Winter tires still work: just add nails

One day when we look at the profile of our winter tires, we notice that many studs are missing.

There are multiple exits.

• Buy new tires. The method is simple, but very expensive. You can continue to use the tires, as they say in the SDA, “with due precautions”.
• Stop by a tire shop, where the craftsmen replenish the “stock” of spikes for a lot of money.
• Do the “implantation” of the spikes yourself.

How studding

About twenty years ago, tire shops offered nailing tires by installing standard nails in holes additionally drilled in the tread. In modern tires with a large number and density of slat slots, there are practically no places for such an installation. And the spikes didn’t hold very well in the cylindrical holes.

Another way of studying – installation of spikes in the form of self-tapping screws, these are for sale. But long and sharp spikes are more suitable for nailing large and hard tires of special equipment. And in a passenger tire, and even worn, with a thinner tread, they are more likely to make a hole – until the tightness is completely lost.

As a result, the developers came up with the idea of installation of repair spikes in the holes left by the fallen regular. The spikes have a uniform design with a steel body, from which a carbide rod protrudes, and a plastic skirt. At the base there is a washer with a larger diameter (12 mm), which makes the fixation in any hole left from the regular spike very strong. A plastic skirt was used to reduce the weight of the stud, which is already about double the weight of a regular stud with an aluminum body.

What tires will help to nail

Before you start studying, you need to answer a few questions.

• Is the tread depth sufficient?

It should be at least 4.5mm and it is advisable to nail tires with a depth of 5.5-6mm or more.

• Is the tire too old?

Even if the profile is still sufficient, but the tire is more than 7-8 years old, the spikes in rubber that has lost its elasticity will still not hold properly.

Studded tires are only useful if they are missing 15–20 or more studs per wheel

If studs are suitable, you must determine which studs we will install.

Choosing spines

The length of the repair pins may vary depending on the degree of tire wear.

For selection, you need to measure the remaining holes of the standard spikes with a caliper depth gauge.

It happens that, with varying degrees of wear, you need to add studs to all four wheels, buy studs of two adjacent sizes, although one stud size is still believed to cover the range, for example, 8-9 mm.

Please note that the depth of the stud holes is not equal to the remaining profile height. Usually it is a few millimeters larger.

How to install?

Expertise on re-study resources – via this link.

Steps for installing studs

1. Check the depth of the holes with a vernier caliper.
2. We select spikes of suitable height.
3. We clean the holes with a screwdriver or blow with compressed air.
4. We apply soapy water.
5. We “load” the nail into the studder, press it against the hole and turn on the power tool.
6. We check the protrusion of the installed spike.

Will the new heavier studs hold the tire?

The answer to this question depends on many factors: tire model, tire wear, driving style and pace. And about how accurately sustained stud protrusion – no more than 1.5 mm above the surface of the tire. A lot of testing needs to be done here.

In a simple way, we tried to make the wheel, to which 21 spikes were added, skid intensively on asphalt at a temperature of about zero degrees. The tire gnawed through a hole 7 cm deep, but none of the newly installed spikes fell out.