Remove studded tires soon to avoid a fine

Washington’s March 31 studded tire removal deadline is approaching.

While studded tires provide traction on slick ice, they also cut into the pavement once that ice is gone. Starting midnight on April 1, drivers with studded tires face a $136 fine.

Washington State Department of Transportation advises getting this done early, as removal services can clog up closer to deadline.

Additionally, the fine applies to all who drive in the state, even visitors coming from states with a later removal deadline. The department issues no exemptions or waivers.

While the region didn’t have an overly harsh winter this year, the amount of snow doesn’t have a huge effect on studded tire sales year to year, said Martin Melo, store manager of Commercial Tire in Othello. And, the last few winters have come late, he said, so a lot of people put on studded tires just in case, especially if they plan to go over the pass.

Looking back 10 years, though, studded tires sales have definitely been on the decline, Melo said. So while it’s a small difference year to year, over a long period the trend adds up.

COVID-19 impacted business worse than the lack of major snowfall, he said.

“People were trying to hang onto their money because of the economy,” he said. “Nobody knew what was going to be happening.”

According to Paul Davis, owner of Moses Lake OK Tire Store Inc., there’s hardly a reason to have studded tires at all. He noticed a steep decline of folks buying studded tires five years ago, he said, just because there are so many better options.

In 2015, the Washington Legislature put a $5 fee on studded tires to discourage people from buying them.

“The only time studs do any good is on ice,” Davis said.

Studless, all-weather tires work well in snow and can be kept on all year, he said. They have a rubber compound that gets softer with the decreasing temperature, so they’re designed to grab the road.

With alternatives to studded, too, the encroaching deadline becomes moot, he added.

Sam Fletcher can be reached at [email protected].