> Second, unless you are going to be driving on hard ice a lot, YOU DON'T
> NEED STUDS!! You lose traction on dry pavement, even asphalt, with
> studs, and they tear up the highway surface something fierce (come drive
> the freeways in western Washington if you don't believe me).  Studs are
> an advantage on ice only, no help at all in the snow.  Perceived help in
> the snow is because studs are normally installed on very aggressive snow
> treads, the help is from the snow tires, not the studs.

While driving in Norway I had aggressive snow tires and still had problems
on compacted snow (read that as ice, but not glare ice) and got the same
tires with plastic studs which helped a lot.

I lived outside of Oslo at the top of a long curvy hill and when
the sun melted the snow in the (short) day, it refroze before I got home.
I could never make it up the damn hill - had to go a LOOOONG way around.
After I got the studs I could make it easily!

Ron