Studded Tires Questions (Anchorage: to buy, price, shop)

[pininfarina456]

Hi Everyone, I am seriously considering relocating to Alaska.

I have a question about studded tires, I tried searching but could'nt find an answer.

Can any tire be studded? Is this something that is performed at a tire shop?

Or do the tires come as studded and thats how they have to be bought?

I guess my main question is, can studding be done at any shop, or is it done at the tire manufacturing?

[snkalaska]

You can actually stud a tire but it's not recommended and I don't know anyone that has done it. You just have to buy a set of studded snows and put them on and off each winter.

[Maineah]

Studded tires are molded with holes in them for the studs. The studs are pressed in at the tire store with a stud gun. You can buy them pre-studded but most places around this area press the studs in when you purchase the tire. The studs CAN be removed with a drop of WD-40 and a small screwdriver. It takes about 15 minutes to remove the studs from a tire. I have never seen anyone attempt to stud a regular tire though I suppose you could with small sheet metal screws.

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by pininfarina456

Hi Everyone, I am seriously considering relocating to Alaska.

I have a question about studded tires, I tried searching but couldn't find an answer.

Can any tire be studded? Is this something that is performed at a tire shop?

Or do the tires come as studded and thats how they have to be bought?

I guess my main question is, can studding be done at any shop, or is it done at the tire manufacturing?

Most tires are studded at the dealer level...

When you buy new winter tires, most come with holes already for optional stud installing. Once you have driven them on the road, they won't install studs in them because of debree that gets into them and won't allow the stud to be fully inserted into the rubber.

Any tire can be studded, they make a special drill that will drill to the proper depth and then is stopped by a shoulder on the drill. But kinda dumb studding a summer tire.

The do cut lines into the tread and that is called "Siped" tread. It gives the tires much more area to grab on the ice when the rubber folds over.

I don't like just the siping, I prefer the studs, you can see there action at stop where they dig into the ice.

But a good set of unstudded/studded/siped tires won't be worth a hoot if you try driving like it is summer... you will end up in the ditch or an accident.

[pininfarina456]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. So that brings me to my next question..

I'll be driving a FWD car in Anchorage. I was planning to get Bridgestone blizzaks, but those are studless.

So do I really need studs? I will be driving in the main city to and from work.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by pininfarina456

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. So that brings me to my next question..

I'll be driving a FWD car in Anchorage. I was planning to get Bridgestone blizzaks, but those are studless.

So do I really need studs? I will be driving in the main city to and from work.

IF you are planning to stay only fairly tame terrain all the time here in Anchorage, then Blizzaks would be fine. The new studless snow tires are probably adequate 99% of the time, but it's that last 1% that you've got to watch out for. I've been tempted to try Blizzaks myself but, aside from the ridiculous price, I'm not willing to give up my studs. The last 500 ft of my commute is a steep, ice covered hill into and out of my driveway. Everyone that comes to my place in the winter without studs, no matter what the brand of new-fangled snow tire, ends up sliding down the hill into the ditch. No matter what the tire salesmen try to tell you, studs do make a difference!

[warptman]

I'd get a set of studded tires for Anchorage, there is a lot of stop and go traffic and that melts the top layer of ice on the road and it refreezes making it very slippery.

[JohnPF]

Originally Posted by Maineah

Studded tires are molded with holes in them for the studs. The studs are pressed in at the tire store with a stud gun. You can buy them pre-studded but most places around this area press the studs in when you purchase the tire. The studs CAN be removed with a drop of WD-40 and a small screwdriver. It takes about 15 minutes to remove the studs from a tire. I have never seen anyone attempt to stud a regular tire though I suppose you could with small sheet metal screws.

Snowmachine track studs would be better, I'm sure

[RayinAK]

You can always go to Sam's Club, Wal-mart, Sears, etc. and buy a set of studded tires. That's what I do since the studs wear-out in three or four seasons.

[akbound08]

with the number of ditch divers in anc. i would advise you to get studs. its not your driving skills you have to worry about, its everyone elses. studs will definetley help you avoid an accident or the ditch!