D I Y M O T O F I X & T W O W H E E L E N D E A V O U R S P R E S E N T S

I C E T I R EB A S I C S

MOUNTING ICE TIRES + STUDDING TECHNIQUES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

KEY FACTORS AFFECTING TIRE PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

MOUNTING ICE TIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

STUDDING ICE TIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

MITAS ICE KING TIRE INFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

DISCLAIMER

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To help bring you the best information I can on studding ice tires, I’ve enlistedJarrett King of Two Wheel Endeavors to help with this article. For those of youthat don’t know, Two Wheel Endeavours is heavily involved in supportingCanadian ice racing efforts and offers studded tires, ice racing accessories,and custom ice solutions. Jarrett was involved in the development of the MitasIce King tires, knows his craft, and brings a lot of knowledge to the table.

Many people are under the impression that there isn’t much to studding a pairof tires, just screw some screws in and you’re done right? There is actually ahefty amount of skill involved with studding tires. These skills come down toknowledge of screw angle, head position, and screw length. Of course thereare many parameters which all affect how well the tire will perform, but weare going to talk mostly about studding. This attention to detail is a hugereason that guys who have perfected the art of tire studding can make a livingat it. I’m not saying this to scare you off from trying to stud your own tires, justthat if you’re going to go for it, it will take some practice and advice from anexpert.

Now I’m going to turn it over first to Jarrett who will go into detail on theaspects of tire studding.

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Selecting the right tires to stud is critical in terms of traction and tire life. Lugheight, tread pattern, carcass thickness, and rubber composition all have ahuge influence on how well a tire will work. Unfortunately, there is not a lot ofdata supplied by tire manufacturers available to help guide a person in theright direction, but there is plenty of empirical data floating around amongstthe ranks of ice riding enthusiasts. To help get you started I put together a listof the most common ice tire choices.

Key Factors Affecting Tire Performance BY JARRETT KING

TIRE CHOICE

FRONT TIRES

Mitas Ice King - (Top Left)

Bridgestone ED11 - (Bottom Right)

REAR TIRES

Mitas Ice King - (Top Right)

Kenda K335 - (Bottom Left)

Motoz X-Circuit - (Not Shown)

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Depending on the tire chosen, a liner can be used that will provide protectionfor the tube and allows for the use of longer screws. The liner is usually a cutup street tire which fits inside the chosen tire.

TIRE LINERS

The pattern in which the screws are laid out on the tire has a huge influenceon the traction and grip characteristics of the tire. Specific patterns may betailored to provide more grip or slip depending on the rider and how the tire isused.

PATTERN

Care must be taken to ensure the screw pattern isconsistent from one lug to the next. Any deviationin screw location and angle can cause the tire towander as it moves over the ice.

CONSISTENCY

The trueness of the rim can have a big effect onhow the tire performs. A wonky rim can causeinconsistency in screw alignment. This can lead tosimilar handling problems because the screwpattern is not aligned accurately.

RIM TRUENESS

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AMA or Canadian style screws are the primary options for competitive iceracing. The two screw types are defined below.

SCREW TYPE

Fine thread screws are preferred because they do less damage to the rubberduring installation. They are also easier to set to the correct height when finetuning the screws.

SCREW THREADS

AMA screws - 3/16” head height,

sizes #8 or #10, and range in

length from ⅜” to 1 ½”

Canadian screws - ¼” head height,

size #12, and range in length from

1” to 1 ½”

Along with the screw requirements for the different racing classes, keep inmind purpose made ice screws go through a different hardening process thannormal hardware store screws, allowing them to stay sharp longer. If you’regoing to stud a pair of tires and want longevity, be sure to use a good qualityscrew.

The angle the screw is driven into the tire dictates how the screw contacts theice. The screw angle can be broken down into two parts, the fore/aft angle, andthe side angle.

SCREW ANGLE

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Tire builders refer to the fore/aft angle of thescrew as the sweep angle. Ideally only theleading edge of the screw should make contactwith the ice. This can be achieved by angling thescrew anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees uponinstallation

SWEEP

The alignment of the slot in the screw headcan be tuned to provide better grip in a givendirection. For screws used for braking (front)and drive (rear) the screw slot is alignedperpendicular to the direction of travel. Forcornering grip the slots of screws on the sideof the tire are aligned parallel to the directionof travel.

HEAD ALIGNMENT

Screws used to grip the ice whenthe bike is leaned over will beinstalled at an angle whichcomplements the contour of thetire.

SIDE ANGLE

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Braking screws are at the rear of the lug on top, but when they are on the ground they are onthe leading edge (biting edge) when under braking, thus the name “braking screw”. Sweep isused to prevent the screws from chattering on the ice under braking because of the fact thatthe crown would strike the ice at two points if installed flat. The magic sweep angle is theshallowest possible angle without the “rear” part of the screw crown biting in. With Canadianscrews, this angle is much more straight up and down but still usually has 10 degrees or so. Ifyou leaned them too far forward it will damage the knobs because the screw isn’t sunk into theliner enough, if you went straight in they will function but it makes the tire feel a bit strangeunder heavy braking.

BRAKING SCREWS

Now that Jarrett has provided a great framework of what goes into studding a tire,we’re going to get into the specifics. It was mentioned previously that ice screwshave three primary functions: braking, accelerating, and cornering. Next, Jarrett willget into the details of what makes each of these three types of screws functionalfor their specific purpose.

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Again, there are differences between AMA and Canadian screws. The Canadian screws can govirtually straight in, AMAs need that biting edge so they don’t deflect or lose traction becauseof two different contact points. Picture a skate blade. The more sharp and precise the edge,the more ground pressure is focused on that area. Same with screw tips, if two parts of it hitthe ice it will start to “float”. Optimal angle is shallowest possible (as close to straight up anddown as possible) before the back edge of the screw starts touching the ice surface.

ACCELERATION SCREWS

Cornering screws are typically run in at one angle, there is no sweep to them. Some buildershave tried adding some sweep, however, never with too much angle. If you run an ice tireover a piece of cardboard under lean you will see that the top edge of the screw is contactingthe ice at an angle that prevents the front tire from low-siding. In essence these screws dothe exact reverse thing that the rear tire does under acceleration.

SIDE GRIP SCREWS

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When it comes to general screw pattern and arrangement, there are a couple things toconsider. First, is that on the rear tire the inverse “V” pattern is there for a reason. What itdoes is each screw passes the load onto the next screw while under lean (picture thempassing sandbags to each other). To prove this, reverse a V-pattern tire, it will be all kindsof squirrely under acceleration and then the rear will try to jump out from under the bikewhen you hit the brakes, it’s truly scary.

My second point, ideal screw pattern is a balance between a few different factors. Knobspacing, contact pressure and knob count/pattern. On a tire like a Kenda, so many screwsare striking the ice at once that the tire is floating on the surface of the ice. Traction isbeing gained by getting the maximum number of screw heads to hit the ice at the sametime. This is great until the moment that there is a hint of snow on the lake and the tirebegins to act like a crazy carpet under the bike. It floats because it can’t maintain groundpressure.

The old Pirelli Lagunacross tire became amazing the moment that Marcel Fournier cameout with the modern Canadian Ice screw. The knob pattern was ideal (V shaped paddle)for the application and the knob spacing was super wide, which meant great groundpressure on each screw. Unfortunately that also meant a much larger radial load on thescrews and knobs which often lead to premature knob or screw failure. The Mitas Ice Kingdoes not generate the same ground pressure as the Pirelli because the knobs are quite abit closer but the tire’s compound and knob pattern allow for a much better balance ofground pressure (traction) to durability ratio. Using AMA screws, a Mitas Ice King does notbenefit from additional screw rows the way that a Kenda will because it will float muchquicker, but without as many screws contacting the ice.

Ice tire building is a compromise. The perfect ice tire doesn’t exist in the same way thatthere is no perfect Intermediate MX tire… but there are some that are MUCH moreeffective than others.

My third and final point, ice tires have been built in north America since the early 30s. Theangle of screws is something that has been tried in multiple arrangements hundreds oftimes over. For someone getting into the sport their enthusiasm may make them believethat changing things will create a magic setup, but the reality is that a true set of wheels(no dings dents, warps), with consistent screw angles and heights, proper air pressures,and properly balanced is the most effective way to kick ass out on the ice racing track. Ohand don’t forget to duct-tape that face (frostbite sucks!).

SCREW PATTERNS + COMPROMISES

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Most ice tires are heavy duty, they may require an additional tire liner to be installed during themounting process, and in general they can be difficult to work with. I’ll be working through themounting process with Jarrett’s guidance and using his tips to ensure I don’t puncture a tube.

To best illustrate the mounting process, studding process, and all the knowledge Jarrett shared inour previous post, I’ll be preparing a new set of tires. Jarrett will continue to chime in with (muchneeded) guidance and commentary. We’ll get into more detail on why things are done in a specificway, and share examples of tire builds that you can use as a reference.

My first set of ice tires was a Bridgestone front and Kenda rear combo built by Jeff Fredette. I likedthe Bridgestone front, but have had some trouble maintaining traction with the Kenda rear onanything but clean ice. I decided this year that I wanted to try something new and after talkingwith Jarrett, I was sold on the Mitas Ice Kings. Full disclosure, I am not an affiliate of Mitas Ice KingTires, I just love their product. To me, the Mitas ice tires are advantageous for a number ofreasons. First, they were designed for the ice and have a rubber compound that was specificallymade for cold weather riding. Second, the tires don’t require any internal tire liners, whichsimplifies the mounting process and may save a little weight. Third, the tread pattern wasdesigned to work in conditions where the ice isn’t perfectly clean. Finally, since the tires weredesigned knowing that screws would be installed, the tires are also more tolerant of beingscrewed into. This results in a longer lasting tire. Needless to say, the following walkthroughs onmounting and studding will feature a set of the Mitas Ice Kings

MOUNTING ICE TIRESBY PAUL OLESEN & JARRETT KING

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Paul: Ice tires are inherently more difficult to mount than normal MX tires due to theirthickness, stiffness, and extra liners (if any are used). I’ve always hated mounting tires andhave never been great at it, so every year when it is time to mount my ice tires I’ve alwaysdespised the task. Jarrett compiled a list of awesome tips that I applied as I mounted my newtires this year. Some of his tips I’ve been doing for years and some were completely new tome. Regardless, his pointers are great reminders for everyone and the new info Jarrettprovided made the job so much easier.

Paul: The tires I’ll be mounting are the Mitas Ice Kings. These tires are very thick and weredesigned to be studded after they have been mounted. Some tires which require a liner (prettymuch everything other than a Mitas) will need to be studded before they are mounted.Studding lined tires before mounting is important to ensure the liner is situated inside the tirecorrectly and that all the screws have found their way into the liner and won’t puncture thetube.

GETTING STARTED

2 -3 tire irons

Bead Buddy

Tire Tamer

4 - 5 wrenches

Soapy water in a spray bottle

Baby powder

Tube Snake (Optional)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Jarrett: After 8 years of ice racing and approximately 500+ ice tire swaps (we did 30 sets inone week once!) I can assure you our way is the best way, tested through attrition.

Paul: I’m going to start at the beginning with thetire completely off the rim. A lot of Jarrett’sknowledge comes into play once the tire ishalfway on, at which point he’ll chime in withmany pointers.

I’ve already checked my rim for trueness, felt forsharp spots, and installed a new rim strip so Iknow it’s good to go. If you haven’t, you shoulddefinitely complete these steps before goingthrough the trouble of mounting the tires.

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Paul: The first order of business is to get half thetire over the rim. The Rear Mitas Ice King must bemounted backwards from the prescribeddirectional arrows.

Jarrett: I want to point out that theMotion Pro composite rim locks are greatfor ice applications. They are lighter thana standard rim lock and aid in tiremounting as they don’t catch on the tube.

I like to start by installing the sprocket side ofthe tire into the rim first. This allows themajority of the work to be completed withthe sprocket facing down and keeps bloodyappendages and cursory phrases to aminimum.

Start by aligning the rim so that the rim stripfaces up. Then position the rim so that thebead falls into the drop center (deep dished,center portion of the rim). Force the tirearound as much of the rim as possible.

Next, flip the tire and rim over so that thesprocket faces down.

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Generously apply lube to the bead of the tire.

Use a pair of tire irons to work the tire over therim.

Jarrett: To help keep the bead down, an old trickwe use is to insert wrenches between the beadand the rim.

Paul: Thanks to Jarrett I just started incorporatingthis trick and it makes a world of difference!

Before pulling the tire completely over the rimmake sure the bead lock is pulled all the way inagainst the rim so that it doesn’t snag the bead.

Once the tire is on the rim the bead is still abovethe rim lock. In order to situate the bead downbetween the rim lock and rim, the bead must bepulled over across the rim.

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To do this, the tire is flipped over so the sprocketfaces up. Then tire irons are inserted on bothsides of the rim lock.

This allows the bead to be pulled completely overthe rim lock. Then the rim lock is pushed up whilethe irons are removed from the rim and the beadfalls back down into the rim.

At this point the first half of the tire is seatedcorrectly in the rim. Next, preparations will bemade to install the tube

Jarrett: Prior to installing the tube, heavily applybaby powder to the tube and inside of the tire.This will help the tube slide against the tire as itexpands.

Paul: This is an awesome tip that I’ve used in thepast with great success. Temporarily inflate thetire so that it is easier to apply the powder. Thencoat the tube with powder and disperse it evenlyby rubbing the tube.

If you haven’t already powdered the inside of thetire be sure to do so before installing it.

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Paul: Overlay the tube onto the tire and line upthe valve stem with its mating hole in the rim.

Jarrett: Install the tube with the valve stemremoved. You don’t want trapped pressure.

Paul: After speaking with Jarrett I bought a tiretamer specifically for this project. It has been oneof the best additions to my toolbox I’ve made.Simply pry the side of the tire up and work thetube evenly into the tire. No more bloodyknuckles!

As you work the tube into the tire, make sure thetube lays flat and doesn’t twist.

Once tube has been tucked into the tire, the valvestem will need to be guided through its matinghole in the rim. I bought a tube snake to do this,but it didn’t show up in time, so I’m stuck withhaving to use my fingers to work the valve steminto its hole. Use the tire tamer to lift up on thetire, then use your fingers to fish the valve stemthrough the hole.

Jarrett: Use a tire tamer to get the tube downinto the tire.

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Then quickly install the valve stem nut before itrecedes back into the tire cavity. Make sure thevalve stem protrudes out of the rim squarely.Valve stems that come out at an angle are notpositioned correctly and are susceptible to failing.Carefully adjust the tube if necessary.

Jarrett: Make sure the tube doesn’t pinch on therim lock.

Paul: Before the remaining bead is pulled over the rim, pull the tire up near the rim lock and makesure the the tube isn’t pinched between the rim lock and rim.

It is now time to pry the remaining bead over the rim. Before I get started I want to allow Jarrett tochime in and provide a couple of pointers.

Jarrett: 1. Always use tons of soap/water lubricant on the tire. 2. Be sure to take small pulls with the tire irons. As soon as you feel like it takes a really big pull something is wrong and it is time to make tweaks to the setup. 3. Once the tube has been installed start to the left of the rim lock.

Paul: In the picture below I’ve inserted two tire irons just to the left of the rim lock and am sprayingthe tire with lube in preparation for prying the bead over the rim.

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Jarrett: Use two tire irons to get a Bead Buddy onthe spoke (or two) to the left of the rim lock.

Work towards the right. This will make thingseasy because you are never fighting the rim lockas you work back around towards it.

Take pulls with the tire irons that are no morethan four inches apart. Make sure to use plentyof lube.

Once you get about ⅓ of the way around the tire,insert a box end wrench between the rim andbead of the tire. This holds the tire down in thedrop center, creating a bigger “oval” in the beadso it will work its way around the rim easier.

Repeat the process with four more wrenchesapproximately 4” apart from each other so theycover at least ⅓ of the tire’s radius. Try toposition the wrenches so they are straightacross from where the tire will finish mountingon the rim.

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Continue working towards the rim lock beingsure to apply lots of lube. Take smaller bites asthe tire becomes more difficult to work with.

Be careful not to pull the tire iron too far to thepoint where it pinches the tube. The tire ironshould never go more than approximately 30degrees from level with the ground. Past this,and the iron will very likely pinch and puncturethe tube.

The very last section of the bead may be tricky.Use leverage from the first tire iron to back offof the bead. Then push a second tire iron into theremaining section. In addition, a large rubbermallet can be used to help persuade theremaining section of tire over the rim.

Paul: The method Jarrett prescribed is by far thebest I’ve used for mounting ice tires and made mylife a lot easier. Inserting the wrenches as youwork to keep the bead down in the drop center isdefinitely key.

Once the tire is on the rim, the valve core can bereinstalled.

Before inflating the tire I like to lube up both sidesof the tire and rim to help facilitate easy seating ofthe bead against the edge of the rim.

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Initially I like to give the tube a quick burst of airwhich allows the tube to expand and take shape.After the quick burst I like to remove the valvecore and release all the pressure. The thinkinghere is that if the tube isn’t quite adjustedcorrectly it has a chance to reposition itself a littlebit before it is fully inflated.

Once the valve core has been reinstalled after thequick burst, I’ll inflate the tire to full pressure andseat the bead against the rim.

After the tire has been inflated fully and the beadhas seated, all that is left to do is install the rimlock nut and washer and make any necessaryfinal adjustments to the valve stem nut.

With any luck you should have an ice tire that isready to be studded!

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I know many of you won’t bother building afixture like mine, and to be honest, it isprobably overkill for those of you less OCDthan myself. You can still do yourself a favorthough when getting started by securing thetire in a truing stand, in the swingarm, oranother device which will make the tire easierto work on.

STUDDING ICE TIRESBY PAUL OLESEN & JARRETT KING

There is nothing worse than starting a projectand not being able to finish because you ran outof supplies. Do yourself a favor and calculatehow many screws you’ll need before gettingstarted. Doing this is easy. Simply count thenumber of rows of lugs on your tire. Thenmultiply this number by the number of screwsrequired to complete your stud pattern acrossthat row.

For example:Mitas Rear = 50 rows of lugsMitas Rear Pattern = 15 screws per row50 x 15 = 750 screws

DETERMINING THE NUMBER OFSCREWS REQUIRED

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Jarrett: Ideally the tire should be mounted on aperfectly straight and true rim or on the rim itwill be used on. The consistency of the screwsis paramount, so even if the tire or wheel is nottrue, smooth straight lines make for betterperforming ice tires.

The following are some tips to consider beforestudding:

PRIOR TO SCREWING

Use a good quality drill with a comfortablegrip. If you have a jig that will assist inkeeping it straight, all the better.

Lubricate your screws with soapy water orsimilar. This tip helps the long termdurability of the tire since the screws willhave less tendency to tear the rubber asthey penetrate.

Screws with fine thread will do less damageto the rubber and be easier to tune to exactheights (for those super picky tuners outthere)

Establish your pattern in advance to makesure you have enough screws.

Running one set in advance will also allowyou to confirm they don't penetrate thecarcass in the case where you are runninglined tires.

For the Mitas Ice Kings we currentlyrecommend adding studs with the rear setat 30psi and front at 25psi.

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Paul: Per Jarrett’s advice I’ve got my tire set at30psi and am ready to start studding. Mytechnique will differ from what Jarrettrecommends since I’m giving my jig a trial run.The takeaways and principles are the samethough.

STUDDING

Jarrett: Our technique is to add enough screwsfor one row to a magnetic bowl, spray withlubricant and sit in a position where your armpushes a direct line into the head of the screwon the angle it will go into the tire (directlyparallel) in this way, your arm will only movein one plane, preventing angle changes.

Now run one full row of screws. We like tostart at the center row since consistency isnot nearly as important in these drivingscrews.

Paul: While side to side positioning of thescrews was less of an issue for me since I hadmy jig, locating the screw in the correctlocation from front to back on the lug was stilla challenge. To help with this I used a silverSharpie and marked each lug where I wantedthe screw to go. This certainly added sometime to the process but improved my accuracya lot.

Jarrett: For AMA screws they should beslightly rocked back on plane so that only oneedge is catching the ice. For Canadian styleopen screws (chisel tips) you can run themstraight in (watch sides rows if running 1.5" inrear, they can poke through at the wrongangle).

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Paul: On my tire I rocked my accelerationscrews back 10 degrees.

Jarrett:-To check the row, spin the tireslowly and watch to see they are all in line inall three planes. Adjust the ones that areway out. Tune after finishing all rows.

Paul: On the right you can see I’m off to adecent start and my first row is nice andstraight.

Jarrett: Ideally the screws will be perfectlyangled in all three planes to each other, notto the tire or rim. Adjust heights before thelube dries to get maximum tire life and checkafter the first couple rides.

Paul: Once I got into a rhythm I was able toalign the flat in the screw heads consistentlywith one another and wasn’t terribly far offon head height between the screws in eachrow. I found it easiest to position the slotsimply by rotating the drill without engagingit. Once the entire row was complete I wentback through and looked for screws thatwere inconsistent in height. To tweak thesescrews I just used a screwdriver to set theirfinal height and slot position.

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Jarrett: Work your way out and complete theouter edge last, it's your best chance andgetting practice before you get to the criticalouter rows.

Paul: This point is particularly important in myopinion. As I got acquainted with the process Imade a couple mistakes early on which I’mglad happened in the middle of the tire insteadof out on the edge.

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Jarrett: Lay a template down at thecenterline of the axle and record the angle ofall the screws. If you didn't get it quite rightthen the next time you have a point ofreference for what to change.

Paul: Jarrett was kind enough to supply mewith the templates he uses to stud the Mitastires. In the image below you can see how thetemplate can be used to record screw anglesas well as help ensure accuracy when studdingwithout a fixture. For your conveniencetemplates for the Ice Kings can be downloadedas pdf by clicking the link at the end of thispost.

Jarrett: As usual, the tips andrecommendations provided are onlyGUIDELINES. We've built hundreds of tiresover the years and have dozens of othersmall tricks and so do the tire builders. Thatbeing said, we encourage you to askquestions and provide feedback so thatmore people can enjoy getting out onto theice with their motorcycle during the winter!Cheers.

Paul: Overall, I’m very pleased with the way my tire studding project turned out and am eternallygrateful for Jarrett’s help, advice, and willingness to share knowledge with others. Without him Iwould’ve definitely made some big mistakes. Having studded my first set of tires I can say that itis a time consuming job and requires patience, however, I don’t think it is outside the realm ofwhat a DIYer can do. As you can see from some of the pics, patience is the name of the game,having a decent stool to sit in, and a warm place to work is key!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide on ice tire studding. I know I had a great time learning fromJarrett and soaking up the finer details of tire studding. Hopefully with the information providedin this guide you’ll decide to stud your own tires and take up ice riding!

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Available in the USA through Tri-R distribution, in Quebec through Eskape.ca (onlinesales & distribution) and in Western Canada through Maverick Distribution via yourlocal dealer.

This tire accepts 1.5" screws in the 18" & 19" rear tire and 1.25" screws in the 21" front.

We are currently using MF4 (1.25") long screws front and rear.

Mount the rear backwards of the arrows (the same mold is used for one of Mitas'summer tires), when you look at the tire from the rear of the bike you will see a "Smile"or upwards pointing curve.

Currently we recommend adding studs with rear at 30psi, front at 25psi, recommendedrace pressures are 25-35psi in the rear and 20-30psi in the front. Note that lowerpressure will cause early sidewall failure and that the Ice King is very sensitive to tirepressure changes.

The 19" rear is slightly wider and has a flatter profile than the 18", be weary ofswingarm clearance on older bikes, some models of Honda and Kawasaki also havetight clearance.

Always leave as much clearance as possible between the swingarm and the tire toprevent damage from the screws. Also, running the axle further back stabilizes the bikeat higher speeds by increasing wheelbase.

Run a chainguide regardless of screw type. Always use two hose clamps or multiplemounts... a failure means it will fall into your wheel and can cause damage and injury.

So far these tires perform very well, just don't forget that they kick out sideways like a DTbike so keep that throttle percolating if you wanna keep the traction!

KING MITAS ICE TIRE INFO

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