Some Tire Questions Answered
One question that I hear a lot is, "What is the difference between all season and all weather tires
?" All-Season tires are not designed for severe snow conditions. They are designed to have acceptable snow capability while providing the best performance in summer conditions.
Although most All-Season tires have an M+S (Mud and Snow) rating, they do not meet the Severe Winter Service Traction Standard. Another question that comes up frequently is, "Should I buy studded or non studded tires?"
The answer to that is complicated, but your state may have already forced the choice by passing a law against studded snow tires. Studded snow tires are a trade off.
If you are on hard packed (frozen) mud, or ice, they will grab better than anything except screws and (possibly) chains. On the dry, they will actually have less traction than the same snow tire without studs. This is because on the dry pavement, you will actually be running partly on the studs and you will not have as much rubber in contact with the road. Other draw backs to studs include that they are much noisier, and some people claim they chew up roads.
Choices in tires:
Most tire manufacturers make a true Mud & Snow (M+S) tire. Many now make tires that meet the Severe Winter Traction Standard.
Even among those with the same ratings (M&S, Severe Winter Traction), the differences between the tires often come down to trade offs made in design and purpose.
Snow Traction
Deep, heavy snow is much like mud. It requires a tire with large tread blocks and good size openings. The tire must be able to dig in yet not get clogged at low speeds.
If the tire can not expel the snow, it will start making itself into a snow ball. This type of tire is the "classic" M+S design.
Classically, the blocks are large and have large voids (empty spaces) between them. The tires sold for most trucks (designed to see mud, regardless if they ever do) are representative of this tread.
Lighter snow - often found when the weather turns really cold, and there are no salt trucks - allows a different tread design. The snow tires designed for high speed driving in the snow are often designed for lighter snow.
The tread blocks are closer, smaller, often cut with sipes (little grooves). Because the tread design relies on centrifugal force to throw snow out of the tread, these tires often do not work well at low speeds.
Ice Traction
Ice is a special case. The best tires for ice have 1/2" sheet metal screws protruding from them.
To make the tires, holes are drilled through the tread and then screws are literally screwed into the holes from the inside of the tire. Next, a layer of protective material is put in.
Since the holes will let air out, an inner tube is used when the tires are mounted. The tires work on ice because the screws chew into the ice to provide traction.
Needless to say, these tires are not welcomed on most public roads. A more road-worthy solution for ice is studded snow tires.
Metal studs are inserted in factory drilled holes in the tires. Since the holes are put in by the factory and are not all the way through the tire, the tires do not need an inner tube.
The pattern and number of studs will make a difference on the performance of the tire. In general, the more studs, the better the ice performance of the tire and the worse the dry pavement performance.
There are also newer designs that work well on ice but do not use studs. The non-studded snow tires do not work as well as studs, but they do a very good job.
Whatever your choice in tires, it is smart to have some kind of cold weather tires if you live in a cold place. You will keep yourself and others safer by having the proper equipment.
by: Jack Landry
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