Category US

Hydroplaning is something that all drivers might experience at one point. If you have already experienced hydroplaning, which happens when the water pressure in the front of the wheel pushes water under the tire, separating the tire from the road and thereby loosing traction, then you know it can be a frightening experience. You should know that today’s car tires have many new innovative features to protect your car from hydroplaning.

In fact, the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 all-season tires makes use of many new innovations to protect against hydroplaning. Innovations like polished lateral and inside grooves give the ultimate protection against aqua planing. This is because the design of the new lateral grooves allows them to store more water from between the tire and the road and accelerates its flow from the main grooves. If in the market for all-weather tires, then the Nokian WR G4 all-weather tires are a good option with many new innovations as well to protect from hydroplaning. The “Blade Grooves’ efficiently routes rain, snow and slush away from the contact surface. It should be noted that hydroplaning can occur with both water (aquaplaning) as well as slush (slushplaning). In addition, the “Coanda technology” with its curved, ramp-like design of the tread blocks on the inner shoulder guides and accelerates the flow of water from the longitudinal grooves into the transverse grooves. These excellent slushplaning prevention properties are even retained as the tires wear down.

Since aquaplaning or hydroplaning happens when a layer of water builds up between the wheels of the car and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the car from responding to control inputs. This can be very frightening, and it is the number one cause of accidents in the summer. To prevent hydroplaning, it is important to always have good quality tires with adequate tread that are properly inflated.  Make sure to also rotate tires and replace if the tread is below 5/32 inches. It is also important to slow down when roads are wet, this is because the faster you drive the harder it is for the tires to disperse the water. Avoid puddles and standing water, turn off cruise control, drive in lower gears, avoid hard braking, don’t do sharp or quick turns. If after all precautions your car still ends up hydroplaning then you need to take your foot of the brake, steer in the same direction as you are heading and do not under any circumstances slam on the brakes.

Both all-season tires and all-weather tires have features to protect from hydroplaning and as long as the tires are in good shape with at least 5/32 inches of tread and properly inflated then the risk of hydroplaning it greatly reduced. It is however important to stay prudent when driving in rain. Always slow down, avoid puddles, keep your eyes on the road, avoid drastic turns or hard braking and if possible, drive in a lower gear.

For more information regarding all-season tires, visit: nokiantires.com

When choosing the right size tires for all year round use you need to not only follow the manufacturer’s recommended size tire for your car but also to consider the weather conditions you will be encountering in the area where you live. This is because there are two types of tires for year-round use; all-season tires and all-weather tires. Which one to choose depends on the climate in the area where you live. The all-weather tires are a good choice for people looking to keep one set of tires throughout the year but yet live in an area where the winters requires adequate tires to deal with snow and ice. The all-weather tires hold the “Three Peak Mountain Snowflake” emblem indicating that these tires have met the required performance criteria in snow testing and are considered severe snow service rated. With winters being quite severe in many areas of the United States, having proper snow tires is important as they are apt to handle both snow and ice.

The reason dedicated all-weather tires are the best choice in areas with severe winters is because these tires hold the same severe service rating as winter tires with the advantage of being able to be used all year round. In addition, the need to time the moment of changing of tires is eliminated. This is quite important as the timing of changeover can be quite tricky. Many areas don’t have a clear cut off between fall and winter. With surprise snowfall possible in the early fall, followed with warmer weather. If installing winter tires this becomes tricky as winter tires exist both as non-studded and as studded tires, with the laws for studded tires being quite strict on the date you are able to put them on, while in some states they are not allowed at all.

If the area where you live has mild all year-round weather, then the all-season tires are an option and probably the better choice as they have lower rolling resistance and thereby better fuel economy. All-season tires do not need to have as aggressive tread as all-weather tires as they do not need to meet the criteria for performance testing on snow. All season tires like the Nokian eNTYRE all-season tires offer excellent wet grip and stability while allowing for both comfort and performance in an environmentally friendly tire. It also offers hydroplaning protection and even has a hydroplaning indicator.

Whether the choice is to invest in all-weather tires or all-season tires the dimensions need to be those recommended by the car manufacturer. This means if the recommended dimensions are 265/70R17 then you would need to equip your car with either

265/70R17 all-season tires or 265/70R all-weather tires. In general, as long as you install the correct dimension tires for your vehicle’s make and model then you are well equipped to handle any road conditions no matter what the forecast.

For more information regarding all-weather tires, visit: nokiantires.com

All-weather tires can replace the need for dedicated winter tires and thereby eliminate the need to change tires in the winter. Advances in all-weather tires make them just as good on snow and ice as winter tires. This is because with improvements in the rubber compounds and tread patterns they are able to handle the most severe winter conditions. This is also why they hold the same “Three Peak Mountain Snowflake” symbol as winter tires. This emblem branded on the tire’s sidewall indicates that the tires have met required performance criteria in snow testing and are considered severe snow service rated. Since winter tires are made only for the winter season they need to be changed after the winter is over whereas all-weather tires can be used all year round.

All-weather tires like the Nokian WR G4 combine high-performance, all-season handling and reliable winter grip, making it a true all-weather tire. It takes advantage of a new all-weather dual performing compound that ensures excellent wear resistance while remaining a fuel-efficient tire. It is able to efficiently route rain and snow and slush with its functional tread blocks and “Blade grooves”. These sipes, staggered at different angles, are the reason for the effective longitudinal grip and the wide longitudinal grooves the reason for the lateral grip.

When investing in all-weather tires you eliminate the need to change over into dedicated snow tires and the need to figure out at what moment to do this. The general indications for winter tires are when the temperature drops near freezing which is vague as many areas might have weather that is unpredictable with a cold front moving in quickly, that is then is followed with warmer weather. If using studded tires this becomes even more complicated as each state in the United States has different laws for their use. There are some States that allow their use as early as September while others not at all. There are also some States only allowing rubber studs while others allow both metal and rubber studs. When to put them on depends on where in the United States you live. This is something that is not a problem if using all-weather tires.

When equipping your car with all-weather tires, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s recommended tire dimensions. If the recommended tire dimensions for your car are 265/75R16 then you would need to install 265/75R16 all-weather tires. Keep in mind if you do install winter tires instead of all-weather tires, it is important that winter tires are installed in sets of four to help maintain control and stability of your vehicle in winter conditions.

You should choose all-weather tires in areas that endure severe winters weather as they hold the severe service emblem, in comparison to all-season tires that do not.  However, if the area where you live has mild winters, then maybe all-season tires would be another option if looking for all year round tires.

For more information regarding all-weather tires, visit: nokiantires.com

When you are buying tires for an electric car, it is important to keep in mind the differences between electric cars and regular combustion engine ones. The weight is a big differentiator for electric cars due to the amount of battery packs needed to ensure that you can drive a long enough distance. The weight causes the tires to wear faster. Another difference is that electric motors have higher torque, which also increases the wear.

For electric cars we therefore need to have wear resistant tires. You also want to make sure that the tires have a low rolling resistance, as that reduces the heat build-up in the tire and also reduces the wear. You can also get further with each charge. High quality tires tend to have lower rolling resistance than cheaper tires of lower quality.

Most hybrid and electric cars come equipped with all-season tires from the factory. This is because this is the main tire and can always be used during the summer and if the car is sold during winter time, you have to purchase a set of winter tires. The car dealer should know that the winter tires are recommended for electric cars. If they are not recommended, you should purchase another set. They also have to have the severe service emblem to ensure that they are approved for winter use.

You can also choose all-weather tires can be considered something off a hybrid between all season tires and winter tires. The all-season tires on the other hand are only safe in the spring, fall and summer season which will suffice if living in an area without winters. So if you want tires that can be used all year round even in winter conditions, then you have to use all-weather tires. Just make sure that they are recommended for use on electric cars.

For more information on all-season tires for hybrid cars: visit nokiantires.com

Your weather conditions will be very decisive when you make your tire selection. Even though you feel like they can drive through any road or weather conditions with your SUV, the tires will be very important to make sure that you have sufficient grip when you face different conditions. Most people think that the rugged bigger SUV tires will work also wintertime through winter conditions even though they have all-season tires mounted.  All-season tires are not safe to drive with during winter conditions as they have been optimized for different temperatures. This means that when the temperatures drop below freezing, you will be driving around with very hard tires that are not able to give you the necessary grip needed to keep you safe. The tread is also not optimized to handle snow and ice.

Therefore, you will need to equip your SUV with either SUV all-season tires, winter tires or then all-weather tires. All options are good as long as the all-season tires are only used in weather conditions that don’t include winter and for temperatures above zero degrees. The winter tires should be used for the full period where you have winter conditions and temperatures below zero degrees.  The all-weather tires, if they are approved for winter conditions, can be used for all the seasons and for all temperatures. This is of course the most convenient solution. It is also the safest tire for areas with very shifting weather conditions, as you are always ready to drive regardless of the weather.

For areas that have very harsh winters, it is better to choose tires that are dedicated for just winter and have been optimized to be the best possible tire for these conditions. If you have very icy conditions, you should probably even choose SUV studded tires for the best possible grip and performance.

For more information regarding SUV tires, visit: nokiantires.com