Studs? Studs only help on ice. Plus they tear up dry streets, make it more dangerous to drive in the dry. Good winter tires (correct tread pattern) should be all you need; if you get into a good quality M&S or All Season tire you shouldn't have any problems. I had an Opel Kadett Wagon that was just a tank in the snow; I could stop at the bottom of a hill then go up with no running start and have no problems at all. Great little car till my neighbor blew the transmission doing burn outs on my front lawn chasing my dog.I had a very good experience with my 1978 For Fiesta with FWD. Hardly ever did we have to put chains on it, and we took it to skiing every winter weekend for a couple years. We didn't even have studded tires. The Elio should exceed what the Fiesta could do by about 30%. With studded tires you may never need chains until snow is well above the floor level.