Are they any good on ice and snow?

Can they be removed?

Do they need to go on both axles?

Regulations for use?


Jason

Not worth the aggravation and cost, much cheaper just to fit winter tyres for winter conditions.

Not seen them here since the 1960's. Brilliant on ice with slicks......There was some discussion about the legality of them on UK roads.....Not the slicks but the M&S with studs fitted

Chains could be better and easily removed

Not worth the cost or the hassle IMO. Learn to drive on the ice

I've no experience of studs but a bit of experience with chains and they are quite good and reasonably easy to fit/remove

What I did find though was BFG mud terrains are properly scary on certain types of snow/ice - to the point where normal cars were making better progress than I could in the 90. The goodyear G90 seemed to be quite effective in the snow we had last winter though - mates 110 seemed much less squirrely than my 90 did.

Interesting to hear what people think.

I do too think they were alot of hassle and apart from on TV and a few friends in remote cold parts of the world I cant recall ever seeing them on a vehicle in the UK.

Now different parts of the world mean a different answer. Don't the Swiss require studs to be fitted ? Or chains carried ? In winter ?

For interest. Have a look at Pirelli.
They made a tyre carcas that allowed you to fit different treads to suit the driving conditions. You jacked up the car. FDeflated the thyre and pulled the three bands off the tyre. Then fitted the tread you wanted. It didn't catch on.

The law does vary in different parts of the world, for example in Germany everyone has to have summer and winter tyres fitted, summer tyres are the normal tyres we have, winter tyres are much softer and grippier in ice and snow conditions, and they enforce it rigourously, and the reason tyre fitters are so busy at the onset of winter.

Many areas of France make it compulsory to carry at least one pair of chains in the colder regions, most people carry two sets, and again it is rigourously enforced as they specifically pick on tourists there for the skiing as they are an easy fine, so more easy money for them.

Tyre studs are not really for Europe, the reason being our low levels of snowfall and thin ice, once a studded tyre hits tarmac it damages the studs immediately, and the tyres shortly afterwards.
Take countries like Sweden or Canada, they do not have this thin ice, where beloved daughter lives in Canada the ice is regularly 2-4 feet thick as they do not grit their roads, the drivers are bought up driving on it and are conversant with such driving conditions, thick ice is where studs excel as they will not come into contact with tarmac.

Winter tyres are a much better option, their softer compound suits colder conditions, they grip ice much better, and its easy to keep a set on a spare set of rims, their downside is accelerated wear when the temperatures rise, this makes them unpredictable as they easily overheat.

When off-roading in Sweden the locals would delight in taking us for a spin (quite literally) on frozen lakes in their everyday saloon cars - usually Volvos - with studded tyres. Their control was amazing, no wonder they make top rally drivers.

Lets also remember that in many countries the ice is very thick on the roads, and lasts for months, it is this which makes studs a viable option as they remain in for months on end, many countries also do not salt the roads, they merely spread grit onto the ice, this is a mixture of sand and locally sourced coarse aggregate. This gives good traction on ice and is much cheaper than trying to keep the roads free of snow and ice as we do with rock salt, it also prevents the corrosion that we suffer on our vehicles.

Things move on and we are now able to supply screw-in tunsten carbide cored studs for both tyres and boots. Ideal for snow and ice but also for any slippery conditions such as fallen timber. It is not neccessary to remove the tyres from the rims or even the rims from the vehicle to install the studs although in honesty it is quicker and easier to do so. An adapter for a cordless drill/driver means that they can be screwed into the tread efficiently. Removing the studs when conditions improve is just as easy and realistically can be done with the rims on the vehcile. The small weight of the studs means that the vehicle can be driven at far higher speeds than when on chains. The design and construction is for the task and the wide, shallow angled helix screw retains the stud even in the most demanding conditions.