Commuting - Trying to list all winter/studded tires

I'm preparing a review and testing of winter tires. I know a good deal about them but I'd like to know if any of you knew of other true winter tires or other interesting tires. Here's my list so far :

Continental :
- Spike Claw
- Nordic Spike

Innova:
-IA-2901
-IA-2902
-IA-2903
-IA-2904
-IA-2908

Nokian:
-Freddie's SW336
-Hakka SW300
-Extreme 294
-Hakkapeliitta W240
-Mount & Ground W160
-Hakkapeliitta W106
-Hakkapeliitta Stud
-Rollspeed W [4 seasons]

Schwalbe:
-Marathon Winter HS 396
-Snow Stud HS 264
-Ice Spiker Pro HS 379
-Ice Spiker HS 333
-CX Pro [4 seasons]

Thanks for your contributions !

:thumb::hug:

Can't wait for it to be complete.

might want to add tyre size, stud count, tread depth and tread pattern.

oh, and stud material.

First, define "winter tyre". If you include non-studded tyres (such as Nokian Rollspeed W and Schwalbe CX Pro), you're going to end up with a loooong list. Any tyre with a relatively aggressive thread could be argued to be a winter tyre.

--J

Just my $.02;I've had really good luck in snow with Conti Town & Countries,Serfas Drifters,and Specialized Crossroads.

Kenda Klondikes - this will be my third season with them

+1 to the Kenda Klondikes (carbide tipped) studs. My second season.

Peter White's studded tire page should be at least footnoted. He has relevant comments and great photos of everything he sells.

I agree, a great many people have good luck with non-studded knobbies, so if you're talking winter tires in general, you are going to have to list dozens to hundreds of tires.

Yes, I know if I start to include non-studded tires, I'm gonna end up with lots to test. I am not going to test too many of them because it's just for comparison with studded tires but I'd like to have a few other suggestions.

Basically here's what I want to test (the list is not organized):
- Summer (slick, semi-slick, touring) vs Studded winter vs CX/"4 seasons" tires
- Rolling resistance
- Weight
- Noise
- Thread count
- Stud count
- Stud placement
- Stud material
- Large, medium and tight turns (asphalt, snow, ice)
- Avoiding maneuvres
- Going through snow banks (the tire width myth, 90, 45 degrees)
- Deep snow
- Packed snow
- Ice
- Black ice
- Accumulation of snow on the tire
- Braking distance
- Price
- Available widths
- Manufacturing location
- The "only the front" myth
- The "only the back" myth
- Myth: studs = loss of traction/slipping into turns
- Front vs back vs two brakes

Any other idea of myths to debunk or things to test ?

The general idea is to test the tires in as controlled conditions as possible to have objective results and have a standardized testing procedure. I also want to test some myths that have been going around and verify if they are true or false.

I think many people could live with studs only on the front. I think it'd be asinine to put one only on the back. Only someone who's never had their front wheel slip out from under them would even think about it.
I need both, because the last 4 miles of my commute are over gravel road, which you can't use salt on, so in the winter if there's been any snow in the last week it quickly becomes hard packed, essentially ice, and it's hilly. Even with studs the rear tire slips significantly on every pedal stroke sometimes.

Black ice is the same as regular ice. If water gets onto a black surface and freezes, it'll look black. It's mainly called black ice by drivers who are going too fast to see it coming. On my bike I can see ice coming whether it's normal (black) or white (which isn't really proper ice, it's snow compressed into ice).

The studs are definitely noisy. And the tires are heavy; not really because of the studs I don't think, but because studded tires usually have tread, whereas in the summer I run close to slicks.

Studs slipping going around corners? Possibly true, but if it's winter enough to have studs on, you shouldn't be going around corners fast enough for that to matter anyway.

Carbide is the only acceptable material for studs. Lasts many years. Steel will last one season if you're lucky.

Peter White's studded tire page should be at least footnoted. He has relevant comments and great photos of everything he sells.

His page is a little cryptic though if a tire exists in a size that he doesn't carry you have to find out about it yourself.

First, define "winter tyre". If you include non-studded tyres (such as Nokian Rollspeed W and Schwalbe CX Pro), you're going to end up with a loooong list. Any tyre with a relatively aggressive thread could be argued to be a winter tyre.

--J

IMO a winter tire is one that will protect you on ice too, thus a spiked tire is what I consider as a winter tire.

I don't see the Nokian A10 on your list?

It's listed on the Peter White page - smallest studded tire you can get, apparently:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

[QUOTE=pluc;7754151]Yes, I know if I start to include non-studded tires, I'm gonna end up with lots to test. I am not going to test too many of them because it's just for comparison with studded tires but I'd like to have a few other suggestions.

Basically here's what I want to test (the list is not organized):
- Summer (slick, semi-slick, touring) vs Studded winter vs CX/"4 seasons" tires

I had a very icy ride last year. The Innova rear tire with steel studs let got in a slow turn. It wa so slippery that I could barely get up after crashing as my boots had near zero grip. Therefore on real ice: Rubber = slick and virtually no grip. Steel studs a little grip, but they pretty much are worthless after a month or more of riding, and carbite studs are amazing. Even with only 106 studs on the W106, I can not problems staying upright and stopping. Anything less than carbite studs will cause a crash it you need to make a turn on solid ice. Be sure to wear some good elbow and knee pads if you want to test this. You will go down hard and it WILL hurt.

- Rolling resistance
- Weight
- Noise
- Thread count
- Stud count
- Stud placement
- Stud material
- Large, medium and tight turns (asphalt, snow, ice)

As I mentionded above. Turning on ice with anything other than carbite studs or new steel studded tires is being to cause a crash.

- Avoiding maneuvres
- Going through snow banks (the tire width myth, 90, 45 degrees)
- Deep snow
- Packed snow
- Ice - Black ice

As the other poster mentioned, ice is ice. Black ice is simply a thin layer on the road that you don't see. I rode on 1/4" of solid ice last year... not my idea of a good time when done on 2 wheels.

- Accumulation of snow on the tire
- Breaking distance
- Price
- Available widths
- Manufacturing location
- The "only the front" myth

With this your rear tire will slip out from under you. With a little luck there will be enough grip with your foot you put down to avoid a hard crash. In my case it was slipperly enough that my boots got not grip and slipped, thereby causing a hard crash. I did have a rear studded tire, but the Innovas with steel studs are terrible.

- The "only the back" myth

Prepare to crash hard on the 1st icy turn!

- Myth: studs = loss of traction/slipping into turns

With the knobby sides vs my summer slicks, you definitely want to go easy with going around a turn. I don't think the studs make the tire any worse, its just the knobs are much less firm than a slick tire.

- Front vs back vs two brakes

With studs you can jamb the brakes without any problems. Best practice is to start with the rear brakes and then add in the front brakes. The fronts provide most of the real stopping power so you need to use them as part of any quick stop.

Any other idea of myths to debunk or things to test ?

The general idea is to test the tires in as controlled conditions as possible to have objective results and have a standardized testing procedure. I also want to test some myths that have been going around and verify if they are true or false.

You will have a hard time getting good scientific data (just look at what equipment the "Myth Busters" use to make all their measurements and calculations. By even comparative comparisons without careful measurements can still provide helpful information.

Happy riding
André

Hi André,

Agree with all you say. Regarding your last comment, I know it's not going to be a real scientific setting, but I will tend towards it with what I have.

Breaking distance

The proper spelling is "braking" when referring to slowing and stopping.

The proper spelling is "braking" when referring to slowing and stopping.Maybe he meant the distance over which tyre disintegrates? :)


I don't see the Nokian A10 on your list?It's an old model and no longer listed in Nokian's web site. Apparently the ones that are being sold now are old stock. Current closest equivalent seems to be the Hakkapeliitta Stud.

--J

It's an old model and no longer listed in Nokian's web site. Apparently the ones that are being sold now are old stock. Current closest equivalent seems to be the Hakkapeliitta Stud.

--J

*edit* Oops, never mind my reply, you already addressed it (duh)...

The proper spelling is "braking" when referring to slowing and stopping.
Indeed, mistype.

I don't see the Nokian A10 on your list?

It's listed on the Peter White page - smallest studded tire you can get, apparently:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

32mm.. anyone run those on a Pacer?

they should fit, but you never know..