Originally Posted by MaximRecoil

I don't dispute that new studs work good. What I'm saying is that they wear down very quickly when driving on pavement that is not covered by thick snow or ice, which is what most winter driving consists of (assuming you live in a town that plows the roads). And by very quickly, I mean far less time than 2 seasons, and by worn down I mean no little spikes left at all, i.e., instead of looking like this:



They look like this:



At which point, they are not doing much even though there is still a lot of internal length left to them. The last truck I had (2WD) had studded tires where the studs were worn down like in the second picture (they were worn like that when I got the truck), but the tires still had plenty of tread (which means there was still plenty of internal length to the studs). They had no better traction on snow or ice than the non-studded tires I replaced them with, or the various other non-studded tires I've used. I'm sure the previous owner had great traction with them when they were new ... for short while anyway.

Originally Posted by bpark8824

It's all a matter of how much you drive and how much it's worth it to you to have decent traction. There are road in VT where studded snow tires or chains are required. Yeah, they are going to wear down but it you really need them, it's worth it. Coming from someone who drove a 2wd open diff truck in Vermont winters, they are worth it. Maybe to you they're not but to some people it is.

Originally Posted by MaximRecoil

The only problem I have with them is that their effectiveness doesn't last long at all, because they wear down so quickly when they are contacting pavement. If you had them on a vehicle you only used when the roads were icy/snowy, they would last a long time. For a daily winter driver, probably 90+ percent of driving is on dry pavement (or close enough to dry that the studs are still digging into pavement when you drive).

Maybe some studs are made better than others and last longer. I'm no expert on tire studs; I only know that the ones that were worn flat on my truck despite the plenty of tread left on the tires, weren't providing any extra traction that I noticed (though I'm sure they were great when new).

Originally Posted by UWAdventurer

Dirtbiker, look like nice tires. I have some General Altimax Arctics on my Camry hybrid and they are very good tires in adverse weather conditions. They are studable, however, I did not put studs in mine. The only complaint on them is the sidewalls are not V rated so they are a little soft. I will check out the Generals for my truck, thanks.

Originally Posted by bpark8824

I understand this, but they might save you from getting in an accident or getting stuck while they are still good. And yeah, they will wear out but not as fast as you think they do. Plus even after they do were out you still have a decent set of snow tires. They just are quite as effective now that the studs have worn down slightly. Like I said before, it might not be worth it to you, but if you drove a 2wd vehicle all winter long, they would be.

Originally Posted by dirtbiker

Sorry to double post. But I saw this one and I agree with if they save you from an accident or getting stuck then they're worth it. Personally, I don't think they'd be worth it for me just because there is maybe 2 weeks combined out of the year that I would really need them. But yeah in other climates they are completely necessary and it's important to have them. Pretty cool stuff.

Originally Posted by bpark8824

Yup, one accident or tow and they're paid for and them some... Not saying they are the only thing to keep you from getting stuck or in an accident but they will help a lot. They thing about studs is they help with accelerating AND with braking AND turning. 4wd will help you get going but not stop.