Testing Studded Snow Tires on Ice! Are They Actually an Improvement?

For those who are unfamiliar with the world of tires, learning how nuanced this world is might just blow their minds. There are about a million different tires and they all do different things well. As automotive enthusiasts, most of us have come to terms with this fact.

If we want to go drag racing, our tires are going to have a specific composition. If we want traction in the snow, that composition is going to look a lot different. Everything from the makeup of the rubber compound to the tread pattern will differ. Even we breakdown different kinds of dry surface racing, the tires will still be vastly different. It’s a world where lots of research and development is invested in making the perfect product. Heck, even when it comes to accomplishing a single goal, there will still be lots of conflicting options.

This time, we dive into the goal of winter driving in diverse conditions. If snow and ice are prevalent, drivers are going to want to make sure that they’re adequately prepared. After all, these treacherous conditions could end up throwing the car right off of the desired path.

In this one, we ride along with our host over at Engineering Explained as he breaks down a couple of winter tire differences. In the demonstration, he attempts to show us how much better a studded tire can be versus a traditional winter tire. After all, those spikes have to add lots of value, right?

By following along with the video below, we get to see a Subaru equipped with the different types of the tire as it is put through all sorts of different tasks. From stopping to starting and even going sideways, this might be the ultimate breakdown of regular winter tires versus studded beasts. Such a simple change might just make a world of difference.