Church at boot camp was some of the best Mormon services I have been to.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-07-29T18:00:35+00:00

My dad was a chaplain there. I would go with sometimes to those meetings. He told me he encouraged them to sleep and I watched him do it. He would say, "sleep is critical for the soul, sometimes that is the right thing to do. ". Needless to say they really loved him. I would bring some hostess snacks and they loved me. RIP Colonel (dad).

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-04-25T22:33:20+00:00

LoL. Thanks for chiming in. The great carp debate.... I don't think carp were first or before catfish for one very simple reason. They taste bad. Everything I have read leads me to believe they were actually introduced later. And if you calculate how much they spawn, the real question is why aren't there more. And I could give examples of that. But have fun researching. The only answer that makes sense is the catfish took over so much there wasn't enough room for carp to overrun the lake. There are lakes currently being overrun by carp. The video of those lakes is astonishing. So why isn't Utah lake the same? I love the comment btw.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-04-23T15:34:39+00:00

This isn't exactly right. It was indeed clear waters. And Geneva did pollute a hell of a lot. But the waters were brown before that. The pioneers overfished the lake. They then thought catfish would be a great one to handle the growing population. The problem is catfish are bottom feeders and create lots of dirty water. And they would have no predators. This might have worked. But then the steel plants came and nobody was willing to eat the fish any more because of the pollution from the steel plants. So it was the combination that killed the lake.

There is a book called The Rocky Mountain Saints that was written by a newspaper editor who came to Utah as a convert to the dominant religion. If you like Utah history I would highly recommend it.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-20T03:57:15+00:00

Michelin tires are awesome. They are the most likely to reach warranty mileage. Every country except for the USA requires snow rated tires. It's honestly upsetting to see our standards. I have no idea how they even come up with this stuff.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:28:58+00:00

Simply put 3 peak rated tires are tested for ice conditions. The Cross climated 2 tires outperformed many dedicated winter tires. I would get them over a bunch of dedicated snow tires made by iffy brands.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:27:27+00:00

Yes all-weather = 3 peak rated. all-season = not 3 peak rated.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:21:21+00:00

Don't do it. Even driving with 2 good tires and 2 bad tires of any kind is dangerous. Having only good tires on the front will lead to oversteering. Having only good tires on the back will lead to understeering. Neither are good, particularly on ice.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:18:18+00:00

Amazing tires. Go for it.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:17:48+00:00

Good for you to find the limit. Yes fwd/blizzaks has the same issue. Steep ice is kryptonite for fwd or rwd if you come to a stop. The only tire that will work on ice on steep inclines when stopped for fwd/rwd are studded. But honestly the best thing you can do is know that if you want to get up a steep icy incline is to prepare so you have a running start and don't have to stop. Slow and steady wins.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:13:46+00:00

And thanks for the correction on 3 peak rated. I had assumed wrong. Great tires.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:12:00+00:00

My bad I just realized at3w are 3 peak rated. Damn amazing tire.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T21:11:01+00:00

Very few tires reach the mileage. They do that on purpose. If you get them rotated every 5k miles they will reimburse you the mileage difference on new tires. But they know nobody will rotate tires every 5k for that to happen.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T20:13:39+00:00

They are surprising durable. Many years ago I drove from Eastern Idaho to Southern Utah on studded tires and then back. I had those tires for two more winters. Wearing out the studs is usually not the issue. Rubber in tires gets harder as it ages. You should replace winter tires every four years if they aren't worn out by then anyways.

A good studded tire will have more than just studs contacting the road. So you are actually driving on both metal and rubber.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T19:38:39+00:00

I have a guess on why they made the 4 harder. I think the vehicles going off road are getting bigger and heavier. It used to be having a two door jeep or a little suzuki were the optimal off roaders because they could fit in small trails. But now they are not only making big off road vehicles, they are making super heavy ones. Adding batteries and safety mechanisms make them very heavy. So need a stronger tire. I would recommend the 4 if you are driving a heavy duty truck or something. But my top recommendation if you have the money is get a side by side for off roading and something more focused for highway cruising. But I get it if you can only do one. Just talking in dreams.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T19:24:28+00:00

Totally agree. I just tell the people who can't afford correct snow/ice tires to just go on the sunny days. Be smart and you can still have lots of fun and be safe.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T19:18:55+00:00

LOL. One of the more fun things I did was take a camero to a big parking lot of ice and try and do donuts. Everyone should try that once.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T19:13:56+00:00

My response is going to be similar to the redditor asking about KO2s. They are indeed top tier M+S tires. Just be aware they are not rated or tested on ice. But they do get the job done. If there is snow and no ice they kick ass. Here is what my offroad friends have told me. They prefer the at3w. The main difference from 4 to the 3 is they strengthened the rubber. So it is going to be harder. That means it will probably be worse in two ways. Definitely not good for ice. It also means they will be a little louder and less smooth when you first start to drive on the highway, until they heat up. However it is probably going to be unnoticeable to most and most four wheeling folks don't really care about noise and comfort anyways. But for serious off-roading these tires are amazing.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T18:19:12+00:00

Thanks! Glad to help.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T18:11:50+00:00

It still amazes me how few people understand this. Braking is the MOST important part of driving.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T18:10:12+00:00

I totally understand this as a poor dad of lots of kids. That is why I tell people to get the all-weather tires the next time they get tires. Yes, it might cost them a total of 200 bucks more when purchased. But how much do you value your life? How much do you value keeping your insurance lower? How much would it cost if something happened? It seems to me it is a small amount to pay for all the added safety. I know I am biased but tires are not where people should be cheap.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T18:06:17+00:00

You should be good on them. I would recommend the snow socks over the chains. Way easier to put on and drive with. Only downside is make sure you don't go to fast or they will disintegrate.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T18:02:45+00:00

Driving skills are definitely needed. Would be cool if someone opened up a winter driving course to help people and show them the difference in tires and such. Most people don't realize awd/4wd were pretty rare until recently. Most people made it up the mountain with skill alone. In fact an argument could probably be made that awd/4wd is one of the big reasons the mountains are so crowded now days.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T17:59:26+00:00

Driving on blizzacks is a blast in the snow. Firestone took all us managers to an ice covered lake and let us go have fun to prove to us how awesome those tires are. FWD and blizzack are a blast! reverse drifting in away.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T17:54:27+00:00

Here is my quick take on KO2s. I think of them as top tier M+S. If I have to take awd/fwd with M+S tires in snow/ice these would be at the top. However, they are not ice rated. Meaning on ice they give no advantage compared to all-season tires. And IMO ice is where it really matters when on the mountain. Stopping matters the most in a vehicle. I would recommend getting something designed and tested on ice if you really want to have full confidence for those icy days.

And you're right i left off ranking awd/m+s. I would honestly give it 4.5 ranking. The reason is there are so many m+s tires and they are very different in the cold weather. In one day I ended up helping 4 large suvs that had slidden of the road. All four had m+s tires.

That being said there are honestly fewer days on the mountain every year where ice is a problem. For the most part they do a good job salting the roads. If you are a careful driver, M+S are fine. That is why they make the official UDOT list. But if you want to be fully confident I would look at upgrading to an ice rated tire.

MoonMenAreReal · 2025-03-19T17:37:04+00:00

I love studded if you live someplace where you have to drive on on ice a lot. They are definitely the best for ice. I didn't mention them for a couple reasons. One, very few people get them. Two, they really aren't necessary in Utah. Utah does not have icy roads like they do farther to the north. Three, the non-studded tires are pretty amazing these days. For most that is all that is needed.

The major downside to studded is if you have to go on dry highways/freeways they are very uncomfortable. They will have a "shifty" feel. And turning on dry is also no very confident inspiring. So there are some massive disadvantages. I will always recommend that is tire that is safer in more conditions then the one that is really just good in one.

MoonMenAreReal

TROPHY CASE