Kraiburg Recommends Winter Tread Designs

According to demand from the retreading material supplier, it is not just the experienced winter users that now recognise the advantages of a powerful traction tyre, with which they can safely travel through deep snow. In addition to customers in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and even Scandinavia, the so-called “lowlanders” are changing more and more from all-season tyres to “genuine” winter tyres.

One reason for this is the recent change in German law (StVO German Road Traffic Regulations § 2, para. 3a), which could put the insurance cover at risk or make it necessary to bear potential expenses, should the tyres be seen as the cause of accidents or traffic-jams when used under winter road conditions.

Naturally, Kraiburg’s response is to introduce some new products in order to satisfy demand. The latest is the premium design KDW Scan for long-distance and local trucks. Kplus 30, will be available in mid-October. The new Kraiburg design is manufactured from a natural rubber compound and is especially characterised by a deeply siped pattern as well as a relatively open tread design. According to the manufacturer, this makes the KDW Scan “an absolute professional in snow and recommended for use from October to April.”

Tips for Selecting the Right Winter Pattern

Kraiburg and its partners, the retreaders, recommend changing to winter tyres before the first frost appears. Only tread designs that have been optimised for winter road conditions guarantee a good overall performance with regard to mileage and tyre wear. Crucial in this respect is the relevant tread design, which has to show a well-balanced ratio from positive to negative pattern structure, as well as a high quantity of traction-efficient edges because of the number of its tread blocks.

Furthermore, a winter pattern requires good self-cleaning properties, which can be achieved with a relatively open shoulder design and the lead angle of the tread blocks. The rubber compound used also has a very important influence. It provides good grip on winter roads and, first and foremost, the necessary safety in road traffic.

If you’re a shop looking to sell summer tires, it’s important to know that customers looking for these tires have very specific needs. Let’s talk about why, before recommending summer tires, you need to fully understand customer performance requirements.

Unlike all-season or all-terrain tires built for diverse driving conditions, UHP summer tires are designed with one priority: dry and wet traction for performance driving. Lateral and longitudinal grip in dry and wet conditions are also important, which is achieved through optimized contact patches, high silica tread compounds and circumferential grooves to channel water. Generally, UHP summer tire tread design features large blocks and fewer grooves for more road contact on dry surfaces. The grooves are designed to channel water away from the tire, reducing the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads.