I have heard amazing claims on the merits of soft rubber studless snow tires. Claims that they stop or start a vehicle on an icy road as quickly as studded snow tires. That seems hard to believe however I am curious enough that this week I am getting an extra set of wheels with Blizzak studless snow tires installed on my AWD RAV-4. I hope that I don't regret the switch from studded to studless snow tires. Has anyone else compared the two?
Waterfish
Studded vs studless snow tires?
Heard of them! But never tried them!
But I have an extra set of soft snow and mud grips, for our Honda Accord, that you can really feel the difference on dry pavement!
Much more positive feel than the more expensive hwy treads that I am running!
Grips the corners much better than the expensive rubber! But not sure the results in an icy or snow situation!
Let us know how they do? I find their claims a bit shaky meself!
But I have an extra set of soft snow and mud grips, for our Honda Accord, that you can really feel the difference on dry pavement!
Much more positive feel than the more expensive hwy treads that I am running!
Grips the corners much better than the expensive rubber! But not sure the results in an icy or snow situation!
Let us know how they do? I find their claims a bit shaky meself!
Had one set of studs when I first had a rig 15 years ago. I went with blizzaks after that and never went back. My new rig has Michelin ice x's. Not as much of a fan as the blizzaks but couldn't find them in a size that fits.
Studless winter tires do great. Only down side is they do wear out. 3 good years. 1 decent year for total of 4. The ice x's will Last longer but they aren't as soft a compound a blizzak.
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Studless winter tires do great. Only down side is they do wear out. 3 good years. 1 decent year for total of 4. The ice x's will Last longer but they aren't as soft a compound a blizzak.
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I do not care for studded tires, or use of chains for that matter. Way too much damage to the road. Think they also give a false sense of security. A friends wife had studded tires on her vehicle, several times still ended up in the ditch. Drove too fast and did not know what she was doing.
Some of the best tracking vehicles are those with front wheel drive. Four wheelers are good but again, do not overdrive conditions just because your vehicle is in four wheel. You can go in to a slide just as easy in four wheel as in two wheel. If you do not know how to pull the vehicle out of a slide, good luck.
The key to driving safely on bad roads is to not ever overdrive the conditions. If the conditions are too risky, or you do not feel safe, suggest you stay home.
Some of the best tracking vehicles are those with front wheel drive. Four wheelers are good but again, do not overdrive conditions just because your vehicle is in four wheel. You can go in to a slide just as easy in four wheel as in two wheel. If you do not know how to pull the vehicle out of a slide, good luck.
The key to driving safely on bad roads is to not ever overdrive the conditions. If the conditions are too risky, or you do not feel safe, suggest you stay home.
Hate to say it, because what youāre saying certainly has merit. But! Some of it makes as much sense as recommending the use of a butter knife in place of a screwdriver.
Studded, as well as non studded winter tires are a tool for a specific job. They both work very well. Non studded tires have come a loooonnnnggggg way since the early versions were available. With the improvements in both tread design and compounds, I feel that traditional studded tires have become archaic. I vote for non studded all the way.
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Studded, as well as non studded winter tires are a tool for a specific job. They both work very well. Non studded tires have come a loooonnnnggggg way since the early versions were available. With the improvements in both tread design and compounds, I feel that traditional studded tires have become archaic. I vote for non studded all the way.
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My wife had a set of Blizzaks on a Camry a few years back and loved them. We live in Bend and they did a great job. We have never ran studs so nothing to compare them to though. She currently has a RAV4 with just all seasons and it does fine. If she put Blizzaks on it would make it perfect.
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I like the soft rubber snow tires as they work out better than studs. I ran the Firestone F32 on my work truck for over 15 years. I only had them on for the winter months as the shop changed them out to help wear issues.
I was going to put them on my 2010 RAV but none available at the time so with the advice of a friend running a RAV in northern Idaho I put on oversized aggressive snow tires with what they called gripper studs. That little RAV would go just about anywhere. However on wet roads it felt a little loose at highway speeds. Wife just hatted the noise level in the RAV and with the big snow tires it was loud. Loud enough that it was impossible to hear the radio.
I was going to put them on my 2010 RAV but none available at the time so with the advice of a friend running a RAV in northern Idaho I put on oversized aggressive snow tires with what they called gripper studs. That little RAV would go just about anywhere. However on wet roads it felt a little loose at highway speeds. Wife just hatted the noise level in the RAV and with the big snow tires it was loud. Loud enough that it was impossible to hear the radio.
I've got studded tires (Nokian Hakkepelitta LTS) on my 4 wheel drive truck and studless tigers (Nokian Hakkepelitta R3) on my Audi.
Both work very well. The Audi, with Quattro differentials, is a freight train in the snow & ice.
Both work very well. The Audi, with Quattro differentials, is a freight train in the snow & ice.
I ran Blizzaks for years and they are excellent for light winter use, great in snow and wet roads. I never got more than 2 winters out of the outer traction layer. You can run them in the summer if you want, but you'll wear off the winter traction layer pretty quick.
I now use studs exclusively on the east side. There are often black ice patches on the east side roads in the winter, even in the west side foothills like the North Santiam Canyon upstream of Detroit.
I've come to believe that new or first year studs are the best, hands down. There is no substitute for sharp carbide edges dug into the ice, especially with soft ice right around freezing temps. HOWEVER, by the second or third season my worn studs were not as good as new Blizzaks. Once the studs get rounded they don't cut into the ice like new ones do.
Living on the east side, studs all the way and change them out after the second year. If I lived on the west side I'd run Blizzaks or Michelin studless on at least one rig, and put studs on anything I'd travel in.
I now use studs exclusively on the east side. There are often black ice patches on the east side roads in the winter, even in the west side foothills like the North Santiam Canyon upstream of Detroit.
I've come to believe that new or first year studs are the best, hands down. There is no substitute for sharp carbide edges dug into the ice, especially with soft ice right around freezing temps. HOWEVER, by the second or third season my worn studs were not as good as new Blizzaks. Once the studs get rounded they don't cut into the ice like new ones do.
Living on the east side, studs all the way and change them out after the second year. If I lived on the west side I'd run Blizzaks or Michelin studless on at least one rig, and put studs on anything I'd travel in.
I just put Toyo Observes on my wifes 2018 Outback...we drove to bend on Sunday and back yesterday.
We were able to go (and stop) 55 miles per hour on the packed snow through Detroit and over the pass.
I did a "panic stop" intentionally with no traffic on the road and we stopped in almost our normal distance.
Now, the Out back is an incredible vehicle and we were probably fine with the stock tires, but why chance it?
Plus, we run them 6 months of the year and the stock tires six months of the year.
It prolongs the life of the stock tires by double...so we really aren't out anything as we would be buying a second set anyways at some point.
I had studs on my 1984 Chryslet Lebaron front wheel drive car when I lived in McCall Idaho...frequently we would get 5' or more of snow in town.
I would only put them on the front tires...that car was a tractor with them. And it was fun to break the back end out and "drift" heading to Brundage.
We were able to go (and stop) 55 miles per hour on the packed snow through Detroit and over the pass.
I did a "panic stop" intentionally with no traffic on the road and we stopped in almost our normal distance.
Now, the Out back is an incredible vehicle and we were probably fine with the stock tires, but why chance it?
Plus, we run them 6 months of the year and the stock tires six months of the year.
It prolongs the life of the stock tires by double...so we really aren't out anything as we would be buying a second set anyways at some point.
I had studs on my 1984 Chryslet Lebaron front wheel drive car when I lived in McCall Idaho...frequently we would get 5' or more of snow in town.
I would only put them on the front tires...that car was a tractor with them. And it was fun to break the back end out and "drift" heading to Brundage.
studs are absolutely the best for ice.
the studless type tires have soft rubber on top of hard rubber so after a smaller amount of miles( like about 12,000). soft rubber wears out very quickly and you are down to useless winter tires after paying a premium. much cheaper and better to buy two sets and change out.
the studless type tires have soft rubber on top of hard rubber so after a smaller amount of miles( like about 12,000). soft rubber wears out very quickly and you are down to useless winter tires after paying a premium. much cheaper and better to buy two sets and change out.
I have drove many miles on winter roads in my life. Wore out a few sets of studded tires. Now I use Blizzacs on dedicated winter rims and summer tires on dedicated rims and would not go back to studs only if I lived where I was exceptional hilly and steep grades. They are very hard on the roads and wear out rather fast when there is little or now snow. Learning to drive on snow and Slowing down are the true secrets to winter driving. Giving yourself extra time to get where you are going
Have had studless Bridgestone Blizzaks and Michillen X-Ice tires on a variety of vehicles. They do great. A front wheel drive VW Jetta becomes a snow cat with Blizzaks (just don't high center it).
Studs might do better on hard ice, but the tradeoff is the studs interfere with the contact patch where the tire meets the road, reducing the amount of rubber actually gripping in the wet. Given how wet and rainy it is here, and the relative risk of hydroplaning vs. running into solid ice, I have no problems going with studless. If I lived in E. Oregon, I might feel differently.
The bill is going to come due eventually for all the stud damage to highways around the state, and no one is going to like paying for it :doh:
Studs might do better on hard ice, but the tradeoff is the studs interfere with the contact patch where the tire meets the road, reducing the amount of rubber actually gripping in the wet. Given how wet and rainy it is here, and the relative risk of hydroplaning vs. running into solid ice, I have no problems going with studless. If I lived in E. Oregon, I might feel differently.
The bill is going to come due eventually for all the stud damage to highways around the state, and no one is going to like paying for it :doh:
I have studs on my truck in the winter. I drive pretty tamely anyway, so I am not worried about wet performance. I have them in case of hard ice, freezing fog and the like. I live in the hills north of Newberg, plus I want to be able to go to the coast in the winter.
I put perhaps 1500 miles a year on while the studs are there. I think the roads will survive me.
Studs do nothing for snow. Only ice. Your best snow traction comes from wide groves packed with...snow.
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I put perhaps 1500 miles a year on while the studs are there. I think the roads will survive me.
Studs do nothing for snow. Only ice. Your best snow traction comes from wide groves packed with...snow.
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We have a long (1.3 mile) 12% grade driveway and get quite a bit more snow/ice than the valley floor. Because of that, both cars are AWD. We use studs, but only when it snows and as soon as the snow melts I make the switch back to regular tires. Tried Blizzacks, but didn't have the same consistent grip going up the hill.
We live on a 4 mile curvy hill that gains almost 1,000 feet of elevation in that span. It gets a lot of icy spots during the winter. Used to own a Subaru crosstrek and had studless Blizzak tires on it for winter and regular Michelan tires on for non winter. The Blizzaks did good on snowy roads, and merely ok on icy roads. That Subaru has been replaced by a Toyota Highlander which we now run Nokian Hakkappellitta 8 studded tires on and I can tell you the studded tires are noticeably superior to the Blizzaks on the icy hill. Obviously driving style plays a safety role while driving on icy condition roads, if driving the same way with studded vs studless, I'm taking my studs all winter long. The studs on today's tires are mostly aluminum compared to the steel studs from the past. They do less road damage and are less noisy than before. Does everybody need them? Probably not. New studded tires do require a fee already, I think it was (25$) a tire if I remember correctly when we bought them in 2016. Adding extra fees like some are proposing for a SAFETY feature that I feel is extremely necessary for my family is assanine. Heavy trucks do far more damage to hot mix asphalt than studs ever will, and the minimal damage to concrete highways over decades that studs do (Most of which were steel) is so minimal, I don't see how people view studs in such a negative way now a days. Studs keep my family safer and that's what matters the most to me.
Wish I had these when I lived in snow country (700 inches a yr)
http://www.mattracks.co/tracks/trucks/
http://www.mattracks.co/tracks/trucks/
So If I drive over the pass from west to east a few times a season, are the studded tires necessary for the other 90% of my driving.?
Are studded tires as good of traction without the snow/ ice? As in dry roads?
OF those who drive studded tires daily during the season what is the percentage of time on actual snow and or ice?
I thought I had heard that some states dont allow studded tires due to the amount of damage they do to roads. Colorado ?
Are studded tires as good of traction without the snow/ ice? As in dry roads?
OF those who drive studded tires daily during the season what is the percentage of time on actual snow and or ice?
I thought I had heard that some states dont allow studded tires due to the amount of damage they do to roads. Colorado ?
I dont see how you can know ahead of time that today is the day you will need them. So yeah they are on the truck whenever legal.
Unless you want to take the day off work to sit in the crowd at Schwab a couple times a season getting them on/off as the forecasts change....
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Unless you want to take the day off work to sit in the crowd at Schwab a couple times a season getting them on/off as the forecasts change....
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