Studs on winter tires

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Yeah, like I said- the guy at Kal-Tire claims the studs they use are Nokian studs. Maybe they are Eco studs and he just didn't say, or maybe he doesn't know. I'll stick with Kal just to maintain any warranty that they offer- not that in this day and age warranty matters much. Just like insurance it's all a scam. But that is a different story...

Hey, why is an aluminum body preferred?
 
I prefer the alum bod because the body is a hair shorter than the steel-bodied studs. If you measure the height, they are both the same height, but the carbide on the alum is a hair longer for better ice penetration. Plus, as the stud wears in, the alum wears away quicker than steel, exposing even more carbide. It may take 5,000km's for the outer edges of a steel stud to wear and match the tread depth of the tire, but the alum studs may only take 300km's to get there. They don't wear any faster, once matched with the tread surface the body will just wear with the tread.
 
I got em studded- I guess they just used the standard carbide stud- probably a number 13. I went to Kal tire so that the same place that I bought the tires from installed the studs. I had them put on what was recommended by manuf. They look great- should be an improvement for me in icy conditions. They are also not as big and protruding as I thought. Guess I had preconceived notions. I think they will be great!
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They also gave me a pretty good deal- I work for a CAT dealer, so that got me a discount.
 
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Thing I don't like is that I feel there would be a decrease in traction on dry pavement and also increased braking distance-kind of worries me.

Click to expand...


Don't drive like a maniac in either wet or dry conditions and you'll never break the envelope that they provide you. I've driven like a maniac with studded tires on dry conditions and it all comes down to your reflexes (or wisdom for lack of them). If you get into a panic situation ...I'd rather rely on my reflexes in a very common dry/wet condition ..instead of an exceptional icy condition.

Studs are great. On a FWD ..next best thing (maybe better) than 4wd. If I could afford a dedicated set of wheels and find them in the right size, I'd have them on both jeeps. 4 wheel go doesn't mean 4 wheel slow.
 
Well, now I have 4 wheel drive and studs- I don't drive like a maniac at any time, especially winter. But now, I have a little added reassurance when I go through the mountain passes to visit my family.
 
There's a new tire company called Q Tires. They produce a tire called "Celsius" that has studs that you can retract when you don't need them and "unretract" when you need them. A Google search for "retractable studs studded tires" will give you a number of hits on the subject. The company is attempting to get states that ban studded tires to amend their law to make the retractable studded tires legal. Obviously, these tires would negate any drawbacks of studded tire use on dry pavement.
 
Sounds pretty interesting- but also it sounds like it may have a few bugs to work out. I'll check into it just for info.
 
I'll probably wait until early spring but I have a way to test the studs vs no stud performance out. I run the exact same tires on my truck year round, with one exception. My winter set is studded and my summer set is not. Otherwise, everything (truck, tire brand, tire size, load rating) is the same. If I did a stopping distance test on a icy road, then on dry road, with each test being on the same day and temperature it ought to tell us something, shouldn't it?
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
I'll probably wait until early spring but I have a way to test the studs vs no stud performance out. I run the exact same tires on my truck year round, with one exception. My winter set is studded and my summer set is not. Otherwise, everything (truck, tire brand, tire size, load rating) is the same. If I did a stopping distance test on a icy road, then on dry road, with each test being on the same day and temperature it ought to tell us something, shouldn't it?

Wait, are they the same type of tires or are they different tires? I'm asking because you mentioned a winter set and summer set. The assumption is that you're not using winter/snow tires in the summertime meaning the test would be of two different types of tires making the test invalid.

As the tirerack testing shows, if you test different types of tires under the same conditions, there can be wildly differing results. In fact, in the tirerack tests on the ice rink, an older technology studded tire (Winterforce M/S) took longer to stop than some newer non-studded tires (Bridgestone WS60).

The difference between a newer tech studded tire like the Nokian Hakka vs an all-season or summer tire should be pretty huge.


Max
 
bluemax:

Originally Posted By: c502cid
I run the exact same tires on my truck year round, with one exception. My winter set is studded and my summer set is not.


I was planning on doing the same thing with the Pathfinder I had: studded Cooper Discoverer M+S in winter for winter capability and non-studded Cooper Discoverer M+S in summer for off-road capability.
 
Same same on the tires. Both BFG Commercial Traction TA's. Run the same tire pressure, both sets mounted on identical Alcoa forged wheels. Only difference is the studs in one set.
 
Originally Posted By: alreadygone
Obviously rally driving is a little more aggressive than the average person, but I've seen studded tires with quite a few studs missing from just being daily driven for a season or two. Those are the facts and not myths.

OBVIOUSLY!!!!!!

What in the world does this have to do with commuters needing to get to work on time?

If you're shedding studs you're doing something dangerous or stupid!

Bob


Well, I probably wouldn't word it so harshly. But I will say that with dedicated rims, I've seen two vehicles go over 5 or 6 seasons without a stud being lost. I wasn't a geezer when I drove them on the occasions that saw plenty of slap happy antics. We don't have too many snow days here in SEPA ..but we always seem to hover too close to freeze:thaw that gives you that nice after dark polished skid pad. Freezing rain is another tradition around here. Warm moisture ..frozen ground. The rest of the time, it's dry pavement.
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Same same on the tires. Both BFG Commercial Traction TA's. Run the same tire pressure, both sets mounted on identical Alcoa forged wheels. Only difference is the studs in one set.

In that case, it's an excellent opportunity to see the difference. Look forward to reading the results.


Max
 
Originally Posted By: c502cid
I'll probably wait until early spring but I have a way to test the studs vs no stud performance out. I run the exact same tires on my truck year round, with one exception. My winter set is studded and my summer set is not. Otherwise, everything (truck, tire brand, tire size, load rating) is the same. If I did a stopping distance test on a icy road, then on dry road, with each test being on the same day and temperature it ought to tell us something, shouldn't it?


As long as you're running the correct stud length for the tire you will have shorter braking no doubt, on ice that is. If your truck is heavy enough you really shouldn't see any difference in dry braking, but it will be noisy I'm sure, heheh.

That, along with proper psi, which plays more a part than people would think in our trucks. Ford recommends 55/70psi fr/rr, which is insane. I only run 50/40psi fr/rr with my super duty, I have perfect wear an a full footprint on the road. Too much psi, the outer edges don't make proper contact, and that's exactly where the studs are located. Go figure.

On a 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 diesel, not a dually, I'd run 50-55psi front and 40-45psi rear, empty, no winch, bumpers, etc. Add psi accordingly with added weight as needed.

Even the wife's Windstar, 35/35 fr/rr reommended, I only use 34/32psi fr/rr with our eco-studded Nokians. Better conforming to the road conditions, excellent stud penetration. A loss in mpg no doubt, but traction is more important than fuel costs with glare ice and my kids inside.
 
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