In some elements of the nation, it’s time to placed on winter tires. In the event you want a brand new set this 12 months, you might discover one thing totally different — some winter tires at the moment are rated particularly for a way effectively they assist a automobile brake on ice.
The sidewall of a tire is filled with data most of us by no means think about.
Associated: Snow Tires Information — The whole lot You Have to Know
A few of that data comes by way of icons. The U.S. Tire Producers Affiliation (USTMA) governs these. Since 1999, it has allowed producers to emblazon an emblem on tires that carry out higher in particular snow testing. It seems to be like a 3-peaked mountain with a snowflake inside. It means, in line with the group, that the tires have a minimum of 110% the traction of an all-season tire in “medium-packed snow.”
Now, some winter tires will put on a second image: a one-peaked mountain with a jagged snowpack on high.
Associated: Are Winter Tires Well worth the Value?
Tire producer Nokian says it means the tires “carry out a minimum of 18% higher than an ordinary reference tire” when braking on ice. TireBusiness.com says Nokian’s tires “will be the first in a brand new class of winter tires” as a result of they earn the marking. The check is carried out 3 times on a flat floor of ice.
But it surely’s not one thing Nokian made up. Automotive and Driver notes it was “accepted by the technical committee on the Worldwide Group for Standardization (ISO).” The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 (studded) and Hakkapeliitta R5s (non-studded) seem like the primary tires on the U.S. market to bear the stamp. However there’s no cause different producers couldn’t earn it.