So you understand how important your tires are for
performance and safety, but do you have a grip on what makes one
tire better than another? Today, manufacturers produce
specialized tires for different vehicle types and driving
conditions. The winter tire remains one of the best examples of
tire evolution.

Originally known as 'snow' tires, they were knobby, noisy and
unattractive – designed for driving in the snow only. Anyone who
has driven on snow tires in dry and wet conditions is aware of
their compromised handling and traction. Today, consumers demand
greater performance from their winter driving than these older
tires can deliver.

Today's winter tires represent the latest technology providing
drivers with safety in all winter driving conditions. New
materials, tread patterns with less void (open areas), and the
absence of lugs (the knobby little rubber teeth on the classic
snow tire) have resulted in a tire that excels on ice, snow,
slush and other wet surfaces. These new winter tires also deliver
improved handling and a smooth, safe ride in all winter driving
conditions.

"The first component of winter tire construction is a rubber
compound that is softer and able to maintain grip and flexibility
with lower temperatures," explains Tony Mougios, Michelin Brand
Manager in Canada. "Michelin's line of Alpin winter tires
features a special winter compound throughout the entire depth of
the tread."

Tread design is another key feature of winter tires. The tread is
the part of the tire that comes into contact with the snow and
provides bite. To increase traction, winter tires feature plenty
of lateral biting edges (lateral density) that create traction
with the ground.

"Bite" is the key word in snow traction. A good winter tire
features deep grooves, sharp corners and edges for digging into
snow and gripping ice, and plenty of sipes – small slits within
the individual tread blocks. Sipes provide two advantages; they
help keep the tread blocks flexible in freezing conditions and
provide additional gripping edges.

Michelin's Alpin winter tire line brings a whole new concept to
the market with over 1700 Torque-Locking sipes. In contrast to
conventional sipes, which descend into the tread block as a
straight cut, Michelin's design has a zigzag pattern. This allows
the thin blocks of rubber between the sipes to squeeze together
and interlock with each other under load, providing more
stability to the individual blocks and ribs. This results in good
handling and response, even on clear roads.