How to Add Studs to Winter Tires
- 1). Check to see if your winter tires have premade stud holes. If they do not, you will need to buy new winter tires that do; studs cannot be inserted into regular tires.
- 2). Jack up the car by placing a jack underneath the chassis next to the wheel and cranking it until the wheel is off the ground.
- 3). Remove the tire and hub by loosening and removing the lug nuts holding it with a tire wrench
- 4). Sit the tire on a tire stand, resting it over the stand's mandrel, which is a type of aluminum shoe.
- 5). Size the tire studs by measuring the depth of the stud holes with a tire depth gauge marked at 1/32-inch intervals. The number of 1/32-inch intervals in the hole is the stud size. For example, If the hole is 12/32 of an inch deep the studs need to be size 12. If the hole is 13/32 of an inch deep, the stud is size 13.
- 6). Add some water to the stud holes to provide lubrication.
- 7). Inspect the stud gun to check for blockages in the mechanism. Do so carefully, as it is spring-loaded.
- 8). Load studs into the stud gun and connect the gun to an air line from an air compressor pressured to whatever pressure your stud gun's manual indicates is optimal.
- 9). Press the tip of the stud gun firmly into a stud hole then squeeze the trigger of the gun while continuing to press the gun down. Release the trigger and pull the gun away.
- 10
Check the stud to ensure it is placed properly; only the carbide tip and a small 1/32-inch section of the metal stud body should be visible above the rubber of the tire. It should also be sitting straight up. If the stud is not situated this way, it will need to be pried out with a small screwdriver and a new stud inserted. - 11
Repeat the procedure for each stud hole until all are filled with studs, then shut off the air line from the compressor and put away the stud gun.
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