Studs Anyone.
Who Wouldn’t use Winter Studded Snow Tires to achieve the “best Grip to go and the best Grip to stop” the moving mass you are driving effectively?
I would and I have and you could too. Way back when just after the dinosaurs became extinct, except for me the two-legged kind I bought my first set of Studded Tires when lots of Snow and Ice was the norm during the winter months, sometimes long, long, long, winter months. Yes to long, shortening up Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Do Winter Studded Tires Work?
I will be the first to say “Yes” they work unless someone else beats me to it. Here’s what I experienced about the studded snow tires that I had installed on my relic of a car, just after the ice age thawed. Anyways it’s not so much the snow because the snow tire itself will handle the snow.
It is the studs that work with the ice that keeps the vehicle moving in the direction we are aiming to go and to get there safely. Thanks to Wikipedia for the use of their Image.
I am going to throw in a little thought here, a must is to put on all four studded tires front and back, not just two studded tires, like saying, only on the back driving wheels and no studs on the front snow tires. This is an accident waiting to happen. Just ask me about that one.
Are They Worth the Extra Money?
If you have ever run your vehicle on all four studded tires then you can relate to this. Icy road conditions with other vehicles on the road, trying to stay on the road probably white-knuckled while navigating in the direction they would like to go. With my four studded tires on my vehicle, I have things to do and places to go.
Remember, I have tested the traction ability of the tires on a lonely deserted road before hitting the mainstream traffic flow. Yes, an unoccupied school or church parking lot works just fine to test drive my studded tires.
Success, starting and stopping at moderate speed proved to me that the studded tires on ice worked well, now if the snow was covering the ice where the studs could not reach the ice surface, then I’m sure the studs would be less functional and the snow tire would take over the job of guiding the vehicle through the snow.
This is how I see the studded tire approach to driving on icy roads, my first near-crash or pile-up was diverted because I could get out of the way of an out-of-control sliding car coming towards me half on my side of the road, in a sideways traveling skid.
He or she never ran into me and I was able with my studded tires to divert my vehicle out of a crash scenario situation where the (gripping studs to ice meet and greet). Worth the money (YES). My first near-crash but didn’t crash.
I have been so grateful for three maybe four years of winter driving without an accident, thanks to my Winter Studded Snow Tires. Keep in mind that was years ago and still moving forward, just a little bit slower now.
Winter is Over
So after many winter seasons and not all ice to travel on, and lots of asphalt and gravel roads to wear away my tire studs. I found the gripping quality of the studs on ice to be less trustworthy than those newly inserted studs from years ago.
What does that mean to me and you if your tire studs are in a run downstate and are losing their ability to grip and bite the ice? To me, that means I have lost my driving confidence feeling the (grip to go and the grip to stop is gone).
Evaluate the situation of the snow tire wear and the tire stud wear. Okay we have determined the studs in the tire are just going round and round for a ride and basically have expired their capability of performing their job properly. The snow tire on the other hand has 50% tire life and is still ready for action.
The option I voted on was to remove the studs from the tire and run the tires for the spring, summer, and fall seasons until they were ready to expire noting the tread wear indicator bars.
Just remember here, snow tires will wear down quicker than all seasonal tires because the rubber is softer for working better in the snow, better gripping quality in cold weather.
Okay, we have all decided to run the life out of our snow tires, but let us get those worn-out studs removed from the snow tires okay? This is what I did to remove the old studs from my snow tires.
Tools Required Here Simple and Sweet.
The first choice tool is a thin flat blade screwdriver, let’s put some dimensions on paper here for us all to work with. The blade is about a 1/4″ wide give or take (+ or -) a bit. Let us say about 8″ in length (+ or – ) a bit. Now before I even introduce the screwdriver to the tire stud, get those safety goggles strapped over your eyes and face if using a full face shield protector.
Two ways to approach the stud. Number 1 is the dry approach and number 2 is the wet approach. So number 1 is dry rubber gripping the stud and number 2 is using a lubricating spray like DW40 or a spray of one’s own choice.
Both ways will work, just a matter of one’s preference for the stud removal technique to be applied. Okay safety goggles on and screwdriver in hand, insert the screwdriver down the side of the chosen stud and push down with some force till you or I hit what feels like the bottom of the stud. Then go deeper, we need to get underneath that flat bottom area of the stud.
We got to wiggle the screwdriver down underneath the flat part of the base of the stud, I always wait till I feel the sweet spot when the screwdriver tip kind of slips underneath the stud base or bottom.
Okay pry down on the screwdriver, got your safety goggles on here? out will pop the old worn down stud, well maybe not quite that easy! Start making a pile of your removed studs, using an old can works well because we are going to recycle the metal anyways, right.!
In case more visual is needed just view this video from Youtube.
If other Automotive Fixes are of interest to you then head on over here you may find something of interest.
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Hey thanks for reading Stud Story and if you have a comment or a story about removing the studs from your tires that worked better for You Guys and Girls, then please leave below the little helper man.
Thanks for now…Doug