Need more winter traction? Here how. Sipe them.
11-23-2003, 11:01 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 448
Need more winter traction? Here how. Sipe them.
I slid off the icy road last week. I looked into buying studded tires for the winter, but decided to get my tires "siped" instead.
Better traction on wet or icy roads
Tire ribs separate and expose the sharp edges for positive traction starts and acceleration in all weather conditions. Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced. Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
Here's how tire siping works
Saf-Tee siping cuts slits, called sipes, at 90 angles across the tread, providing thousands of gripping edges for better traction and stopping power. Wear-robbing heat and hydroplaning are also minimized.
Read more about tire siping here:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/H...utomotive.html
Better traction on wet or icy roads
Tire ribs separate and expose the sharp edges for positive traction starts and acceleration in all weather conditions. Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced. Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
Here's how tire siping works
Saf-Tee siping cuts slits, called sipes, at 90 angles across the tread, providing thousands of gripping edges for better traction and stopping power. Wear-robbing heat and hydroplaning are also minimized.
Read more about tire siping here:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/H...utomotive.html
11-23-2003, 11:07 PM
#2
Originally Posted by Bgohan
I slid off the icy road last week. I looked into buying studded tires for the winter, but decided to get my tires "siped" instead.
Better traction on wet or icy roads
Tire ribs separate and expose the sharp edges for positive traction starts and acceleration in all weather conditions. Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced. Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
Here's how tire siping works
Saf-Tee siping cuts slits, called sipes, at 90 angles across the tread, providing thousands of gripping edges for better traction and stopping power. Wear-robbing heat and hydroplaning are also minimized.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/H...utomotive.html
Better traction on wet or icy roads
Tire ribs separate and expose the sharp edges for positive traction starts and acceleration in all weather conditions. Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced. Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
Here's how tire siping works
Saf-Tee siping cuts slits, called sipes, at 90 angles across the tread, providing thousands of gripping edges for better traction and stopping power. Wear-robbing heat and hydroplaning are also minimized.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/H...utomotive.html
11-23-2003, 11:10 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 448
You can sipe your own tires. The heated siping hand tool costs $60-70, which is about what ot wil cost you to have a tire shop sipe them for you. A non-heated tool is about $20.00. If you have soft tires, you should not need a heated tool.
Search the net for 'Ideal tire grooving tool".
After having my tires siped, I noticed a lot less roaring noise, espeicially on asphault roadways. My 70 mph shimmy went away too. The front tires do not break loose as easily on dry pavement, but I cannot yet say how well they do in snow or on ice. Studded tires are about $550 for my 97 Maxima. Siping cost $52.
Search the net for 'Ideal tire grooving tool".
After having my tires siped, I noticed a lot less roaring noise, espeicially on asphault roadways. My 70 mph shimmy went away too. The front tires do not break loose as easily on dry pavement, but I cannot yet say how well they do in snow or on ice. Studded tires are about $550 for my 97 Maxima. Siping cost $52.
11-24-2003, 04:24 AM
#5
Member who somehow became The President of The SE-L Club
iTrader: (19)
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 16,033
Tire companys pay engineers big time money to design the tire and tread.
Why in the world would you want to cut it up?
Makes no sense at all.
If you want better traction, buy winter tires. It's not just the tread pattern that grips it's the composition of the rubber. Winter tires stay soft in cold weather, high performance tires or summer tires get hard in cold weather and no matter how much you alter the tread pattern you will never have traction in the winter time.
I call big time
on this one.
Why in the world would you want to cut it up?
Makes no sense at all.
If you want better traction, buy winter tires. It's not just the tread pattern that grips it's the composition of the rubber. Winter tires stay soft in cold weather, high performance tires or summer tires get hard in cold weather and no matter how much you alter the tread pattern you will never have traction in the winter time.
I call big time
on this one.
11-24-2003, 05:03 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,117
This isn't anything new. Offroaders have been doing this for years for increased traction in the wet and decreased road noise. It's a good idea for those who don't have high-performance all season tires and wish to gain a bit more wet traction.
11-24-2003, 04:16 PM
#7
Siping has been around for quite a while, but the idea is not BS. njmaxseltd is correct about today's tire designs. Siping was most useful years ago, when tires and tread were not nearly as well engineered.
11-25-2003, 12:21 AM
#9
Originally Posted by Jeff92se
I think sniping is good for wet/snow/ice traction. But I really doubt it's gonna help high performance dry traction. ESPECIALLY when doing some serious turns etc...
11-25-2003, 03:38 AM
#10
Siping for dry performance is a 2 sided arguement. I think technically you get better braking, but I dont think its as responsive, and its supposed to help give alittle better traction on dry launches because of the more surface area and its nature to let the tire flex more, but it will affect tire life, esp if your doing burnouts or locking up the brakes. In the corners, siped tires would not be something I want. You might (big might) gain alittle on the skid pad (probably not noticeable, but I think you will loose alittle response/feel in the steering.
Yes siping is better for wet conditions, but I wouldnt sipe low profile tires, and wouldnt do it to my passanger car tires. The only ones I really would do it to is Mud-Terrians for trucks since they tend to be alittle behind the All-Terrians for wet conditions. Also since theres more tread, its not exactly rocket science to go at it with a razor blade, its just slightly time consuming.
Yes siping is better for wet conditions, but I wouldnt sipe low profile tires, and wouldnt do it to my passanger car tires. The only ones I really would do it to is Mud-Terrians for trucks since they tend to be alittle behind the All-Terrians for wet conditions. Also since theres more tread, its not exactly rocket science to go at it with a razor blade, its just slightly time consuming.
11-25-2003, 04:53 AM
#11
It's chrome alright...
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,009
Originally Posted by Bgohan
Better traction on wet or icy roads
Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced.
Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
Spin on snow and ice is drastically reduced.
Hydroplaning on wet or snowy roads is also minimized for extra safety.
Tests prove 15-20% extended tire life
Saf-Tee siped tires have been proven to last longer than ordinary tires in exhaustive road tests by major trucking firms and bus lines. In addition, Saf-Tee siping reduces rock and chuck hole damage to tire casings.
Softer ride in all conditions
You can expect a better ride from Saf-Tee siping tires. Tire tread flexes better (especially on belted tires) to give you a soft, yet controlled ride.
unless you car tire was HORRIBLY engineered (which I doubt) doing one thing to it won't both increase traction AND extend the tread life.
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