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Just got a reply from Police:
Thank you for your email.
UK legislation makes no specific reference to studded tyres. However, such tyres are only really suitable when driving on thick snow and ice. A studded tyre gives greatly reduced grip on a clear tarmac road and damages the road surface as well as giving poor ride quality and poor handling. Studded tyres are unsuitable for most tarmac road unless there is a consistent thick layer of snow and ice on the top, which generally speaking there isn't in the UK. As a result of this, a UK driver who fitted studded tyres may be prosecuted for offences such as those listed below. However, this would ultimately be a matter for a court to decide.
UNSUITABLE USE - the tyre is unsuitable having regard to the use to which the vehicle is being put or to the types of tyres fitted to its other wheels.
TYRE NOT MAINTAINED - the tyre is not maintained in such condition as to be fit for the use to which the vehicle or trailer is being put or has a defect which might in any way cause damage to the surface of the road.
DANGEROUS CONDITION - use, a motor vehicle/trailer on a road when its condition or the condition of its accessories/equipment involves a danger of injury to any person.
The use of studded tyres in the UK may also affect the driver's insurance cover.
For drivers who live in parts of the UK that experience high levels of snow, a good set of winter tyres usually provides the best option for driving in such weather conditions. However, before fitting winter tyres, we would always suggest you check with your insurance company first.
We hope this information is of use.
Regards,
PNLD
(CS)
So, putting aside all the nonsense regarding worse performance (surely they are not aware of studded tyre testing and applicability), the only thing they can potentially catch you is road damage. However, how they're going to prove it is not clear.
For me personally, the risk of being caught, because of running studded tyres is much lower than driving on icy roads in winter.
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Word for word from one article on Google.
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For me personally, the risk of being caught, because of running studded tyres is much lower than driving on icy roads in winter.
It's rather anti-social though isn't it unless you only drive when the roads are icy.
It's clear that studded tyres damage the tarmac - and we've got quite enough poor road surfaces already, and ultimately we would all be subsidising the additional maintenance and repair costs.
Please heed the sensible advice from the police and use winter rated tyres rather than studded ... and drive very carefully on ice!
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Even if you fitted studded tyres and got away with it, how long do you think the studs will last as soon as you run out of icy road, a short time indeed i would expect, and they may be wholly unsuitable once the salt has done its job and melted said ice.
If you really are travelling on Nordic standards of ice and snow then fit Nordic standard winter tyres without studs, look towards Nokian and other makers who make speciality tyres for their regions, but don't be surprised if they prove not to be quite as grippy as you might expect on those wet salty days above freezing point.
Edited by gordonbennet on 22/01/2019 at 18:08
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Studs are lasting quite a long time if not driven at summer on a motorway of course :)
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In the snowy winter of 1978/1979, my boss and I both had houses high in the Pennines. On my cautious way to work, in 3 to 4 inches of packed snow, the boss passed me at speed in his BMW 2002. When I finally got to work, he told me he had studded tyres he'd picked up on a visit to a Swedish customer not long before.
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Well, I don't think it is anti-social to care about my safety and others on the road. And in the end I'm paying a road tax, don't I?
Heavy trucks are causing more damage than modern studded tires, which are quite light on the tarmac. Bad tarmac will not kill people, driving on black ice does and I've seen quite a few occasions the UK.
I'm already using nordic winter studless tires, however, they're almost pointless on icy roads.
Edited by PaulFE on 22/01/2019 at 18:53
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What makes you different to everyone else?
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Everyone is different, isn't it? It is all about compromises and risk acceptance really.
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I'm already using nordic winter studless tires, however, they're almost pointless on icy roads.
I grew up in sixties/seventies in the West Riding's foothills of Dales/Pennines - about 500ft AMSL. I don't think anyone then had heard of studded tyres never mind winter type but we got around
Maybe, just maybe, you should learn how to drive on icy roads using conventional (winter if needs be) tyres?
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Oh well, just a hundred years ago people used horses...
Speeds and traffic density is much higher now, no need to compare now and 60s... Technology which improves safety is there, silly not to use it when required.
In terms of driving skills, surely, there is some learning curve, but you can't trick the laws of physics.
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Oh well, just a hundred years ago people used horses...
Speeds and traffic density is much higher now, no need to compare now and 60s... Technology which improves safety is there, silly not to use it when required.
In terms of driving skills, surely, there is some learning curve, but you can't trick the laws of physics.
I presume if you use studdied tyres and they damage the roads in your area, you'll freely admit to the council it was you and you'll pay for the repair in full. Saying that, it won't be difficult for the trail of breadcrumbs (road surface scraped off) to lead to your car...
PS. standard 2-lane local roads cost about £1k-1.2k per metre to resurface (I checked about 10 years ago when a contractor did a botch job in my home town and the council forced them to resurface it again - £50k for about 50m). I'd check your bank balance and maybe ask your bank manager if you qualify for a loan for several £000ks, just in case.
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Surely you didn't drive on studded tires and you haven't seen its effect on the tarmac?
I can tell you unless you'll do an emergency braking from 70mph to 0 - you won't see any effect on a tarmac.
Also, there are studded tires like new Michelin X-ice North 4, which, as Michelin claims, not damaging the roads at all.
In terms of legal aspect, as there is no specific regulation regarding studded tires, it would be very difficult to prove the road surface damage is caused by studded tires.
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Given other people seem to fair quite well in snow and ice in the UK, maybe you need to think about your driving style and the car itself first. Besides, studded tyres won't come cheap, and if they're SOOOO good and don't mark/damage the bare road, why isn't Michelin & Co dropping all their other tyres and just selling them as all-seasons?
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Looks like good news in studded tyre world this year, continental released Ice Contact 3 with rubberised studs which have minimal affect on roads. Having a dilemma on what to get on a new car, studded or HKPL R3...
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Studded tyres are not road legal in the UK.
There is plenty of options these days for good winter tyres. So you just have to decide how much you want to pay and do what everybody else does.
I spent years coping with harsh winters, snow and ice, in northern Scotland, only one car I had needed winter tyres. The rest of my cars were front wheel drive and I never needed them. I got stuck once- with the car with snow tyres on, but the snowdrift was ~4 ft deep and tyres dont help with that, just a big shovel or a snow plough.
Remember if the snow is too deep, then just stay at home. Better that than spending three or four hours in traffic jams due to idiots who cannot drive ( and who chose not to learn) in poor conditions.
Edited by sandy56 on 23/01/2019 at 14:40
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Snow is not a big deal and there is not that much snow even in Scotland tbh. Studded are primarily made for grip on ice.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddyzHgQufI
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I also live in Scotland, Aberdeenshire, where there is often icy roads. I've never felt the need to get studded tyres, my van currently has Nokian Weatherproof all season tyres and am well impressed with them. Certainly better than the Michelin Alpins that were on the van when i got it. I may get a set of these though, just as a back up.
www.autosock.co.uk/
Edited by badbusdriver on 23/01/2019 at 21:49
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Seen those, look very effective however I often wonder how you stand legally as you are effectively using tyres with no tread.
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Autosoks are an aid for driving in pure snow.
They must be removed if you are driving on a mix of tarmac/ice/ snow. They wont last five minutes if driving on other surfaces. Read their advert.
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Autosoks are an aid for driving in pure snow.
They must be removed if you are driving on a mix of tarmac/ice/ snow. They wont last five minutes if driving on other surfaces. Read their advert.
That is exactly the point. You get the grip you need when you need it. Then take it off, which looking on their website would take a couple of minutes. And you don't have to worry about whether or not studded tyres are legal.
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Surely it is possible to drive using any tires, even summer on ice. The safety level is quite different, however.
www.nokiantyres.com/innovation/safety/studded-or-n.../
"Snowy or icy roads?
If you drive more on icy roads than on snowy ones in winter, studded tyres are the choice for you. Studded tyres are especially suitable if you live near the coast, where roads tend to be icy during the winter. Non-studded winter tyres are a good choice for snowy roads. "
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbesH6B5QI
There is no doubt that studded are much better on the ice, if someone claims otherwise, he didn't try it surely.
PS. It would be nice to UK government to realise that the UK is not located in Africa. Just in case it is located on the same latitude as southern Norway and Sweden. Make studded tires mandatory in winter (at least in Scotland), instead of having the whole country shut down for a month like it was last year.
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PS. It would be nice to UK government to realise that the UK is not located in Africa. Just in case it is located on the same latitude as southern Norway and Sweden. Make studded tires mandatory in winter (at least in Scotland), instead of having the whole country shut down for a month like it was last year.
UK has a more Maritime Climate than Scandinavia so your "campaign" is on a loser.
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Never will happen.
UK does not have the same climate as Norway, I have lived there, in Stavanger and Trondheim.
Norway is VERY cold in winter and the UK does not get that cold or have as much snow.
If you live near the cost you are LESS likely so see much ice, not more likely.
If you need snow tyres then get them.
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Please read carefully, southern Norway and Southern Sweden.
The claim regarding coastal is not my claim, I've copied it from Nokian website.
Literally yesterday there was rain, at night there was minus 2. This morning all the roads (except motorway) around were covered with ice. I don't need to prove anyone anything, it is a hardcore fact. I can see ice on a road even now at midday looking into my window.
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Please read carefully, southern Norway and Southern Sweden.
The claim regarding coastal is not my claim, I've copied it from Nokian website.
Literally yesterday there was rain, at night there was minus 2. This morning all the roads (except motorway) around were covered with ice. I don't need to prove anyone anything, it is a hardcore fact. I can see ice on a road even now at midday looking into my window.
I think people are trying to say you can't compare UK winters with Scandinavia?
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Sure thing you can, but Scandinavia is quite a broad term. Surely winters in Denmark and northern Norway are different, no question about that. But certain parts are very close to the UK.
www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate...5
Is that much that different than the weather in Scotland? Not by much.
PS. Is there a way to close the post as it surely going in the wrong direction?
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If you want to fit studded tyres, buy a pedal bike. Schwalbe do some nice ones.
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PS. Is there a way to close the post as it surely going in the wrong direction?
Apologies in advance if I'm being presumptuous, but are you sure you don't mean you don't like the advice?
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Almost every other thread on the forum that has been in any way contentious has, to the best of my recollection, had contributors representing a range of views – pro & con.
This thread seems almost unique in that it has provoked universally negative responses … and the steadfast insistence of the OP on his personal opinion in the face of contrary views.
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ght Van DriverI'm with you Fif (as far as I can be after the Sunday roast, YP's and a bottle of Goats do Roam) can find nothing in the Con and Use other than: 27(1)(h) MV Con and Use Regs 86: the tyre is not maintained in such condition as to be fit for use to which the vehicle is being put or has a defect which might in any way cause damage to the surface of the highway or persons on or in the vehicle or other persons using the road. Likewise under the Highways Act. Have noticed one or two mistakes in the ST Motoring which I consider a mere shadow of that contained in the Saturday DT. DVD
After a few minutes of searching, I found this 2003 post from Dwight Van Driver.
Edited by Glaikit Wee Scunner {P} on 24/01/2019 at 17:53
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PS. Is there a way to close the post as it surely going in the wrong direction?
Apologies in advance if I'm being presumptuous, but are you sure you don't mean you don't like the advice?
<<<chuckle>>>
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Let me just add my twopence worth
I live and work in North West Russia, and as such we have long cold and icy weather, for work I have a Landcruiser 580 and during the week can travel some 3,500 to 4,000 K's. The main roads often have snow compacted into ice and then polished to a very slippery surface by the traffic, and it is also a rutted surface.
One point about studded tyres, if you do much mileage the tyre wear is appalling. 30,000 K.s for front and 27,000 for rear. Good studded tyres are 35% more in price here. Cheap studded tyres here will be 10% more (but they wear badly and the studs often come out so you are left with a cheap rubber compound with no studs.
The damage these tyres do has to been seen to be believed, we have a farm and the road to it needs relaying and resurfacing every 2 years (1.4 Ks cost $800,000) and we have our own road gang so that is cost.
My wife has a Lexus Prado (2007) she does not use studded tyres because she can cope quite adequately on Nokian winter tyres,
I also have a home in central Scotland and would never consider putting studded tyres on a vehicle there.
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