To stud or not to stud?

ReverendDexter wrote: If I have it my way, I will NEVER run a studded tire again in my life. Don't get me wrong, if you have to deal with ice, there's nothing better. The rest of the time it's just rowrrowrrowrrowrrrowwwrrrrowworrrr, less traction on things that are not ice, and you really don't want to take corners with any sort of force or you risk ripping the studs out. (not really damaging to the tire, just less effective the next time it's icy).

I ran studded tires on my RT4WD Civic wagon last year. That was the most awesome winter driving combination I've ever driven. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to slow the $#%^ down when it wasn't snowy, and now the tires have nearly no studs left in them. I got a new set for nothing that'll work on the Miata, but this winter I'll be running all-seasons much of the time, and switching to the "heavy artilery" studded snows (Winterforce Magna Grip) when there's imminent snow or ice conditions in the forecast, and/or I know there's some on the roads I drive. Oh, and I'll slow the $^%& down when I'm on the studs so they'll last longer. :)

my brother bought a mustang that already had studded winters on the rear. driving that thing on dry asphalt was like driving a drift simulator. It was awesome! (until we did a burnout and spun all the spikes out)

not sure if I trust the engrish description of the Hakkepellitta's

tires-easy said: Safe tube tires for complex environments. In its splashpleningovym properties of the tire is known as the best in the market. The system Soccer EcoStud System increases their spikes, improves adhesion and enhances comfort while driving.

I know other tires have splashpleningovym properties, but I dont think the ratio of splashplenin to govym is up to par.

falken ice rally tires?

Hakka's high-end tires consistently come out on top in Swedish newspaper Aftenbladet's annual tire tests, whose results are based on snow, ice, slush, wet pavement, and dry pavement conditions, and include acceleration, braking and handling (on a short "track") components.

According to the test results, studded tires are not a liability for dry braking. I think what's going on now is that companies who offer studded tires are doing so with so-called "friction tire" (a la Blizzak) compounds, so you get the best of both grip strategies.

Notably, Adtenbladet tests studded tires separately from the studless because, on average, the studded tires appreciably outperform the studless, especially on ice, which is unsurprising. (I see that Tirerack is now sending testers to Sweden for their own tests, but they still poo-poo studded tires.)

When I ran winter Alcan 5000 in '08 (5,000+ miles in 11 days), we ran studded Hakka 2s. While most of the event was on snow/ice, we did have significant highway miles on pavement as well (from Seattle to BC and Banff to Seattle). I think modern, premium studded tires are quieter than in the past, as neither my friend nor I went crazy from listening to the drone (yes, the tread is not silent). I do know that some of the newer Hakkas have a soft "pad" beneath each stud into which the stud retracts when on pavement, thus quieting them somewhat.

A lot of the Alcan competitors ran Hakkas (I'd say a majority), but some ran Hankooks and Coopers. In some cases, there was sponsorship involved with the latter two brands, but I don't recall anyone wishing that they had better tires. IIRC, Hankook makes a Hakka knock-off that's said to be pretty good but not as expensive. Those who ran studless Blizzaks did really well, too; the grip on the ice racing elements (basically autox on ice, not full-on racing) was impressive.

Finally, I put a Quaife on one of my Saabs and had it out in the snow last year, with snow tires. Being able to turn what is essentially a one-wheel-drive car into a true two-wheel-drive made a HUGE difference in forward grip, to the extent that I would love to put a Quaife on my daily driver, too, just for the improved winter grip.