I just got my Marrkey M6x20 wheel studs from Amazon, $50 for 100 studs.
Why did I go with studs instead of chains?
a. I have chains but I hate them. I use double ladders on my fronts only when it gets icy and I loose steering traction. They make a rough ride and tend to walk a little and I'm paranoid about damaging my steering linkage accidentally.
b. This winter has been unusually warm so far with little snow. When it did snow the ground was still unfrozen so I have a nice ice layer between the ground and the snow cover.
c. My R4's are 7 years old now and starting to get worn. No more sharp edges to bite into the snow/ice. Easy to slip in these conditions.
d. I wanted to try some low profile studs to gain a little extra traction on bare ice.
Why did I get these instead of the MS1911?
a. Price. On Amazon I got 100 for $50, the MS1911 are $140 for 100 pieces
b. I intend to leave these studs in permanently, I don't want large studs sticking out in the off season nor do I want a bunch of holes in my tires. Low profile studs should do less damage to my concrete floors and paving stones.
How many did I need?
1. I used 90 studs total, one in each lug
Are they hard to install?
1. No. I used my cordless drill and a little dish soap on the threads and they screwed in nicely. The screws wobble badly in the provided bit, so I had to hold the screws firmly to get them started and to feed in perpendicular to the tread.
2. The heads are supposed to be flush with the tire tread with only the carbide tip standing proud of the tire.
3. Getting the depth right was probably the trickiest part.
Why did I install them the way I did?
A. I only had 100 screws, the center line seemed to be the most sensible place. If I decide to add more studs I will get the MS1911 and screw them into the outer edges.
A. I only put them on the fronts because I am trying to improve my steering on ice.
A. I want to leave space on the tread for future tire grooving. I figured grooving my tires would work well until the edges got worn and I'd be back to square one.
It doesn't feel right to drive screws into my tires!
How well do they work?
A. I don't know yet! Supposed to get some snow this week, I will post an update later on what I think.
My installation photos below
Why did I go with studs instead of chains?
a. I have chains but I hate them. I use double ladders on my fronts only when it gets icy and I loose steering traction. They make a rough ride and tend to walk a little and I'm paranoid about damaging my steering linkage accidentally.
b. This winter has been unusually warm so far with little snow. When it did snow the ground was still unfrozen so I have a nice ice layer between the ground and the snow cover.
c. My R4's are 7 years old now and starting to get worn. No more sharp edges to bite into the snow/ice. Easy to slip in these conditions.
d. I wanted to try some low profile studs to gain a little extra traction on bare ice.
Why did I get these instead of the MS1911?
a. Price. On Amazon I got 100 for $50, the MS1911 are $140 for 100 pieces
b. I intend to leave these studs in permanently, I don't want large studs sticking out in the off season nor do I want a bunch of holes in my tires. Low profile studs should do less damage to my concrete floors and paving stones.
How many did I need?
1. I used 90 studs total, one in each lug
Are they hard to install?
1. No. I used my cordless drill and a little dish soap on the threads and they screwed in nicely. The screws wobble badly in the provided bit, so I had to hold the screws firmly to get them started and to feed in perpendicular to the tread.
2. The heads are supposed to be flush with the tire tread with only the carbide tip standing proud of the tire.
3. Getting the depth right was probably the trickiest part.
Why did I install them the way I did?
A. I only had 100 screws, the center line seemed to be the most sensible place. If I decide to add more studs I will get the MS1911 and screw them into the outer edges.
A. I only put them on the fronts because I am trying to improve my steering on ice.
A. I want to leave space on the tread for future tire grooving. I figured grooving my tires would work well until the edges got worn and I'd be back to square one.
It doesn't feel right to drive screws into my tires!
How well do they work?
A. I don't know yet! Supposed to get some snow this week, I will post an update later on what I think.
My installation photos below
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