Thu December 16 03:25 pm 2021 in category Product news
Drivers can even double the safe service life of their tires with a simple trick
According to a study commissioned by Nokian Tyres, the number of worn tires on the roads is worryingly high. Drivers will usually only purchase new tires when the tread depth is severely diminished and the tire’s safety characteristics are clearly affected. According to an expert, however, safety should always be the key priority. Premium tires are both safe and durable.
Safety is the number one feature for drivers purchasing new tires. Other important features include durability, low fuel consumption, low noise, and low cost. This was made clear in a survey commissioned by Nokian Tyres (YouGov March 2021). The study was conducted in Germany, Northern Italy, Russia, Sweden, and Finland. In each country, 1,000 passenger car drivers who participate in tire purchases answered the survey.
The study indicates that more than one in four drivers will only purchase new winter tires once their tread depth reaches the minimum legal value. Furthermore, nearly one fourth of the respondents indicated that they will only shop for tires once they notice that the safety characteristics have been reduced. These figures do not include drivers who use all season tires.
Technical Customer Service Manager Matti Morri from Nokian Tyres is slightly concerned about the results.
“You should never wear out your tires completely. A tread depth of 4 millimeters is a sensible limit for replacing your tires. Once the tread depth falls below 4 millimeters, the tire’s characteristics clearly deteriorate, especially regarding aquaplaning prevention. A very low tread depth will also increase the risk of puncture damage”.
A tire’s price also indicates its durability
Tire buyers should consider the entire service life of the product: The price is always partially based on the materials used in the manufacturing. Premium tires have better, more durable rubber and metal compounds than the cheaper alternatives. For example, Nokian Tyres’ SUV and van tires contain Aramid fiber that reinforces the tire sidewalls. Aramid is a very strong fiber used in bullet-proof vests, for example.
“However, wear resistance should not be the only basis for your selection. Safety is worth emphasizing, and good wet grip and aquaplaning prevention go a long way toward it,” Matti Morri says.
“Drivers can extend the safe service life of their tires by rotating them from front to rear and vice versa. This will make the tires wear evenly. Unfortunately, rotating tires is far from common, even though it could even double the mileage that you can get from a set of tires,” he says.
Correct storage can also improve tire durability. The best place to store your tires is a cool and dry place, protected from sunlight. This is important, as Nokian Tyres’ survey suggests more than 75% of drivers store their tires at home. 21% of respondents use a tire hotel – this is more common in Sweden, Germany, and Italy than in Finland and Russia.
Working toward eco-friendly materials
Durable tires are an economical choice for consumers and the best option for the environment. Nokian Tyres’ survey also asked about drivers’ thoughts on environmental themes. Young adults considered it important to lower CO2 emissions from tire manufacturing; older drivers were concerned about the release of microplastics and fuel consumption, for example. There were also some gender differences: Women were more concerned about CO2 emissions and sustainable raw material production than men. Men, on the other hand, were more concerned about fuel consumption and external rolling noise, among other things.
Nokian Tyres is a tire industry pioneer in sustainability, and Senior Manager of R&D Harri Myllymaa has been working on the topic from the early 2000s onwards.
“Consumers often approach sustainability from the points of view of fuel consumption, tire wear, or tire recycling. Nokian Tyres’ current research is more and more focused on finding bio-based and recyclable raw materials. We have already achieved a lot in making tires safer, reducing fuel consumption, and improving wear resistance. We can also consider other sustainability approaches alongside them,”
Myllymaa states.
This is how drivers care for their winter tires
57.8% regularly check the tire pressure
56.1% monitor the tire tread depth
47.6% consider the age of their tires
28% rotate the tires
24.6% remove rocks stuck in the tire grooves
20.8% increase the inflation pressure when the load increases
This is how drivers care for their all-season tires
58.4% regularly check the tire pressure
47.5% monitor the tire tread depth
43.5% consider the age of their tires
25.4% rotate the tires
20% remove rocks stuck in the tire grooves
18.6% increase the inflation pressure when the load increases
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Further information:
Zuzana Seidl, PR Manager Nokian Tyres CE, 00420 603 578 866,