much ice-gripping traction
as tire chains, studs have
several important advantages
over chains,

1. They are less expensive,
per tire, than top-quality
reinforced chains.

2. They last many times
longer.

3. They can be driven at
much higher speeds with
safety.

4. = =They don't have to be
put on and taken off; they
can be used for the entire
winter season,

5. They are vibration-free
and virtually noiseless.

6, They can be installed

on the car's front as well
as rear wheels, while chains
should be put on the rear
wheels only. Thus, studs
provide much more assist-
ance in steering than chains
which help mainly with
starting, stopping and tail-
wad.

Right now, the public's
primary interest is whether
studs are worth the money.
Are they an adequate sub-
stitute for chains and will
you need them enough to
warrant the investment in
them? On the first point -
the ability of studs to
provide grip on icy surfaces
- little question. In re-
peated tests conducted by
the N. S. C. committee on
Winter Driving Hazards,
cars equipped with four
studded tires had a 31%
better braking ability on
‘glare ice than cars with
regular tires. When brakes
were slammed on at 20 MPH
cars without studs would
skid an average of 149 ft.
before coming to a halt on
the ice, But the same car
with four studded tires
could be stopped in only
103 ft. Obviously, in an

emergency situation this
could make the difference
between a serious accident
and no collision at all.

How does this compare
with the glare-ice perfor-
mance of snow tires? A set
of reinforced chains on just
the rear wheels of a car
will shorten the glare-~ice
stopping distance by a full
50% while studded snow tires
make an improvement of 19%.
And unstudded snow tires,
while helpful in mud and
snow, are actually worse on
ice than regular highway
tires.

Although studded tires
are only second-best to
chains in stopping ability,
the fact that you can keep
them on your car throughout
the snow season means they'
re more likely to be there
when you need them. Chains
cannot be driven long on
bare pavement (only about
100 miles), so they must
be repeatedly put on and
taken off. Studded tires,
once installed give con-
stant protection ~ even
against the unexpected
patches of ice and frost
you're likely to encounter
between the periods of
snowy driving.

In addition to greatly
improving the stopping
ability of tires, studs
provide a dramatic increase
in the glare-ice traction
of the car's powered wheels.
The committee's tests ind-
icate that snow tires with
studs are 121% better at
gripping the ice and prev-
enting wheelspin, compared
to the same tires without
studs. This not only means
that studded tires can help
keep you from getting
stuck, but they can also
prevent a deadly side skid
that might otherwise throw
you into the path of another
car if you stepped on the
gas too hard.

13

_ Improved cornering abil-
ity on ice Is another plus
feature of studs. Their
grip on the ice greatly
enchances your car's steer-
ing dependability and at
the same time reduces the
danger of wheel lockup when

you apply the brakes. Wheels
must roll in order to steer;
the instant they lock and
skid, your car is out of
control.

In its latest report on
test results, the winter
test committee has concluded
that the average effective
life of tire studs is about
equal to the life of the
tires themselves. Since bare
pavement is harder on studs
than driving on ice and snow
you can greatly prolong the
life of your studded tires
by removing them each spring,

When you buy studded tires,
be sure they have at least
72 studs, if they are average
size 14'' tires. This will
give the tire's footprint
six or more studs, The comm
ittee feels that at least
six studs per tire should be
in contact with the ice at
all times to provide adequate
protection. Gyp dealers in
many areas have been selling
tires with as few as 40 studs
installed in their treads,
Such tires would be almost
totally ineffective as ice
grippers.

When you first use a set
of brand-new studded tires,
you'}] notice the rather
loud buzzing sound made by
the studs as they strike the
pavement. The sound diminish-=
es somewhat, however, as the
sharp edges of the protrud-
ing tips of the studs are
worm. At the same time, just
durimg the first 500 miles
or so, there's a slight loss
of ice-gripping ability for
the same reason. It's a qood
idea to keep this in mind -
if you test brand-new studded