[WestCanMan]

I have studded snow tires on my car and there is a difference between each mode. In the summer you can also feel the difference with the OEM tires.

Kona N is a fine car and with proper tires for the the colder climates I'm sure it will handle fine.

As for the difference between modes, the power is still there but with premium gas and going full on N it is not just about straight line speed. It is the car ability take corners and come out of the corner rather fast. It's how the steering wheel feels when you take the corner, its how aggressive the transmission reacts, how the e-LSD and traction control reacts and of course how the car sounds. Power wise, if you run premium and run it in N mode you may get 270-280 whp on a stock car at the dyno. With regular gas and running it in ECO you may get around 250whp. That HP number won't really be noticed especially if you are driving OEM tires in cold weather due to the lack of gripe the tires have. With proper tires you will feel it.

Have you run your N with non-studs before? If so, how do you find the studded tires compared to non-studded? As the N isn't AWD, I was really tempted to buy the studded tires, but kicking myself that I didn't. Our Canadian models have the Deep Snow mode, so maybe don't need the studs.

Good information about the difference in power using premium gas. Quite a difference.

 

[RacingRedN]

Have you run your N with non-studs before? If so, how do you find the studded tires compared to non-studded? As the N isn't AWD, I was really tempted to buy the studded tires, but kicking myself that I didn't. Our Canadian models have the Deep Snow mode, so maybe don't need the studs.

Good information about the difference in power using premium gas. Quite a difference.

The tires I have for my Kona N were originally bought for my Elantra Sport after the snow season last year. They were returned tires that were driven on 1x. They were already studded and they were discounted. I personally hate studded snow tires but bought them like that as they were only $50 a tire mounted and balanced. When I got my Kona N I had the dealership swap my rim and tire setup I had for Elantra so I could keep both the snow and the motegi rims for the KN as I knew the motegi would fit any of the cars I was considering buying.

Studded tires give you slightly and I mean ever so slightly better grip in snow and ice. Is it worth the cost of adding studs to a car for that extra grip? Depends on where you live. For me, where I live probably not. We are nearing the end of the snow season and come mid April I will have my summer tires once again on my N. The storms where I did take the Kona N out in the snow yes they worked perfectly but usually afterward the paved roads that were clear the studded tires become more of an issue due to road noise than anything else.

My next set of winter tires won't be studded. In fact it won't be a dedicated snow tire. It will be an all weather tire such from Nokian or FireStone that has the three mountain peak.