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Author Topic:   Cold weather tire compounds......?
Ed
unregistered
posted January 12, 2000 04:28 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Curious as to whether hard or soft tire compounds are preferred for snow.

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TireEng
Member
posted January 13, 2000 07:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for TireEng   Click Here to Email TireEng     Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
There are many properties that make tires better or worse in the snow. Softer tires at colder temperatures are better because they allow the tread elements to work in the snow.

The way some tire companies compound their tires allows them to have relatively harder tread compounds and maintain snow performance so this rule of thumb does not always apply.

I would recommend looking at third party test results (tirerack, consumer reports, ...) or talking to other people (Like on this BB). That is your best predictor.

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bikor
unregistered
posted January 13, 2000 11:12 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Blizzaks and Arctic Alpins, for instance, boast of rubber softer at colder temps. Blizzak's tread is half softer rubber (about 20-30K mi), and then "all season" rubber beneath - for use as a "non-snow" tire. The general rule is not to drive snow tires in the summer because the heat uses the soft rubber faster, and the tires don't dissipate friction heat as well.

I haven't heard of any hard rubber snow tires, other than perhaps older-design tires that rely on studding for ice traction. The newer generation tires rely on tread design, softer rubber and also stuff like silica or walnut shells in the rubber compound.

I don't claim to be a TireEng, just a snow-tire studying engineer.

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Bikor
unregistered
posted January 13, 2000 04:39 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Brain-melt. Change to snow-tire studying CONSUMER.

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Ed
unregistered
posted January 13, 2000 07:46 PM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Thanx for the info. The manuf claims of soft rubber in cold climates is what prompted the question.

On another note... i recently ran my 2 front tires down to the wear mark before putting new ones on. It's funny how jerky and harsh the handling was (not to mention drifting), it felt like a model T. Most noticeable was the absolutely horrible braking. You tend to underestimate the treads impact on braking until you have none. It makes you appreciate modern tread design and the treads ability to absorb energy.... which i think is the key.

Mental Note****
Great tires control the transfer of energy and liquids very well.

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Marc
unregistered
posted January 30, 2000 07:07 AM           Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Softer rubber helping traction in the snow???
This is just a little part of it, tread design is also a very big part of snow effective tire, especially the one with directionnal tread desing who expel the snow
faster the non-directionnal, the void between
the log is also a big consideration, the v-
shape angle is also very important ect....
It is exactly the same process of making a
good cake, all the ingredients are important.
For me, the best receipe always comes from the scandinavians, they now better that any body else how to handle all the various conditions and road surfaces encountered in real winter conditions! It is just plain logic that those guy's succeed better that the others.

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