Studded Winter Tires?

[Speed_RaSiR]

I'm thinking of getting a setup of Kumho Winters from My Tires, they said they can stud them for $100. My question is are these annoying? Is it really loud when you drive? Is it noticably better? The guy said a studded tire will beat any winte\ice tire...

Is it worth getting the studs?

[1badPT]

I have studs in my tires and I would recommend them. The noise isn't that bad and if you keep in mind that snow tires generally are noisier anyways its not that big fo deal.

You'll find that your traction on ice is MUCH BETTER with studs, but the tradeoff is your bare pavement traction (oddly enough) will suffer.

To give you an idea - last night there were several 4x4's and SUV's slipping and spinning trying to get up a hill. My car is front wheel drive, open differential and I was able to get up the same icy hills no problem. Turning and braking on ice is much better too.

$100 seems to be the going rate to get tires studded, that's what I paid.

[Aleks]

In Calgary it's a bit of an overkill in my mind. The roads here are usually not that bad to warrant studs. It's on those odd days with lots and lots of ice that they would come in handy, but i think if you're getting snow tires they should do the job just fine in the city.

[badseed]

I agree with the above statement. I had some blizzaks a couple years back and they were killer even on the ice. Stud tires are nice to have but if you have decent winters theres really not a NEED.

[Speed_RaSiR]

so if you drive with studs on a dry road you will be wobbly? I dont want that I drive Deerfoot every day, maybe I'll just get the tires...

[1badPT]

nah it will be noisy not wobbly - just when you're taking off from a stop it will be easier to spin on pavement or when your braking it might be a bit easier to lock up. My drive every morning last year was on the deerfoot, if it was bad I wouldn't be recommending them. Spirited driving is kind of out in the winter time anyways - you'll be glad you have studs when you hit a patch of ice. Winters are good on snow, not very good on ice without the studs.

[ZorroAMG]

I had studs on my old Benzo but don't find I need them now that I am using the Dunlp graspics, Mont, you should ask mytires about Dunlop Graspic DS-1 or DS-2 for your car...good tires....

[Speed_RaSiR]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
I had studs on my old Benzo but don't find I need them now that I am using the Dunlp graspics, Mont, you should ask mytires about Dunlop Graspic DS-1 or DS-2 for your car...good tires....

Thanks brother, How was the driving on dry pavement? I need reliability, I drive mad far on Deerfoot all the time.

[2fast4me]

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[JCX]

Originally posted by Aleks
In Calgary it's a bit of an overkill in my mind. The roads here are usually not that bad to warrant studs. It's on those odd days with lots and lots of ice that they would come in handy, but i think if you're getting snow tires they should do the job just fine in the city.

I could not agree more. When I was 17 I winter drove a 1979 Ford Fairmont with a 302 V-8 and the cheapest all season tires you could find. Never had a problem. Decent winter tires and a semi skilled driver should be more than enough unless you live in the boonies.

[carzcraz]

Just a suggestion...my bf picked up some studded winter tires from Walmart today and it only costed him $16/tire to stud....might be worth calling to save you some money on studding?

[ZorroAMG]

Walmart= t3h scary place to have tires studded....like canadian tire, I dpn't want some highschool kid working on my shizzz...

Mont, the studs on pavement was loud and a tad slippery, i'd recommend taking them off in april....no biggie though.

It is also illegal from what i've heard, to be driving on studs on a road that isn't covered in snow, so take em off as soon as it's safe....

[1badPT]

Alberta has no laws against studs

Every other province does though - part of why I bought them my first winter here heheh

[max_boost]

I think that's over kill, we aren't living in Alaska. Snow melts in this city! When's the next chinook coming in?

[t_c18]

my buddy had some on his mustang and they improved the traction so much, and he never complained about noise....

[rockym20]

Anyone who hasn't driven with studs on an icy road has no idea what a huge difference they can really make. That said, I probably wouldn't buy studded tires next time. Even though I drive to downtown everyday (from McKenzie Towne), I don't think the roads are bad enough often enough for the tradeoff of noisy tires and reduced traction on dry roads. However, if I was on the road a lot (like a salesman or something), I wouldn't hesitate to purchase studded tires again. I also find my studded tire tend to wander a bit on grooved concrete (like some overpasses). Its no big deal (I drove down to California one winter with studded tires - all the freeways there are grooved concrete - and had no problems), but can be a bit disconcerting the first time it happens to you.

[awd]

IMHO, studded tires are overkill for Calgary.

[safetyfirst]

I used to have studs, then went to premium "ice-radials"

Found that the best tires on ice lost a lot of performance in deep snow, and tended to float (almost like hydro-planing) instead of digging in.

Have returned to really good snow treads with studs for ice. Well worth the slight increase in noise as now have great functionality in both snow and ice.

Thinking about the mechanics of the two situations, many requirements for ice function are the opposite of the requirements for snow. Hence all the "multi-tread" tires we have seen lately.

Spend a lot of time on secondary hwys, miles from anywhere. Must always expect to run onto wind-polished thin ice films from blown snow with little warning.

[nobb]

Not denying that studded tires are helpful in ice, but I also agree that it is overkill for Calgary. Mainly because our roads only get covered with ice a few times each year. If you are buying new tires, then I would just buy a premium winter tire like the Blizzaks...they are amazing in snow and ice. The only time I would consider studs is if I lived out in the country side or to get a bit of extra life on an old winter tire.

Which Kumho are you getting? I have the KW11, which got decent reviews, but they are terrible compared to my Blizzaks. The compound is almost as stiff as a normal all-season in the winter.

[safetyfirst]

Most safety equipment is overkill "most of the time". In fact we all hope we never have to use it. Its that millisecond that can totally change or end your life that its there for.


To the original questioner, you have to look at your personal needs, including if you have the option to simply stay home until it improves. I have the Kumho IzenWeis. The slightly harder rubber means they bite into packed snow much better than the full ice rubber, but they may need the studs once it gets colder. I've no experience with them unstudded - were only studdable I could find at the time. I really like their lateral stability when cornering compared to many N.American winter tires. You can only equip for your own unique needs, be safe.


We rarely make emergency stops, but we don't tolerate brakes that only work for a gradual slow down. Try telling a CF18 pilot they don't need an ejection seat because they will only use it once.

As for Calgary, Hwy 1 into the city was great last Friday it was the city that was the problem, and again there were those few milliseconds here and there avoiding other people's inadequacies that made me glad I had the studs.

Like many Calgarians I spend a lot of time out of the city, miles from any assistance. I don't need a sleeping bag in the city either, but its always there in the winter.