Winter tires
 

You guys who ride with studs in winter, whats a good tire to start with if your going to stud your own? A friend of mine got a nice stud gun and I might make a set.

Glenn,

I came across the Motorace website the other day. They stud Cheng Shin, Michelin, and Trelleborg tires. They list the base tires that you could use as reference. I have also seen the Maxxis IT tires used. Basically, you need a larger lug pattern and intermediate compound. Soft compounds will flex too much and the studs (or screws) will tear out or crack the lugs at the base.

Here is the Motorace website:
http://www.motorace.com/miva/merchan...egory_Code=tre

A couple years ago, I bought a studded CS tire from a friend. It looks like the Motorace type. I have a 18" studded Trelleborg that I purchased through Hall's. Both have worked excellent. Kold Kutter screws are fine for several rides, but the carbide studs are the only way for best traction and longest life.

I have a 19" rear wheel on my CR125, so now I need to buy a 19" studded tire or find a used 18" wheel. A stud gun like your friend's would be great, but it is very labor intensive (drill each lug, apply glue, and insert stud). After all the material costs, $200+ tires such as Motorace's is a fair price.

FYI... I also priced out the "Best Grip" carbide stud options. Those are carbide studs that screw in. They run about $100 for a bag of 100 studs. You would need about 250-300 studs for a rear tire. So again you are at the price of a studded Trelleborg from Motorace.

Winter riding is a blast! The only downside is the initial investment in studded tires, but the carbide versions last many seasons.

Last winter I used 2 michelin ac 10 front tires and three ac 10 rears. I only participated 2 winter enduro races. So they wear when you use them... Our winter lasts from Nowember to Aprill.

Now I bought one set Trelleborgs and one set Michelin AC 10 (to start this season). Not cheap winter riding...

I stud my own tires and the main things to look for in a good tire are a soft compound and large knobs, keep in mind that the compound hardens up quite a bit when it hits the snow. The Michellin AC-10's work good as well as the white stripe Trelleborgs if you can find them. Don't bother with the red stripe Trelle's, the compound is too hard and the stud gun leaves small cracks around the stud when the fingers stretch it. There is a cheap Maxxis that works good on the front also... 6001 model, but the rear sucks. Dirt Shark's used to be decent also, before the price went through the roof. I've been meaning to try a Kenda "sticky" model but their prices have gone up a lot.

Try not to pack too many studs in one knob, you need to leave some rubber around the stud to support it. Also, be aware of the angle as you're drilling the holes because the studs will flex different ways depending on where they are on the tire and if it is a front or rear.

Wes.

Winter is my favorite time to ride. I run a set of Trelleborg (white stripe) Winter Friction tires. This will be the fourth season on them and I ride a lot. Mostly I abuse the tires on frozen ground (without snow). It's cheating, traction is so good. They are excellent in up to about 6 inches of snow. They seem very expensive but when you consider how long they last, the price is OK. Despite my abuse, I've only shed one stud so far.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...Trelleborg.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...Year200802.jpg

Thanks guys. I might do it if I have some extra time this winter and we get snow that stays. Really rocky here with a lot of hills so its easy to ruin expensive tires unless there is a good base, which is not consistant as I'm south of the real snow country in New York and New England. One reason I havn't made the big investment yet. The other is we do a lot of skiing and boarding which eats up time and $$. I was just wondering if I could get into it cheaper rolling my own. I have ice raced/ridden with the screws and I know they wouldn't last a day in the woods here.

Guys up here like the Maxxis IT Desert. They tried the Mich AC-10 and didn't like them.

Regardng rocks...we do a lot of riding in a super secret limestone quarry. Plenty of rock there. The carbide tipped studs of the Trellie's hold up fine.

I've studded (screws) my own before. Very time consuming and labour intense.:mad:
They hold up OK but you do break off screws on rocks etc. I don't think I'll make another pair with screw again.
This might be my next choice...anyone try them yet? Still a lot of work.

Grip Studs

If money really isn't an issue buy the Trellie's.

I've made ice tires and its a PIA too. I also threw screws on ice only with a 500 2 stroke. I doubt they would last long here in the woods with rocks poking through the snow.