Tread Design Effect on Winter Traction

A variety of tread design features were hand carved into blank tread poly/steel radial passenger tires for winter traction testing. Included were variations in siping amount, depth, thickness, and angle as well as variations in the size and shape of tread elements. Testing involved drive traction and stopping distance testing on ice, packed snow, and soft snow. Increases in winter traction were noted with a number of test features that could be applied to tires now under development.