No one has mentioned tire chains/cables. What are the pros/cons besides increased traction/reduced speed?
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168
Campfire Oracle
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OP
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168 |
Not going to run chains every day for 6 months.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
I keep chains on my dedicated plow truck that doesn't leave the yard
And have chains for most every other vehicle
But ironbenender is the only one I know ba enough to run chains to town
Nobody on the penn. wants to f with that cowboy 🤠
He got gored by a bull a few years ago, no one has seen that bull since and rumor has it ironbender been eating lots of hamburgers last few years and grinning while eating them too 🤔
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168
Campfire Oracle
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OP
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168 |
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793 |
Not going to run chains every day for 6 months. I can imagine that could be pretty rough on a tire.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793 |
ironbenender is the only one I know ba enough to run chains to town. Nobody on the penn. wants to f with that cowboy. He got gored by a bull a few years ago, no one has seen that bull since and rumor has it ironbender been eating lots of hamburgers last few years and grinning while eating them too 🤔 Duly noted! & you should know that while I was on my way to AK back in the early '90s, I was attacked by a rather viscous marmot. Luckily, I escaped unscathed, but there was a tense face-off, before he charged me.
Last edited by High_Noon; 05/14/17.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
Thus the handle high noon seems appropriate now that we know the rest of the story
Had to go all grandpa ninja on a Rooster here recently
I swear to god i fought him to a draw, but he was runnin around crowing like he kicked my azz
I think the hens bought his story
But my grandaughter knows i pretty much chuck norrised that gd chicken 🍗
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168
Campfire Oracle
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OP
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 86,168 |
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,793 |
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 20,683 |
[quote=ironbender]Didja hafta choke it?[/quote
A-l-llllll-mmmmm-ooo-st. There
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627 |
[quote=ironbender]Didja hafta choke it?[/quote
A-l-llllll-mmmmm-ooo-st. There Add chicken-choker to your resume'...
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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