His ASM Motorsports-prepared Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car will sport the grip-enhancing hardware as he begins his challenge to win the 2012 FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) at Rally Sweden.
Paddon flew into Finland last week from his new base in Montgat, Spain, where he undertook his first drive of a Group N car on snow and was greeted with -30degC freezing conditions.
He spent a day near Ari Vatanen's home town of Tuupovaara on a gravel road that was built to celebrate the Finnish rally ace's 1981 world championship win.
Paddon said he was able to get a good understanding of what to be prepared for competing in a wintry, snowbound rally.
"With the 300-odd metal studs in each tyre, the grip levels are very similar to gravel, although the car does slide around a little more as you can expect. But it is very enjoyable."
From Finland, he flew to Norway to meet up with his ASM Motorsport team and put into practice some of the scenarios he will face in Sweden, including several of the stages being run at night.
"We were able to complete a successful test on Sunday and Monday in Norway in changing conditions, from day to night, heavy snow to ice and gravel.
"During the test, we learned a lot more about our Skoda S2000 and were able to try many different set-ups to learn what does and doesn't work on the car. The end result is a start set-up for Rally Sweden that I am feeling very comfortable with.
"I have studied a fair bit of video footage and there certainly seems to be more room for error with snow banks.
"The grip levels are very good with snow tyres, but also differ considerably between the snow and ice, which is something I am yet to learn."
For the event, they can expect temperatures as low as -30degC and, although there is no heating in the car, all the ducting has been blocked to help keep the engine and brakes warm, which also helps maintain the in-car heat, Paddon's media manager, Kate Gordon-Smith, said.
In terms of competition, although French rally star Sebastién Ogier is not registered for the SWRC, he is still in a S2000 car - a Volkswagen-backed Skoda, similar to Paddon's - and is seeded immediately ahead of the talented Kiwi, behind 21 WRC entrants.
He and the second VW driver, who at this event is 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge Champion Norwegian Andres Milkenson, will provide benchmarks for Paddon.
Within the SWRC, his two main rivals will be Irishman Craig Breen in a Ford Fiesta S2000 and Swedish driver PG Andersson in a Proton Satria Neo S2000.
