What Makes a Winter Tyre Effective

in Winter? To the untrained eye, a summer tyre might not look that different from a winter tyre,

but there’s some real science behind the design of winter tyres. In fact, every winter

tyre has a host of features at work—only some of which are visible—to keep you

safe on winter roads.

Tyre engineers have spent years determining how different designs give drivers the

most safety through ice, snow and cold temperatures. In Canada, many drivers rely

on winter tyres. But how exactly do winter tyres help you stay on the road?

HOW WINTER TYRES WORK TO ENSURE

SAFETY ON THE ROAD:

Compound

Winter tyres need to stay soft and flexible so they can grip the road even in cold

temperatures. When the thermometer hits 7 C, summer and all-season tyres become

hard and lose their effectiveness.

Winter tyres, however, are made with a softer compound and they contain more

rubber than summer tyres. Unlike a hard hockey puck that would slide over ice, your

flexible winter tyres bend and grip snow like the soles of a winter boot. They also

contain silica, which is like sand, and gives the rubber a biting edge on slippery

snow.

Some winter tyres are also stud able for driving on wet ice or hard-packed snow, but

many stud less tyres have a compound that contains crystal-like particles that act as

built-in studs to grip ice.

Siping

These hairline cuts in the tread of your tyre displace water and grip snow. Winter

tyres have thousands of these tiny crevices cut into the rubber of your winter tyre so

you have the traction you need on ice and snow.

On a summer tyre, snow clogs the channels and creates a slippery, unsafe surface

for winter roads. Sometimes a winter tyre’s siping will also contain teeth so that even

as the tread wears, the siping remains effective.

Tread design

Winter tyres have a huskier look in part because of the tread design. Winter tyre

manufacturers have a range of tread designs, from asymmetrical and arrowhead to

v-shaped and staggered shoulders. Each is meant to give you more traction by

pushing away slush and snow so you can brake and corner safely.

https://youtu.be/w_lPzBSTEn4

Source: https://www.kaltyre.com, http://www.auto123.com/

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