Poll: Studded Tires vs Winter Tires

[CourierGuy]

Not denying studs are King on ice.

I'm just against them, as they wreck the roads.

Sensible driving habits, common sense and good studless tires are my vote.

That, and making it harder to actually get a licence. Can't fix stupid. And stupid keep breeding.

 

[Steve-o]

when I looked for data on accidents, injuries, and fatalities on snow and ice covered roads with each type of snow tire, I found that studded tire use seems to show a generally small but significant reduction in injury and fatalities in several studies (data from Sweden, Norway, Michigan+Minnesota) even after controlling for a myriad of other factors.

Interesting. I've lived in Minnesota for more than 30 years and, AFAICR, studs have never been legal. Unless Michigan allows studs and similarly-meterological Minnesota was the control.

Maybe the retractable stud technology that debuted a few years back is indeed the ideal solution.

Or using a material other than metal. Toyo offers a winter tire that has ground-up walnut shells (was coconut shells) in the rubber. Nokian calls their retractable studs "Ecostuds" and they appear to be plastic. I don't know, though, if patents or lower-than-expected performance (or both) has kept these ideas from expanding beyond these two companies.

 

[eb2143]

Interesting. I've lived in Minnesota for more than 30 years and, AFAICR, studs have never been legal. Unless Michigan allows studs and similarly-meterological Minnesota was the control.

So I came across abstracts/full text for four studies that looked at accident rates between types of snow tires. Two were very recent from Scandinavia, one was a meta-analysis published in 1999 using data from studies Europe and the United States, and one was the Michigan/Minnesota study.

Minnesota did legalize studs in the mid 60s only to ban them in the early 70s. So the Michigan/Minnesota study is really old and meaningless with the advent of the modern friction winter tire, and I shouldn't have mentioned it.

The abstract can be read here: http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=73791 and a very interesting read on the politics and controversy of studded tires upon their introduction in Minnesota can be read here: http://www.ite.org/membersonly/itejournal/pdf/JHA73A39.pdf

Winter accident and driving data from two states, Minnesota and Michigan, were used in the study. Because a ban was placed on studded tires in Minnesota during the study period, a "before-and-after" type of analysis was possible for that State....Data from 91,275 winter accidents involving 36,639 autos were available for the analysis of tire effects. Even with this large sample, some of the most sought-after relationships did not prove to be satistically significant at the 0.05 level of confidence. The findings of the study tend, in general, to show a slight safety advantage for studded tires.

The meta-analysis I should have referred to (abstract here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10084627 ; I have full text if someone's very interested) in my above post, made this conclusion:

Studies that have evaluated the effects on accidents of studded tires are reviewed. There are two types of evaluation studies with
respect to the safety effects of studded tires: (1) Studies of the effect on automobile accident rates of using studded tires; and (2)
studies of the effect on accidents of banning the use of studded tires. The results of studies of the effects of studded tires on
automobile accident rates are found to vary substantially, depending on the quality of the study design. Recent studies employing
multivariate techniques of analysis to control for confounding factors, attribute to studded tires minor declines in automobile
accident rates of 5% for snow- or ice-covered roads, 2% for bare roads and 4% for all road surfaces combined. The results of these
studies are consistent with the most recent estimates of the effect on accidents of banning studded tires. It is concluded that
studded tires probably confer a slight safety benefit during wintertime.

 

[CourierGuy]

And if people smartened up in the winter, that difference would be more than using studs.

I can't back that up with a study, but common sense would agree with my statement.

Another point to backup my statement.. Ever notice how there are so many awd vehicles in the ditch on hwys in bad weather days? If they are SOOOO superior in winter/bad weather, wouldn't there be less of them in the ditch?

On a Toronto trip one new years day years ago, we drove to a motorcycle show in Mississauga. Bad roads. I remember counting 13 "4x4"s in the ditches on the 401, between 416 and Dixon rd. A couple of 2wd.

You can accelerate faster on a 4wd, but you still have to stop like everyone else.

Not a stud related anecdote, but more so to point out bad drivers with inflated senses of security while driving awd vehicles.

Now imagine the hot dogger with studded tires on his 'roo.

100 meters in the farmers field

 

[Lug_Nut]

As for those green diamond tires......Are these attainable somewhere handy in Ontario, Canada? Or strictly an online US thing?

They used to be re-molded in Quebec and exported to the US. I don't know where they are presently made now.

Can't fix stupid. And stupid keep breeding.

Be sure to sign your Mother's and Father's Day cards with that sentiment.

I support, and practice, the principles of the V.H.E.M.T.

 

[CourierGuy]

Be sure to sign your Mother's and Father's Day cards with that sentiment.

I support, and practice, the principles of the V.H.E.M.T.

OK, I looked up vhemt.

Now I'm not sure if you made a funny, an insult or both... In general or towards me.

I'm just not sure how to read this one.

 

[vanbcguy]

If you always read everything in the least offensive tone you'll have a better life regardless of the poster's intent.

 

[Lensdude_com]

I know it has been said before but it's worth repeating for the sake of the facts...car control isn't more or less important as the seasons change. Not being involved with the control of your car either by the use of optional equipment or inattentive driving habits is by all accounts a breach of the social contract that all motorists sign everytime they put their vehicle in gear...
I don't agree with or condone the attitude that too many have adopted where it's all good as long as you don't get caught and if you do just open the wallet...

 

[Steve-o]

eb, thanks for the clarification and links. Interesting that the book on studs has long been that they decrease traction on clear dry roads and yet the last study found a slight improvement in accident avoidance with studs.

But I think CourierGuy mentioned the most important piece of hardware in avoiding accidents: the nut holding onto the steering wheel....