For most folks, non-studded winter tires will be ideal for commuting, traveling to a ski resort, or driving in conditions where road crews will do their work given time. However, if you live in an area where road crews don’t regularly treat the roads, studs may be helpful. We know of some places in New England where this is the case. The top-of-page image is a rural road in New England where mixed precipitation has resulted in a thick ice sheet forming over the road. That ice sheet is in place for months. Although the residents pay to have it sanded occasionally, it is often re-surfaced with ice after fog, drizzle, sleet, frozen rain, or light rain followed by plunging temps render it a glacier once again.