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Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Yesterday I decided to go up in the Cascades for some snowshoeing, and got caught up in a huge traffic jam on I-90. So I took the nearest exit, and went up a Forest Service road; however, before long I was stuck in what seemed like a never ending line of vehicles in the ditch, vehicles stuck in snow banks and vehicles whose drivers had no idea what they were doing. It is amazing what some people do to find a Christmas tree.

I am running Nokian Hakkapeliittas, and to say the least I was extremely impressed. I was the only vehicle up that road without chains that did not get stuck. Last winter I was on a similar road with Michelin 4 x 4 XPCs, and had some scary moments. The Nokians were very secure on the hard packed icy roads.
I ran across at least a dozen cars that were stuck. See pictures below. The guy in the old Bronco may still be there tonight.
I would have taken a few more pictures, but I was getting some very dirty looks from some guys that were much bigger than I am, and they all were carrying chainsaws and were very
.
I can't wait for the commute tomorrow morning. It is snowing hard now (including a bit of thunder and lightning). I also just talked to a co-worker who left work at 4:30 pm, and is sitting on Northbound 405 now at 7:20 pm.
Check out the snow on Monday Night Football, and cheer for the Seahawks!
They need all the help they can get.


Modified by I8ABUG at 7:26 PM 11-27-2006

Modified by I8ABUG at 7:27 PM 11-27-2006

Modified by I8ABUG at 8:10 PM 11-27-2006

Modified by I8ABUG at 8:59 PM 11-27-2006

Modified by I8ABUG at 7:14 PM 11-28-2006


Modified by I8ABUG at 7:14 PM 11-28-2006
 
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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (Tahoe12)

Quote, originally posted by Tahoe12 »
Agree with you on the Nokians. The photos require a password to view???

Shouldn't need a password, can you get to them?
 
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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (TREGinginCO)

Thanks R.J. This weather does make you appreciate the Touareg, but again I am amazed at the performance of the Nokians.
There is about 6" of white stuff at the house now, so I just went for a little drive. There are abandoned cars all over the roads, and people are walking to the Grocery store and stocking up on food. You think they are going to be locked in for days!
People here just freak out when they see snow...very different from Denver.
Also took a few more pics (again the password is "Andy") http://public.fotki.com/asmcco...snow/.
And the Seahawks won too - Woo Hooooo!!


Modified by I8ABUG at 10:06 PM 11-27-2006


Modified by I8ABUG at 10:11 PM 11-27-2006
 
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#9 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (I8ABUG)

Great photos and story.
I just got home from a 5 hour drive over Donner Summit I-80 in a pretty good snow storm. What a mess up there. Eastbound was closed due to spin outs but Westbound was still open. Near Zero vis. at times and high winds. Touareg pulled through as always. I punched it a few times to get aroud some semis and it was great to see the traction control kick in and limit the power to the wheels. I don't know how it senses this but it works well.

Oh ya and Go SEAHAWKS !!!!
 
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#10 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (I8ABUG)

Andy, this will be my second winter with the Touareg and I love the winter performance. I live just off of the edge of Lake Michigan and when the wind comes off the lake we get buried in lake effect snow. But when the snow is really coming down I abandon the Touareg for something even better

I really am curious what the heck that guy in the Bronco was thinking and how the heck he ended up where he was.





Modified by Melensdad at 6:30 AM 11-28-2006
 
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Discussion Starter · #11 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (Melensdad)

I have no idea how the guy in the Bronco ended up where he was.

As I was leaving he said he was going to wench himself out. I just wanted to get out of harms way. I was seeing another disaster in the making.......... a tree on top of the Bronco!
I just got to work this morning. There are cars abandoned all over the roads. You literally have to drive around them like a slalom course. Many people never got home from work. I stopped at Starbucks this morning, and there are several people sleeping in their cars!


Modified by I8ABUG at 6:36 AM 11-28-2006
 
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#13 ·
Re: Seattle Touareg in the Snow - Another Nokian Tire Endorsement (I8ABUG)

We made the trek down from Whistler, BC to Seattle on Sunday -- the day the storm hit the region. Took us 10+ hours in total, two of those hours stuck in the border crossing.
Besides the lameness of the travel time, I was enormously impressed with the winter capabilities of the Touareg.
Once we were back in the states, we averaged ~15mph down I-5 with only a few other cars braving the weather. Ice build-up on the road was the worst I've ever seen (and I'm from the Northeast). Snow was about a foot deep and continued to fall until we reached Everett, WA.
Thank goodness I'd swapped out my 19s a month prior to the trip. I was riding on 17" Dueller A/T Revos and they did amazingly well. Short of a dedicated snow tire, I'd recommend them in a heartbeat for almost any winter conditions.
We stopped counting car wrecks and spin-outs after about three dozen. Cars and trucks alike littered the highway, some in much worse condition than others. Just south of Bellingham, we witnessed a 15mi+ backup on the northbound side of I-5. Oh, those poor people trying to get home -- yeech.
The Touareg is the finest winter 'mobile that I've ever owned. It made easy work of steep, snow-covered inclines and moved through deep drifts with ease. I never felt unsafe on the highway (except, maybe, in trying to avoid all of the other idiots) and the side roads were a breeze.
Sorry to say that I've no pictures to share -- it was too damn cold out to be snapping pics. Plus, after hours upon hours in the car, I think my wife's tolerance for my "Touareg love" was waning.
 
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Discussion Starter · #18 ·
Re: (I8ABUG)

Lets hope this works....
Tahoe in the ditch

Toyota truck in the snowbank

And the guy in the Bronco



And finally home sweet home..



Woo Hoooooo! Even old dog can learn a new trick!


Modified by I8ABUG at 7:06 PM 11-28-2006


Modified by I8ABUG at 7:12 PM 11-28-2006
 
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Discussion Starter · #19 ·
Re: (I8ABUG)

Tonight it happened again, a repeat of the Monday Night Football Storm. Not near like Denver, but huge for Seattle!
10" of fresh white stuff at my house and still coming down!

I left Downtown Seatte at 6:30 pm and could not even get onto the freeway due to the backups, so I pulled into the Pyramid Brewhouse and had a beer (yes just one) and a bite to eat. I keep track of the traffic on the blackberry web browser, and made a run for it at 8:30pm. Over 1.5 hours later I got home (normally a 25 min. drive).
The Treg with the Nokian Hakkas was amazing. I have a very steep hill on (the back roads which had less traffic) my commute home. Cars were all over the road. A Acura MDX in front of me lost it and slid sideways. An LR3 struggled, but eventually made it. The Treg just cruised up with the hill without a slip. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
I will never drive in winter again without the Nokian Hakkas!
 
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#20 ·
Re: (I8ABUG)

I've got studless Hakkas on the back and Gislaved studded on the front. They're both amazing and I can actually get around a bit (not right now sadly) in the winter thanks to them.
I'm amazed at how much snow the west side has gotten this year. Good time to own the "bug eater" eh? Be careful out there.
 
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Ryan @ TiresByWeb.Com
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