I’d like to nominate H. Bruce Miller and his rant against studded tires for this week’s WTF. He claims, “They’re somewhat better at stopping a vehicle on glare ice”. C’mon, we’re talking about metal spikes here. As a snowboarder and waterfall ice climber, I’ve yet to see a rubber edged snowboard or rubber ice axe. Edges and ice picks are made out of metal because it gains purchase on “glare ice” like nothing else. Period.
Admittedly, studs marginally decrease stopping power on dry roads. So do cinders. Should ODOT stop putting those down as well? Like cinders, studs increase stopping power when roads are at their worst.
I understand that the Wandering Eye spent time in Michigan and Minnesota. I worked at a ski resort in Northern Utah for eight years without using studs. There, the cold, low-moisture snow cleared easily off the road. Any leftover ice was then melted with salt. I don’t think anybody wants to start using that.
When considering the weather here, the counter clockwise motion of a low pressure system brings in warm, southern air and high density snow or rain in the front end of storms. Then the clouds clear out, cold air from the north settles in, and voila!, our roads turn to ice skating rinks. The roads in Central Oregon turn to “glare ice” much more frequently than Minnesota, Michigan, Utah, or anywhere else I’ve ever been.
After nearly rolling my car due to black ice on an otherwise dry road, then buttering through a stop sign at 5 m.p.h. during my first month of living here, I’ve put on studded tires and never experienced such terror in the nine years since then.
So, to say that, “…the safety value of studs is largely an illusion,” I say WTF?!!!
Dave McRae, Bend
This article appears in Jan 1-7, 2009.
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Dave,
The piece by HBM was not one stating that studs don’t work on ice. As I recall, he specifically stated they do. His point was to expose their limitations and present a cost-benefit analysis of studs. When viewed through this prism, studs are questionable at best.
Winter tires without studs are far superior in every condition. Metal is way way outdated. Studs made of metal are actually very dangerous on wet pavement. The traction of studless tires is superior and there is nothing else to discuss. Comparing this to an ice axe or a snowboard with rubber edges is as dumb as comparing drunk driving and driving while stoned on good pot. DUH.
Want to be a cheap genius? A Zen Master in one sly move? One can be correct about 92% of the time by just opposing anything H. Bruce says.
Point is, studs rule on ice. Going to drive on ice? DUH DA DUH DUH.
I’ve driven through 14 winters in Bend and I’ve never owned studded tires. I’ve also never “nearly rolled” any vehicle, nor “buttered” through a stop sign, nor experienced any “terror behind the wheel”. None of my vehicles were or are currently even four wheel drive. Yet I go up the mountain multiple times a week, take trips to the valley, the Gorge and even have driven commercial tractor-trailers in and out of Central Oregon all winter.
I say if you can’t learn to predict winter traction conditions and drive well enough to get by without studs you should be paying for every bit of their road damage when you buy them.
I run into the ice scenario often enough that i do use studs and find that they do work. I dirve form bend to Mardas every work day, and that is a real mix of conditions. Before when working in Bend I agree they were not needed. I will happily pay a few dollars extra for a road tax because I agree that they wear the road faster, what do you think, five bucks a tire? And Mister Positive is right, driving drunk is nothing like driving under a good pot stone 🙂 (I’m sure this line is going to get it’s own reply, maybe even a blog)
P.S. For those of us here who like to date our experience “for 14 winters…” I started using studdded snow tires before we had cars. had to roll them down the horse trails. for studs we used cactus spines and were testing porcupine quills when they invented steel…… 🙂
yes, a metal axe can chop ice but that has nothing to do with studded tires. you have thousands and thousands of pounds of inertia pressing against about four studs at a time, each a fraction of an inch wide. that’s an enormous amount of pressure per tiny stud. no ice is strong enough to stop a car when all its tons of inertia is concentrated against such a tiny little area. studless winter tires work best for me–far more contact area than studs and sufficient grip if you don’t drive like a lunatic.
What’s your problem with HB, Bimbo Wheeler?
Did you hit on him or somethin’ and he shot you down?
Oh dear, dear misguided Barbara Wheeler, you have missed the point, entirely. We can only hope that have at least read the counter points to your naive, self-centered post. Studs rip up the pavement every single year and ALL of us pay for repair through our tax $$$. 1st: please slow down by at least 10mph to give you more stopping distance. 2d:, do not follow the vehicle in front of you so closely. You might have heard of “tailgating?” You need to back off to…ta da…give you more stopping distance. 3rd: Downshift a gear rather than slamming on your brakes. 4th: buy some snow tires and give yourself plenty of stopping distance. Are you seeing a pattern here? 5th: Enroll in a remedial winter driving course. 6th: Hang up your EXPLETIVE DELETED cellphone and drive!
With more than 6 billion people living on this planet, it cannot, mathematically-speaking, ever possibly be all about YOU. Better yet, hire an experienced winter-driving designated driver* or DON’T DRIVE AT ALL in winter. The Life you save may be MY own. *when interviewing designated drivers, I heartily do NOT recommend hiring Ted Kennedy.
Anyone that has never driven a car or truck on ice without studs just does not know how big of a difference it makes, especially when braking. I commuted from DRW for two years with no studs and survived the slippery ride and I commuted from Tollgate for four years with no studs, with studs on the front and with them on all four. The vehicles were a Honda Accord and a 525 BMW and there is no way that I would not have them on all four until they are made illegal. The state does not allow this for no reason. I also lived in Oregon City for five years and drove to Bend up to twice a week year-round and for all of you stud haters try going into Portland from Timberline on the real slime as CO roads are much better. The big problem is all of the Cali snow flakes that you have to avoid being hit by and with studs you can manuever far, far better.