A pile of studsOne BG of Maine e-mailed me about my previous post about studded tires.
Apparently our (SB, the other teacher, and me) entire assumption about the studs increasing tire diameter was wrong. BG writes:
"Studs come in five different lengths and, correctly installed, do not increase the diameter of the tire. Only the tungsten carbide pin in the center of the stud protrudes beyond the tread surface and at no time does the car 'ride-up' on studs.
If someone has studs that extend one-quarter inch beyond the tread surface the dealer installed the incorrect length studs; this condition could prevent proper tread contact with the road and be very dangerous indeed.
Some dealers will install incorrect studs when they run out of the proper length rather than lose a sale. Studded tires should always be installed on all four corners. Studded tires installed only on the front of front wheel drive cars have a tendency to spin around with the front facing back in emergency braking because of their ability to hold better.
In Maine, by law, studded tires must be mounted on all corners.
Good stud link:
http://www.tirerack.com/techpage-1/151.shtml"
By the way: BG is the same individual who clarified the oil pipeline mystery for me back in early October. Thank you, BG, again.
Technorati tags: studded+tires
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I'm a little late on this one, as I am with all of my RSS reads, but I stand behind BG 100%. I work with Ice resurfacers, which all use studded tires and have studded many sets of tires. Properly installed, just the tip of the stud should protrude, and after the weight of the vehicle is applied there will be no increase in the diameter of the tire.
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