Studded Snow Tires

Studded snow tires still beat studless tires in some tests

Studdable snow tires can be used without studs, although once you've driven on them without studs, you lose the option of having them installed later. It's possible to install studs, then remove them later if the tread hasn't worn too much, but with 80 to 100 studs per tire, removing them all can be time-consuming.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5 (*Est. $145) is costly, but it outperforms other studdable snow tires in U.S. and Canadian reviews. Canada's APA especially praises the Hakkapeliitta 5's ability to wade through deep snow. It also aced every snow-and-ice test in last year's ratings at Sweden's Aftonbladet magazine (a feat replicated this year by the new European version, the Hakkapeliitta 7).

When tested without studs, the Hakkapeliitta 5 also grips wet roads better than the top-rated studless tire, the Michelin X-Ice Xi2 (*Est. $95), although neither handles or brakes very well on dry roads.

A less expensive studdable tire, the Gislaved NordFrost 5 (*Est. $80), is a favorite of Swedish car magazine Motorforaren. Other sources rank it a bit lower, but they like the NordFrost 5's balanced performance at a reasonable price. Norway's Motor magazine and a top U.S. consumer organization both test the Gislaved NordFrost 5 alongside the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 5, and in both cases the Nokian does a better job on snow and ice. However, the Gislaved holds its own in all road conditions. Motor calls it a good, inexpensive tire that's just not quite as good as the best tires.

An even less expensive tire, the General Altimax Arctic (*Est. $65), is also studdable. Minus its studs, it impresses critics enough to be named the Best Reviewed among budget winter tires (see our Best for Harsh Winters section). None of our sources test the General Altimax Arctic tire with studs, however.

Studded snow tires aren't legal everywhere

Most U.S. states and Canadian provinces permit studded tires during the winter months, but some (including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin) severely restrict their use. A few (including Illinois) outlaw studded tires completely. Even Sweden, where 70 percent of drivers use studded tires in winter, is considering a controversial ban on tire studs in cities to combat pollution and road damage.

But are studded tires safer than studless? Experts don't agree. Three of the most respected Scandinavian winter tire tests -- at Motorforaren, Vi Bilagare and Motor magazines -- find that on smooth or wet ice (as when the temperature hovers around freezing), studded tires grip vastly better than studless tires. Aftonbladet vastly prefers studded tires on any kind of ice.

However, two equally respected sources -- Teknikens Varld and Auto Motor & Sport magazines --point out that on most road conditions, the best studless tires are just as safe as studded, especially in cities where smooth ice is rare. But there's a catch: If nobody's using studded tires, nobody's roughing up the ice.

"If we get rid of all the studded tires, then we will not have any roughed up ice, and then the studless tires won't work," says Aftonbladet's Robert Collin in an interview at Dagens Nyheter, Sweden's largest morning daily. In North America, studded snow tires are not as common, and experts at TireRack.com test winter tires on a hockey rink to approximate the slickness of roads here.

Recently, a South Carolina company called Q Tires announced plans to sell retractable-stud tires: The driver flicks a switch inside the car to deploy the studs when needed, and another flick of the switch makes them disappear back inside the tire. By the end of 2008, six states had passed laws specifically permitting the tires, but Q Tires has yet to launch the product. "Because of the economic downturn we don't have a U.S. launch date," Q Tires marketing director Sean Chariker told ConsumerSearch in October 2009.

To find out whether studded tires are legal in your state, check with your state road authority. Tire-Information-World.com provides a list of laws in each state, and Canada's Automobile Protection Association maintains a similar list for the Canadian provinces.