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Studded Tire Damage on Interstate 90 in Idaho  | |
Studded Tire Damage on Interstate 80 in California over Donner Pass | |
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| Two cores taken from the same pavement. The core on the left was taken from the wheelpath and subjected to heavy studded tire wear. The core on the right was not from the wheelpath and was thus not subjected to much studded tire wear. The difference in height between the two cores is due almost entirely to studded tire wear. | |
| Source: WSDOT | |
Ultimately, WSDOT would like to see the use of tire studs phased out to improve safety and reduce pavement maintenance and preservation costs. Research on studded tires consistently shows that vehicles equipped with studded tires require a longer stopping distance on wet or dry pavement than do vehicles equipped with standard tires.
The abrasion on pavement surfaces caused by studded tires wears down pavement at a much greater rate. Rutting damage caused by studded tires is limited to state routes, primarily the interstates, due to the higher speeds and volumes. Rutting leads to safety issues such as ponding, hydroplaning, excess roads spray, and “auto-pilot” problems.
Detailed report released March 2006 on The Study of Pavement and Studded Tire Damage. (pdf 1.9 mb)
Studded Tire Use - Washington DOT
Innovative tires
The Green Diamond Tyre Company of Iceland has developed an alternative to the studded tire in which hard granules are distributed evenly on the wear-surface of the tire. Toyo manufactures a tire with crushed walnut in the rubber. Goodyear layers an ice traction tread compound (enhanced with silica and specialized polymers) in its tires. These tires provide better traction in slippery conditions without the road wear and noise emission of studded tires. Actual on-ice testing of some of the tires show that they perform better than studded tires.
Studded Tire Alternatives - Washington DOT
When chains are required, studded tires alone will not meet the chain requirement unless your vehicle is a four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicle.
Winter Driving Tips - Washington DOT
