Many vehicles are fitted with all season tires when they leave the factory. Since they are built to provide a relatively quiet ride, good tread life and year-round performance, its no wonder why they are so popular. All season tires offer versatile performance and are designed to perform in a variety of conditions including wet roads and light winter driving. All season tires are designed to offer a combination of benefits from summer and winter tires.
In order to provide good performance in a variety of driving conditions, all-season tires inevitably have to compromise some max summer and winter performance capabilities.That means all-season tires won’t provide the same amount of extreme grip and sharp handling of a summer tire. Likewise, an all-season tire is not designed to handle extreme winter conditions like trekking through snow or driving on ice.
Think of all-season tires like tennis shoes. You can wear tennis shoes all year, but they aren’t ideal for all situations. It’d be much better to have flip flops on the beach in the summer and boots for the snow.
All-season tire technology offers great year-round performance for drivers who live in moderate climates and do not frequently encounter extreme cold, ice, and snow in the winter months.
When it comes to driving in winter weather, having the right tire matters. From heavy snowfall to black ice, winter roads are extremely unpredictable. These conditions challenge tires to provide traction like no other season of the year. The combination of cold temperatures, ice, and snow can be best met by winter tires, which are specially designed to perform in winter conditions.
When it comes to driving in winter weather, having the right tire matters.
From heavy snowfall to black ice, winter roads are extremely unpredictable. These conditions challenge tires to provide traction like no other season of the year. The combination of cold temperatures, ice, and snow can be best met by winter tires, which are specially designed to perform in winter conditions.
There are specific features of winter tires that make them unique: tread rubber, tread depth and patterns, and biting edges.
The Tread Rubber - In extreme cold temperatures, the tread rubber of an all season or summer tire stiffens and becomes less able to provide sufficient traction. To combat this, tread rubber compounds of winter tires are designed to remain flexible, allowing the tire to grip the road better.
The Tread Depth and Patterns - A unique feature of winter tires is deeper tread depths and unique tread patterns. Deeper tread depths reduce snow buildup and provide better traction on the snow. Winter tire tread patterns are designed to channel snow and slush and expel water.
Biting Edges - Winter tires also feature an increased number of biting edges and high sipe densities, or in other words, thousands of tiny slits in the tread that provide traction on ice.
Bridgestone Blizzak tires also feature a proprietary multi-cell compound that acts as a sponge to help remove the thin layer of water that resides on ice and cause slippage. This helps to improve traction in icy conditions so you can maintain control of your vehicle. Check out our Blizzak DM-V2 winter tire for a closer look at how this tire provides confident driving in snow and icy conditions.
The solution to the winter or snow tires vs. all-season tires question will depend on where you live and the conditions in which you drive.
If you only see a few snow flurries each year and slick, icy roads are more of a fluke than an annual ordeal, all-season tires are probably the way to go. But if you know there’s a period when icy roads are always an issue, mounting winter tires isn’t an over-the-top precaution – it’s an essential safety measure that could save your life.
When mounting winter tires for the season, always install a full set. Just changing out the front tires increases the likelihood that the rear tires will skid. Likewise, just putting snow tires on the rear wheels could cause the front tires to lose traction and make it impossible to steer your vehicle.
And remember to re-mount those all-season tires when spring rolls around. While winter tires are undeniably superior in extreme winter conditions, they’ll wear down faster on warm, dry pavement.
Shop Snow or All-Season tires and view product level tire technology details that are compatible with your driving needs.
When it comes to driving in winter weather, having the right snow tires matters. Watch the video to see how Bridgestone Blizzak premium winter tires are designed to deliver optimal snow and ice performance.
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This article was published more than 6 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.
All-season tires are a bad compromise. On snow, ice or cold pavement, the stopping distance of a car equipped with winter tires can be 30 to 40 per cent shorter than one with all-seasons. Since the force of a crash increases as the square of impact speed, this could be the difference between life and death.
Although it's the treads that you notice, the most important part of a winter tire is actually its rubber compound, which is designed to stay soft in freezing temperatures. Like a gecko climbing a sheet of glass, a tire sticks to the road by conforming to minute imperfections.
The soft rubber treads of a winter tire are able to splay and wrap themselves around minute protrusions on cold pavement, or even on what may appear to be perfectly smooth ice. Summer tires, which are designed to operate in warm temperatures, harden as the temperature falls. All-seasons, which must be designed for year-round use, cannot match winter tires in low temperatures.
Premium winter tires perform better than basic models. What you're paying for is the latest in rubber technology and tread design. What you get is traction that may be up to 15 per cent better than economy-model winter tires. If you want to see the difference between different grades of winter tires, go to an ice race. "The drivers with the premium tires are all out front," says Ontario racer and winter driving instructor Ian Law. "There's no comparison."
It's about temperature, not snow. Winter tires should be installed when you expect temperatures to fall to 7C or below.
As the temperature falls, the rubber in summer and all-season tires becomes inflexible, killing traction. Watch the thermometer and use common sense, because no one will tell exactly when to put on snow tires (unless you live in Quebec, where the law dictates that your car be equipped with winter tires between Dec. 15 and March 15.)
Winter tires should be narrower than summer models. Experts recommend that you go down one or two sizes when installing winter tires – if your car came with 215-mm-wide summer tires, for example, your winter tires should be 205 mm or 195 mm. Reducing the width of a tire increases the pressure it exerts on the surface beneath it – this helps the tire slice through snow and reduces hydroplaning.
Winter tires are designed to move water. When a tire presses down on snow or ice, it melts the top layer, creating a thin film of water (the same phenomenon that occurs as a skate glides across a rink). If the water isn't moved away from the area in front of the tire, the car will hydroplane.
This is why winter tires are covered with grooves (including tiny channels known as "sipes") that move water away to the sides, allowing the tire to stay in contact with the surface.
All-wheel drive helps you accelerate, not stop. On slippery surfaces, vehicles with four driving wheels can accelerate better than those with two-wheel drive. But their cornering and braking capabilities are little different than a two-wheel-drive model. When you're trying to stop or turn, the limits are determined by the traction capabilities of your tires, not the number of driven wheels.
Black ice is not a death sentence. Good winter tires can stick to glare ice, but only if they are within their traction limits. If your car begins to slide, look straight down the road at where you need to go, and maintain a light grip on the wheel. As the car decelerates, you will gradually regain control as the rubber in your tires begins gripping surface imperfections on the ice.
Slow speed and gentle control inputs will maintain traction.
The performance of winter tires has been significantly improved over the past decade by advanced rubber compounds that allow designers to make tires softer without sacrificing other critical properties, including wear and heat buildup as temperatures climb. Major manufacturers spend a lot of money on R&D. Jaap Leendertse, winter tire platform manager for Pirelli in Milan, Italy, told me the company has developed more than 300 compounds in the ongoing quest for the ideal winter tire.
In the old days, winter tires came with deep, aggressive treads designed to paddle through deep snow. This made for a noisy ride and compromised stability, since the treads deflected under acceleration, braking and cornering loads. Current winter tire technology focuses on shallower treads with closely spaced grooves that carry away the water film created when the tire presses down on ice or snow.
Although testing makes it easy to see the performance advantages of a winter tire (you stop faster), the technology behind it is deceptively complex..jpg)
Tire designers must consider a long list of factors, including tread stability and hysteresis (a process that generates heat as a tire repeatedly deforms and recovers as it rotates under the weight of a car).
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Foreword
How
worksVelcro splint features
Types and features of friction tires
Which roads are
friction tires suitable for?Features of Velcro operation
Pros and Cons of
Friction Tires With the onset of the winter period, many car owners are faced with the problem of choosing between "studded" and friction tires. The studded version has long been tested, so many people treat various innovations with distrust. However, the latest innovations offer a lot of interesting features.
About what it is and how friction tires work - in the material below.
A friction tire or Velcro is a class of winter tire that can cling to the ice surface without metal inserts. If in studded rubber the interaction of the slippery coating and the tread consists of the friction of the rubber and the adhesion of the studs, then in the friction one only the friction force is used. The grip of the wheel with the road largely depends on the checkers of the tread pattern. The greater their number and the total length of the edges in the contact patch, the better the wheel will hold the winter road. During acceleration, the rear edge of the tread block is activated, while braking - the front.
A warm winter tire can melt the ice structure. This is clearly evidenced by the traces of the tread on the ice surface. The principle of operation of the Velcro protector is to remove (absorb) a thin film of water that forms between an icy surface and heated rubber, resulting in dry or semi-dry friction.
The thickness of the water film is affected by the air temperature and the structure of the ice, so the grip properties of the tire are completely dependent on climatic conditions. The lower the temperature drops in winter, the more effective the use of friction rubber.
The functional features of Velcro provide the special properties of rubber and the special texture of the surface of the tire:
a large number of lamellas;
softness of materials;
porous structure;
abrasive microparticles.
All friction tires are connected by an increased number of sipes. The lamella is a thin strip of rubber into which the tread is divided. This separation increases the pressure on the coating, thereby achieving improved adhesion. There are the following types of lamellae:
transverse;
diagonal;
zigzag.
The Velcro protector is equipped with lugs, like any other self-cleaning protector. The difference lies in the increased density of the arrangement, which positively affects the mileage, allowing the use of a larger number of lamellas. It is with the edges of the sipes that the tires cling to the surface, and in combination with the large tread depth, a stable and large contact patch is formed.
Under the weight of the car, the sipes in the tread blocks separate, which literally sticks to the surface of the snow-covered roadway. When leaving the contact zone with the road, the sipes converge, and the tire self-cleans, displacing ice chips and snow.
But lamellas are far from being the only important condition. No matter how many of them are provided, the maximum adhesion efficiency can only be ensured by the porous structure of the rubber. It is she who will absorb water when hitting the roadway.
The Velcro rubber contains a cryosilane mixture with silica, so it does not coarsen at low temperatures, and a large number of micropores drain the water film.
At the molecular level, each tire pore interacts with the road surface according to the suction cup principle, which provides not only an effective traction function, but also a short braking distance. At the same time, many manufacturers declare the addition of solid microparticles of inorganic and organic origin to the rubber mixture. Such abrasives perform the function of a kind of mini-spikes, which only enhances the friction properties.
Depending on the performance characteristics, friction tires are divided into Nordic and European. This is a conditional division, there is no such marking on the tire.
Velcro Nordic type from the "European" are distinguished by the following features:
A large number of deep lamellas. Compared to European, Nordic friction rubber has lamellas cut almost to the entire tread depth. Due to this, the opening of the tread blocks and the simulation of the tire sticking to the surface occur.
No stud/hole for stud.
Low speed index. "Scandinavians" are less stable at high speeds due to dense cutting of sipes and deep tread. As a rule, the speed limit varies between 160-190 km / h.
The soft composition of the rubber compound, thanks to which elasticity is not lost at extremely low temperatures.
Nordic friction tires are designed for cold winters with frequent snowfalls, while "Europeans" do not tolerate frost and require more gentle conditions - clean roads treated with anti-icing agents.
Friction tires were developed in Europe, where not only the weather is comfortable in winter, but the roads are always well maintained. In Russian realities, Velcro behave as follows:
Snow covered road. On a snowy surface, friction rubber is no different from spikes. On snow, the studs do not play any role, the main thing is the tread height.
Wet road. The friction clutch absorbs moisture better, the braking distance is reduced.
Due to the large number of micropores that drain the water film, Velcro wins studded rubber in wet weather.
Ice road. On an icy road at temperatures up to -20°C, Velcro will lose to studs: its gripping ability is 20% lower compared to studs that pierce ice.
After -20°C, the characteristics of friction and studded tires are compared. At such a low temperature, the ice becomes strong, and the spike cannot pierce and catch on it. Velcro rubber does not lose its softness and easily clings to the surface.
There is no clear advantage of friction rubber over studded rubber. Velcro is more versatile and will suit car owners who spend most of their time in the city and do not drive around the countryside with its characteristic ice. In addition, friction tires do not have to worry about changeable weather: they perform well in the spring, when there are sudden temperature changes. For driving on snowy terrain, most drivers will prefer studs, which are cheaper and more confident off-road.
Legislative requirements for the winter class of tires are the same for both studded and friction tires. During the period from December to February, the vehicle must be equipped with winter tires bearing the snowflake mountain peak badge and lettering "M S", "M&S" or "M+S". In this case, the residual tread height must be more than 4 mm. The requirement to have a sign with the letter “Ш” on the vehicle does not apply to friction tires.
It is important that this technical regulation prohibits the use of studded tires in the summer, but there is no direct ban on the use of Velcro in the same period. However, this does not mean that the tire can be considered all-season: its characteristics are designed for the winter period, and operation on hot asphalt will lead to a loss of adequate handling and accelerate wear.
It is worth remembering that the first 100-150 km is the running-in of friction tires. This distance is enough to wear off the film of lubricant that was applied before curing.
The optimal speed during the break-in period is no more than 80 km / h. The slats will be sharpened in the direction of travel, so you should not brake sharply and make other steep maneuvers. Otherwise, damage to the tread is inevitable.
In the course of further operation, such abrupt maneuvers are also undesirable: the rubber of the friction tires is soft, so it wears out quickly. Installation of the old kit for the next season must be carried out in compliance with the direction of rotation that was previously.
Velcro can not be called ideal, so before buying it is important to know their positive and negative sides.
Pros:
The special softness allows the friction rubber to literally “float” along the road, without creating increased noise in the cabin.
Rubber does not harden at low temperatures and retains its grip properties.
Thanks to good handling on any road, friction tires are suitable for the off-season.
They can be installed before the start of frost and return to summer only at the end of spring.
Due to the self-cleaning tread, the tire is effective when driving in deep snow.
The presence of special grooves for water drainage prevents the tires from slipping.
When driving in deep and dry snow, there are no alternatives to friction rubber. These tires "stick" to the snow surface, which guarantees excellent handling. But there are also a number of disadvantages:
Uncertainty on rolled snow and ice, which significantly worsens the car's handling.
Despite their versatility, Velcro cannot be used as an all-weather rubber due to uneven wear. In warm weather, they become too soft, which is not the best way to affect handling.
Friction tires require a break-in to sharpen the sipes in the correct direction. It is recommended not to make sudden maneuvers in the first kilometers.
Another disadvantage of friction tires is their lesser adaptability to the needs of inexperienced drivers. Such drivers intuitively press the brake pedal in an emergency situation. In modern cars, ABS compensates for this error, but if it is not there, then the locked wheels shod with Velcro will seriously lose their effectiveness. In the case of spikes, everything works as it should.
It is the unpredictability of behavior on well-rolled snow that has caused drivers to distrust friction tires. On asphalt, this rubber has no equal, so it will be the best choice for big cities with good road infrastructure, autobahns and federal highways.
After all, Velcro rubber holds the road no worse than a studded tread, in addition, it does not disfigure the asphalt and does not slip on a hard surface.
These advantages propelled non-studded winter tires to the top of the list of consumer preferences, where they have remained to this day. But what constitutes Velcro tires, unfortunately, not all drivers who choose exclusively studded models for the winter understand (this is not yet prohibited in Russia). Therefore, further in the text we will try to answer the most burning questions of drivers who want to change the spikes to Velcro.
Friction model is a winter or all-weather type of tire without studs. In the people it is called "Velcro". This nickname appeared as a result of rumors about the increased adhesion of tires, which supposedly “sticks” to any surface. In fact, Velcro works quite differently.
Studded model bites into crust or ice with round or rectangular metal inserts. The mechanism of operation of such a wheel is clear to everyone. The friction model is more complicated - it clings to the road, snow and ice due to the increased coefficient of friction.
Moreover, the increased value of the friction force is provided by three components:
Increased friction has replaced the studs used in winter tires since the 1930s. This replacement predetermined the main vector of designing tires for cold climates, as a result of which not only asphalt-friendly winter models appeared on the market, but also all-season options suitable for riding at any time of the year.
First of all, the lack of studs. But not all studded models are supplied to the consumer with installed inserts, in addition, metal studs may fall out of the tread.
How, in this case, to distinguish Velcro from the studded version without inserts? Very simple - pay attention to the following points:
By controlling these moments, you will distinguish any kind of Velcro from a studded model, and do not buy a worn wheel with dropped studs under the guise of a friction option.
Manufacturers of winter wheels are ready to offer customers only two types of friction models:
The sides of the tread stand out so clearly that the profile of the Scandinavian model looks like the letter "P". In addition, for such Velcro, the softest tires (50 Shore units) are selected, and the Scandinavian speed index is Q or T. The Scandinavian version has a second name - arctic (or alpine) tires. Moreover, some models from this series allow temporary installation of studs, and the Scandinavian tread pattern is also found on studded tires from some manufacturers. The European version is designed for fast driving on snow-cleared streets and autobahns. Such a tire is closer to all-season models than to classic winter tires.
Scandinavian Velcro is designed for severe off-road.
They will overcome both the icy roadbed and virgin snow. The wavy edges of the “cubes” and V-shaped protrusions of the arctic tread are ready to cling to any bumps, and the soft rubber literally flows into microcracks under the pressure of the wheel.
Tests of such tires show excellent results on any off-road, and in severe frost they are ready to compete even with studded options. Arctic rubber retains elasticity even at -25°C, so its braking distance will not differ from that of a studded tread.
Winter
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Cargo
Winter Drive Protection Sound Comfort
Rating:
4.5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
Winter Drive Protection Sound Comfort
Rating:
4.
5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice SUV
Winter Drive protection
Rating:
4.5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice +
Winter Drive protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2
Winter Drive Protection Run On Flat
Rating:
4.5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1
Winter Drive Protection Run On Flat
Rating:
4
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 2
Winter Disc protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2+
The weak side of the "Scandinavians" is too soft rubber.
The tread of such a tire wears out faster than that of a “European”, in addition, a too soft tire begins to “walk” on a hard surface. Drivers note slow reactions to turns and sharp maneuvers when moving from virgin snow to asphalt.
Scandinavian tires are designed for trips outside the city, on snowy streets or highways. There is nothing to do in the city on such tires.
European Velcro is the best tire for slushy winters. It differs from the Scandinavian with an almost summer tread pattern. Rounded shoulders, a dense arrangement of cubes and V-elements, a solid sidewall and an abundance of water-removing sipes - all this allows the “European” to move on a winter road at summer speeds (over 200 km / h) without losing grip on the track.
Tests of such tires show the similarity of the results of European tires and all-season tires. Between -5 and 7°C they have about the same stopping distance and similar hydroplaning resistance.
However, at low temperatures, the “European” bypasses any all-season tires, demonstrating better handling and minimal braking distance even at -20 ° C.
The downside of "Europeans" can be called the relationship between the braking distance and the type of coverage - on ice or on a snowy road, these tires do not feel as confident as on wet or dry pavement. For an extreme road, they have too much rubber hardness.
European tires bought for city driving. Moreover, they can be installed already in September - they do not “walk” on a paved road even at 15-17 ° C.
When choosing a tire for a car of a particular brand, they operate with the following criteria:
