Studded Nokians? Stock tire size?

[labatt13]

I was looking at these studded Nokians and was curious to main things about them.

 

1) What material are the studs made from?

 

2) Will the studs be worn out very fast as they see pavement?

 

I have been trying to pick a snow tire and have been attracted to max grip in snow and ice but concerned with the studs just getting grinded down whenever they see tar.

 

Also the 82 GL I have came with two different branded tires and was concerned it was the proper stock tire size. I want to enter TSD rallies and will need my speedo working exact. Does anyone know how much a speedo is affected by so a 70 side wall versus 80 versus 85? I was thinking 5 mm is very small and figure tread wear can be a few mm which would affect speedo just the same, Please give me input.

[daeron]

the stock size was 175-70r13. the 70 (or 80 or 85) is NOT a linear measurement, its the ratio of the first number (the cross sectional measurement from bead to bead) to the height of the sidewall.. so a 175-70r13 and a 185-70r13 are not EXACTLY the same height. Correspondingly, a 175-70r13 could (i dont know exactly) be closer in height to a 185-75 than to a 185-70.

 

sorry, i dont know diddly about snow tires. i live in florida. just thought i would point out that comparing the series of two different sizes is NOT a direct linear comparison.

[Phizinza]

in 175/70 the 70 is the percentage of the 175 which makes up the hight of the tire wall. So 175mm times .7 = 122.5mm

 

185/75 would have a tire wall of 138.75mm

 

And as for the cross sectional measurement from bead to bead... How you figure that? So a 175/70 on a 6.8" wide rim would be different to that same tire fitted to a 5.5" wide rim.. The way I see it is the first messurement is the width of the tires tread...

 

As for snow tires and studs (I would have no idea as I live in Australia) I guess you'd wear those studs down vert quick on tar and it would probably handle like a bucket of bolts too...

[daeron]

@#%^%^

 

i just had that one dispelled for me by a book i was reading. i grew up thinking that the length of a line drawn up one sidewall, across the tread, and down the other, was the measurement of the first number.

 

my bad on the brain fart.

[mikeshoup]

Also the 82 GL I have came with two different branded tires and was concerned it was the proper stock tire size. I want to enter TSD rallies and will need my speedo working exact. Does anyone know how much a speedo is affected by so a 70 side wall versus 80 versus 85? I was thinking 5 mm is very small and figure tread wear can be a few mm which would affect speedo just the same, Please give me input.

Use this: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

That should tell you all you need to know.

[robm]

The studs are very hard steel pins in an aluminum carrier. They stick out just a bit, like 1-2 mm. They seem to wear at about the same rate as the tread, so there is always a bit sticking out. There is enough resilience in the tire that the tread hits the ground on hard pavement, you won't be running just on steel spikes.

 

They are not bad on dry pavement, great on ice and frozen gravel, not much different in deep snow, where it is tread that counts. They are noisy.

 

I would check to be sure your stock tire size was the 175/70 Daeron suggested. I know here in Canada, 165/80 seemed to be commoner in those days. They are hard to find now. The difference between 175/70 and 165/80 is enough to cause you much grief in a TDR rally. 185/70 is about 1% smaller than 165/80, so that would be a better bet, if your original size was 165.

 

Snowies wear out quickly on dry pavement at the best of times, with or without studs. Most jurisdictions have laws restricting the use of studs to the winter months, because they are hard on the roads. Some places they are banned completely.

[mtsmiths]

They are not bad on dry pavement, great on ice and frozen gravel, not much different in deep snow, where it is tread that counts. They are noisy. ... Most jurisdictions have laws restricting the use of studs to the winter months, because they are hard on the roads. Some places they are banned completely.

Well said, this thread needs no more input.

 

But oh well, I will anyhow.

 

Get an extra set of wheels and mount them. Our studded Kumhos are going into their third season, and don't look all that different from new. I expect we'll get five or six winters out of them ... makes your 'summer tires' last longer too!

[jib]

Nokian studded tires are a little different than most, as Nokian uses a softer rubber underneath the stud. The result is that they are somewhat quieter than other studded tires.

 

I used three sets of studded hakka snows when we lived in the east. Here in Seattle, I unstudded one set and the new set is unstudded because studs excel in very icy conditions and do not provide too much benefit elsewhere, yet they do wreak havok on the roads.

 

If you feel you need them, for about $15/tire studs are great.

 

Edit size - go stock or narrower, but maintian the stock diameter. the tire size calculators already listed will help with this. A narrow tire will cut into the snow and provide greater traction.

 

Jack

[#89]

 

Studs rusted from road salt - so must be steel.

 

We used these on an 85 FWD GL Hatch at Lake Allston, MA during the 90 something Ice Races at the Nicholls Winter Carnival. Most of the SCCA Rally guys and local wackos (respectfully) were using 100's of reverse bolt studs in their tires and such. Our NOKs kicked some arse styles.

 

We got them as a hand me down... were very broke at the time - so had no choice but to run them in the street from Jan 11th to June 15 ~22 miles a day. Finally swapped them off, then on again for winter road driving and they still were biting the snow/ice. These are A-OK tires!

 

Nonfiction,

#89

1989 Subaru JUSTY RS 4WD

121, 009 miles