Winter Tyre Information - info / threads / posts / vids
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:45 pm
ADD: This came up on a blog I like and thought it was a good place to start...
What are winter tyres?
Winter tyres exist because it’s unreasonable to expect a ‘summer’ tyre to deliver the same results from temperatures ranging from +30°C to -15°C. A winter tyre differs from a normal tyre in three simple ways – its tread compound, tread pattern and sipes. What sticks best to snow? Well, as every child who has ever built a snowman knows, the answer is more snow! Winter tyres use this simple scientific fact and work in the following ways:
1.Tread compound: At temperatures below 7°C the tread compound in a standard tyre begins to harden and lose grip. Winter tyres remain flexible and grippy at even the harshest temperatures thanks to a higher proportion of rubber content. The good people at Continental demonstrated this by placing a section of winter and standard tyres in a beer fridge. The difference was startling – it was nigh-on impossible to bend the standard tyre. In simple terms, this means that the standard tyre will glide across the road surface rather than digging in. Grip is reduced and safety is compromised.
2.Tread pattern: The pattern on a winter tyre is designed specifically to pick up snow and slush, therefore giving additional traction.
3.Sipes: These are the tiny lines you see in the tread pattern of a tyre. A higher number of sipes create a number of biting edges that grip the wintry surface, improving stability and braking.
Source and full article: PetrolBlog’s somewhat simple guide to Winter Tyres
Well worth a read... as is PetrolBlog in general.
I saw a video, below, that I was going to post about winter tyres as it is an increasingly popular topic. I couldn't see an obvious thread to add it to, despite there being many, so thought I'd start a thread and pull some of the previous info together.
I apologise if anyone has made a valuable contribution that I've missed, feel free to add quotes from other posts. It all sounds biased toward winter tyres, but I don't think I've seen anything negative!
Anyway, to start, here's another good video...
Goodyear Dunlop take the Ultragrip 8 and Winter Sport 4D to a snow dome and compares them directly to their summer tyre
equivalents.
Demo starts at 1:10
Plus some others...
Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice
Do winter tyres work? by autocar.co.uk
Effectiveness of Winter Tyres / Tires in the Frozen Britain
Update 7/10/11
Parkers: A guide to winter tyres
Taken from the above...
SMMT Cold Weather Tyres - Media Test Day
What are winter tyres?
Winter tyres exist because it’s unreasonable to expect a ‘summer’ tyre to deliver the same results from temperatures ranging from +30°C to -15°C. A winter tyre differs from a normal tyre in three simple ways – its tread compound, tread pattern and sipes. What sticks best to snow? Well, as every child who has ever built a snowman knows, the answer is more snow! Winter tyres use this simple scientific fact and work in the following ways:
1.Tread compound: At temperatures below 7°C the tread compound in a standard tyre begins to harden and lose grip. Winter tyres remain flexible and grippy at even the harshest temperatures thanks to a higher proportion of rubber content. The good people at Continental demonstrated this by placing a section of winter and standard tyres in a beer fridge. The difference was startling – it was nigh-on impossible to bend the standard tyre. In simple terms, this means that the standard tyre will glide across the road surface rather than digging in. Grip is reduced and safety is compromised.
2.Tread pattern: The pattern on a winter tyre is designed specifically to pick up snow and slush, therefore giving additional traction.
3.Sipes: These are the tiny lines you see in the tread pattern of a tyre. A higher number of sipes create a number of biting edges that grip the wintry surface, improving stability and braking.
Source and full article: PetrolBlog’s somewhat simple guide to Winter Tyres
Well worth a read... as is PetrolBlog in general.
I saw a video, below, that I was going to post about winter tyres as it is an increasingly popular topic. I couldn't see an obvious thread to add it to, despite there being many, so thought I'd start a thread and pull some of the previous info together.
I apologise if anyone has made a valuable contribution that I've missed, feel free to add quotes from other posts. It all sounds biased toward winter tyres, but I don't think I've seen anything negative!
Anyway, to start, here's another good video...
Goodyear Dunlop take the Ultragrip 8 and Winter Sport 4D to a snow dome and compares them directly to their summer tyre
equivalents.
Demo starts at 1:10
Plus some others...
Tire Rack Tire Test - Winter/Snow vs. All-Season vs. Summer Tires on Ice
Do winter tyres work? by autocar.co.uk
Effectiveness of Winter Tyres / Tires in the Frozen Britain
Update 7/10/11
Parkers: A guide to winter tyres
Taken from the above...
ADD:Parkers.co.uk wrote:The first is a car fitted with summer tyres on a ‘kick plate’ which is used to simulate a skid on black ice. The second is a car with winter tyres in exactly the same situation.
Car 1 (summer tyres):
Car 2 (winter tyres):
SMMT Cold Weather Tyres - Media Test Day