The Economical Choice: Cost Effectiveness of Snow Chains vs. Studded Tires

How to determine is snow chains or snow tires would be your best option.

If you live in the half of the United States that receives large amounts of snow, or if you just travel there between October through May, you may be faced with an old question: snow chains or studded tires? And depending on whether you’ll use them once or a thousand times, you may wonder which choice is the most cost effective.

Studded Snow Tires

Studded snow tires are made by implanting steel studs, similar to nails, to the outside tread of new tires. Though studded tires are available for purchase online, the shipping costs are rather prohibitive. Check your local tire dealer for a great deal in August or September, before the first big storm clears their racks.

Snow Chains

Snow chains work by applying traction on snow and ice and creating a footing under your tires and above the snow/ice that allows your tire to turn. Chains are available for most tire sizes. You can find snow chains at discount stores and tire dealers during the winter months and online stores year-round.

Cost Comparison

The cost of a typical winter tire ranges from $90-$150 and studding usually costs an additional $25 or so per tire. You’ll also have to pay to have your tires swapped twice each year, usually in the spring and late fall. Though service fees vary drastically throughout the US, a charge of $40 for a switch from one set to the other is average. Studded tires are a great convenience for someone who drives in snow and ice frequently since there’s no additional time spent once they have been mounted for the season. The life expectancy of studded tires is usually 6 seasons.

A set of snow chains can be purchased for $50-$100, depending on the size of the tires they are for and the material they are made of. Though you won’t have to pay for mounting or an additional set of tires, you will have to set aside time to put on the chains then take them off each time you need them. Chains can last many seasons if used sparingly. Attaching chains usually only takes ten minutes for the seasoned driver but that time could be costly for the daily commuter. The life expectancy for a set of chains is about 8000 miles.

Approximate cost per year over six years

If you make….