Whats the difference between summer and winter tires?
The major difference between summer and winter tires is the tread. A winter tire (figures 2 & 3) has various notches in the tread blocks that we refer to as lamellas. When in contact with the road surface these transform into a kind of “saw teeth”, increasing the grip on snow and ice. That considerably reduces the braking distance on snow and ice. In addition, road adherence and cornering characteristics on snow and ice are much better. A summer tire tread (figure 3) does not have lamellas and is characterised by wide longitudinal grooves and compact shoulder blocks. These longitudinal grooves ensure that water is carried off quickly while the shoulder blocks ensure proper cornering characteristics. The rubber mixtures also differ for summer tires and winter tires. The rubber composition of summer tires performs best at temperatures higher than 7 degrees Celsius. At lower temperatures the flexibility and elasticity of the rubber decreases, reducing the tire performance. The rubber mixt
