Are Friction Tires Good Enough For Winter Conditions?

non-studded tires

Friction tires are another name for non-studded tires, as they don’t use studs to create grip on ice. For winter tires, you have two different types of tires, you have the studded tires, and you have the non-studded tires. In addition to that, you also have both tires aimed just for the winter season and thus referred to as winter tires, and you have all-weather tires, which, if they are winter approved, can handle all the different weathers, including winter weather.  Therefore, the all-weather tires can be used throughout the year, and you don’t have to worry about when to change or any weather forecast.

The friction tires are great at winter tires and have a rubber compound that makes them soft and flexible at low temperatures, so they can ensure a good grip even at very low temperatures. The tread pattern is geared towards winter conditions so that they have excellent grip and traction on snow and the pattern also is good at preventing slushplaning. Slush can be very treacherous, as it is very difficult to gain control. To avoid slushplaning, your tires will need to push the slush to the sides to remain in control. This puts a lot of pressure on the design of the tread and its grooves. 

The tread of the friction tires is where all the magic happens. They have been carefully developed over time, with endless testing to improve the performance. They have to provide excellent grip on both ice and snow. They have developed a tread that contains cryo-crystals for icy surfaces, which are added as grip particles. They also use sipes to create good grip, and they have added multi-faceted snow claws between the tread blocks. All these developments have now made the non-studded tires to be almost as good as studded tires during the winter; however, the studded still have a slight edge on icy surfaces.

When are the friction tires better?

Friction tires might have a worse grip on ice than a studded tire, but they provide very good flexibility. There is no restriction for the use of friction tires, so you can have them on all year round, but they perform worse than all-season tires, so that is not advisable. The freedom of not having to comply with any dates and there is no restriction when you travel between countries either, so you can use these in any country.

Good quality non-studded tires tend to have extremely low rolling resistance; this results in lower fuel consumption as you drive. The tire wear will also be lower as a result of this. Both these factors are good for the environment and, coupled with a green tire that is produced with low aromatic oils and no toxic chemicals, 

For more information regarding friction tires, visit: https://www.nokiantires.com/