Classification According to Vehicles

Classification According to Season

(1) Summer Tire

As a tire for use in seasons without snow (spring, summer, fall), the summer or general tire is optimized for reduced noise, smooth driving and safe handling at high speeds.

(2) All Season Tire

Developed to relieve the difficulty of changing from summer tires to winter ones in regions with short snow seasons, the all season has more tread kerfs than the summer tire.

(3) Snow Tire

Snow tires are used widely for passenger cars, small trucks, light trucks and truck & buses. The use of snow tires is firmly established in snowy regions. Generally, the treads of snow tires are divided into small blocks to maximize driving performance with the added propulsion capability of the lug design and the rib design’s prevention of side slippage. Snow tires provide good steering and are designed to have high braking and tractive force in snow. These characteristics are due to the treads with deep grooves which aggressively grab onto soft snow. When driving with snow tires, the snow that is stuck in the grooves of the tread is compressed in an up and down direction and hardened to form a firm snow pillar. If snow tires are used in seasons without snow, wear occurs faster than for regular tires so it is more economical to change to regular tires once winter is over.

01.Studded Snow Tire
While snow tires perform better on icy roads than regular tires, they cannot provide major propulsion capability, braking capability and prevention of side slippage. To improve driving performance on icy roads, steel studs were embedded onto snow tires. Studded snow tires have the following two requisites:

• Studs must be firmly fixed to the tread and not damage the tread
• Stud pins must always protrude from tread surface at a reasonable level

02. Studless Snow Tire
While studded snow tires perform well on icy, frozen roads, the studs tend to damage roads and cause debris.
Due to such problems, use of the studded tire has been reconsidered every year and eventually, the studless tire was born.
As its name says, the studless tire is a tire without studs but one which shows maximized driving performance on slippery, frozen roads. Compared to existing snow tires, its snow capabilities are improved to near those of studded tires.

03. Principle of Snow Tire
When a tire turns, the snow pillar puts up resistance in order not to be cut out of the tread groove. This arbitrary resistance the basic principle linked to the snow tire’s performance.

Rubber that Remains Soft in Cold Temperatures

Following advances in rubber technology, a special rubber is used that remains soft and pliable in the coldest temperatures to make it stickier on snow or ice.

Can Be Driven on All Roads

Performance must be good on icy, snowy roads in winter

● Best ■ Good ▲ Regular