Steely Dan

so long story short, i have a set of Marathon Winter studded tires. one of them is now destroying itself and any tube i use with it. many of the studs have worked themselves through the threading and are poking through to the inside of the tire and puncturing the tube. sick of getting flat after flat, i'm just gonna ditch that tire and put one of my summer slicks on because we're getting towards the end of the winter season as it is.

my questions is should i put my one good studded tire on the front wheel or the back wheel? because i live in chicago, my commute is dead flat so hill climbing traction is not an issue for me. i just want to know which option is best for control over the occasional black ice patch on chilly mornings. i suspect the front wheel is where the studs are more effective for that purpose, but i want to get the opinions of the forum first.

svtmike

I'd go with the back tire. More weight on it, no way to recover if it washes out.

You have PM.

K'Tesh

you can use nobbies for the rear. In sketchy conditions, you want your front wheel to be solidly holding your line. Think about how many times you've nearly crashed when the rear wheel loses traction, vs the number of times when you DID crash because your front wheel did lose traction.

You can recover from a rear wheel slipping, but you won't when it's the front.

Here's a link to my DIY studded tire photoset.

Trower

That Makes no sense at all, there is always a chance to recover if the rear gets squirly, but if the front washes out there is no hope. Studded front is the only safe option.

You could however make a tire liner out of an old summer tire to put inside the studded one that's letting studs back in.

storckm

I'd put it on the front.
But, last month I did wipe out with a studded tire only on the front; I was waiting for a replacement to arrive for the rear.

JPprivate

Front tire. Absolutely, no doubt. I am surprised by the question, to be honest n. Slipping on the rear tire is recoverable, front tire slipping is usually not and injuries are worse.

Steely Dan

that's what i suspected, but i just wanted to be sure.

are we not supposed to ask questions anymore?

fietsbob

Ah.. Just a note: the Finnish Mfg Nokian Mt & Ground W tires ; i got in 1990 are still serviable..

what you have , leave it in front,

I see a bike tire chain in the publication for shops that sell bikes .. that can go in back.

JPprivate

Sorry, didn't mean to sound rude.

droy45

Always in front. You could also mark each stud that is wearing through and grind off each stud so its even with the associated knobby and then put a dab of silicone on each area that wore through on the inside of the tire, let dry, reinstall. Then the road pressure will not transfer to the stud and push on it anymore. You may be able to get more service life out of it this way.

Icecyclist.com

+1 If you ride in conditions below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and have the funds I would have studded tires on both front and rear. An non studded rear wheel on ice will whip out quickly and put you on the ground real fast. If you are in traffic there is a good chance you could get run over.

CharlieFree

Always the front. This can be generalized further to always put the best tire on the front. See the esteemed Sheldon Brown https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-rotation.html

spivonious

I'd say rear, as it would give your more stability. When I needed new tires on my car, the shop recommended putting the new set on the rear for that very reason.

DVC45

Front.

Front wheel is for turning and that's when slips happen.

Booger1

Front......Knobby on the back.

I would have a little chat with your tire guy if they tell you to put new tires on the rear of your car......At 60 MPH,a flat on the back is much nicer.And if your car is FWD,it's a no brainer.....

jeffpoulin

Definitely the front. If your front wheel slips (even a little), you'll go down fast and hard. Also the front wheel provides the most stopping power, so it's good for braking too. Finally, it's easier to remove the front wheel, so when you change the tire after the snow melts, it's a simpler job.

modernjess

Front FTW

Ferrous Bueller

spare_wheel

If your front tire slips significantly you WILL have an intimate encounter with pavement. If the back slips, not so much.

Sixty Fiver

I have done a lot of winter riding with and without studded tyres and if you are going to run only one studded tyre it goes on the front.

Losing traction in the rear is nothing compared to losing it up front where recovery is nearly impossible.

himespau 

Huh, they've always recommended I put it on the front if I only got one (which they didn't like). More for the traction control with steering than for the fact that it's a front wheel drive. Also, in a car the weight is almost always more over the front wheels because the engine weighs more than anything over the rear tire unless (yo mama joke redacted). I'd do the same for a bike every time.

superfred

Always put the good tire (traction, tread, etc) in the front.

bent-not-broken

Front

RobertFrapples

In case anybody is trying to extend theories for where the best tire should go from 2-wheeled vehicles to 4-wheeled vehicles or vice-versa, don't. The vehicle dynamics are very different.

4 wheels - best tires at the rear

2 wheels - best tire at the front

alan s 

I'll go with back. It's a lot easier to ride a rear-wheel wheelie than a front-wheel wheelie, unless you are this guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o