videos of an I2 on ice

[Hobbes]

The tires are the IRC SN23, which have a high silica winter rubber compound.

I took the video with a cell phone. That is why the quality is poor. Turn the sound down, as the cold temperature made havoc with the microphone on the cell phone which caused a lot of cracking noise.

[Bob.Kerns]

Wow, that's pretty cool! Thanks!

A few things I noted -- first, there's a LOT more traction than I expected -- and my expectations, based on my experience with those tires on snow up at the Sugar Bowl ski resort, is probably a lot higher than most.

I could see a game of Segway Hockey..

Second, when you first posted, I pictured an indoor rink, with ice carefully groomed with a Zamboni. I suspect that would push the limits a lot further. But I think it would still be possible to remain upright if you're gentle -- except perhaps if the ice were melting in the sun, when it can get really hard to handle on foot without skates.

I have an idea for skates to attach to a Segway (below the platform, not replacing the wheels) that might make it very stable on ice, without interfering with its Segway self-balancing nature. If you get just the right shape, and degree of spring-loading, the skates could provide a restoring force (by shifting the point of balance on the skates forward) in the event that traction cannot.

I'm not sure what problems this might leave one-wheel traction loss, but I have some thoughts about how skates could counter that, as well.

But there's no ice here to play around with.

[Zorba9]

Several years before Segway made the first X series off-road machines I started experimenting with different size snow tire studs inserted into the Michelin/Segway extra-traction tires. These tires were designed with stud holes already made into the tread (Segway initially thought they would use snow studs in several different applications - but backed out for liability reasons). We were the first ones to seriously run the Segways off-road. Thru mud, snow & ice we ran, Slow motion 45 degree hill-climbing with the Seg beeping and complaining all the way - but never shutting down! We started free Beta testing right here on SegwayChat with many sets of tires being sent all over the country. A few current members are/were owners and Beta testers (if you liked them you could buy them instead of sending them back to me) I wound up buying over 40 pairs of tires/rims from Segway at their exhorbitant price of almost $450 pr! We had quite a buzz going, running city Segways in off-road conditions and even had Chris Knight (SC member) riding them for a "Tech TV" television show. 2 years of running off-road publicly and creating somewhat of a stir,The Segway company came out with the XT model and promptly put me out of the off-road business! ( I knew that would be coming - I was already deer hunting off my E-167) What to do with the remaining inventory of studded tires? It turns out my off-road tires woked fantastic on sheet ice! Thet literally rode up on the tips of snow tire studs. You could ride at full speed and SLAM to a halt, spin around and go the opposite direction! Great fun as witnessed by many old threads here on SC. I still own a few brand new pairs of these tires if anyone is interested. The old photo gallery here under my name is full of pictures from back then - check them out!

[Civicsman]

Studded tires, Zorba9. Very cool.

Warm weather folks may not have experienced the studded automotive tires of the 1970's. They worked great on ice. Unfortunately, those same pointed spikes of carborundum absolutely shredded streets and roads. For that reason, they were outlawed by most states in the USA within a couple of years.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Civicsman

Studded tires, Zorba9. Very cool.

Warm weather folks may not have experienced the studded automotive tires of the 1970's. They worked great on ice. Unfortunately, those same pointed spikes of carborundum absolutely shredded streets and roads. For that reason, they were outlawed by most states in the USA within a couple of years.

Actually, studded snow tires are only outlawed by about 9 states, plus most of Maryland.

They are unrestricted in 7 states.

They are allowed only in winter (dates vary) in 33 states and DC.

A few states only allow them for out of state drivers or registered cars.

New Hampshire, where the segway is made, has unrestricted use for studded snow tires. Some neighboring states have either unrestricted use, or seasonal use restrictions.

Clearly, I cannot know where some people are from, but Cali has winter use authorized for studded snow tires, as does Nevada, and Massachusetts, where I come from.

My understanding was not that they damaged the roads, but that they are actually pretty slippery on rain wet roads. I am sure there are several reasons for their restrictions, and both reasons published in this thread are very valid. Furthermore, they hit their height of popularity before radial tires were common, and they work better with bias ply tires, because of the tire geometry. At least that was my understanding of the situation. I am sure that they still have their place, in places where it is common for people to switch to winter tires. Most drivers in the United States no longer do this.


I also have used Zorba's studded tires for my E-167, and they worked great. As he said, there was quite a bit of talk about them, and I too have photos in my gallery of their use, including towing my kids on sleds in snowstorms.