ICE- stud those tires

[CoupedUpSubie]

Well this year I was going to go without studding my tires. After grounding my car, then getting out and having it roll down the hill it was on into a field all due to ice I am studding my tires. Anyone else have close calls today?

 

[Jamey]

You can not stud tires that are already run, personally studded tires are a waste of money in my opion . Btw as of today I have studded 1356 tires since oct

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

Well I haven't bought my snow tires yet as I haven't had the funds and I was making a 1 minute drive so my mom didnt have to come down the driveway in her charger with 3-season tires, her car gets put up for the winter once conditions are bad.

And a waste of money? No offense but that is absolute BS. This is the second time that studded tires would have helped and I didnt have them. NOTHING beats a good studded snow tire.

 

[IBratmanI]

I enjoyed my studded snows on the lifted Forester this afternoon. They definitely helped with stopping and turning on the ice covered roads and driveway.

 

[Jamey]

Like I said its my opion

I've had them only because I didn't have pay for them to be studded it does give u a slight advantage over non-studded tires on ice but dry pavement there loud traction sucks even just snow not impressed I have blizzaks on my car and there incredable but very expensive even at my cost

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

Three years ago a set of General Altimax Arctics cost me $330 for my VW, I will be getting the same thing again for my impreza because they are the same height. Yes studded tires are loud and suck on dry pavement but if you know this you know you have to leave yourself more room. It is a very small price to pay instead of totaling a car because you slid on ice and couldn't slow down at all.

Also remember that these older cars don't always have ABS and mine is also only FWD.

 

[Jamey]

Great tire that was my second choice not very expensive either

 

[Pedro]

Meh. Spend the $25/tire extra on better tires rather than studding. Today was icy yes, but it wasn't bad. I was able to drive around on Summer Performance tires no prob. I sat in traffic for 2hrs at mile 14 on 95S, drove up all of the hills. And not once did I slide into anything. Granted I should have changed to my snows earlier, but I have been putting it off (broken finger).

Altimax arctics are mediocre snow tires. Get a Pirelli or X-Ice tire. You will get a much better tire for your money. They will handle far better on dry pavement and surprise you in the slippery stuff all without the studs.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

If I was driving a nice new car I would spend the extra money. Also the pavement was fine for driving. Pavement seems to hold heat better then gravel. 90% of my driveway has ice on it. My uncle in his GMC 2500HD with Nitto Terra Grapplers almost went off. My driveway was horrible and ice covered roads are just as bad when the ice sticks and doesn't melt. There is no replacement for something chewing into the ice. Rubber + Ice = nearly no traction. I am a firm believer in studding tires after my expierence with ice and how easy I had driving around on 3rd season studded tires compared to 6 month old $75 tires.

 

[Pedro]

Nice and new is not how I would describe my car these days. with 160k on the clock and a 100mi commute I put tires that offer the best performance for the $$.

I also spent my day on glare ice that I could barely walk on (I had quite a bit of time doing so since I was stopped for 2.5 hrs near one of my co-workers). You would also be surprised by the performance of the new studless snows. I currently own a set of Altimax arctics and compared to everything I have owned in the past I would not buy them again. They aren't enough cheaper than the other options to justify the savings. and if you are studding them, the difference is less.

I have only had luck with studs for one season, after that they are considerably worn or missing completely. and for the once or twice that it was ice rather than snow it isn't worth it for me. Also studs aren't legal for rally in the states, so I can always steal a wheel off my car in a pinch.

 

[2point5RS_Dan]

Pedro wins. Get better snows and call it a day.

It flash froze in portland today. Literally everything iced over. People were falling on their asses walking on the sidewalk. I drove just fine without studs. Just had to slow down.

Sure studs help, but they only help like twice a winter, I'd rather slow down and be just as safe.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

I was doing a tops of 2 mph as I slid sideways. It wasn't speed it was lack of grip. I am not taking chances of not having enough grip on ice. Why do people who race on ice stud their tires if they make snow tires that are just as good? And the life of studded tires all depends on how you drive them. When I say nice and new I am talking about it being worth atleast 3 or 4k with a crap ton of miles. My car is an $800 car. Studs help at all times you just don't realize it. As far as doing rallyx and what not, this car isn't seeing dirt until I have a new one and the new one wont be running 14s. Also contrary to belief, a pair of good needle nose pliers will pull them easily.

 

[Pedro]

racing studs are a completely different animal.

I am not talking about rallyX. I am talking about stage rally.

But you seem pretty set on studs, so do as you please, we are only offering suggestions based on the collective experience.

 

[CoupedUpSubie]

I posted this for those who use their car as a daily driver only and deal with both deep snow and heavily iced roads(which I do every time I go in and out of my driveway). Yes, you can use the "ice" tires but they are not always that great in the deeper stuff. I could pull into the driving lane uphill with my studded generals and pass people while I was going through 5" of snow. I could also drive up my driveway while it was covered in ice without a problem while my father and uncle would spin in four-wheel drive with some of the best tires for winter driving. Yes I am set on studding tires because I have experience the benefit of them many times, not just 2 or 3 times a winter. Many a time have I gone to stop and the only reason I stopped was the studs digging in.

Both of our opinions are from experience and our experiences are different.

 

[GClark]

I drove my Acura with summer tires around today, somehow I didn't die.

 

[IBratmanI]

I do have to say that I would NOT spend the extra money for studded. But I got mine almost brand new, for $200 for the whole set, that's why I bought them. But when I was looking, I would have bought regular snows for the right price as well.

 

[scubiecraig]

 

[Iboc_C64]

I use Bridgestone Blizzaks. If you look around and price match with Tire Rack you can ussually get them for the same price as or cheaper than a set of decent studded tires. Cheap studded tires are just that, cheap. They will work on ice, but the will be decent on little else and pop way easier. My oppinion is that if you have AWD then Blizzaks for X-ICE is the way to go, and they can go through more than 1 foot of snow. I know that for a fact because I have done it many times, even on a glare Ice driveway that is slanted. They are like suction cups instead of studs, but that makes them extremely comfortable and quiet in dry conditions, but I see little difference on Ice with studs if the car is AWD. If you have FWD then I would recommend the studs because if only 2 tires are moving, then 2 tires sucking on to the surface won't overcome the drag of the 2 sucking to the surface with out power and they wont dig in and pull, but dry conditions will suck. FWD = Better with studs, AWD = Better without studs. Ice Racing = Studs no matter what, if your going too fast, Blizzaks won't help you. Studs also can damage your fenders when a tire throws a stud. In deep snow on top of Ice with AWD, the Ice won't matter because you wont dig deep enough to hit it, so the studs in that case are a waste, but with FWD, you won't move until you have hit the Ice and dug in, if you cant dig in, then your stuck.

 

[Pedro]

If you are unable to drive/stop/go safely and controllably in the winter without studs, you should really sign up for the Team O'Neil Winter Safe driving course. They will impart some very important car control information to you.