Harbinger of winter: studded tire season

MAT-SU — Summer has come and gone in Alaska, and that means the tell-tale sound of metal studs on asphalt is right around the corner.

Monday is the first day Alaskans can legally roll with studded tires on their cars.

A foreign concept in most Lower 48 states, studded tires are designed to give extra traction on Alaska’s icy winter roads.

Many auto shop owners are warning motorists not to wait until the last minute — like the first snowfall, for instance. Instead, they advise drivers to try beating the crowds.

Andy George, the owner of Mr. Lube in Wasilla, said with some predictions of an early winter, getting studded tires on before the first snow is important.

“Most people wait until the last minute,” George said.

George’s shop, located just behind McDonalds in Wasilla, often has lines snaking through the parking lot and almost to the road behind the shop when change-over season rolls around.

But George said the wait is worth it for studded tires, noting that 90 percent of the body work he does every winter stems from car accidents that occur when drivers slide on ice.

Regardless of when motorists slap the metal-studded rubber on their cars, it’s usually a good sign the winter chill in on its way.