Learn Me - DIY studded snows (and/or studding used tires)

Anyone studded their own snow tires (using a kit like this), but preferrably one more GRM-budget friendly? More specifically, ignoring the InterWebz warnings of doom, anyone studded lightly used snows? Trying to figure out if I should try to stud the off-brand Arctic Claw TXI used set I have, or sell 'em and spend the bucks to pick up some spiffy new Altimax Arctics.

Last night's FLR SCCA TSD rally was awesome, but a lack of traction in my Civic on the steeper hills resulted in a DNF and a bad case of the sads.

Thanks...

I have not done any studding myself - illegal in Michigan to drive on studded tires.

I know that you can't stud used tires for the reason that the studs will stick out too much and interfere with traction. They wear as the tires wear.

I'd sell yours and pick up some Generals.

What I'm about to say is not popular, but its truth.

Studs are technology from the 40s and have been obsolete since the 70s. Studs work on ice. Period. They reduce dry and wet traction exponentially, so unless you live on a frozen lake, studs are 37 steps backward and one step forward.

They have been banned in several states because they become 70 mph jagged projectiles that fly off, they reduce traction to the point where states thought they were dangerous, and they're just old tech.

The answer is to buy good snow tires. Admittedly they are not quite as good on solid ice as studs, but the drawbacks to studs are so ridiculous that intentionally installing them for the few times you'll actually benefit from them is not even something I would consider in Alaska or Ontario.

Blizzaks or X-ice tires excel in every category and are only marginally less effective on ice than studs.

In reply to curtis73:

I agree!

Agree 100%. Studs reduce traction on hard pavement and are noisy as hell.

Studding a used tire is not a good idea.

The road legal studs wear with the tire and aren't the death traps on everything but solid ice as the doom sayers above mention.

Studding used tires is a no go,stones in the pockets and the reduced tread depth means the studs hang out of the tire and will get flung out very quickly.

The grip studs are in no way intended to be used on anything other than solid ice(or a solid rubber tread block like an atv tire),I've never tried them in a car tire but have tried something very similar....they come out as quickly as they go in.

Buy a set of dedicated snows,honestly I'd pass on the generals and move a couple decades newer into a toyo Gsi.Have them on wifeys Elantra and they are pretty damn good in both snow and ice.

Thanks guys - definitely have ruled out doing anything with the current used tires. Even if it were possible, $200 for screw-in studs when I can get a set of brand-new, studded Altimaxes (Altimaxi? Altimaximus?) shipped in from Tire Rack for ~ $375 is a no-brainer.

I realize studded snows have their drawbacks, but I drank the Kool-Aid after installing a set of studded Hakka 10s on my old Scirocco (whose curb weight probably wasn't far off the Civic) a number of years ago. I've previously had studded Dunlop Graspic DS-1 or 2 on my wife's car (which took it from non-drivable during the winter to a full-on mountain goat), but also tried out Blizzak WS-50s on my former Subaru Legacy GT. The Blizzaks were decent until the gooey outer coating wore off (faster than my last set of studded tires wore out), at which point, I was back to all-seasons. The Civic these tires would be for is driven very infrequently outside of rallies - it's sole purpose for existing is to be beaten like a rented mule on the seasonal dirt roads during TSD season. I'm not too worried about (and am familiar with) the traction limitations on dry pavement, as these rallies eschew pavement the way a vampire avoids daylight.

I don't know if studded snows would've been the silver bullet to get us up that snow and ice covered hill last night, but it definitely wasn't happening with my budget snows. I was looking at the Generals simply because they were studdable and (my understanding) a copy of the Hakkapellita something, but I'd be interested in feedback on what the hive feels is the current "hero tire" for winter...sounds like the Toyo is one to look at. Any others?

Thanks for your help!

In reply to curtis73:

Thank you! God, it's about time someone else said this! I've been telling these idiots in Oregon this for years. Les Schwab is a racketeering scam.

I'll stick with my Blizzaks.

The wear thing is mostly a myth.

Experience: WS 15, 50 and 60.

Trackmouse wrote: In reply to curtis73: Thank you! God, it's about time someone else said this! I've been telling these idiots in Oregon this for years. Les Schwab is a racketeering scam.

Oregon isn't northern Ontario where I drive building cottages usually on gnarly one lane private rds etc,last yr was my 1st trying studded snows and I honestly haven't noticed any lack of grip on wet or dry pavement.

The premium toyo's are noticeably easy to spin on wet pavement though,most be the walnut shells getting soft or something.

I had a set of Altimax's with studs that I bought used. I pulled all the studs out . . . . . . . . and I live in Northern Ontario.

I hated them. I will go with a nice set of proper winter tires. If I lived in the country my opinion might be different, but I live in a small city and they aren't worth it for the narrow set of conditions where they are better.

In reply to kevlarcorolla:

I will tell you the snow tire compound itself is fabulous. I just know that the studs ONLY help me get moving from a dead stop and do not help with braking. (having full time, first hand experience with my red work van)

In dry weather the sidewall flop is horrid, but that's a snow tire thing, and not a stud thing.

iceracer wrote: I'll stick with my Blizzaks. The wear thing is mostly a myth. Experience: WS 15, 50 and 60.

On OLD Blizzaks, there were two layers of rubber, and you could actually see the contrasting compounds on a tire that wore unevenly. However, by the time you went past the good stuff and into the harder base rubber, the tire was already half worn and should be thrown out anyway.

I had WS15s and WS50s that I wore out and neither of them showed this double rubber compound effect. Also, the WS50s were God Mode on ice and hardpack.

Was really wishing for those today. Had a few "moments" driving home in freezing rain on my third season Altimax Arctics. Still better than all-seasons, but "not as bad as complete crap" is not something to settle for. Ordering new tires on Monday probably.