How to Stud Winter Tires

Unlike all-season radial tires (pictured), many winter tires come with predrilled hole to insert studs.

Tires have to be manufactured to support studs, and not all winter tires come equipped that way. Small holes are pre-drilled in the treads of many winter tires so the tires can be sold with or without studs. The jacket holes in the tread spread out at the bottom to secure the heads of the studs. Because many sizes are available with different depth treads, it's important to find the right stud size. Most brands will stamp the stud size on the side of the tire. Because tire tread wears, studs should never be injected into used winter tires.

Things You'll Need

• 2 percent soap to 98 percent water solution with spray bottle
• Winter tire stud gun
• Air compressor
• Pneumatic hose for gun-to-compressor connection
• Suitable-sized studs for winter tires
• Tire stand
• Needle-nose pliers or cutting dikes

Instructions

1. Lubricate the entire tread surface of the tire using a spray bottle with 2 percent soap to 98 percent water. Spray the tread surface with a copious amount of the solution.

2. Inspect the label or sidewall of the tire to obtain the stud size information and then load the stud gun basket chamber with as many studs as possible. The basket chamber needs to turn freely to load the studs into the gun chamber, so do not overfill the basket. Put the basket cover back onto the stud gun and bend the small retaining pin into place to lock the basket cover and studs to the gun.

3. Connect the pneumatic hose from the compressor to the air fitting at the base of the stud gun.

4. Turn the basket several times while watching the chamber load. Many guns will only fit 18 or 20 studs per chamber load before they require reloading.

5. Place the tire onto a tire stand so that the base of the stand is placed flat against the bladder of the tire. Since the base of the stand is universal to fit all size tires, it may require pushing wider tires over to one side of the base so it sits flat against the inner bladder and supports the tire while studding.

6. Insert the three-pronged tip of the stud gun into a pre-drilled hole in the tire. Align the gun as straight as possible and do not press down too hard. Press the trigger of the gun until the stud is seated in the hole and then move on to the next hole. Work around the tire until all the holes are filled. Any studs that go in crooked or are not seated properly into the holes should be extracted and reinserted properly. A pair of needle-nose pliers and a set of cutting dikes work well for extracting improperly seated studs.

Tips & Warnings

• There are 80 to 100 studs for many tires. Because of this, studding tires can become a grueling task. Taking the proper time and exerting the proper amount of energy (taking breaks if necessary) will aid in studding the tires correctly.

References

• Tire Rack: Metal Studs for Winter Tires

Resources

• Studded Tire Information (from Angerinos et al., 1999)