Any input on snow tires, sand bags, etc...to increase winter traction for a w123?

I am a firm believer of using four good snow tires. I first used Yokahama Guardex 600 and ran them for four winters. These were GREAT snow tires....the new soft rubber compound tires work like magic. the only drawback to the Yokahamas was that they were a little "squishy" on turns and when changing lanes on the highway. This year I put on Michelin Arctic Alpins....they too are a great tire...they have better lateral stability, comparable ice traction, but not as good traction in snow as the Yokahamas...due to different tread designs (although we really haven't had enough snow this year to really try them out!!). The only reason I changed to Michelins, was that I wanted to try something new and heard many great reviews of the Alpins.

After having tried both, I would probably go with the Yokahamas due to a slight edge in snow traction.

There are many other very good snows out there...the key is the new soft rubber compound...Blizzaks, Dunlop, Michelin, Yokahama etc...some have real drawbacks...for example, Blizzaks are great in snow and ice, but the soft compound goes only half the depth of the treads...once you wear through, you have a standard all season radial...and I understand they wear out fast. The Yokahamas lasted a good solid four seasons....it remains to be seen how fast the Alpins wear out.

Get standard 195/70/14...dont oversize a snow tire.

Dont let anyone convince you that all season tires will do the trick...there is no comparison with real snow tires.

The other nice thing about having a set of four snows, is you can have a wider choice of summer tires. I personnally prefer a good touring tire for a nice soft ride. I once ran Dunlop D60 A2 tires....a great performance all season tire, but I got sick of the general bumpiness...every road flaw comes through...so I switched to Yokahama Avid T4...actually an all season tread, but rated as a good touring tire as well regarding quietness, traction and ride quality. Very nice tire.

Also, I would not put just two snows on rear...you want same traction on drive tires (rear) as on stopping and steering tires (front).

Also, be aware that steel rims have short lug bolts, alloys have long ones. On my car, it had alloys when I bought it. I bought steel rims for the snows off of a junkyard car...I got the short bolts with it. The first season I put on the snows, I installed with short bolts, and put the long bolts with the regular tires in my shed. After the winter, I realized that my spare is mounted on alloy....If I got a flat, I couldnt mount the spare because I only had short lug bolts. To fix this, I bough another steel rim and a $7 used snow for a spare.

Good luck.

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1984 300TD Wagon, 407,800 mi (current daily driver)
1985 300DT Sedan, 330,000 mi (gone to that great autobahn in the sky)

Three comments from Michigan where we've had a couple of decent snowfalls this year but nothing like the old days:

1. I put Winter Kings (4) on my 300D. They are an old school type of snow tire. I put an 80lb. bag of salt in the trunck for weight. I was shocked at how well this handled the deep stuff. This is the first time I've used snow tires. I've made it through all other years in the Volvo on all-seasons.

2. My friend put Michelin Alpins on his TD and Blizzaks on his D and he likes the Blizzaks way better. When I told him that the rap on the Blizzaks was that they'd wear faster, he shrugged and simply said, "take if for a test drive when it snows!"

3. I kept good all-seasons on my TD during this winter and that did ok, but the D was noticabley better.

Don

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DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

If snow handling is really an issue get studded tires. Speaking as a hardy Canadian I can tell you that after 20 odd years of driving rwd in the snow nothing beats studs. There are three problems with studs however; they are not legal everywhere/all year, they have less traction than snows on dry roads, and they are a little louder than snows on dry roads. That being said, I have smoked by fwd and 4x4's in many slippery conditions with my studs. It's quite hilarious seeing 4xs spinnig at the bottom of a hill as I motor on up. Finally, many brands of tires can have studs added when new usually without voiding the warranty, check with your local tire shops re: legality/warranty.
p.s. I like 2 bags of 1/4 in. gravel in the back to hold things together. That way if I ever do get stuck, gravel works better as a traction aid than sand, a few handfuls under the drive wheels and away we go. I could go on........