During the operation of studded winter tires, studs can be lost. But you don’t have to worry about it, assure Mikhail Kolodochkin and Alexei Revin, experts at Za Rulem, the oldest and most authoritative automotive publication in Russia.
Drivers can purchase stud repair kits – new studs can be easily and quickly fitted into the holes in the tires and remain firmly in place.
But before you run to the store or marketplace for a repair kit, you need to know a few important things (otherwise restoring the spikes may turn out to be unnecessary and you’ll waste your money).
- The first step is to find out if your tires are too worn. It depends on whether it is advisable to nail them at all. It may be wiser to buy a new set of tires. The tread depth must be at least 4.5 mm, which means that it only makes sense to nail if the tread depth is between 5.5 and 6 mm.
- After 7–8 years of use, tires lose their elasticity and are no longer suitable for safe driving. Therefore, it is not worth spending money and effort on studded tires that are more than six years old. In addition, the tires hold very poorly in the old rubber and still fly out quickly.
- If everything is in order with the first two points, you need to determine what length of repair pins you need. It does not depend on the depth of the tread, but on the depth of the mounting holes for the studs. You can measure it more accurately with a caliper.
- If the wheel is missing only a few spikes, then it is not worth restoring the “teeth”. There is no point in nailing, even if the tire is missing 10 nails. Experts point out that it is worth nailing only those tires that are missing 15-20 or more nails.
On sale you can find many devices for studding. They are called doshipuns. You can find a test of the seven most popular devices in the January issue of the magazine “Behind the Rulem” – already on sale.
The latest issues of the magazine are always available on marketplaces
Vote – win Lada!
Take part in the Behind the Wheel Grand Prix voting and help us choose the best car novelties of the year.
As a thank you for the time spent, we raffle among the participants in the survey three ferrets. There is a chance for everyone who completes the questionnaire earlier February 28, 2023.
COMPLETE THE 2023 DRIVING GRAND PRIX QUESTIONNAIRE
The material was prepared on the basis of the article by Mikhail Kolodochkin and Alexei Revin “Doshipuny”, published in the magazine “Za Rulem” No. 01/2023.