Hey there folks. I tried searching on the forum a bit to answer this, but could't find the information I was looking for.

I need an SUV that will spend 90 percent of its life going to the mountain, I snowboard a lot. Sometimes I take long road trips to Whistler or Tahoe etc.

I understand the H2 has a very advanced 4 wheel drive system and basically will wheel everywhere. My problem lays in the fact that I can't seem to find a source for studded snows anywhere on the web. Do they exist in the right sizes? Many of the mountains these days are requireing chains or studs at a minimum or you get fined. I hate stopping and putting chains on unless its a flat out blizzard and there is black ice everywhere. Otherwise studs get me through just fine. I drive in the snow a TON so I have gotten used to how to get around without chains (last year was actually the first year I even used studs).

I camp and mountain bike a lot as well, but the roads are nowhere near what some of you guys are tackling, so I'm not concerned about off-road use on dirt. But the tire availability for snow will greatly affect my decision.

Otherwise its down to either a landcruiser (wonderful, I can be a soccer mom), or range rover which I'm already leaning against just because I would like to be able to drive home as opposed to being towed home.

 

no idea if they make studded tires in the size you need for the H2. although i carry chains in the winter, i've never been stopped by Caltrans and told to put them on. they allow most 4 wheel drive vehicles to go unchained over I-80 and 50 around tahoe and truckee. i don't think you'd really need to worry about it in CA

 

Unfortunately I am in Oregon most of the time at Mt. Hood, and the highway ****'s were all over last year about it. Plus I would like to have them for the extra grip they give on hardpack. I actually watched vehicles blow accross a parking lot last year at timberline when it had frozen over and they had decided not to put any salt down.

 

Where in Oregon are you? I live in Vancouver! Les Schwab has tires that are the right size and are pinned for studs. They will put them in if you want them, or leave them out, but once you run them on the street they are real reluctant to put studs into the holes because little rocks could be jammed way down in there and the stud will come out.

 

I used to live in Vancouver, over off of Ellsworth close to Evergreen highway. I live in NW Portland now. Trying to get pumped up for the boarding season this year, but it looks like snow is another month off or so.

 

We don't get that much snow here in "the Burgh" anymore. But my X5 with AWD never got stuck and I just had the stock tires on it. So I'm not much concerned myself, nor have I had to give it any thought about how to approach it with my H2.

 

How funny! I live off Ellsworth now. If you ever want to take your H2 out for more than just snow, let me know and I'm sure we can get something going. I bought my H3 mostly for off road use. I spent my last two weekends at Brown's Camp, and found out those trails are open year round. Some of them sould be a lot of fun with snow on the ground, and some will become impassable.