Columns Mar 25, 2015 at 4:00 am

Get Your Studded Tires off My Roads

Steven Weissman

Comments

1
Studs are a waste of money, they destroy the pavement. If you live in Seattle and have a 4-wheel drive vehicle with studded tires you are really not very environmentally aware. The Wash. State Patrol does not use them anymore (since 2001) because according to their studies it INCREASES the stopping distance on wet pavement (which is 99.9% of the time in Seattle) and can cause rear end accidents at an increased rate of 75%. Go ahead and buy them, waste your money and be stupid.
2
So Kirby from "St. Elmo's Fire" is causing all the repaving on I-90?
Thanks for the warning.

@1 longwayhome: Why are you encouraging even more stupidity from I, ANON and others, even sarcastically? Seattle has enough gridlock and traffic accidents already! We don't need to match Dallas' #1 spot nationwide in the annual number of senseless traffic fatalities.
3
@IA: Lighten up, Francis.
4
Why can't we make a fine for studded tire use when there isn't any snow or during certain times of the year?
5
I have no idea why studded tires are legal. Apparently enough Western Washington residents use them to cause the dips in the road that you see. The grooves in the road that fill with water are from studded tire wear. So not only does it increase the stopping distance for the driver who chooses to use studded tires, it creates hydroplaning danger for everyone. Other states who get plenty of snow have long since banned the use of studded tires.
6
@2 What ever are you talking about? Using while posting again?
7
@5 "Apparently enough western Washington residents use them to cause the dips in the road..." Wow you are a bigger moron than the person IA is speaking about. And what does what other states that get plenty of snow have to do with us? We don't get plenty of snow. And don't tell seattleites about hydroplaning. We are clear on it thanks. The grooves you speak of are from buses and trucks. The 1 in a hundred idiots with studded tires didn't do that. I have to say it again, for the second time today...duh

8
@6, re 2...Don't be dick.
9
Studs are great. The whole road damage BS is a red herring, those ruts are the result of trucks and busses, not the relatively small number of studded tires on passenger vehicles.
10
@4 like the $124 fine already on the books for studded tire use between April 1 and October 31?
12
@11 I- Anon is not what it used to be in the old days. I agree, we need some more DIRT! Go Arthur, find some sleazy smarmy stuff to tantalize us.
13
Sipe, don't stud, bunny.
14
@13 My Dad used to sipe his tires, said they lasted longer and were great for traction.
15
Didn't we have an I, Anonymous similar to this one last year?
16
Wow, people are so touchy here. I guess if you have an opinion that does not agree with the group think, IT GETS DELETED... (Comment #11)
17
I haven't used studs in years, but when I did I put them on in December and took them off in February. Running them the entire time they are "legal" is stupid, annoying and a waste of money.
18
And FWIW I live on the East side of the mountains, where we used to get a real winter.
19
@12 I agree: when did this column become so lame? It used to be culture-oriented and actually transgressive. Now it's mostly lame, tedious shit like the current topic.
20
The road damage from studded tires is real. And yes, the ruts are caused by buses, trucks, cars, AND STUDDED TIRES. The amount of damage a studded tire does to concrete is far greater than that of a regular car and even greater than that of a heavily loaded truck. That's why most states have outlawed their sale. That, and they don't work nearly as well as modern siped snow tires. The only reason we still have them here is thanks to Les Schwab arguing that having them is freedom and america.
21
Studded tires are almost as stupid as the people driving in them. If you feel like you need them in winter, what you really need is a bus pass because you shouldn't be allowed to drive.
22
yeah those are pretty weak. i mean if you're that terrified of driving on a little cold stuff you probably shouldn't be driving at all.
23
@16 - No, not touchy, we've just learned to not give a shit about anything you say, believe or do.
24
Studded tires, especially on SUVs, are for small-dick compensators.

CIPEing, as far as I can tell, is a bogus revenue enhancement for tire shops, they get money up front and repeat business, since it accelerates wear many-fold.

Signed, one-time CIPE victim.
25
I can't believe no one has pointed out that there are studless snow tires that actually perform better on ice and don't fuck up the roads. You still have to take them off when it gets warm cause they can melt (supposedly) if it gets too hot.
26
Correct-ish, @25. Snow tires use a different rubber compound that stays softer at lower temperatures than all-season tires. (Softer rubber = better grip.) They won't outright melt unless you're driving them around at high speeds in Arizona at high noon on the hottest day of the year, but they will wear out much, much faster when the average temperature gets above 50 or so.

Frankly, for the kind of weather you guys get you hardly even need snow tires. If 90% of New England can get through this last season of unending doomblizzards on all-seasons, the tires are only a small part of the problem with your winter driving. As long as you aren't running on bald tires, summer tires, or those so-called 'green' tires (which use a harder rubber that has less rolling resistance to give you a marginal boost in gas mileage and are absolute shit on ice) the main thing you have to worry about is whether you know what the fuck you're doing or not.

If you see anyone with studded tires on, you can be pretty sure they don't.
27
Wow, so many people here are experts on the effects studded tires have on roads. I guess I missed that class in High school.
28
@27 It's called reading, you should try it sometime.

And yes, everyone here is pretty much right. Putting on appropriate tires and driving at a predictable and reasonable speed for the conditions is much, much more useful than having all/4 wheel drive and studs.

Throwing a small shovel, some kitty litter, a blanket and some snacks or water in the back of your car also helps if you're caught out in unexpected bad weather.

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