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Ok ebrandon, please help a lady out...I am living in a small town, have a small/mid size car. Current tires are crap so I've ordered winter tires (they are studable). So I need to decide before they arrive, do I get studs or no? ($20/tire to stud)  
 
Mostly town driving, or highways/city driving.  
 
Thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated with pros and cons.  
 
Thanks so much!

In my opinion, yes, get them studded.  
 
I drive with studded winter tires, as does my wife.  
 
A bit more control on icey streets/highways? Definitely a good thing.  
 
Cons? Slight increase in cost.  
Pros? Control.  
 
Just my opinion.

StarsAbove said "Ok ebrandon, please help a lady out...I am living in a small town, have a small/mid size car. Current tires are crap so I've ordered winter tires (they are studable). So I need to decide before they arrive, do I get studs or no? ($20/tire to stud)     Mostly town driving, or highways/city driving.     Thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated with pros and cons.     Thanks so much! "

Spend the cash. From one lady to another - $80 is not much extra cost for that much safety on ice. Is it a tad more inconvenient because you have to ensure you get them on and off within the legal time frame - sure. But I do not see that as an issue for my families safety.  
 
 
I would never go back to unstudded after having them on my last three cars.  
 
They won't help you when other people do stupid things like pull out in front of you - but I have managed to avoid quite a few accidents because I have control of my vehicle when it is icy.

Are only good on ice.  
 
I live in Dauphin. The snow comes up to the bottom of my tires. Highways are bare.  
 
I lived in Churchill where there was no snow, just ice. THERE, you want studs.

I drive a compact car and have Dunlop winter tires. I have no need for studs-I commute daily and on icy roads have no problem. I see others skidding around but I have no such trouble. if you have ordered lesser tires-then studs may be good choice.

Bare highways have black ice,that is one reason no cruise control should be used on the highways.  
 
I have used Ice tires and  heavy lugged tires .  
 
Studs are a go for sure as this year I tried ice tires again and ice wise they sometimes need help and they suck in deeper snow. .

I got new winter tires with studs for my little car just last week. I love them. You really notice a difference on these icy, snow-packed streets. Definitely worth it.

So studded tires are not good on snow but great on icy roads?

Are just as good in snow as non studded but are way better when there is ice. Spend the money for studs, well worth the few dollars if it helps just once.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the feedback! For a few extra bucks I'll go for the studs and more peace of mind!

I have been driving for 45 years,  
If you are a good driver you don't need studs, they aren't going to save you on black ice going highway speeds.  
 
In every city I've lived in, as soon as people get studs they feel like they can drive like they do in the summer. and this is where problems start.  
 
I would not get studded tires, any tire designed for winter will be built with compounds to increase handling and control through the low temp range. With studs you are going to notice a large difference in road noise, especially if you have an older vehicle  
 
Id say studded tires in this area of Manitoba is only going to benefit you physiologically, not to say they wont help a little, but your going to see a better gain by getting tires that are design with a more "aggressive" tread to deal with the snow we have as well as driving defensively to avoid any accident or mishaps.

There are YouTube video comparisons with ice radials 's studded tires. We use ice radials as we do a lot of hwy driving and didn't want the noise. Ice radials are hard to beat but more expensive. Michelin x ice, Bridgestone blizzard among others are great tires. If you are just city driving and on a budget go with studded. Or look in the classifieds on ebrandon for ice radials. There are lots.