Winter tires are a durable purchase. The rubber of these tires is durable enough to withstand several seasons of heavy use. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about spikes. They usually fly out of their nests much earlier than the winter tires themselves have time to become unusable.

But buying new winter tires is not the only solution to this annoying problem. The studs can be restored, thereby extending the life of your car's winter boots. At the same time, the recovery algorithm is not difficult; it is quite possible to cope with this task on its own without any particular risk for winter tires.

In professional language, this operation is called re-studding or re-studding of winter tires. Spikes for this procedure are also used a special type - repair. The difference in their design is not so big, their “hat” is slightly wider than ordinary spikes. This gives additional warranty for secure fastening of the stud in the tread socket. Thanks to its design, the repair stud will not stand out against the background of "native" studs of winter tires, and the solid material of manufacture ensures long-term service, taking into account correct operation. These facts are confirmed by test tests on domestic roads. Buy a set of spikes for self repair tires can be found in a car shop or on a specialized Internet resource.

The replacement algorithm is quite simple: you must fix the inflated tire in one position. After that, evaluate her condition, that is, decide whether it makes sense to stud her again. After that, you need to clean the tread slots from dirt, dust and old spikes. note that residual height the tread must be at least seven millimeters, this is necessary for the success of the procedure. After that, moisten the tire with warm soapy water and install the spikes directly. For installation, you can use special equipment, a screwdriver or pliers. Of course, installation with a stud gun will be much easier, but if you adapt, you can do it with no less efficiency with a screwdriver.

After installation, you need to let the tires dry and avoid aggressive driving for a while. Harsh starts and braking can cause stud loss. If this happens, the repeated procedure will most likely not give you anything. In this case, it is better to immediately contact the service center.

Tire manufacturers have long adapted to the stringent safety requirements for tires for travel in the harsh winter season. For better traction on snowy or ice-crusted surfaces winter tires equipped with spikes - special pins mounted in the tire tread. For the season of operation is good quality tire will lose up to 20% of the total number of spikes - this is the quality bar set by well-known manufacturers tires.

Unfortunately, when choosing winter tires, motorists cannot always predict how long the spikes will last. Often, before the start of the winter season, the car owner is faced with a situation where the tire has become, as they say, “bald”. Return the previous controllability of the car before the new one winter season restoration of studs on winter tires will help - a responsible job that is best left to professionals.

Why are spikes falling out?

A tire loses studding for several reasons, the most common being:

• movement on "studs" in the warm season on asphalt and concrete surfaces;
• failure to comply with the pressure in the tire provided by the manufacturer;
• driving style of a particular driver;
• buying low-quality rubber or used tires.

The need may arise before even the first season of travel is over. Few drivers know that studded tires need to be run in beforehand, after driving about 500 km in a “sparing” mode - this will allow the studs to deeper into the tread more securely, and the motorist to get used to the updated tires.

Choosing spikes

The design of a high-quality stud for a tire provides for the presence of a special flange, with which the pin is deepened into the tread of the tire. Ideally, the flange should be double - fixing the spikes in rubber will be more reliable. When choosing tire studs, which you can buy in a specialized store, you do not need to try to save money and purchase the first cheap set that comes across.

Carefully inspect your tires, paying special attention to the studding: to restore it, you need to buy studs of the same type as those previously installed by the manufacturer. Remove one stud by carefully unscrewing it from the tread: it will be easier and faster to pick up new studs yourself or explain to the manager what is required of him.

Spike restoration

The process of reconstructing the studs on the tire looks deceptively simple: next to the empty socket from the dropped pin, the Wheels Darom STO specialist drills a new hole, into which he inserts a new stud using an air gun. You will also have to pay for such work, as well as for a new set of spikes: self-restoration of tire patency according to instructions on the Internet using construction screws most often ends with a loss of rubber. A much more reliable option would be to pick up studs for tire studding, buy a couple of hours of service station time and enjoy a confident ride through the winter streets.

Complete vehicle preparation winter conditions operation includes the replacement of rubber. Most often, wheels with built-in spikes are used for this, providing increased stability and control of the machine on slippery surfaces.

Periodically, there is a loss of individual metal elements, which negatively affects the operation vehicle. In such a situation, it will be necessary to restore the spikes on winter tires with your own hands in order to restore the original properties of the slopes and not buy new wheels.

It is necessary to independently install the stud only in winter tires prepared for this operation by the manufacturer. This is due to the denser rubber material used in the manufacture of such wheels.

In car dealerships, you can find winter ramps with mounting holes, into which it is possible to mount elements that increase the frictional properties of the wheels. This method is the most efficient and practical. Also, young motorists are often interested in whether it is possible to restore the spikes on winter tires with their own hands, because the holes for them have increased after the departure of the old spike. For such a situation, special repair kits are used.

The formation of holes for spikes occurs with the help of special equipment, one of the components of which is a drill with the ability to adjust the rotation speed.

Choosing the right spikes

There are many types of inserts for winter tires. When choosing them, you will need to take into account more than one characteristic of the product. TO distinctive features spikes include:

• material of manufacture;
• geometric shape;
• departure parameter for the installation plane;
• combined or all-metal construction;
• estimated quantity for installation on one wheel;
• power characteristics;
• attachment configuration.

The most common type of inserts consists of a body part (glass), which is in contact with the rubber layer of the wheel, and a core. Glasses are made of special plastic or metal. The core material can be as follows:

• steel alloy;
• Aluminium alloy;
• hard materials;
• hard polymer.

Falling out of your seat occurs for various reasons, such as a weak factory fit or a long drive on an asphalt road. After that, the loss of one or more elements is possible, and the landing nest is subsequently increased.

The use of aluminum inserts is acceptable for snowy or icy road surfaces. When driving on an asphalt road, their significant deformation will occur.

One of the most popular forms was diamond inserts in the wheels. The name was taken solely because of the multifaceted structure of the product; in this case, the material used is not precious, but traditional.

Special conditions

The correct choice of repair studs must take into account the wear of the base surface of the tire, so the protrusion of the working head is usually 1.3 mm above the rubber.

When installing, you will need to comply with the norm, which regulates the number of metal elements in the amount of up to 60 pieces per linear meter of the wheel. In terms of a thirteen-inch slope, the maximum is 90 units, and for a sixteen-inch slope, one and a half hundred.

Individual assembly

Independent work will save about 40 ... 50 rubles for the repair of one spike. Such a cost can be found at professional service stations.

To work in garage conditions you can use one of the following methods:

• manual method. In the work it is allowed to use a special key to speed up the process, we also take a hammer, a screwdriver and a soap solution. This maximum a budget option suitable for almost any motorist. Its advantage is that the costs are only in the material.
• Semi-automatic operation. The spikes are screwed in with a low-speed drill or a screwdriver with a special nozzle. Productivity is increased, however, you need to keep the pin in the correct position so that it enters the hole without distortion.
• Automatic way. For work you need an air gun. Its function is to screw the material into the seat under high pressure. At the same time, the productivity is maximum, but the disadvantage is the high cost of equipment, which does not pay off with single procedures.

When working in any way, the surface of the wheel is pre-wetted with a warm soapy solution, which facilitates installation. The pistol separator is filled with the required number of spikes. During the procedure, you will need to keep its working axis as perpendicular as possible to the surface to be treated.

With the manual method, we carry out an independent marking of the points at which installation is supposed. It is convenient to do this with white chalk or a proofreader, which is sold in any stationery store. With fine sandpaper we clean the problem area, and with a short awl we develop a hole. After wetting the selected area with soapy water, we carry out installation.

After fixing the spike in its hole, we measure the protrusion above the surface with a caliper, and if the value is overestimated by more than 1.5 mm, we plant it deeper. It is convenient to do this operation with the help of an aluminum plate, pressing the upper point through it.

The operation is repeated at each point. If any of the spikes entered unsuccessfully, then it must be removed with pliers.

Conclusion

It should be borne in mind that for repairs, in most cases, universal spike designs with a radiused working part are used. This type of product does its job, but the efficiency, unlike the original design, is reduced by 10...15% due to the lower possibility of adhesion to the coating.

After installing new elements, the wheel should remain at rest for 10 ... 15 days, which will provide maximum coverage of the surface in the landing slot. Even after installing the wheels on the car, a break-in period of 200 ... 300 km must pass, during which it is not advisable to exceed a speed of more than 80 km / h. Also at this time, you should not use an intense driving style.

The average cost of a repair kit of 100 pieces is approximately 2000 rubles. Less high-quality batches from Asia of 500 pieces are offered at a price of 3,500 rubles. However, the service life of the latter will be lower. The restored wheel is usually effectively used for 2-3 seasons.

resuscitation

Every fall, this dilemma is faced by motorists who prefer studs to Velcro. And this year, the host of AutoAngle began to puzzle over this issue: on rear wheels after the past three winters, the studding remains almost one hundred percent, but the front pair has lost its total nearly six dozen spikes. You can, of course, not replace the entire set, but only the affected tires. But, you see, you still don’t want to lighten your wallet by 25-30 thousand tenge, if you see that the protector is good condition and last a couple more years. How, then, to reanimate the prickly protection against ice and drifts?

Such a "toothless" was one of the tires after three years of operation.

And these were the tires after resuscitation.

Autoforums have diametrically opposed opinions. Many advise giving preference to the proven technology of studding recovery. Say, it is enough to have repair spikes with an enlarged flange, which are produced by one Russian company, an air gun and a desire to return a second life to winter tires. And then the new stud, installed in the hole from which the native flew out, completely returns the grip characteristics of the tire on an icy surface, as when installing a new studded rubber.

I must say right away that in Kostanay it was not possible to find these repair spikes. But ordinary ones, as the craftsmen assure, can replace the steel predecessors that have flown out. I will quote the story of one of them: “I had Yokagama tires, one season passed, about 6 thousand km, and each cylinder lost up to half of the spikes. For the second season, I stuffed new spikes into the old holes myself in the garage. When I left, at first there was a terrible rumble, then it got quieter and quieter. I thought that the new spikes flew out. But the winter has passed, I take off the tires and see that about 10% of the studs are missing. But here's the catch: all those who flew away are relatives, and those that I stuffed myself remained.

Here is another practical tip: “When tires are studded, a hole is drilled into a solid block of rubber near the place where the old stud was and a new stud is driven in with an air gun. Sometimes they also add glue under the spike. For better holding. I had my winter tires studded last year and they have been running well all these months. Of course, there were losses, about 40%. Both new and old. But now I will ride on this rubber. ”

Local approach

However, there are those who believe that restoring studs on winter tires is money down the drain. Say, each spike has a flange (sometimes it is double), which does not allow the spike to jump out of the rubber. And if this still happens, then when the spike breaks out, the landing socket is deformed, and it is useless to install a new spike there, since it will fly out very soon. In this case, motorists assure, the best option is to buy new studded tires. And after all, which is typical, this opinion of the opponents of re-studding is supported by many specialists from Kostanay service stations and tire shops.

It is possible that the author of these lines would already be the owner of new studded tires today, if he had not stumbled upon an ad from a tire shop in the regional center. When I called there, I heard: “Shoot? Yes please! You just have to look at the rubber." And soon there was an acquaintance with Alexander, the owner of this workshop, who examined both tires and issued a verdict: “they are suitable, leave them and tomorrow you will receive them with new spikes.”

According to him, one of the main conditions for restoration is that the remaining tread depth should be at least 6 mm (for my tires it is 8 mm). He reasonably believes that studded tires should not be retired, capable of fulfilling their original purpose after resuscitation.

Note that this is said by a person who knows the issue of studding firsthand. His workshop, among other things, also specializes in studding new tires. After all, only part of the winter tires that are offered to motorists are studded immediately at the factory. Basically, it is supplied not “barbed”, but with technological holes already drilled for spikes. This is what local workshops hiss before selling.

But we, of course, are concerned about the issue of restoring used winter tires. It turns out that professionals completely reject the reuse of holes from which the previous spikes flew out. Next to them, another hole is made on a special machine, and then a spike is inserted into it.

Purse

Now about the cost. It is determined by the amount of restoration work. Their price, I think, is divine: in the workshop that I was lucky to find, they take only 20 tenge for one spike. Well, if your tires are mounted on a disk, then, of course, you have to pay for disassembling and assembling the wheel and for balancing it. For example, I had to pay 2 thousand tenge for two restored wheels. Isn't it expensive? Well, if you compare this amount with the cost of new tires, I think the question will be inappropriate. But the most important thing is that now I know for sure that winter tires can be studded.

Less aggression

The important question is how durable the new spikes will be.

Here the masters give a concise answer: everything largely depends on the driving style. To this it should be added that there are no strict standards in the world regarding the loss of spikes. Even when tires are studded at the factory, manufacturers adhere to the allowable bar - up to 20%. And in general, a guarantee is given only for rubber, but not for the durability of the spikes. And it's not hard to understand. Take the operation of tires in urban conditions, when reagents have a detrimental effect on rubber, because of which it collapses, and the spikes, accordingly, fly out.

Another reason may be that the new wheels have not been broken in correctly. After all, at first the spikes in them do not sit firmly enough in the nests. And in order for them to get used well, the first 500 km must be driven in moderate mode - without sharp accelerations and braking. Even abnormal tire pressure contributes to the loss of studs. And an aggressive driving style can be called a real killer of your car's studding.

Self-restoration of studs on winter tires is one of the most discussed topics among experienced drivers. Some car owners are sure that this type of work cannot be done by hand. Others, on the contrary, argue that there is nothing complicated in studding. Which of them is right - let's figure it out together.

1 What are the advantages of self-studded rubber?

Wise people always say, "Get your sled ready in the summer," and this popular phrase speaks volumes about the importance of having quality winter tires. Not having "at hand" car tires ready for operation, the driver finds himself a huge headache. Indeed, many of us begin to think about the need to re-"change shoes" of the car already when ice appears on the roads, and there are huge queues of the same motorists at service stations.

As a result, the possibility of getting into unpleasant situation on the road. That is why the principles and implementation of do-it-yourself rubber studding need to be known to every motorist. In addition to saving time, a person who knows how to spike also wins in the fact that he saves a decent amount of money. Judge for yourself - with the growth in demand for studding, the cost of this service at the service station increases significantly. The driver has no choice but to overpay. And if you calculate how much you have to pay for studding in subsequent seasons, then the savings are 6–9 thousand rubles. becomes more than obvious.

It is worth noting that many drivers are categorically against wheel studding, as they are sure that they will have to refine the arch along with it: make it a little larger and install, which cost a lot of money. This position of some motorists is not entirely clear. The fact is that if you insert a wheel spike, it will remain sticking out above the tread, but its height will be very small. This will not affect the operation of winter tires after studding.

As you can see, do-it-yourself rubber studding gives us obvious benefits. Therefore, we will consider the features of installing wheel spikes in more detail.

2 Features of mounting spikes

As practice shows, tires that already have holes for installing wheel studs are considered the most suitable for studding. You can find out about the presence of these holes from. In addition, the holes are clearly visible visually, they are large, so that beginners will not be able to damage the rubber.

For studding and re-studding of wheels, you will need to stock up on an air gun. With it, wheel studding will be quick and efficient. In the process of studding, it is worth paying attention to how much the stud itself protrudes from the surface of the wheel. It is best if the tip of the latter does not stick out higher than 1.5 mm from the tread. Otherwise, the spike will fly out of the hole very quickly. After you have found the gun, you need to decide on the terrain in which you drive.

If most of your time you move around relatively flat road, then single-flanged spikes are suitable for replacement. If you use a car in a mountainous area, then the best option will be the installation of two-flange wheel studs.

Whether you're studding wheels for the first time or doing it again, you'll need a solution of soap and water. The water must be necessarily warm - this will greatly facilitate the passage of the spike into the rubber. The principle is this: before studding outer side tires are wetted with a solution, after which the spikes must be inserted into the holes of the tire. Special attention It is worth paying attention to work with a pistol. Before studding, the separator of the pneumatic device is filled with studs. After that, we get to work. In this case, the position of the gun itself is very important - it must be held strictly vertically in relation to the surface of the tire.

When installing spikes, you need to be extremely careful. After they enter the tire, they must be measured. If the stud has entered the wheel, but more than 1.5 mm of the entire body of the stud remains above the tread, then you need to take a small piece of aluminum sheet, put it on a self-tapping screw and hit the metal with a hammer. If after that the stud did not enter the tire, then you will have to perform studding, that is, install new element again. In this case, the old spike must be thrown away, since it will no longer be suitable for work.

3 Studding on your own - tools and algorithm

Before proceeding with do-it-yourself wheel studding, you will need to prepare inventory. In addition to an air gun and a soap solution, we will also need:

• a set of identical screws;
• sandpaper No. 2 or No. 3;
• several medical plasters;
• awl;
• corrector or chalk.

After preparing the tools, you can stud the wheels. First, with a corrector or chalk, we mark on the tire the places where it is necessary to insert the wheel spikes. Then we fill the spikes into the separator of the gun, and mount a self-tapping screw in its muzzle. After that, we clean the marked place on the rubber with sandpaper. We make a hole in the tread with an awl, after which we need to wet the rubber. After that, we proceed to the main stage of studding - the installation of spikes. Be very vigilant and try to check the height of the spike sticking out above the tread as often as possible.

It is worth being extremely careful even after studding the wheels. It is strongly not recommended to immediately use treated rubber! It is best to wait a few days for the tires to dry completely. The first week of operation should not be driven at a speed of more than 60 km / h. During this time, the spikes should finally stand in the holes allotted for them. We advise you to avoid sharp jerks- it is at these moments that the risk of a spike coming out of the wheel is greatest.

As you can see, the overlay car wheels do it yourself - the work is not difficult and almost everyone can do it. The main thing is to be careful and not rush, otherwise you will not be able to hiss the wheels.