Spikes Spiders on MINI!! (gives snow traction...)
#1
01-29-2005, 03:04 PM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Spikes Spiders on MINI!! (gives snow traction...)
Greetings!
So, here in DC we are in the dead of winter. Not too many parties going on, cold, snowy, (not quite enough to ski on) and there isn't much to do except ice skate, drive around in the MINI and watch movies! (Ok, life's not too bad...) I decided it would be fun to try out a MINI accessory I have always wanted... Spikes Spiders! I just got them a day or so ago, and this evening, installed the hubs and assembled the Spiders. Check out the pics to see what everything looks like, and how they look on the MINI. I can't wait to see how the MINI drives in snow and ice now! They are snow traction devices for any kind of car. Kind of like chains, but much easier to take on and off, and better for your wheels and tires too. Once everything is in place, you should only go a maximum of 30 mph, which seems slow, but on snow and ice covered roads, is probably about right.
As to installation, the hubs have lug bolt clips that secure them in place. The Spiders then lock onto the hubs. Once you drive a bit, the traction arms get stuck underneath the wheels, so no one can take your Spider Spikes! I think they give the MINI a sense of ability in snow, and though I don't know how well they will work, I have seen Spikes Spiders in action in the Austrian Alps on BMW and Mercedes cars, and those cars were chugging along through the snow.
Here is the link to the Spikes Spider site... the version I bought, compact, were $340 and included a nice storage bag. See pics below.
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/
Spikes Spider hub without the traction part...
Nice storage bag!
Spikes Spider 'Compact' Traction device
Installation on my MINI with 15 inch holeys
Closeup view!
Side view!
So, here in DC we are in the dead of winter. Not too many parties going on, cold, snowy, (not quite enough to ski on) and there isn't much to do except ice skate, drive around in the MINI and watch movies! (Ok, life's not too bad...) I decided it would be fun to try out a MINI accessory I have always wanted... Spikes Spiders! I just got them a day or so ago, and this evening, installed the hubs and assembled the Spiders. Check out the pics to see what everything looks like, and how they look on the MINI. I can't wait to see how the MINI drives in snow and ice now! They are snow traction devices for any kind of car. Kind of like chains, but much easier to take on and off, and better for your wheels and tires too. Once everything is in place, you should only go a maximum of 30 mph, which seems slow, but on snow and ice covered roads, is probably about right.
As to installation, the hubs have lug bolt clips that secure them in place. The Spiders then lock onto the hubs. Once you drive a bit, the traction arms get stuck underneath the wheels, so no one can take your Spider Spikes! I think they give the MINI a sense of ability in snow, and though I don't know how well they will work, I have seen Spikes Spiders in action in the Austrian Alps on BMW and Mercedes cars, and those cars were chugging along through the snow.
Here is the link to the Spikes Spider site... the version I bought, compact, were $340 and included a nice storage bag. See pics below.
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/
Spikes Spider hub without the traction part...
Nice storage bag!
Spikes Spider 'Compact' Traction device
Installation on my MINI with 15 inch holeys
Closeup view!
Side view!
#2
01-29-2005, 03:10 PM
#3
01-29-2005, 03:14 PM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks,
That's kind of what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure how. Just wanted to be sure that DC Metro MINI friends of mine saw the post, as they don't often read the other forums.
That's kind of what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure how. Just wanted to be sure that DC Metro MINI friends of mine saw the post, as they don't often read the other forums.
Originally Posted by DiD
I merged your two threads together. Let's try to keep the discussion focused in one spot. There is a re-direct from the DCMM forum to this thread in the Tire and Wheel forum.
#4
01-29-2005, 03:58 PM
#5
01-29-2005, 04:45 PM
4th Gear
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 352
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Spike Spyders are a brilliant design, I used them on another car that I had. They are particularly helpful when you are driving in patchy conditions, snow for awhile and then dry roads. They go off and on easily. A friend just bought a new set and told me that they are only good for 300 (or 500?) miles before the fingers will wear out.
#6
01-29-2005, 06:20 PM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
500 miles of driving on snow? I don't think I have logged that many snow miles in my lifetime.
The nice thing about the Compact version is that the fingers are individually replaceable. So as they wear out, they can be changed.
I'll take some more photos tommorrow.
The nice thing about the Compact version is that the fingers are individually replaceable. So as they wear out, they can be changed.
I'll take some more photos tommorrow.
Originally Posted by LeftyS7
Spike Spyders are a brilliant design, I used them on another car that I had. They are particularly helpful when you are driving in patchy conditions, snow for awhile and then dry roads. They go off and on easily. A friend just bought a new set and told me that they are only good for 300 (or 500?) miles before the fingers will wear out.
#7
01-31-2005, 07:03 PM
5th Gear
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Metro Washington D. C.
Posts: 970
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trending Topics
#9
02-03-2005, 10:46 AM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Heh!
Nope, they are fine. The spokes move and adjust themselves once you get driving. These are not for going more than 30mph though, and one can't spin wheels or do hard stops with them. So those of you looking to do MINI doughnuts, need to go spike-less! For me, the Spike Spiders should work out well, because when it is really snowing enough to use them I just need to get to metro, or Old Town Alexandria, or the grocery store, all spots that are less than 3 miles away. Who wants to cruise around in a snow storm at 30mph anyway!? I'd rather stay home with some peppermint Hot Chocolate and a few movies, and wait till the accumulation is enough to go cross-country skiing!
Nope, they are fine. The spokes move and adjust themselves once you get driving. These are not for going more than 30mph though, and one can't spin wheels or do hard stops with them. So those of you looking to do MINI doughnuts, need to go spike-less! For me, the Spike Spiders should work out well, because when it is really snowing enough to use them I just need to get to metro, or Old Town Alexandria, or the grocery store, all spots that are less than 3 miles away. Who wants to cruise around in a snow storm at 30mph anyway!? I'd rather stay home with some peppermint Hot Chocolate and a few movies, and wait till the accumulation is enough to go cross-country skiing!
Originally Posted by ckaminsk
Looks like spokes @ 5 & 7 o'clock are misalligned on the hub.
Is there much shudder/shake in the steering if they aren't evening spread out?
Is there much shudder/shake in the steering if they aren't evening spread out?
#10
02-04-2005, 06:35 AM
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,127
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#11
02-24-2005, 08:54 AM
6th Gear
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Northeast Ohio
Posts: 4,406
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Might want to re-think those spikes! 
This is an except from a posting on MINI2 from somebody who used them on the recent Hudson Bay or Bust trip:
Other people making the drive with this person said that the noise coming from those things was incredible... thought there were problems with the car until they saw the spikes...
Here's the link to the page, the actual thread is now up to 86 pages so I don't think you want to read all of it... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...72#post1401972
Further on in that thread:
This is an except from a posting on MINI2 from somebody who used them on the recent Hudson Bay or Bust trip:
The studs I put on my car are called Spikes-Spiders. They are fairly expensive and I was told by the seller that they have put them on MINIs and would be fine for the trip. They started damaging the car after about 40 miles of driving (knocked the wheel well trim off). I had no intentions of turning back for Georgia after coming so far (my round trip was 4,400 miles).
On the way back, I stopped to gas up in Pennsylvania. By that point my windshield washers were working and I needed to replenish the the reservoir. When I popped the bonnet, I was floored. The spikes damaged a lot more than a couple pieces of trim. I stopped by Hank Aaron MINI and they sent me to a body shop. The estimate was $2,500. Ouch! The bonnet even had a 4 inch hole worn in it!
On the way back, I stopped to gas up in Pennsylvania. By that point my windshield washers were working and I needed to replenish the the reservoir. When I popped the bonnet, I was floored. The spikes damaged a lot more than a couple pieces of trim. I stopped by Hank Aaron MINI and they sent me to a body shop. The estimate was $2,500. Ouch! The bonnet even had a 4 inch hole worn in it!
Here's the link to the page, the actual thread is now up to 86 pages so I don't think you want to read all of it... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...72#post1401972
Further on in that thread:
rode with Blake with those Spider Spikes for 20+ hours, so I'm probably the 2nd most qualified person to answer. There were 2 causes of damages:
First, the spokes 'bend-away' through angular acceleration (centrifugal 'force') at low (<30mph) speed, hitting nearby trim, reflectors, wires and other stuff. This in turn is exacerbated by the wheel spacers that the manufacturer recommends. Either the recommendation is wrong, or they just aren't compatible with Blake's wheels, as they claim. This caused much of the damage, I suspect, but not having seen all of what Blake described in PA, I can't be sure if it was most of the expensive damage.
Second, by the end of the trip, only about half of the 32 spikes remained. We lost one spike on the way up, and the rest on the trip down at virtually the same or slower speed, indicating early wear and/or brittleness after being out in the cold (where you would expect to use them). They did have a tendency to be lost quickly if we exceeded 47mph, which is how we jettisoned a few. Every once in a while on Monday we saw them zing off in a random direction, but I suspect now that some others zinged off unseen under the hood. It's hard to imagine careening carbide tips to be healthy. It might explain one or two sounds we heard, but honestly the things made so much noise all the time you never know. On a humourous note, as we lost spikes, the frequency and possibly volume consistently decreased, exactly as one would expect, but also making it easier to hear each other talk.
Overall though, the device has serious deficiencies, considering that they can't handle the cold environment they're supposed to be used in, problems were expeerienced well below spec, and we never went anywhere near 100% over spec, the typical tolerance Blake and I would expect as engineers. The kicker is this though: the spikes are found in pairs on spokes, and 15 of the 16 spikes lost were the trailing spike of the pair, likely indicating a consistent manufacturing defect of some kind.
First, the spokes 'bend-away' through angular acceleration (centrifugal 'force') at low (<30mph) speed, hitting nearby trim, reflectors, wires and other stuff. This in turn is exacerbated by the wheel spacers that the manufacturer recommends. Either the recommendation is wrong, or they just aren't compatible with Blake's wheels, as they claim. This caused much of the damage, I suspect, but not having seen all of what Blake described in PA, I can't be sure if it was most of the expensive damage.
Second, by the end of the trip, only about half of the 32 spikes remained. We lost one spike on the way up, and the rest on the trip down at virtually the same or slower speed, indicating early wear and/or brittleness after being out in the cold (where you would expect to use them). They did have a tendency to be lost quickly if we exceeded 47mph, which is how we jettisoned a few. Every once in a while on Monday we saw them zing off in a random direction, but I suspect now that some others zinged off unseen under the hood. It's hard to imagine careening carbide tips to be healthy. It might explain one or two sounds we heard, but honestly the things made so much noise all the time you never know. On a humourous note, as we lost spikes, the frequency and possibly volume consistently decreased, exactly as one would expect, but also making it easier to hear each other talk.
Overall though, the device has serious deficiencies, considering that they can't handle the cold environment they're supposed to be used in, problems were expeerienced well below spec, and we never went anywhere near 100% over spec, the typical tolerance Blake and I would expect as engineers. The kicker is this though: the spikes are found in pairs on spokes, and 15 of the 16 spikes lost were the trailing spike of the pair, likely indicating a consistent manufacturing defect of some kind.
#12
02-24-2005, 09:27 AM
5th Gear
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 928
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Let's see... recommended for under 30mph... flying off over 47mph, implying that they could have been going even faster.
One look at the design tells me that fast speeds are going to cause them to flare out and damage something. I guess this person didn't come to the same conclusion. You'd think they'd at least have the sense to remove them before causing that much damage to their car.
One look at the design tells me that fast speeds are going to cause them to flare out and damage something. I guess this person didn't come to the same conclusion. You'd think they'd at least have the sense to remove them before causing that much damage to their car.
#13
02-24-2005, 02:35 PM
short trips OK
If you have a particular hill to get up which requires extra traction,
and chains are required, the spider spikes should be OK.
Tahoe, I-80 could be a good candidate. Put them on, climb the hill,
and be done.
For a 2000 mile arctic trip, I chose actual snow tires.
I ran on Blizzak ws-50 on 15 inch steel wheels, the TireRack
package I picked up lightly used here on NAM classified.
Studded tires would have been better on ice, but I was OK
on ice and compact snow/ice. Absolutely wonderful on 6-8 inches
of powder snow on the shoulders when parking for a photo break.
The Hudson Bay spider-spike mini was running on 17 inch summer
performance tires -- not good in cold, not good on snow, not good on ice.
James Bay Highway
Just stop at the nearest gas station:
and chains are required, the spider spikes should be OK.
Tahoe, I-80 could be a good candidate. Put them on, climb the hill,
and be done.
For a 2000 mile arctic trip, I chose actual snow tires.
I ran on Blizzak ws-50 on 15 inch steel wheels, the TireRack
package I picked up lightly used here on NAM classified.
Studded tires would have been better on ice, but I was OK
on ice and compact snow/ice. Absolutely wonderful on 6-8 inches
of powder snow on the shoulders when parking for a photo break.
The Hudson Bay spider-spike mini was running on 17 inch summer
performance tires -- not good in cold, not good on snow, not good on ice.
James Bay Highway
Just stop at the nearest gas station:
#14
02-24-2005, 03:16 PM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Reading the just the excerpt, I have to believe the guy caused his MINI damage himself. Spike Spiders are absolutely NOT intended to be used on the highway at speed on pavement!!! Though the instructions say you can drive a short distance on pavement, they are not clear how far that is. In Europe, we were always told more than a couple hundred yards on pavement and you should remove the spikes. Also, thirty mph max, not a hair over that!!! It sounds like this guy took his car out on a dry highway at 55 or more and expects everything to be fine... uh uh!
Crazy stuff. This goes for chains and any traction devices, you must follow the manufactures recommendations, and probably even be a little more judicial in their use. Chains and tire spikes are not for highways, pull off and remove them. This is sort of like a person who believes they can change their synthetic oil every 10 - 15 thousand miles and still have an engine last over 100,000 miles... then you find out ALL of thier driving is city, under 35mph... yeah... well there is always Darwin!
Crazy stuff. This goes for chains and any traction devices, you must follow the manufactures recommendations, and probably even be a little more judicial in their use. Chains and tire spikes are not for highways, pull off and remove them. This is sort of like a person who believes they can change their synthetic oil every 10 - 15 thousand miles and still have an engine last over 100,000 miles... then you find out ALL of thier driving is city, under 35mph... yeah... well there is always Darwin!
Originally Posted by mbabischkin
Might want to re-think those spikes! This is an except from a posting on MINI2 from somebody who used them on the recent Hudson Bay or Bust trip:
Other people making the drive with this person said that the noise coming from those things was incredible... thought there were problems with the car until they saw the spikes...
Here's the link to the page, the actual thread is now up to 86 pages so I don't think you want to read all of it... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...72#post1401972
Further on in that thread:
This is an except from a posting on MINI2 from somebody who used them on the recent Hudson Bay or Bust trip:Other people making the drive with this person said that the noise coming from those things was incredible... thought there were problems with the car until they saw the spikes...
Here's the link to the page, the actual thread is now up to 86 pages so I don't think you want to read all of it... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...72#post1401972
Further on in that thread:
#15
02-24-2005, 03:44 PM
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - Old Town
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So I read through the postings about the damage to the Spike-spidered MINI. From what I can tell, the guy didn't follow the instructions at all, with the mounting, maximum speed or driving on pavement. These things are for slow speeds on snow covered roads, period. Once I get out of my neighborhood, I pull over and take them off. The MINI in question was driving on a superhighway, going over 45 mph. One wonders how ice and snow covered the road could be at that speed... anything over 35 and when you try to turn... well, see all the SUVs in ditches around here?!?
I feel bad about the MINI, don't like to see them hurt, but blantently not following directions and then complaining about it is typically American. Next we'll here about not having sex in a MINI becuase the sun roof can pop out and hurt the occupants...
I feel bad about the MINI, don't like to see them hurt, but blantently not following directions and then complaining about it is typically American. Next we'll here about not having sex in a MINI becuase the sun roof can pop out and hurt the occupants...
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
igzekyativ
MINIs & Minis for Sale
28
12-23-2015 10:36 AM
ECSTuning
Drivetrain Products
0
08-10-2015 01:59 PM