Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
I got a new set of Himalayas on Thursday, and opted go with studs. It was only $25 more per tire, and I have always been curious about them, so I figured that this was my chance.
In my conversations with Bob at Urban Expressions, he said that the most noticeable downside is road noise. There is definitely a constant hum when driving on dry roads, and although it annoys my wife more than me, it is certainly noticeable and might drive some people nuts. I'm not sure if this will subside as the studs wear down and get more level with the tire. He also said that braking on dry roads should also be unaffected because the middle of the tire has no studs, and even on the edges where the studs are, all of your rubber is still in contact with the road. Cornering feels a little "different" on dry roads, but no slipping or anything. Just a bit more drifty if that makes sense.
But the big upside is traction on ice, obviously. In theory, traction on snow should be unaffected by studs - no advantage or disadvantage - because the rubber and tread is what you're relying on. Mileage I can't speak of personally, but there is definitely extra contact and friction between your car and the road, so it doesn't seem far fetched that it would have an impact.
Damage to roads is one thing that I asked about, and he said that some provinces/states have restrictions, but they also replace their roads less frequently than we do here. He said that in Alberta, roads are resurfaced relatively frequently because of cracking, so damage by studded tires isn't really the same issue as it would be in a warmer climate where roads last longer.
The past few days have given me a taste of the best and worst of studs. Before the snow fell, I was questioning whether the extra road noise was worth the extra traction, especially considering that we have bare roads quite often in Calgary. But yesterday I was really liking the extra bite. There is a noticeable difference when starting (less slipping) and even when driving on a "greasy" road that isn't snow packed, but not fully clear of snow/ice either. It felt like there was less drifting around.
For reference, my other vehicle also has brand new winter tires this season, but unstudded. Those feel great, are much quieter, and are what I would expect from a winter tire. But there was definitely a slight edge with the studs on the other vehicle, as you'd expect.
So there are my thoughts after 4 days of driving on studs. Early days yet. I am hoping that the road noise subsides a bit, but I was definitely enjoying the extra bite yesterday.
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