Home-made snow tires [Archive]

MTBracer

12-03-2007, 02:34 PM

Anyone have any good ideas? I'm thinking of just putting metal screws through the tires and then backing them up with duct tape. Any better ideas would be appreciated. And yes i know there's professional snow tires....but i'm too cheap to buy them :busted:

ultraNoob

12-03-2007, 05:03 PM

sounds like a great idea. Just make sure to get centered on your knobs. I think Shoe Goo would work better on insulating your tube from the screw heads. Post pics when you're done. Should look awesome

mdc

12-03-2007, 05:09 PM

I pre-drilled all of the screw holes prior to inserting the screws, then covered them with shoe goo and duct tape. Never had a problem...

LordOpie

12-03-2007, 05:12 PM

Thing is, tire life of a homemade snow tire doesn't compare to a set of Nokians, which means you'll have to make 'em again and spend money on tires. Sure, used tires work, just sayin'

If you're going to do it, how about a layer of foam insulation between duct tape and tube... unless you're gonna go Stans.

You don't need as much screw sticking out as many think for them to work.

MTBracer

12-03-2007, 07:20 PM

I'm not concerned about tire life.....lol...i hav an extra set i'm gonna use. But yeh, I'm gonna use like 1/4 inch gold metal screws :)...I plan to have only the tip of the screw sticking out of the tire. Maybe 1/8 inch. I don't have much room between my tire and fork. I'll post pics when I get them done.

mantispf2000

12-04-2007, 11:05 AM

I've done this for my winters in Tahoe, and they worked great. Plenty of traction, and can be used as a "road rage" device against taxis/cars that pass too close and spray you with ground water (don't ask me how I know-- haha). Yes, drill the holes from the outside in (helps with the centering of screws), and don't be shy with the duct tape. I'm thinking on doing it again this year, and I'll give the shoe goo a try.

BadDNA

12-04-2007, 11:10 AM

I actually found mine worked MUCH better with the screws cut down to the tops of the knobs as you see in the right hand tire below.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f226/BadDNA/bike/studded_tires/studs10.jpg

Dartman

12-04-2007, 01:49 PM

I imagine too long and they would feel all squirrelly.

MTBracer

12-04-2007, 02:30 PM

What's the point of drilling them?...Sorry to be ignorant but, I really don't see why you need to. Wouldn't it be easier to simply screw the screw thru the tire from the bottom?

BadDNA

12-04-2007, 02:35 PM

I drilled mine so I had a reference point to place the screws.

caputo1989

12-04-2007, 02:35 PM

Drilling them just ensures that you get the screw through the knobs.

MTBracer

12-04-2007, 03:03 PM

oh. Okay that makes sense. So I'd wanna use a drill bit tht's much smaller than the actual screw? I'd just want to make a little hole so that I know that's where I want the screw? I get it now. :) thx a lot

LordOpie

12-04-2007, 04:33 PM

Can you just use this (http://aebike.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=706&guid=AEBIKE-DD-291-338)?

MTBracer

12-04-2007, 04:43 PM

i don't think that can be used unless you have a tire that's been studded already. Like a tire that was made with studs in it. Sure u could try it but i don't think the studs would last long. I can just see them popping out on the roads and ice.

HAB

12-06-2007, 04:07 PM

I've done some. They work pretty well. Just cut the screws as short as you can. They barely need to stick up at all.

MTBracer

12-08-2007, 11:28 AM

I finished my rear tire. Here's how it looks. I still need to go get tape to put on the inside but for the most part the tire is done. And just to say this.....I put in all these screws with a needle, pliers, a screwdriver, and a sharpie. It was a pain in the a$s!

BikeGeek

12-09-2007, 01:16 PM

Nice. We were just talking about these in the 29er forum. Check out the thread (http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193179) for some good advice on DIY studs.

MTBracer

12-10-2007, 09:37 AM

dhmtbj

12-26-2007, 11:37 AM

Hey does anyone have a good idea for a tire liner? My friend just gave me a good idea to use a piece of cardboard to line the tire with. I think it might work but any other ideas would be good. I've heard so far that a slit extra tube can be used, a real Mr. Tuffy tire liner, and someone suggested shoe goo. I'll probably end up using duct tape or the cardboard strip but if there's any other ideas out there that don't involve spending money :) would be nice to hear about them. Thx all

I've had good success wrapping an old tube around the good one. Simply slice the old tube along its inner diameter and cut out the valve and then wrap it around the good tube and secure with small pieces of duct tape.

BrooklynMachine

01-08-2008, 01:17 PM

a dab of silicone sealant on the head of each screw works wonders to keep the screw in place and gives a nice dull buffer between the screw head and tube.

johnbryanpeters

01-08-2008, 01:32 PM

This has all been done before (http://www.icebike.org).

r464

01-08-2008, 05:28 PM

http://www.mcall.com/media/photo/2008-01/34591181.jpg

It is safer to put the screws in from the outside.

MTBracer

01-11-2008, 02:47 PM

see now, I would've done that but my knobs aren't that big. They aren't nearly that big. lol. And I can see those ones coming out very quickly.

BadDNA

01-11-2008, 02:53 PM

http://www.mcall.com/media/photo/2008-01/34591181.jpg

It is safer to put the screws in from the outside.

Not trying to be a smart ass for a change, but seriously, it may save a few flats but if that were a better way to do it do you really think people would go through all the hassle of putting them in from inside the tire?

jcook90

01-14-2008, 12:23 PM

It looks like the screws from the outside would fold over if the tire hits hard surface, but would work well for the race that guy used them in (Blue mtn?) because they could get deeper in the hard-snowcat-packed snow. Screws from the inside I think are more intended for icy conditions. Aggressive mud tires work well in the snow too, I got amazing traction with them at the last Plattekill race when there was soft snow.

ChrisKring

01-14-2008, 02:16 PM

http://www.mcall.com/media/photo/2008-01/34591181.jpg

It is safer to put the screws in from the outside.

The cold cutter screws in the picture above are the way to go. The are avaliable from moto shops in 1/4" to 1" lengths. About $20 for 250 screws.

Screws from the inside just fold over on hard pack if they are very long.

MTBracer

01-14-2008, 02:41 PM

Thus the reason u buy small screws. I bought my 3/8 inch screws for about $25. That's with shipping AND I bought 800 of them. lol. Who got the better deal there? And if you place the screws correctly throughout the tire they won't fold over (Don't put them in the middle!!!)

ChrisKring

01-14-2008, 06:30 PM

notice the v notch in the cold cutter screws. Not all screws are created equal.

These screws have been used in moto for years because they work.

MTBracer

01-14-2008, 07:32 PM

True, but remeber moto tire knobs are much larger than any knobs you'll find on a Mtn. Bike. Much more support and much thicker knobs (maybe 3/4 inch deep....more?) But yes I can see these being used in very loose, very deep terrain. But not for anything other than that.

SPINTECK

01-14-2008, 07:43 PM

I made my own for east coast (icy/slushy)biker cross days down ski slopes. Not sure about your application, but for icy or slushy days down a snowboard corse I ran 3/4" sheet metal screws through a narrow panaracer Strike (probably like a wet scream) and they hook up awesom. I used a couple layers of duct tape, then wrap an old tube around a new DH tube and I'm usually good. Bigger the srews, narrower the tire. You don'thave to do many nobbies, just a pattern that makes sense.

MTBracer

01-17-2008, 04:10 PM

I finally finished my tires. I had to redo the rear tire because I found that the middle screws pushed over and flattened.

SPINTECK

01-17-2008, 04:21 PM

Looks good for trail riding, but if you would do a DH on a snowboard course you'd need to run some screws through the side knobbies to rip the burms.

I would have used a tire w/'more meat in the center too, but those will work for general purpose.

MTBracer

01-18-2008, 02:31 PM

Well that's the reason I used these. Because they had little or no life left in them. I plan on only using these on the road anyway so as long as those things don't rip out I'll be happy. And it's only the rear tire that doesn't have a lot of meat left. The front has plenty. I'm happy with them. That's all that matters right?

TreeSaw

01-18-2008, 05:04 PM

Here's a site with some pretty good directions. Linky (http://www.silentsports.net/stud_your_own_bike_tires.html) We have a homemade set (using #6 x3/8 stainless pan head screws) and I have a set of the Kenda studded tires. They both work pretty well on the trails.