Help With Ice Dice Set Up

[Reijo]

So I haven't previously looked into studded tires but it doesn't seem like you can just buy them with 3.5mm studs. I take it you have to buy studdable tires then take them to a guy to stud (any recommendations?). Is that length of stud is pretty much undrivable on bare pavement?

They install the studs at the tire shop.  Just go to Kyle/SpecR since he has them and has installed many.  He knows exactly what you need.

However, make sure you do NOT drive them on the street at all before installing the studs ... little stones etc. can get lodged in the holes and no one will install studs in that case.

R

[E6Cueman]

Is that length of stud is pretty much undrivable on bare pavement?

It's doable... but you certainly compromise dry pavement grip, and accelerate wear of the studs.

[John in Calgary]

Hankook with a 3.5mm and learn how to change tyres really quickly in -40 degrees.  On Hakka 8's we were typically 60-70 seconds behind Piotr on a 4.5km track.  ON the 3.5mm studs we moved to within 20 seconds by the last event.   FWD Studded ended up being a pretty hotly contested class/

I got for a very soft setting at the front and a hard setting in the rear, I also run lower psi at the front (16-18psi) and 22 psi in the rear all intended to induce oversteer.  It seemed to work pretty good.

Well those pressures explain a lot - I played all afternoon on the course at one of the winter schools in February and could not get my non-studded blizzaks to hook up on the shear ice, so it was either brake and rotate on the intermittent patches of snow (which worked very well) or cut my speed down to a crawl for a more normal turn in but keeping within traction limits of my 32 psi pressures (brake and rotate would just leave me sliding sideways for what felt like an eternity).  I'll be curious about what kind of pressures everyone is running (or maybe will let me see what a set up car drives like).

John

[nnywg]

John my experience was full pressure was fine when there was snow, and particularly drifts/banks.  But I ran in the 18psi range on sheer ice (down from 35) and while it helped a lot, it was still frustrating as beep.

Hope to get out there on studded tires again soon.  Have just the hooptie for it now...