Moving past studded tires

Sun., Dec. 16, 2018

Though I agree with a letter writer who said that flat steel, and steel blades, slide on ice (“The rut,” Les Spillman, Dec. 8), I disagree that it is true of studs, too.

I no longer have studded tires since I acquired a 4WD SUV, but found them indispensable to ascend the South Hill, when the road was icy, and to depart from icy intersections when I was still limited to a two-wheel-drive personal vehicle, and while I agree that studs damage the road, at least part of why that is a problem is because local engineers persisted in paving with soft asphalt that can rut during hot summers, too.

The best solution would be if everybody would have AWD or FWD vehicles without studded tires, which seems realistic now that used versions can be bought at reasonable cost. I hope that will happen.

Philip J. Mulligan

Spokane

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