What are studdable tires?

[Ike_Witt]

I haven’t seen studded tires since I was a kid in the 1970s. I did not realize that they are still a thing.

[Northern_Piper]

@Saint_Cad

I’d be afraid of walking in for a change and hearing, “We can’t find them.” or “What tires?”

They’re a large dealership and reliable.

[TriPolar]

@mixdenny

When I was a rallyist back in the 1970s we OVER studded our tires. You have to be careful and have a positive stop for your drill bit. We would drill in every available tread block. You need a drill bit with a flat end instead of pointed for the studs to seat well enough. All we ever had was the hand tool to insert them. Just a wooden handle with a steel tube sticking out

I saw a ice racing car that used ordinary hex head screws driven into the heavy tread portions of some off road tires from some kind of SUV. Ice is much easier on tires than ordinary pavement but they would still rip out from time to time and they would fill the hole with some kind of goop and let a new screw set in the stuff. The knobby parts of those treads were very thick, not much chance of sticking all the way through an creating a leak.

[FinsToTheLeft]

@Saint_Cad

I’d be afraid of walking in for a change and hearing, “We can’t find them.” or “What tires?”

We’ve stored our tires at the tire place for years. At one point we had two BMWs - an SUV and a sedan - which had different tire sizes but rims with the same bolt hole pattern. I took the sedan in for a change over one year and on my way out of the lot, I heard an odd rubbing noise. It wasn’t until I was on the highway and hearing the odd noise changing lanes that I realized something was up. It turns out they grabbed the SUV wheels from the warehouse by mistake and they were rubbing on the fenders and wheel wells when I turned.

[bump]

@bibliophage

Tire shops have a pneumatic tool called a stud insertion tool to install studs in studdable tires. They are generally loathe to use it on tires that are not brand-new. The little holes the studs go in are prone to picking up tiny stones and other debris. If they try to use the tool on a hole that’s already filled with debris, they risk destroying the tool.

Seems like an opportunity for someone to devise a “stud hole clearing device” that would remove any debris from the hole before using the stud insertion tool.

[Toxylon]

@Ike_Witt

I did not realize that they are still a thing.

Options to studded tires (outside chains) don’t really work when there’s a solid winter under your moving vehicle. Friction tires that work fine in semi-winter conditions are up to lethally inadequate when the going gets tough. So, millions of cars are still fitted with studded tires for the winter.

[Mogle]

@Saint_Cad

I’d be afraid of walking in for a change and hearing, “We can’t find them.” or “What tires?”

Speaking as someone who manage a wheel hotel, so do I.
Losing a customer’s wheels would not be fun.

[racer72]

Back when I was in high school my car needed a couple new tires. A neighbor gave me a couple studded tires he didn’t need. I spent a couple hours popping all the studs out of tires so I could use them during the summer.

[mixdenny]

@bump

Seems like an opportunity for someone to devise a “stud hole clearing device” that would remove any debris from the hole before using the stud insertion tool.

You should only put studs in a new tire as they will stick out too much if the tread has worn. Ideally the metal case will be flush with the tire and only the inner tungsten carbide core will stick out.