Winter Tires - To Stud or Not to Stud

[recon9]

What I really want to know is would a non-studded but studdable winter tire perform poorly compared to a non-studdable winter tire?

[ninefourfour]

Originally posted by recon9
What I really want to know is would a non-studded but studdable winter tire perform poorly compared to a non-studdable winter tire?
I personally dont think it matters. All that studdable means is that small perforations are made on the outer parts of the tread to accept studs. These shouldn't negatively affect the winter performance. The more important thing is the type and brand of tire.

[mobius]

It won't perform poorly, but it may not be as good.

It all depends on what tire though. For instance, studable tire A may not have a tread design that is optimized for icier conditions, because of the ability to use studs. The tread may be optimized for deeper snow. So it may perform worse than non-studable tire B which is designed without studs in mind.

But then again, any differences you might notice could just be caused by the quality/engineering differences of those particular tires, and have nothing to do with studding at all.

[max_boost]

Perform poorly based on what? Snow traction? Dry road performance?

Just because the tire is studdable doesn't make it a 'poor winter tire'. The tire will still perform to its ability based on its design and what it was meant to excel at. REmember, not all snow tires are created equally, some are geared towards maximum snow traction while others will give up some of the snow grip for dry road handling and longer tread life.

[Q-TIP]

Studdable tires perform poorly when compared to new studless tires, even with their studs in. Here is a comparison that Tire Rack did.

Comparison studded to studless. (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=94)


They will perform better than all-seasons, but they aren't the best option any more.

[johnboy27]

I have studded tires this year, mostly because I drive a 2006 civic with the fucked rear camber and toe in that came from the factory. The studs make the car much more stable on ice than it was with just X-ice tires. Turning on icy surfaces is improved dramatically, I find myself being able to take turns at speeds much closer to clear pavement speeds. I peronally would stud them if they are studdable.

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by Q-TIP
Studdable tires perform poorly when compared to new studless tires, even with their studs in. Here is a comparison that Tire Rack did.

Comparison studded to studless. (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=94)


They will perform better than all-seasons, but they aren't the best option any more.

Depends on the tire... the Tire Rack test used studs in the worst tire (Firestone Winterforce) of the bunch... studding-up a poor quality tire, and comparing it to good quality snow tires is not a fair comparison.

Studs will definitely make good quality snow tire perform even better... like Nokians' or Kumhos'. They wouldn't use studs on WRC cars if it didn't work!

[Stuntmonkey]

Originally posted by GT4rally


Depends on the tire... the Tire Rack test used studs in the worst tire (Firestone Winterforce) of the bunch... studding-up a poor quality tire, and comparing it to good quality snow tires is not a fair comparison.

Studs will definitely make good quality snow tire perform even better... like Nokians' or Kumhos'. They wouldn't use studs on WRC cars if it didn't work!

Dunno where you're getting your information on the winterforce being a poor quality tire.

Have them on my truck and they are easily some of the best snow tires I've used.

[Sharronholloran]

Hey, for studded tires are not illegal everywhere. Certain states and provinces allow studded tires between set dates during the season. Check with your local laws. Second if the studs are nearly worn out, then the tread rubber is also near worn out and for a tire, winter traction is highly dependent on tread depth