The use of winter tires with spikes is not regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. But since in Russia in most regions winter and summer are climatically pronounced and, as a rule, a long off-season (temperature drops, frost, ice, thaw, slush), the question of studded rubber is relevant. What if some of the spikes on the rubber are damaged or missing? There are several options: buy tires without studs, buy new studded tires, or try to replace the studs with the old one. Let's try to find out if the latter option is possible.
What are spikes on wheels for?
On the territory of Russia in winter, you can use all-season rubber, Velcro rubber or rubber with spikes. You will not be fined for the absence of thorns, but their presence is primarily a safety issue. It was for the sake of safety that the technology for studding car tires was developed. Car wheel studs have been used since the beginning of the 20th century. They were used not only for traction, but also to preserve the wheels. Spikes were widely used in sports cars. They looked a little different than they look now. Studded tires are made to make driving in difficult weather conditions in winter more comfortable and safe.
Factory studded tires
Usually tires are studded by the manufacturer, for example, as in the Michelin studding workshop, which is located in the village of Davydovo, Moscow Region. The process is fully automated there. Technology compliance is checked at each stage of the technological process. Studding technology consists in inserting a stud in a specific place reserved for it.
Nests are made on tires during the production process. Then the machine inserts the spikes into the slots and presses them down to a certain depth. Essentially, a stud is a metal alloy rivet (currently predominantly aluminum with other metals) that consists of a body and an insert. The insert contacts the road surface, and the body goes deep into the tread.
The thorns are different in shape: both round and multifaceted. There are also single-flanged pins, double-flanged and three-flanged. Three-flanges adhere best to rubber and therefore can last longer. But if the studs did not last longer, and it turned out that more than 50% of them were lost, the question arises about the rubber studding.
How to spike tires correctly
For the case when it was decided to spike the old rubber, a little memo will come in handy. It notes what is worth paying attention to, what to consider, how best to do it.
- Check the rubber for cuts and punctures, glue if necessary.
- Check the condition of the tread on the tires and its residual height. It should not be less than 0.8 millimeters for tires used on motor vehicles, at least 1 millimeter for trucks, at least 1.6 millimeters for cars and at least 2 millimeters for buses.
- If the tires are still good enough and the projector height is acceptable, then it makes sense to reanimate such tires.
- This can be done either in a repair shop or on your own. In the first case, it is worth choosing the workshop where it is best to cope with this type of repair. It will be advisable to study the reviews and ask the masters themselves how they will carry out the studding.
- In case of self-replacement of spikes, you need to prepare repair spikes (they can be purchased in car stores, during the purchase it will not be superfluous to ask the seller for a product certificate). There is an opinion that the new thorn should be slightly larger than the previous one, since the nest in which the old thorn “sat” could “spread”. But this point is controversial. It should be borne in mind that the stud size must match the tread height at the time of stud replacement. In addition, you will need a pneumatic pistol with which the new spikes will go deeper into the nests.
- The tire needs to be fixed in some way (it shouldn't move at all).
- The surface of the tire must be wetted with soapy water (wet rubber cuts better, so it will be easier to insert spikes into it).
- Using a pneumatic pistol, the cleat is put into place. At the same time, the pistol must be held strictly perpendicular.
- After installing the thorn, you need to check how it "sat". Its surface must coincide with the surface of the tread (they must be in the same plane).
- In addition, the maximum number of studs per running meter of the tire bed is regulated (there should be no more than 60 studs).
- Experienced craftsmen advise not to use tires immediately after such a restoration, but to give them a little time to "stand" so that the spikes sit tightly in their places.
Opinions on the issue of rubber studding are diametrically opposite: from "in no case should you do this, because it is pointless" to "you can stud winter tires, both in the workshop and yourself." At the time of making a decision, it is worth remembering that the spikes are invented for safety on the road, therefore, you need to take the issue of tire restoration extremely responsibly and seriously.
