Tag: Studded tires

Why you shouldn’t use winter tires in the summer

If you have invested in winter tires because you live in a place that experiences severe winter weather with both snow and ice, you should know that winter tires should not be used in the summer. All-season tires, on the other hand, are only suitable for spring, summer, and fall but not perfect for winter. All-season tires can be placed on the vehicle once the final snow has melted and the roads remain dry.

When you buy winter tires like the Nokian Nordman 7, they are meant to be used only during the winter months. Using these tires during the other seasons is not recommended. In some states, it is against the law to use studded tires after a certain date. Winter tires — especially studded winter tires — remain the best choice for harsh winters with lots of snow and ice, where they provide the ultimate traction, especially lateral traction. Even for an SUVs the best choice for severe winter weather are SUV studded tires.

All winter tires, whether studded or non-studded, are designed to maintain better traction in extreme cold and on icy, snowy or slush-filled roads. Their rubber compounds are softer and thereby remain more flexible, allowing the tire to conform to the road in cold conditions. The same flexible rubber compound that works well in winter does not dissipate heat well and will wear down faster on dry summer roads. When you use them on hot summer roads, the risk of overinflating or blowing out will be much higher. The specialized rubber compound and tread design of winter tires are not designed for optimal warm climate performance or wear.  

The softer rubber compound and tread design of winter tires also create more rolling resistance when driven on dry roads, causing you to use more fuel and wear down the tires faster. This is not a very ecological or economical solution. If the idea is not to change tires after the winter season, then the second best choice to provide safe driving in winter conditions would be to invest in an all-weather tire. Unlike all-season tires, all-weather tires are marked with the threepeak mountain snowflake symbol, like winter tires. The 3PMSF symbol indicates that the tire has a severe snow service rating, which means that it has met required performance criteria in snow testing.

For more info regarding tyres for the summer, visit: www.nokiantires.com

When to consider studded tires on a hybrid or electric car

Good snow tires are important for all cars if the area where you live experiences winter road conditions, so to increase safety, it’s very important to invest in good snow tires. This is true even for a hybrid or electric car. The fact is that it might even be more important for high-quality winter tires with a hybrid or electric car, as the battery packs render the car heavier than a conventional car. There might even be more of a reason to invest in studded winter tires with this in mind. There are many tires on the market, and it is important to understand why studded winter tires give ultimate grip and traction. Let’s face it: Nothing can outperform studded tires on ice and snow and especially on black ice. It is the studded tire that allows you to grip the road to optimize both braking and accelerating.

Drivers should consider tires like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9, which has a unique, patented double stud grip to provide optimal grip in both curves and straight stretches. This tire is an excellent choice especially for the more inexperienced driver, who may not feel comfortable driving on snowy and icy roads. With studded tires like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9, high-quality studs give exceptional grip and traction, especially lateral traction, which helps drivers maintain control of the car even on black ice.

Two common complaints with studded tires are noise and increased rolling resistance. This is something the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires, with its new technology, have addressed, providing a tire that has among the lowest noise and fuel consumption of any studded tire in its product family. It does this thanks to new technology such as the Nokian Eco Stud 9 Concept, which dampers road contact by reducing stud impact due to the airspace in the middle of the lower flange.

The decision to invest in studded tires rather than non-studded tires can be a very good decision, especially if you live in an area with severe winter, as nothing outperforms a studded winter tire on ice and snow. Both studded or non-studded winter tires provide the best performance in winter when roads are full of ice and snow. Investing in dedicated winter tires remains the best decision for ultimate handling on winter roads.

For more info regarding studded tires, visit: www.nokiantires.com

Do You Need Studded Winter Tires On A Hybrid Or Electrical Car?

To increase safety, it’s very important to invest in good snow tires this is true even for a hybrid or electrical car. The question is if you need studded winter tires? Actually, both hybrids and electrical cars are actually heavier than conventional cars due to their battery packs so the extra grip and traction that a studded tire gives might be a good investment. There are many tires on the market, and it is important to understand why studded winter tires give the ultimate grip and traction. Let’s face it nothing can outperform a studded tire on ice and snow and especially on black ice. It is the studded tire that allows you to grip the road to optimize both braking and accelerating. I installed the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 Studded tires on my VW e-Golf as this tire came recommended especially for electric cars.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires with its unique, patented double stud grip will provide the optimal grip in both curves and straight stretches. I opted for studded tires as with the harsh Alaskan winters I wanted to feel control of my cars at all times. Especially since this is my first winter driving in real winter conditions. Having moved from Los Angeles it’s been quite a change especially with the driving conditions here in Alaska in the winter. With the studded tires however, it doesn’t seem so different then driving on a regular dry road. Basically, the studded tires like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 uses high quality studs that give exceptional grip and traction especially lateral traction, which helps you, remain in control of your car even on black ice.

One common complaint with studded tires is the noise and the increased rolling resistance. This is something that the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 tires with its new technologies have resolved and thereby has emerged with a tire that has the lowest noise and fuel consumption of any studded tire in its product family. With its new technologies like the Nokian “eco stud 9 concept” that dampens road contact by reducing stud impact due to the airspace in the middle of the lower flange.

I decided to buy studded tires rather than non-studded tires due to the winter conditions here in Alaska and in addition not being experienced with driving on snow and ice. Whether you decide upon studded or non-studded winter tires rest assured it’s the best decision for you and your family’s safety.

For more information regarding studded tyres, visit us at Nokian Tyres

Things To Consider When Buying Tires For A Hybrid Or Electric Car?

Having good quality tires no matter if you are buying, winter tires, summer tires, all season tires or all-weather tires. There are some important differences when shopping for tires for an electric or hybrid car. Especially high-powered electrical cars like the Tesla accelerate quickly with precise steering something that requires a high quality tire to bring out these features and to guarantee optimal performance. Unlike traditional combustion engines, electrical cars reach maximum torque immediately. This means that the tires are subject to more stress so rotating tires from front to rear more often is recommended. Lets face it would be a shame to have a nice high performance car and to not invest in high quality tires.

There are some other major differences with electrical cars being the additional weight due to the batteries so something to keep in mind when braking. This is especially important on wet and slippery roads. This is where a high quality tire which offers protection against hydroplaning comes in handy. It is also important to have a tire with low rolling resistance as it consumes less energy so this in addition to keeping the correct inflation pressure saves energy and is good for the environment. We currently have the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 on our Tesla Model S. 

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 is a non-studded winter tire, which offers both safety and comfort.  We were told that we did not need studded tires as these tires have exceptional grip with their multi-faceted “Snow Claws” and special rubber compounds made up with special ‘Cryo “ crystals to further improve the grip. Grip is very important especially with electrical cars, which are heavier than other cars due to the battery packs.

We invested in some dedicated winter tires as here in Alaska we felt it was the most prudent. The winters in Alaska are quite treacherous and as we moved here in November with our Tesla Model S which we realized was not ideal for this area of the country. We decided to invest in some high quality tires and these were recommended for not only electric cars but also specifically for the Tesla Model S.  Taking advantage of advanced technologies to ensure first class winter grip on both snow and ice which is especially important when braking and accelerating. Once spring rolls around we will be in the market for some new tires.

For more tips regarding tires, visit: nokiantires.com

Winter Tires Should Be Used In The Winter And Not In The Summer

When you live in a place with cold winters and lots of snow, the only real option is to invest in good winter tires. It really is the only safe option. Winter tires are especially formulated to withstand freezing temperatures and to continue rolling safely and comfortably on the snowy, icy and wet winter roads. All season tires are not suitable for real treacherous winter conditions. So, unless you live in a place with very mild conditions where temperatures stay above freezing, you should only use all-season tires in the spring, fall and summer. If you use these tires during the cold season when the weather conditions are wintry, you will be putting yourself and the passengers that you carry in your vehicle at risk.

Winter tires, on the other hand, should be used only during winter conditions. Using winter tires, either studded tires or non-studded winter tires, in other season is not recommended and in some states it is even against the law. So, as you see it’s important to use the correct tires for the particular season, especially in those parts of the country where the winters are cold, and summers are hot. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Since the winter tires are specifically designed to be used during the cold months, they are not good when the weather is hot. When you use them on warm summer roads, the specially formulated rubber does not perform adequately. Winter tires have specially formulated tread compound that does not harden when the temperature drops below freezing whereas summer tires actually harden and become unsafe with temperatures below freezing. A reason why winter tires should not be used in the summer and summer tires should not be used in the winter.

 
The softer tread compound that the winter tires have wears out fast if used in the warm summer weather conditions. It really makes more sense to invest in good winter tires when you live in an area with severe winters and vice versa good summer tires in areas with real hot summers. Some people actually buy a second set of rims so to make the change easier.

For more information regarding winter tires, visit us at nokiantires.com

Is your Best Choice a Studded Or A Non-Studded Winter Tire?

The choice will mainly depend on where you aim to drive and what kind of a driver you are. Personal preference tends to be a critical decision factor. High quality studded tires will have a better grip on icy surfaces than a non-studded tire. Otherwise, both a studded tire and a non-studded tires will perform equally well on wintry roads.

If you select high quality winter tires, you can be sure that they will perform well in winter conditions, regardless of whether they have studs or not.

For more information regarding studded tires, please check out: nokiantires.com

Safety First When Driving During The Winter Season

Safety should be the first thing on your mind when driving in the winter season. You need to make sure that you have proper tires on your vehicle before you start driving, especially if you have real winter conditions or if the temperature is below the freezing point.

When choosing winter tires for your car, you need to keep in mind what kind of weather your area tends to experience in winter. Winter tirescan be either with studs or without studs. The studded tires are better on ice, otherwise both perform well on wintry roads. The choice of a winter tire is often based on your personal preferences and driving habits.

There might be local restrictions for using studded tires, so make sure that you know what regulations apply in your area. As long as you have winter-approved tires mounted on your car, you will be safe while driving in the winter season. However, you still need to adapt your speed to the road and weather conditions.

For more tips about good tires for winter season, visit: www.nokiantires.com

Use Studded Tires For The Best Traction

When you want the best possible traction during winter weather, then a set of high quality studded tires is the best option for winter tires. Studded tires will give you the best grip on ice and packed snow. The metal studs dig into the ice to give you the best possible traction you can get so that you can drive safely during the winter period.

The tread design is also optimized for snow and slush so that you are ready to face all the challenges of winter weather.

For more info regarding studded tires, visit: https://nokiantires.com/

Snow Tires For The Winter Season

In North America winter tires are often referred to as snow tires. Winter tire is a bit wider definition. Winter tires will work on any surface during winter; on ice, snow or slush. They have been designed to work with these conditions in mind.

The tread has been designed for this purpose to ensure that you have maximal control over your vehicle. The grooves are designed to be able to push snow and slush to the side. The tread can include studs and the tires are then referred to as studded tires. If they don’t have studs, they are called non-studded tires or studless tires. Both types work well on any winter surface.

For more information regarding winter tires, visit: www.nokiantires.com

Tire Maintenance During The Winter Season

It is important to realize the significance that the tires play for your driving safety. Especially during the winter, you will have the most challenging weather conditions and with bad tires you will not have the necessary traction. You need to first of all make sure that you have tires that are designed for this season and that have been approved for winter use. Then you need to make sure that you have enough tread depth in your tires and that the tires are free from cuts and other damages.

If you have studded tires, you should make sure that the studs look good and that you haven’t lost too many of them. You also need to check the tire pressure on a regular basis to ensure that you have the correct tire pressure. As the tire pressure will vary with the temperature, it is good to check it every three weeks.

For more information regarding winter tires, visit my website at www.nokiantires.com